New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-07

tEo .1 n@pII Sngmans Green & Co.
-osents two essentially different as
NV che traveller or explorer-and the
pes, ,n that lofty land is as yet almost
p1D.-orsv an Notwithstanding TO the diree-
pe0''- 49,, which he approaches it. From the
p0 md West he comes upon a wild, desc
asssrt tract OF vast extent. sparsely in
NV where inhabited at all, by nomad
h1 -n,os From the East and South, he finds
lS che lofty peaks and mountain ranges
ADo-~ .ro,-s well cultivated farms, substantial
e. ,r,nosing castles, great monasteries and
- Evidences OF a retarded but completely
.,,.ss civilization. II was Captain Rawi-
- --4,-ileee 10 enter the country successive
ne .ro OF its characteristically opposite gate
- N very recent days. and his book con-
,be records Of his two journeys, made
- widely contrasting conditions. While MS
=. os,enture-into the unknown wilderness OF
-o-fbarr1 deserts the more important geo.
erbiosIly. the second. an offshoot of the Young
srsbsnd expedition. along the Valley OF the
-,,,gno from Gyantse TO Gartok. is Tar the
-,ore interesting TO the general reader
-Aa erst expedition was the personal enter
=. ., the author, undertaken, however, with
ne sanction and assistance of the surveyor
c...-sl ~ India and OF the president and
.orrnsnjed by Lieutenant Hargreaves. Of his
,,rnent: Babu Ram Singh, an official sub
.r-vevor and a large and various retinue' Cap
~ Ravling set out 10 verify, to I'LL out and
- extend the earlier explorations OF Captains
rous, Wellbv and Deasy. Starting from Len,
she oapital OF Iadall. the party entered Iloet
orer the Ianak La ard in just one hundred
davs accomplished E. circuitous journey OF one
,bo,sand miles II the northwestern section OF
the country, Incidentally exploring and mapping
thirtv-nve thousand square miles Of territory
that had never previously been visited by white
men. They met with the usual experiences Of
travellers IN those regions suffering from the
fierce hurricanes and extreme cold Of that land,
whose valleys are OF a higher altitude than
Mont Blanc; from the scarcity Of FODDER Tor
their pack animals. resulting in the death or
most OF their ponies; from lack Of water and
from the incompetence and criminal faithless-
ness Of some Of their attendants. To cap the
climax, on their return they were met by a
Tbetan armed force that turned them aside
from their route and efectually prevented them
from visiting the closed city Of Rudok one OF
the principal detectives OF the expedition.
Withal. as has already been indicated the
enterprise was far from fruitless, despite the
accidents and rnisadventures which restricted
the field Of their efforts and compelled an ear
Her withdrawal than they had intended. The
painstakingly detailed account Of the itineraries
Of the leaders and the excellent descriptive map
viii prove invaluable 10 those who may seek
70 follow in their footsteps and TO penetrate
still further into the unknown, as viii also the
carefully noted locations Of spots where they
cached the supplies they had TO abandon; but
there Is Of necessity q good deal Of sameness
N the day-to-day record Of travel through
semi-desert land among unnamed peaks OF
generally similar character, rarely relieved by
sight Of man or any Of his works. Game, how
ever they found in plenty, and never suffered
for want Of animal food. Al one point, the
limit OF Captain Deasy's exploration, they came
upon enormous herds Of doe antelope and their
young, extending as far as the eye could reach.
There could not" writes Captain Rawling,
"alave been less than 5000 TO 10000 in sight
az time" as they moved slowly westward
in search Of the fresh grass OF the higher table
lands To this broad valley Captain Deasy had
given the name Antelope Plain. with eminent
appropriateness- Among the most significant
traces Of human eudeavor that the author met
with were the gold diggings which, though
worked in a primitive way. appeared 10 be rich
and numerous, and doubtless account for the
lack OF cordially extended by Tibetan officials
70 foreign explorers.
The lack Of capacity as pathfnders OF the
men employed as guides drivers and packers
seems worth recording. The author notes that
Al one time he came upon his train encamped
for the night and digging laboriously for water
within three hundred yards Of a fine fresh pond
He remarks. apropos Of this, that:
Il IS remarkable fact that these men, although
they mad always lived more or less nomadlc life,
had put Very little idea Of the lie Of country
n BE- found. n is moreover generally supposed
t5at those accustomed 70 wild life in a country
Nlefe the view Is unrestricted possess remark
any long sight; hut this was not the case with
OF psrtE Tor. on The whole. their eyesight was
nos indifferent. Not one Of the men could see
a Ear OF a. distinctly as the average English
nan who goes in for shooting and in locating OBJ
}ecs hardly know whether the Kashmiris, the
lsrkandls or the Ladakis were the more inca
"nAe the author was Investigating the noun
tain Businesses Of Tibet in one corner Of the
country, Colonel Younghusband and his fellow
Commissioners were forcing an entrance at an
Other and within two months OF Captain Raw
Angs return 10 India he was again in Tibet
attached 10 the mission. He dismisses in few
paragraphs the story Of the advance 20 Lhasa,
which has already been amply covered in the
volumes written by Messrs. Landon and Cand-
AZ ana Major Waddell and takes up at once
1s account Of the expedition under his own
SVlilanc from Gyautse 10 Gartok- Whatever
people who aye not personally or politically in
'sfestee in this British invasion Of Tibet may
N'lA OF The motives which prompted it and the
manner ID which il was accomplished. It was at
'saS' valuable. even if not excusabIe. for the OPP
pTlunity II afforded for photographic and geo.
slspnlc discovery. Two q the most important
y Snese opportunities We're unfortunately, and
s-A'os' unpardonably. neglected. One OF these
@e4 lie proposed exploration OF the Tsangpo
through The Abor country to Assam TO deter
--e definitely the assumed fact that the
Nsi'gpo and the Brahmaputra are one and the
sane river. The other WAS Mr.. Wilton's pro-