Dec. 21, 1882] 
the stock of our information on oriental matters. In 
Yesso the Ainos were carefully studied by Herr Kreitner, 
whose independent testimony fully confirms this writer's 
views regarding the Caucasic affinities of those aborigines. 
“That the Ainos have nothing in common with the 
Japanese and Chinese is evident even from a cursory 
glance. The cranial formation is nobler, the forehead 
higher and broader, the prominent nose firmer. But it is 
the horizontal position of their large brown eyes that 
more especially assimilates them to the Caucasic type”’ 
(p. 318). A minute examination of the hair resulted in 
the curious discovery that its seeming abundance is due 
rather to its coarse texture than to its denser growth on a 
given square surface. In this respect it appears to be 
inferior even to that of the Japanese, at least on the scalp, 
while the body is on the other hand covered with a fur 
coat averaging 40 millimetres in length, and in the ratio 
of about 30 hairs to the square centimetre. The contra- 
dictory statements regarding the Aino complexion were 
shown by a practical experiment to be due to the more 
or less grimy state of the subjects examined. “The 
more I rubbed the lighter became the dark colour of the 
Aino, and the browner grew my hand. How often has 
the complexion of this race been described as darker 
than that of the Japanese, by those who forget to apply 
the test of soap and water !’’ (p. 296). 
In this thoroughly practical spirit many other contro- 
versial points, doubts, and mystifications were cleared up. 
The colour of the “button” on the Mandarin’s cap is 
commonly supposed to indicate official rank. But “such 
is not the case. It is a mere decoration or order. Very 
frequently we noticed Mandarins with the red button 
(first and second mark of distinction) taking his place 
after others decorated with the blue (third) or even with 
the gold (eighth) button” (p. 190). In the same way by 
a series of shrewd calculations based on a few given data 
it is plausibly shown that the population of China has 
been enormously over-estimated, and that instead of 300 
or 400 millions it does not probably exceed 150,000,000, 
or 100,000,000 less than that of British India ! (p. 556). 
In connection with this point, the opium question raised 
by over-zealous missionaries and political free-lances, is 
demonstrated to be a pure bogus. The practice, not 
always injurious, and in certain fever-stricken districts 
positively beneficial when kept within moderate bounds, 
would seem to be indulged in by not more than 850,000-— 
go0,00o altogether. The inveterate opium smokers are 
reduced to abcut 700,000, or not much more than 4 per 
cent. of the whole population, taking it even at its lowest 
estimate. 
Archzologists will rejoice to hear that the famous 
Nestorian monument of Signan-fu, hitherto reported as 
“lost or missing’’ since the Panthay rebellion, has been 
re-discovered by our explorers. For a time neglected 
and overlooked during those terrible times, it has been 
recently set up ina place of honour within the precincts 
of a Buddhist monastery to the west of the city. Three 
impressions of the well-known inscription were taken, 
together with a copy of ancther which has lately been 
added to the reverse side of the slab, and which runs 
thus : “A pious Mandarin caused this stone to be restored 
over twenty years ago, and set up where it now stands.”’ 
In the same neighbourhood a brick inscribed with the 
NATURE 
171 
symbol of the Han dynasty was also obtained from a 
pagoda said to be over 2000 years old. 
From Sining-fu an excursion was made to the monastery 
of Kum-bum, partly for the purpose of testing Huc’s 
extraordinary account of the famous tree of Buddha. 
The result must be told in the author’s words :— 
“ A few steps brought us to the chief temple. Before 
it stood, surrounded by arailing, the tree concerning which 
the Abbé Huc tells us that its leaves bear the natural 
impress of Buddha’s likeness and of the Tibetan alphabet. 
We sought in vain for such phenomena. Neither image, 
nor letters, but a waggish smile playing about the corner 
of the mouth of the elderly priest escorting us. Inanswer 
to our inquiries he informed us that @ long time ago, the 
tree really produced leaves with Buddha’s image, but 
that at present the miracle was of rare occurrence. A 
few God-favoured men alone were privileged to discover 
such leaves. The last so favoured was a pious Mandarin, 
who visited the monastery seven or eight years ago. Next 
day Count Szechenyi succeeded in finding a leaf on which 
a rude likeness of Buddha had been etched, probably 
with some acid. The llamas allow no one to pluck leaves 
or blossoms from the tree, and the leaves that fall are 
carefully collected and sold to the pilgrims as a specific 
against affections of the larynx. The tree belongs to the 
Oleacez, and I believe it to be Syringa L. (white lilac), 
which in all probability reached Europe originally from 
China” (p. 708). 
A careful survey was made of the vast region of 
“yellow earth,” to which a total area of at least 360,000 
square miles is assigned in the Hoang-ho basin. The 
origin of this unstratified loess formation is assigned with 
Richthofen to the weathering of the rocks on the lofty 
Tibetan plateaux, combined with the prevailing west 
winds, by which the pulverised particles are wafted east- 
wards. From a rough calculation of the rate of the 
deposit, which in Shensi was found to attain a thickness 
of 1800 feet, a period of at least 260,000 years is supposed 
to have been needed to remove the detritus from the 
plateaux to the lowlands. 
One of the most cherished objects of Count Szechenyi 
was to reach Lhassa from the east or north-east. But 
like Prejevalsky, Gill, Desgodins, and so many other 
recent explorers, he was baffled all along the Tibeto- 
Chinese frontier line from Kuku-Nor to Batang. Hence 
no new territory was anywhere traversed except a 
small district south of Batang on the road to Tali-fu. 
Here a fresh route was struck across the Chung-tien 
plateau, which occupies the extreme west of Se-chuen, 
within the great bend of the Kinsha-kiang. In this Alpine 
region several altitudes were taken, some new wild tribes 
were visited, but no opportunity was afforded of throwing 
any fresh light on the many interesting hydrographic 
problems which still await solution in South-East Asia. 
At Tatsien-lu these problems formed a chief topic of dis- 
cussion with the Abbé Desgodins, who has probably 
more practical knowledge of the subject than any living 
European. The question was again approached during 
the now familiar route from Tali-fu to Bamo across the 
narrow, gorge-like valleys of the great Indo-Chinese 
rivers. The result of these discussions and observations 
is set forth in the accompanying map of China and East 
Tibet, which substantially adheres to the lines already 
laid down on D’Anville’s map, prepared in 1735 on data 
previously collected by the Jesuit missionaries in China. 
Here the Sanpu appears as the upper course of the 
