A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



them, since the Nubra valley alone could not have 

 supported them. The trade, therefore, which had risen 

 from thirty-three to thirty-nine lakhs in 1893, in 1894, 

 instead of again rising to sixty lakhs, would have fallen 

 to something not far removed from nil, and the growing 

 reputation of the Ladakh trade route would have suffered 

 a blow from which it would not easily have recovered. 



It appears from this that the British Joint Commissioner 

 must be on the move on an emergency arising. And 

 at present, it is a fact that he cannot do this without 

 spending private money. Such floods as those of 1894 

 may possibly, of course, not recur for years to come, and 

 the main bridges now finished will probably stand for 

 many years. But any heavy break, even in the road, will 

 still have serious effects if not promptly put right. It is 

 not only in the year under note that heavy work had to 

 be, and was, done. 



I have written this note at perhaps tedious length, 

 because the Government of India will naturally not at 

 present agree to any increase of expenditure without good 

 reason being shown, and in order to demonstrate that 

 this increase is necessary, if it be an object to secure and 

 increase the Central Asian trade. The expenditure pro- 

 posed amounts to some hundreds of rupees per annum 

 only, while the trade is worth some lakhs. 



The question merits full consideration whether this 

 trade cannot be developed to an extent which will benefit 

 more than local commerce despite what I have said above. 

 If, therefore, I may offer an opinion which seems un- 

 biassed and which is based on some three years' experience 

 of Ladakh, I would suggest that the question of whether 

 it is not worth while to incur a small definite expenditure 

 to secure a not inconsiderable influx and efflux of com- 

 merce from and to India is a matter which would seem to 

 merit full consideration. 



S. H. GODFREY. 



275 T 2 



