GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOVERIES IN 1871. 



345 



PASSES OVEE THE KAKAKOBUM (SO CALLED) AND KUEN-LUN RANGES IN EAST TOOEKISTAN. 



NAME OF PASS. 



Height in 

 feet. 



CHARACTER OP PASS. 



Shang-La. 

 Masimik . 

 Kisil... 



18,457 

 17,859 



Shang Lang, or Shang I 

 Sheunio j 



Karatagh. 

 Suget 

 Kirghia.. 

 Yangi.... 



Saadsha 



Kiiian 



Shutshu .... 

 Karakorum. 



17,953 

 18,237 

 17,093 

 16,500 



16,612 



17,200 

 11,847 

 18,317 



From Leh to Tanks!, over Kilas Chain of Hima- Somewhat difficult. Passable for 



layaa. laden horses and yaks. 



Over the northern chain, from Lake Pangong to Easy. Passable for artillery. 



the valley of Shaug-Shenmo. 

 From Ling-si-Thung plateau to the Karakash Very easy. May be passed with 



Valley. artillery-trains. 



From Shang-Shenmo Valley over the highest Easy. Artillery can pass. 



range of the Karakorum, to the Ling-si-Thung 



plateau. 

 From Karakash Valley, over the Karatagh Chain Very easy ; suitable for artillery. 



into the Yarkand Valley. 



From Aktagh over the Aktagh Chain to Shadula Easy. Passable for beasts of bur- 

 in Karakash. den. 

 From Shadula to Kirghis Shangal in the Yarkand Difficult, but passable for beasts 



Valley. of burden. 



From Kulu-Nnldi, in the Yarkand Valley, over Easy. Convenient for artillery- 



the W. Kuen-Lttn into the valley of the Tisnaf trains. 



River. 

 From the Karakash Valley over the Kilian range Difficult. Scarcely passable for 



to Sandshu. yaks ; not for other beasts of 



burden. 

 From the Karakash Valley over the Kilian Chain Difficult. Scarcely passable for 



to Kilian. yaks. 



From the Arpalak Valley over a spur of the Kil- Somewhat difficult, though pass- 



ian range to Sandshu Valley. able for beasts of burden. 



om Ladak over the highest chain of the Kara- Easy. Passable either for beasts 



korum into East Toorkistan. | of burden, or for artillery. 



We have already given the latitude and 

 longitude of Yarkand, as determined by Mr. 

 Shaw's observations. Its height above the sea 

 level is 4,384 feet. 



Manchooria. On the 13th of April, 1870, the 

 Archimandrite of the Greek Church (an office 

 analogous to that of Vicar-General in the Latin 

 Church) at Peking, M. Palladius, an eminent 

 geographer and ethnologist, set out from Pe- 

 king under the instructions of the Imperial 

 Russian Geographical Society for a tour of ex- 

 ploration in Manchooria. During this journey, 

 which occupied nearly a year, he traversed the 

 whole country from south to north via Mouk- 

 den, Kirin, Petuna, Tsitsihar, Mergen, and 

 Argun, a distance of nearly a thousand miles 

 through an almost entirely unknown country. 

 Steaming down the Amoor, he next ascended 

 the Oussouri River to Lake Khinka, and cross- 

 ing the portage arrived at the Russian port of 

 Vladevostok, on the shores of the Pacific. 

 During this long journey he devoted much 

 time and attention to the study of the lan- 

 guages and traditions of the native tribes of 

 Manchooria, and the architectural traces of 

 ancient civilization, thus opening a new line 

 of investigation relative to the original seats 

 and migrations of' the old tribes, which have 

 exerted so powerful an influence on Chinese 

 development. 



In China, the Baron von Richthofen, a Prus- 

 sian geologist and geographer, whose impor- 

 tant contributions to our American geology 

 during the last five or six years will be remem- 

 bered, attempted and completed, in 1870-'71, 

 at the instance and under the patronage of the 

 merchants of Shanghai, a journey overland 

 from Canton, by way of Hankow, to Peking, 

 thus traversing from south to north the entire 

 length of Central China, and exploring the 

 vast coal-fields there, of whose existence our 



own Prof. Pumpelly had already given us 

 some account. The baron estimates the coal- 

 field of Shan-si to be considerably greater than 

 that of Pennsylvania, and to be capable of 

 supplying the whole world, at the present rate 

 of consumption, for thousands of years to 

 come. As an illustration of the thickness and 

 extent of these carboniferous beds, he says 

 that, were a railway ever to be constructed in 

 that region it would be tunnelled for miles 

 through the coal-beds. Iron is also very plenti- 

 ful in this region ; yet, owing to the unskilful- 

 ness of the natives in mining, the lack of good 

 roads, and of means of transportation, the 

 smelting of it is too costly for profit. He at- 

 tributes the deterioration of the climate of 

 this region to the destruction of the forests for 

 fuel, while beneath their feet were the rich- 

 est and most easily-worked coal-fields in the 

 world. 



In Burmah the problem of a railway con- 

 nection with Southwestern China by way of 

 Bhaino and the Irrawadi River is still receiving 

 attention. Major Sladen, the British resident 

 at Mandelay, the capital of Burmah, explored 

 this route in 1870-'71, penetrating as far as 

 Momein, in the Chinese province of Yunnan, 

 and reports the project as feasible. 



VII. AFRICA. This continent, usually so full 

 of inter estf or the geographer, offered during 

 the year 1871 but little that was new in the 

 way of discovery. Sir J. D. Hooker explored 

 the Maroccan Atlas range to a limited extent, 

 but, beyond determining the height of a few 

 inconsiderable summits, his results were 

 mostly negative; the mountains were barren 

 or scantily covered with vegetation, the people 

 hostile, and the climate detestable. Farther 

 east, explorers who attempted the same range 

 in Tripoli and Tunis found no better en- 

 couragement. Sir Samuel Baker, now an 



