The sun., 1908-06-21

and with the States relation to education.
to the courts OF law and to the British En-
pire. NJ W. d.
A Journey Through Gobi and Tibet.
An important contribution to our knowl-
edge OF Mongolia and western China will
be found in a volume entitled From Picking
10 Sikkim. by Count DE LEsDAIN E. p.
Dutton q Coz. The seventeen months
journey performed in l9o4-05 by Count
and Countess de Lesdain was remarka-
BILE. not only because part Of the coun-
try traversed was previously unknown to
Europeans. but also because 1t was their
wedding tour. That young lady Of nine
teen should have faced and sustained the
hardships Of travel in the wild regionsthere
described can hardly fail to arouse feel
ing Of admiration and surprise in the mind
Of the reader Starting from Pekin, the
traveller whose observations are here set
forth struck westward to the Hoang-ho.
in order to explore the little known region
! of the Ordos Desert, which lies in an almost
rectangular bend Of that great river. The
region. it seems. is governed by a number
Of kinglets forming the Confederation Of
the Ordos. Among other spots visited in
which contains the tomb Of Jenghis Khan.
so jealousy guarded by its custodians that
no European had hitherto been able to dis
cover its actual site. much less to inspect
it. After traversing the provinces Of
Shansi and Kansu and the ALASKAN Noun
tains, the party skirted the Cobb Desert
and the Zaidam districts, crossing part
Of the Kuen-lun range into Tibet. They
L.. 4I MI lr,h
they encamped at a height OF 10 800 feet,
past the Tengri-nor Lake to the Lhasa
high road.
The author Of this book found part Of
the Ordos territory peopled and fertile.
The cultivators OF the soil are not Mongols,
but Chinese who have met with misfortunes
in their own country, have fallen out with
their mandarihs and have come to seek
shelter, food and peace under the banner
Of Mongol prince, who on his part gains
double advantage from their settlement
in his little kingdom. These emigrants
from China proper afford a means Of i'm
posing taxes, however small and Of buying
on the spot the corn which the people use
at q much cheaper rate than they would get
it for in the Chinese market. The Mongol
is the prey Of the Chinese his simplicity and
Incidence making him a pigeon easy to
pluck. He never keeps shop or cultivates
the ground; these occupations seem to him
TOO servile. He never works q mine, for
that would bring on him the curses Of the
mountain genie. and. in short, owing to his
pride, laziness and superstition, he never
obtains any advantage from the natural
richness Of the soil. The only occupation
which he considers worthy OF his lofty
origin Is the bearing OF arms. Pekin pays
each Mongol soldier a very small salary.
which is enough for his immediate wants,
and to meet any further requirements he
sells horses or sheep to the Chinese mer-
chants who are constantly crossing the
country in all directions. In the Ordos
region the normal price OF q good horse.
not an amber, is from 10 to Is taels. AMI
mails which have been taught to amble
and do 1t we'll reach a much higher figure.
from 40 to 80 taels. A sheep costs one tael
and an OK five or six taels.
The tomb Of Genghis Khan at Edchen
Koro, not far from the eastern boundary
OF the Ordos, is situated on the eastern side
Of small hill, some fifty yards above
a wretched village. where lives the Gus
todian who has charge of the keys. It
faces southwark and is raised on a terrace
some three feet high. A palisade Of posts,
fixed at intervals, surrounds the terrace,
and in It Is a single crumbling and worm
eaten gate opening toward the south
The general aspect Of the tomb is 90 poverty
stricken. according to our author, that
one feels a painful shock in traversins
the miserable entrance. Two small tents.
one behind the other and connected by
a very low inner door made Of wornout
felt and admitting through their rents
the rain and the wind. compose the -monu-
ment' destined to perpetuate the renown
OF the greatest conqueror the world has
known-one who In his lifetime ruled over
a greater extent Of the earth's surface
than does any contemporary monarch,
whose name spread terror and commanded
obedience from the banks Of the Yellow
River to the borders Of Poland. The
ashes Of the body OF Genghis Khan are
deposited in kind Of chest, cubic in shape
and placed on a wooden support made
Of small colored pillars adorned with
paintings on all its sides except the side
facing the south. which 10 covered with
finely worked copper plate representing
divinity surrounded by four animals,
which are difficult to identity. Each side
Of this ooffin. which serves tho purpose
Of a funeral urn. Ii adorned with q handle
OF gilded copper, by which II Ia raised.
and which seems to the traveller q fit
emblem Of the eternal nigrations Of one
who overran so many countries when
alive and who even after his death has
not found rest. The tomb In fact has
not always been here; but It Ia difficult
to learn exactly where the first descendants
Of the great Emperor laid his remains.
One thing is certain from the admission
OF the Mongols themselves. namely, that
the tents at Edchen Koro have been set up
at comparatively recent date. The
Mcngols Of to-day have not the slightsss
idea Of who 0enshls Khan was. and q