1890.] Geography and Travel. 61 
Asia—Ascents in the Caucasus.—Koshtantan, 17,091 feet high, 
in the main Caucasus, has been ascended by A. F. Mummery, after the 
failure of a first attempt. Mr. H. W. Holder has ascended some of the 
peaks around the Bezingi Glacier, including Salananchera (about 15,500 
feet), Koshtantan, and Kartantan, or the Saddle Peak (about 16,500 
feet); and Mr. Cockin, who accompanied Mr. Holder and stayed 
behind, afterwards ascended Shkara (17,200-17,300 feet), and the 
second peak of Djanga (16,700-16,800 feet), and then, crossing to the 
south side of the chain, ascended the northern peak of Ushba. Kosh- 
tantan is somewhat higher than Dychtan, thus proving the correctness 
of the measurements of the Russian survey. In an attempted ascent 
of the Mishirgi Tan, Mr. Holder and his companions were brought to 
a stand at 13,000 feet. They estimate the height of that peak at a 
- little more than 16,000 feet, and it lies but slightly southeast of Kosh- 
tantan. The main glacier streams of the Caucasus, the Bezingi, 
Mishiri, and Dych Su, have but slight fall, but the smaller upper streams 
which form them are cascades of ice. 
Notes from Prjevalsky’s Last Journey.—In his fourth 
voyage, Gen. Prjevalski explored a portion of the Keren-Lim that had 
not been previously visited, forming an arc of a circle with the con- 
vexity to the north. Towards the east, by the chain of Marco Polo, 
the already known portion of the range is reached. This convex range 
consists of several parallel chains, named Columbus, Moscow, Russia, 
Prjevalski, separated from each other by wild valleys with a poor flora 
and fauna, but rich in gold. One of these valleys, 210 kilometres 
long, with a width varying from 21 to 42 kilometres, was named by the 
traveller the ‘‘ Valley of the Winds,’ on account of its formidable 
tempests. Gen. Prjevalski believes that this valley affords the best 
means of communication between China and East Turkestan, also the 
shortest (1,700 kilometres).— Revue de Geographie. 
Bokhara.—According to Dr. Heyfelder (Petermann s Mitteilungen, 
Vol. VII, 1889), Bokhara has an area of 275,000 square kilometres. 
The Tadjiks, the primitive Iranian race, though a tall fine people, have 
been conquered by the more war-like and energetic Turanian Auzbecks, 
The Tadjiks are agriculturalists, gardeners, artisans, merchants; the 
Ausbecks by preference functionaries or soldiers. Arabs are numerous, 
also Persians, and the language of the latter is that of the court and of 
good society. The Jews are attired somewhat like those of Poland, 
and their commercial relations extend to Russia, France, Austria, and 
England. The Hindus are small and feeble; they are small tradesmen, 

