TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 613 



Thibet would also be opened to British commerce, and English goods would take 

 the place of Russian goods, which latter now almost exclusively represent Euro- 

 pean markets in "Western China and Eastern Thibet. With steam-transit all the 

 way from Europe to the banks of the Irrawaddi, at the latitude mentioned there 

 could be little doubt that the question of the best route from India to China over- 

 land would be solved, as the road would nowhere enter or be subject to the 

 King of Burma's dominions, and thus our goods would be landed without dues or 

 * squeezes ' at the very frontier of China, practically speaking. 



Mr. Lepper pointed out that notwithstanding the new era which is sure to 

 open for tbis frontier once the railway to Makum is opened — next year — nothing 

 is being done to prepare for the new order of things, and that there is not a single 

 European who can speak the Singpho language, or who knows the prejudices, 

 manners, and customs of the Singphos, although Makum itself is situated among 

 Singpho villages, which are scattered about and within our frontier in this direc- 

 tion. He then explained the advantages which would be derived on the opening 

 of this route by British merchants, owners of tea properties in Assam, the Public 

 Works Department of Assam, and last, but not least, by Bengal in its times of 

 famine. Mr. Lepper then called attention to certain data he had collected, which 

 went to show that the Irrawaddi could not take its rise much further north than 

 latitude 28° 30'. 



4. Notes on the oldest Records of the Sea-Boute to China from Western 

 Asia. By Colonel H. Yule, C.B., E.E. — See Reports, p. 347. 



FRIDAY, AUGUST 25. 

 The Peesibent delivered the following Address : — 



The Central Plateau of Asia. 



The subject chosen for this address is the Plateau of mid- Asia. This area, which 

 is one of the most wonderful on the surface of the earth, contains nearly 3,000,000 

 English square miles, and is equal to three-fourths of Europe. Its limits, its 

 exterior configuration, its central and commanding situation in the Asiatic con- 

 tinent, will be clearly perceived from the large diagram of Asia which is exhibited 

 here.' As compared with soraeof the more favoured regions, it is singularly desti- 

 tute of natural advantages. Though it has several deep depressions of surface, yet 

 its general elevation is very considerable, and some of its large districts are the 

 most elevated in the globe. It is walled in from the outer world and excluded 

 from the benign influences of the sea by momitain chains. Its climate then is A'ery 

 severe on tlie whole, more distinguished for cold than for heat, but often displaying 

 extremes of temperature high as well as low. It offers, from the character of its 

 contour, extraordinary obstacles to communication by land or water. Though 

 seldom inaccessible to courageous explorers, it is generally hard of access, and in 

 several respects very inhospitable. In the progress of civilisation it is, with reference 

 to its liistoric past, excessively backward. Its capacities for the production of 

 wealth have been but httle developed. Its population is scanty, scattered, and for 

 the most part uncultured. Its agriculture comprises only a i&vf areas widely segre- 

 gated from each other, and many of its largest districts are amazingly desolate. 



Nevertheless this plateau has eminent claims on the attention of geographers, 

 for several reasons which may be summarised thus : — 



1 . A mountain system which dominates the greater part of Asia, and includes 

 stupendous ranges with the loftiest peaks yet discovered in the world. 



' See an able disquisition on this subject in ' The Himalaj-a System,' by Trelawny 

 Saunders, Geographer of the India Office, to whom I am much indebted for suggestiona 

 regarding the plateau. 



