210 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



on receiving it. In return, he made Mr. Zappey and myself 

 several presents, and urged us to visit his country on a future 

 occasion. We found that these Thibetans possessed keen and 

 accurate knowledge of the birds and animals of their country, 

 which made them enthusiastic hunting companions. During 

 the reign of the former king, his brother, the present Ruler, 

 was banished, and suffered dire hardships during his exile, 

 and often wanted for food. The missionaries stationed in this 

 neighbourhood on more than one occasion assisted him, and I 

 understood from them that he had not forgotten their kindly 

 help. The history of the family is a tragic one. The present 

 King's brother was supposed to have been poisoned, and two 

 sisters died early deaths, the result, it is said, of immoral 

 associations with lamas. 



The state of Chiala is of considerable size, comprising 

 practically the whole of the territory lying between the 

 Tung River, Chiench'iang Valley, and the Yalung River 

 from lat. 28° to 32° N. The five Horba states in a measure 

 also come under the influence of the King of Chiala. From 

 all I can learn this region has the best right to be considered 

 the kingdom of Menia, or " Miniak," of European maps. 

 The whereabouts of " Miniak " has considerably puzzled 

 geographers, but the evidence seems to point to the kingdom 

 of Chiala as representing it in the greater part. North-east of 

 Chiala is the large and prosperous state of Derge, famed for 

 its copper, silver, and swordsmiths. Monsieur Bons d'Anty, 

 French Consul-General at Chengtu, visited Derge in the 

 autumn of 1910, and on his return gave me a most interesting 

 account of this region. He informed me that Derge is a region 

 of much cultivation, surrounded on three sides by snowclad 

 ranges. The various industries for which the state is famous 

 are not carried on in towns, but by the peasants individually 

 in their homes, and from thence carried to towns for sale. 

 In the valley of the Upper Yalung, abutting on the north-west 

 frontier of Chiala and the south-east frontier of Derge, is a 

 wedge of coimtry known as Chantui, peopled by a race of 

 Ishmaels, whose hands are ever turned in conflict against their 

 neighbours. A similar people occupy a wedge of country in 

 the Drechu valley north of Batang, where they are known as 



