368 Mr. P. L. Sclater on Pere David's Travels in China. 



destined to carry him to Setchuan. From Hankow to Chong- 

 kin not less than sixty-four days were required to traverse the 

 numerous rapids which flow through the imposing gorges met 

 with in this part of the Yangtze. From Chong-kin, leaving 

 his baggage to follow by water, our traveller took a more 

 direct route by land, and in twelve days^ journey reached 

 Ching-tou, the capital city of the great province of Setchuan. 

 The first two months of the year 1869 were passed in making 

 collections in the environs of this city, and in the mountain- 

 range which lies two days^ journey to the north of it. Ching- 

 tou lies in the midst of a fertile and well-cultivatetl plain, tra- 

 versed by numerous canals, at an altitude of about 1500 feet 

 above the sea-level. This part of China is much better wooded 

 than any of the eastern portion, though no actual forests are 

 found until the further frontiers are reached. At the end of 

 February 1869, Pere David left Ching-tou for the principality 

 of Moupin, where most of his important discoveries were made. 

 This district, which does not appear to be marked in any of 

 our maps, is described as belonging to the ''Mantze," or in- 

 dependent barbarians, who are neither Chinese nor Thibetans, 

 but rather more allied to the latter. They form a number of 

 small autonomous states, having their own laws and, in some 

 cases, their own languages. The journey thither from Ching- 

 tou lasted eight days, the second half of which was very ar- 

 duous on account of the steep mountain-range it was neces- 

 sary to pass, over snow and ice. At the summit of the pass 

 between China and Moupin the barometer indicated a height 

 of 3000 metres, or 9843 English feet. 



PereDavid^s ordinary residence in Moupin was near the sum- 

 mit of one of the chief valleys of the principality, at an eleva- 

 tion of 2129 metres, or a little less than 7000 feet above the sea- 

 level. Just as he arrived in this strange country a somewhat 

 serious check was caused to his collecting by the issue of a sove- 

 reign edict against hunting of any kind, on account of a me- 

 tempsychosis of Buddha that had just taken place. Happily 

 the hunters of Moupin were not very scrupulous, and this 

 difficulty was overcome by a slight addition to their pay. The 

 highest mountain of Moupin, called Hong-chan-tin, was only 



