THE FUNCTION AND FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY. 387 



Lhasa is at present the goal of several adventurers, though as a matter 

 of fact we can not have much to learn in addition to what has been 

 revealed in the interesting narrative of the native Indian traveller, 

 Chandra Das. The magnificent mountain region on the north and east 

 of Tibet furnishes a splendid field for the enterprising explorer. Mrs. 

 Bishop recently approached it from the east, through Sze-chuen, and 

 her description of the romantic scenery and the interesting non-Mon- 

 golian inhabitants leaves us with a strong desire to learn more. On 

 the southeast of Tibet is the remarkable mountainous region, consist- 

 ing of a series of lofty parallel chains, through which run the upper 

 waters of the Yangtse, the Mekong, the Salwin, and the Irawady. This 

 last-named river, recent exploration has shown, probably does not reach 

 far into the range. But it will be seen by a glance at a map that the 

 upper waters of the other rivers are carried far into the heart of the 

 mountains. But these upper river courses are entirely conjectural and 

 have given rise to much controversy. There is plenty of work here for 

 the explorer, though the difficulties, physical and political, are great. 



But besides these great unexplored regions, there are many blanks 

 to be filled up in other parts of Asia, and regions which, though known 

 in a general way, would well repay careful examination. There is the 

 mountain track between the upper Zarafshan River and the middle 

 course of the Sarkhab tributary of the Oxus, and the country lying 

 between that and the Oxus. There is the great Takla-Makan desert in 

 Chinese or eastern Turkistan, part of which has recently been explored 

 by Russian expeditions and by that young and indefatigable Swedish 

 traveler. Dr. Sven Hedin, It is now one of the most forbidding deserts 

 to be found anywhere, but it deserves careful examination, as there 

 are evidences of its once having been inhabited, and that at no very 

 remote period. It is almost surrounded by the Tarim, and on its east- 

 ern edge lies Lob-nor, the remarkable changes in which have been the 

 subject of recent investigation. As readers of Dr. Nansen's " Voyage 

 of the Fram" will remember, the Siberian coast is most imperfectly 

 mapped j of course it is a difficult task, but it is one to which the Eus- 

 sian Government ought to be equal. China has on paper the ajjpear- 

 ance of being fairly well mapped ; but as a matter of fact our knowl- 

 edge of its mountain ranges and of its great river courses is to a large 

 extent extremely vague. All this awaits careful survey. In north- 

 eastern Manchuria and in many parts of Mongolia there are still blanks 

 to be filled up and mountain and river systems to be surveyed. In the 

 Malay Peninsula and in the great array of islands in the east and 

 southeast of Asia — Sumatra, Borneo, the Philippines — much work still 

 remains to be done. Thus for the coming century there will be abun- 

 dance of work for explorers in Asia, and plenty of material to occupy 

 the attention of our geographical societies. 



Coming to the map of Africa, we find the most marvelous transfor- 

 mation during the last sixty years, and mainly during the last forty 



