New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-16
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MORE NOTES OF TRAVEL IN THIBET-

equally
% oct into II and to keep out OF It, since
Father HUGS famous sojourn IN Lassa' no ~
-oro.n hoe u is true found his way into tha'
.aor.a c,tv. hut each year adds TO the isl vi
81. rubo have succeeded in the face or great
a,e,cu,,,es and dangers in exploring large sec
CLAWS n, the country and even, In SEVERN III
.,a,cas IN pushing the work OF geographical
investigation 20 a point within Few miles Vi
,hs csn,,al itself The Thibetian in his capaci''
., oxcIuaer seems 10 be no match for the bu-
nam q,obe-trotter Indeed, the only thihs 'n"'
r.ers rhfbet IN any measure sealed lana Is 'ie
tact that neither Russia nor England mas az Se'
seen anv political advantage In opening IT,
WIEN captain WelIby and his companion
Lieutenant Malcolm, decided in lo"o 10 'o'" ,'''S
hand OF explorers they selected for attack WHAT
4. nrobabv the least known section OF the coun-
IVY, Through eastern and northeastern Inloe'
= ,rroher Of notable Journeys have been maze
- o,,,.,ent observers Others have crossed
The central part from north 10 south, nave eN
nIored the western borderland. or have 1oio"eu
a southerly route parallel with the Hlrna'aH d"
ranges: while on the extreme north the Na"eS'
and ranges Of the Kuen-lun system nave ~
nestedlv heen travArsed. But the region 'd'
lies along the thirty-hfth parallel or Ia'''""e
go Kssbn,r on the west to Kukunor on the
CT ha remained
,hls unknown land that CAPTAIN Wellby and
Lieutenant Malcolm. with party Of n"'i'e a.
,o,aants penetrated and until they crossed the
maths Of I,utreur de Rims and litteda'e '"'9
travelled over ground which probably no EURO
- .oot had ever before trod During the re-
.,rder y, their tourney through kuku-nor'
,r.ot-dorn and China they went through reia-
tivelv we'll known country
pu, - their route through northwestern lhoe'
No. ,bus the charm Of geographical noNeIy'
,bis charm, je the only one mat II seems 10 pos
sess To the scientific explorer TINS region
doubtless presents many fascinating ana I'M
nortant problems but to the mere UaNeHei "
anrears n he sinculary unattractiVe ana mo-
ro,onous The Thhetian plateau rises mere 10
an average elevation Of perhaps fifteen thousano
feet and Is in great part almost aosolu'e'E
s,erile II is land - salt or hracKlsh laKeS
without outlet Of barren plains and hills ana OF
sno,vclad mountains and these details repeat
,beroselves with little variation until Tsal-dam
e reached In the narrative II captain Ne""S'
,vhoee noiut Of view is that Of the traVeHer' puie
and smnle this monOtony is reflected. Inc
cbanters that deal with this portion or the jour
nev scientifically its most important parp con-
tain little more than the incidents ana oli'O"'-
49, ., tho daily march-detars that are intrin-
oaaod tn fact that from the nature Of the re-
eion traversed the story is necessarily deVolo OF
,h interest that attaches 10 intelligent ohserva-
,ions of native life and customs. From the time
that the boundary Of Ladakh was crossed until
a noint well within Kuku-nor was reached the
marty did not meet single human being In
Tbibe. however nature is less interesting than
man II is about its isolated and extraordinary
neonle that one most desires information. but
unon this matter Captain Wellby has not OF
course an original observation 10 report
As recital of daily happenings. however
these chapters are pleasantly and in parts vi
vaciously written. and are not without the
charm that marks all tales Of adventure in un-
known lands They marred Gas indeed are
all parts Of the book) by occasional slips IN the
use Of English such as the startling statement
made on page 6S that the travellers, having
found some fuel made the fire and water boil'
But defects Of this kind are not numerous
enough greatly to impair the pleasure OF the
reader II is however. in the later chapters
that deal with the authors experiences among
the Mongols Of Tsai-dam and with his Journey
through China that the book becomes distinctly
interesting The first people the travellers met
after entering Kuku-nor were party of Tribe
tian merchants journeying toward China. with
CAPTAIN Wellby's account of the caravan is one
Of the most entertaining portions Of the book
On separating from their Thibetian hosts they
found themselves among the MongOls. who re
ceived them Hospitality and aided them IN the
further advance In the town Of Tankar, JUS
! east of the lake Koko-nor. they found a Dutcl
missionary Mr.. Rijnhart. with whom they Wis
tied the famous monastery Of Kumbum, tn
home Of four thousand Buddhist priests.
their reception by the abbot. Nina Bu-yeh. on
OF the hottest men on the eastern border o
Thibet"-a saint actually twenty-seven year
old but believed by the pious TO be in either hi
sixteenth or twenty-second nfeume-and o
Kumburn itself the book gives exceedingl
interesting description. The abbot. who wa
very cheerful and chatty for one who bore tn
weight Of so many centuries Of existence. him
self waited upon them IN the absence OF his ser
wants 1T seemed strange" says the author. Z
see an incarnate saint. who is held In the deep
est reverence and worshfpped by men, busyin
himself unlocking drawers. producing sugar an
butter. and generally attending TO the mos
trivial and mundane matters. chatterng ava
all the time like an ordinary mortal" OF III
celebrated Sacred Tree about which 80 muc
has been written. Captain Weby says:
lust in this corner however. is the origins
Sacred Tree which sprung. according TO some
from Tsong K'aba's hair; according to Others
from his swaddiing clothes However this ma
he the main fact remains that on its leaves
true believer can distinctly trace the figure
Sakya NUM-. his name in Thibetian charaC
tiers Some priests say that one thing is TO
seen some the other. but Nina Fu-yeh says thu
on some leaves the figure may be seen, on Other
the characters; as only firm believers can traC
anything. the question is likely to remain
doubt. in spite of HUGS assertion that he d.
tected images"
Chapter XIV contains one of the best accoun
of the Mahometan rebellion of 1859 that hs
been written
A LONG TRIP AND SMALLPOX ABOARl
When the Sloman Line steamship Bohemia, Ca
I'D Nc from va