GEOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES. 337 



THE TRADE ROUTES BETWEEN NORTHERN INDIA AND CENTRAL 



ASIA. 



This was the subject of a lengthy and interesting paper, read at 

 the meeting of the British Association, by T. Douglas Forsyth, 

 C.B., F.R.G.S., of the Indian Civil Service. Mr. Forsyth com- 

 menced by observing that he had no geographical discoveries to 

 make known, but he pertinently asked what was to be the practi- 

 cal effect of all our geographical knowledge? There was the 

 work of practically applying the knowledge acquired by scientific 

 men to the purposes of material progress. If it could be found 

 that a knowledge of geography enables us to open out new routes 

 to trade, or to improve old tortuous lines of traffic, those who had 

 devoted their time and energies to the subject trusted that their 

 exertions might receive some share of general approval. There 

 are two great outlets for trade from Northern India. The largest 

 trade, in fact a very large commerce, crosses the Indus at diflfer- 

 eiit points between Kurrachee and Peshawur, and threading the 

 various passes of Bolan, Goleri, Kyber, etc., finds its way into 

 Affghanistan, Balkh, Bokhara, Kokan, and Western Turkistan. 

 The other outlet crosses the Himalayan passes, and enters that 

 tract of country known as Eastern Turkistan or Chinese Tartary. 

 flavin g given the history and description of the country north of 

 the Himalayas, he proceeded to show why we took an interest in 

 it, and why we sought to improve our communication with it. 

 On more than one occasion it had been asserted that the Central 

 Asia trade was a myth, and that therefore all efforts to open com- 

 munications with Eastern Turkistan were worthless. He then 

 proceeded to prove that from the earliest times trade had been 

 carried on there, and was so at the present time. The Yarkund 

 traders who appeared last year at Palumpoor brought lumps of 

 silver and gold in their bags. Khotan, which is famed for its 

 silk, sent a small quantity of raw produce, as a sample, to the 

 market. Turfan wool, which is grown on the Tiam Shan moun- 

 tains, and has maintained its character for surpassing excellence 

 for centuries, was for the first time introduced into the Indian 

 market. Precious stones and metals might be imported into 

 India, in return for which our cotton and woollen fabrics and tea 

 would be taken in large quantities. He then referred to the dis- 

 covery of the new route between India and Turkistan, and said 

 that trade had ncTw been established, and a fair was founded in 

 the heart of the tea-growing valley of Kangra, to which traders 

 from all parts of the world now came. Mr. Forsvth then described 

 the various routes into Central Asia, and, referring to the Hima- 

 layas, said that atmospheric influences and deficiency of fuel 

 apart, there would be absolutely less physical difficulty opposed 

 by nature in making the railroad talked of by INIr. Saunders, from 

 Tso Moreri Lake to Yarkund, than there was in making the rail- 

 way from Suez to St. Michel. The impassable nature of the Hima- 

 layas was a myth. He insisted that a valuable trade was to be 

 opened up with Central Asia. 

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