i6o PRINCE OF KOKO-NOR. 



wide, and extends some distance to the east, bounded 

 on the north by the Southern Koko-nor mountains, 

 and on the south by another parallel chain which 

 unites with the former a little to the west of Djaratai- 

 dabas. 



Not far from the point of their junction, at the 

 entrance of a narrow defile formed by the Dulan-gol, 

 is Dulan-kit,^ where Tsing-hai-wang, governor of 

 Western Koko-nor resides. He used formerly to 

 live on the shore of the lake, but the constant depre- 

 dations of the Tangutans obliged him to remove his 

 camp. One may form an idea of the extent of their 

 robberies from the fact that 1,700 of his horses were 

 stolen in three years. The Wang, i.e. Prince, of Koko- 

 nor died a year before our arrival ;^ leaving as his suc- 

 cessor his eldest son, a youth of twelve, whose title 

 had not as yet been acknowledged by the Chinese Go- 

 vernment f and his mother, a young energetic woman, 

 acted as regent. We met her with the young prince 

 near Djaratai-dabas, on their way to Tonkir to trans- 

 act business. The latter eyed us with a sort of 

 stupid curiosity, but the princess demanded our 

 passport, and, after reading it through, remarked to 

 her attendants, that we were perhaps emissaries of 



1 The word ' kit ' means a church, and there is certainly a small 

 temple at this place. [The river is the Toulain-gol of Hue (ii. 208), where 

 the French travellers found the ruins of a flourishing convent. — Y.] 



2 Both the wangs of Koko-nor are subject to the amban of Si-ning, 

 i.e. the governor of Kan-su. 



3 Tsing-hai-wang died in 1871. A thousand head of cattle, in- 

 cluding 300 yaks, were paid for the celebration of his funeral obsequies 

 at different temples ; besides Avhich several hundred lans in money 

 were sent to Tibet for the same purpose. 



