194 KEPOBT — 1875. 



to west, reaching their greatest development in the Mustagh range, where there 

 are several glaciers over 20 miles in length, and the Biafo glacier 34 miles in length, 

 and a great many from 10 to 20 miles in length. From a glance at the map it 

 could he gathered that these glaciers covered a very large area. Colonel Mont- 

 gomerie pointed out what a very important feature they formed in the geography 

 of Asia, not only in a scientific point of view, but in a practical one, as they formed 

 a vast natm-al resei-voir, which provided an unfailing supply of water in a tropical 

 coimtry at a pei-iod when it was most wanted — that is, between the spring and the 

 fall of the summer rains. 



Colonel Montgomerie pointed out that the Himalayan peaks rose to twice the 

 height of those in the Alps, and that the glaciers were more than fom- times as 

 long as those in the Alps, the Mer-de-glace (the longest) being hardly 8 miles in 

 length, while those in the Himalayas were of all lengths up to 34 miles. 



Fre^e.vdlsTcy's Travels in Mongolia and Northern Tibet. 

 Brj E. Delmae Morgan. 



To the north-west of China proper lies a broad belt of hilly sandy deserts, 1400 

 miles in extent from east to west, which from the earliest historical times was a 

 gathering-ground for the nomads of Inner Asia, whence they could descend on 

 the populous but defenceless plains beneath, and pour a wave of conquest and 

 desolation over the fertile provinces of the middle kingdom. 

 _ 111 adapted, owing to the poverty of its vegetation, to support a settled popida- 

 tion, it nevertheless atforded a secure retreat to the robber and marauder, and was 

 on this account a dangerous country for travellers. The Great Wall, which never 

 protected China from her enemies, served to mark the limits beyond which civihzed 

 man could advance no fm-ther ; and if the spirit of the nomad has been subdued 

 after so man}^ generations of Chinese sway, his native deserts remain unconquered 

 and invincible as in the days when the Great Wall was built. 



The further west the more bleak and desolate is the aspect of nature. The 

 Great Wall still continues to define the limits of life and culture on the one side, 

 of death and desolation on the other. Inside the northern bend of the Yellow 

 River lies the country of Ordos, a sterile region of shifting sands, where many 

 legends are still preserved of the gi-eat hero Jiughiz-Khan. To the west of the 

 bend of the Yellow River is a region still more bleak and desolate, at one time the 

 bed of a large lake ; beyond it are the moujitains which enclose the basin of Lake 

 Koko-nor, and still fm-ther to the west grand snowy ranges and gradual ascents 

 towards the uplands of Tibet. These are the regions visited by Colonel Preje- 

 valsky, which few Em-opeans had ventured to penetrate previously. Marco Polo 

 only devotes four short chapters of his first book to their description. Hue and 

 Gabet traversed Southern Mongolia and passed by Koko-nor into Northern Tibet, 

 but they gave no accm-ate geographical information. Pere Ai-maud David visited 

 the mountains lying to the north of the great bend of the YeUow River, and made 

 some interesting botanical researches ; but he would not risk ti-avelling through 

 Kansu and Koko-nor, at that time distm'bed by the Mahomedau or Dungan insm-- 

 rection, of which our author gives a vivid description ; Ney Elias also travelled 

 through a part of the country about the same time. For the rest of our informa- 

 tion we are chiefly indebted to Chinese records, fragments of which have been 

 collected by Du Halde and Ritter. 



Thus Prejevalsky's journey may really be termed a geogTaphical feat, and will 

 always hold an important place in science ; for, besides his remarkable expedition 

 from Dalai-nor to the Upper Yang-tsze-kiang, which alone would entitle him to 

 the gratitude of men of science, he also made a march from Alashan to Urga (680 

 miles) across the Gobi in its widest part, which no one had hitherto attempted. 



A recapitidation of all he has done and of the results obtained in the face of 

 exti-aordinary difficulties would fill several pages; but as an English edition of his 

 travels will shortly be published, those interested would do well to refer to it. 



