Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-03-16
Tibet INVADED
A Land Never Before Y listed by
White Men

A Land Never Before Visited by
White Men
The British expedition to Thibet
travelled through an unexplored
country, which never before had
been visited by a European. Fort
Pbari, which the force occupied
for a time, is a picturesque
structure, solidly built of stone
and exactly resembling a medi@-
val castle. 1t is four stories high.
The interior is full of little cells,
like rabbit warren, and there
are quantities of chain armor,
swords and spears therein.
The houses of the surrounding
villages are constructed Of peat
sods. They are single story high,
with fat roofs. The natives are
friendly.
Mr.. Oscar T. Crosby, the Ameri-
can explorer, has returned to Paris
from a trip through Central Asia,
where he explored parts of Turkes-
tan and Thibet never before visit
ed by white man. In relating
his journeyings, Mr.. Crosby said:
81 left the United States last
May, stopping at st. Petersburg
to obtain permission to pass
through Russian Turkestan. The
Russian authorities were courteous
and gave me letter of introduce
tion to General Petrovsky, Russian
Consul at Kashgar, in Chinese
Turkest:an. l took the trans
Caspian road to AGta.iiian!, its termi-
nus, meeting on the way there
Captain Anginour of the French
Army, who joined me in my
journey. From Andijan we went
by caravan to Kashgar, Chinese
Turkestan.
cat this point the caravan was
reorganized and started for Thibet,
passing through Yarkand and
Kotan, and eventually arriving at
Polu, at the base Of the Kuenlun
Mountains. Here we began to
ascend the Thibetan plateau eleva-
tions, which range from $4,000 to
200 feet high. We travelled at
this height for eight weeks, suffer
ing from the rarefied air and cold.
"As we could only carry supplies
for twenty days, We endeavored to
make Rudek, in Thibet, whence
we intended to strike toward
Lassa. Unfortunat ely, lost my
chronometer and nautical almanac,
and was unable to take observa-
tions. We consequently took a
more southerly course than desired.
at was impossible to correct the
mistake because the country was
trackless and uninhsbited for
hundreds of miles. We could find
no openings in the mountains to
Rudek; but we crossed an unex-
plored region, known as the White
Desert.
"Our horses died rapidly. and
we had but a few days supplies
left when two of our most trusted
men were sent on the last animals
able to travel, in search Of aid.
They rode 100 miles before they
found any one. At the end of
eleven days our two men returned
with camels and provisions.
"The nomads, who are like our
Indians, refused to go into Thibet,
SC there was nothing to do except
accompany them to an inhabited
region, known az Little Thibet,
which forms part of British Kash-
mir.
"My purpose in visiting Central
Asia was to study the pat politi-
cal and racial questions contested
with that region. ] did not be-
lieve it possible to reach Lassa
except by force or in disguise, and
therefore proposed merely to go as
far as / could.
"The British ext edition under
Colonel Younghusband will be able
to enter Lassa. The Thibetans
cannot resist. Those / saw wire
mild and peaceful people, governed
by priests, who. so far as we know,
do not inculcate them with the
military spirit, which is contrary
to the precepts of Buddhism ard
Lamaism. The result of the ex-
petition will be some form of Brit
ish control.
"Russia is doing nothing to
prevent its success, and ! do not
think anything can be done. do
not behave Russia seriously con-
templated acquiring that country,
for if a natural frontier ever
existed to their Empire, it GER
tainly lies north of the vast deserts
and tremendous mountains which
must be crossed before inhabited
Thibet can be reached.
"Russia can stand British con-
troll of Thibet, because she will
take Chinese Turkestan as set
off. The inhabited part of this
territory Is rich and populous.
Three districts contain 1900, 600
persons, who live by irrigation.
The Russians can and will control
the commercial situation of all this
region because of its proximity to