GEOGEAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY. 



377 



ously to beat off the attacks of the Tungutes, 

 who kept firing their old-fashioned muskets, 

 but never with any effect. From southern 

 Sai'dam, M. Prejevalski, with thirteen compan- 

 ions, set out for western Saidam. The poverty of 

 the soil of this country makes it an unfit abode 

 for any animal even the camel. After travel- 

 ing for 800 versts, the explorer reached the 

 borders of an impracticable morass, covered by 

 swarms of pheasants. In a spot called Gaz, they 

 stopped for three months. From thence the 

 travelers advanced once more 800 versts into 

 western Thibet, where they discovered three 

 new mountain-chains. On their return to Gaz, 

 they set off, through mountain-passes, for Loto, 

 where they found a population of Turkish race, 

 very friendly. The same kindly reception was 

 accorded them in the western part of China, 

 bordering on Eastern Turkistan. This is a very 

 fine region, fertile, warm, and with no winter 

 climate ; yielding a crop twice a year (in Feb- 

 ruary and July), and bearing fruits all the year 

 round. Chinese, Mongols, Arabs, Bukhariotes, 

 and Hindoos are all found there. On their 

 further advance, they came once more on an 

 absolute desert dotted with oases the dis- 

 tance, however, between the first two being 

 900 versts. That of Cherchen contains also 

 the ruins of a city. Near Cherchen there is a 

 chain of mountains, hitherto unknown, which 

 M. Prejevalski christened 'Tsar Liberator.' 

 Ram fell without ceasing for twenty consecu- 

 tive days. The oasis of Potam contains sixty 

 thousand deniatines of fertile land. The trav- 

 eler was the first to explore the Potam river, 

 which rises in a small morass in a desert, and 

 has a course of only 150 versts. Having 

 crossed the Potam, M. Prejevalski passed the 

 river Tarim, touched at the rich oasis of Oksu, 

 traversed the Thian-Shan, and concluded his 

 fourth journey by visiting Sekul." 



The following are some of the remarks in 

 which the explorer sums up his references to 

 Thibet : " Its climate is continental, with sud- 

 den changes from cold to hot, and vice versa. 

 The heat sometimes reaches 65 C. ; the mean 

 summer temperature is 40 0. in the shade. In 

 southern Thibet the climatic conditions are dif- 

 ferent : the summer temperature does not ex- 

 ceed 23 C., and the cold is moderate. In spite 

 of this, the too great humidity of the country 

 hinders vegetation, so that there is not even 

 sufficient pasturage for cattle. In the west 

 alone one finds a little grass, while trees and 

 shrubs are wanting. In spite, however, of this 

 poor vegetation, the fauna there is very abun- 

 dant. One can count as many as fifteen species 

 of mammalia and fifty-three species of birds. 

 The animals, which are sheltered among the 

 valleys of northern Thibet, are of very great 

 size. The first place must be given to the herds 

 of wild bulls (yaks), which are, however, not 

 fierce ; then there are antelopes, sheep, and wild 

 asses ; and bears, wolves, and foxes are also 

 often to be met with. In the east, there are 

 two rivers and some lakes, well enough stocked 



with fish : but there is little variety in their 

 species. The Mongol inhabitants, in their man- 

 ners and customs, take after the savage nature 

 of the country. They live in yurts made of 

 felt." 



An expedition of two years' duration in 

 southern Mongolia by Messrs. Potanin, Skassi, 

 and Beressowski was ended in October, 1886, by 

 the arrival of the two former in Kiakhta. Be- 

 ressowski remained behind to complete his col- 

 lections. Describing the journey from Ssinin 

 to Ssigu-ssjau, Potanin says he reached the 

 Yellow river at the little village of Arku above 

 Gui-dui, and crossed a mountain-pass 3,660 

 metres high. Reaching Gui-dui, he passed up 

 the valley of the river Lantschshu, called Dun- 

 chozjau on Prejevalski's map, to the plateau 

 of Rtshandsa-tan, about 3,000 metres high, to 

 the right of which can be seen the snow-cov- 

 ered mountains Amni-Dshakar, where Preje- 

 valski stopped in 1880. The road leads from 

 the plateau through the deep valley of the 

 river Naryn-Dshanba to the broader valley of 

 the Urunwu in which lies the town of Bou- 

 nan. On the same river, thirteen kilometres 

 above Bou-nan, is the Chinese cloister Urunwu. 

 From this valley the plateau of Gaulschshatan 

 is reached ; it is as high as that of Rtshandsa- 

 tan. Potanin at length arrived at the cloister 

 of Labran, 3,000 metres high in the narrow 

 valley of the Urunwu, having some hundreds 

 of well-built houses, many of them two and 

 three stories in height. It is the residence of 

 the Goge Dshajau-Dshapassyn, who unites the 

 temporal power with the spiritual. The valley 

 of the Ndami, a little tributary of the Urunwu, 

 leads to a third high plateau, to the pass Renu- 

 kika, on whose southern side winds the little 

 river Ankur, a tributary of the Tao-che, in 

 Tangutan the Lurjutschju. From this plateau 

 also may be seen a snow-capped mountain- 

 range stretching along the side of the Tao-che 

 from west to east. At the Renu-kik& begin 

 the dwellings of the Tungute tribe of the 

 Dshoni, whose prince lives three days 1 journey 

 beyond in Dshoni on the Tao-che". Through 

 this valley, in which is a considerable waterfall 

 near the village Jechu-tschao, Potanin, after a 

 journey of four days, reached Mintschsheu, 

 whence he passed over to the mountains of 

 Jali-ssan, the water-shed between the Tao-che" 

 and the system of the Yang-tse-kiang. The 

 ascent is short and easy, but the descent leads 

 deep down to the little town of Tan-tschen in 

 a very narrow valley. One kilometre distant 

 is the residence of the Tungute prince, who is 

 known among the Chinese as Matussy. 



Below Tan-tschen the traveler came upon a 

 great mountain -stream roaring through a nar- 

 row valley, between thickly wooded banks of 

 chalk rock. So narrow is it that the road 

 leads for a great part of its way over cornice- 

 like projections, platforms built out lika balco- 

 nies, and unsteady, overhanging bridges. Three 

 days' journey led to the mouth of this river 

 where it joins the Pei-tui, and a day's journey 



