824 General Notes. 
curious line of sand-hills attaining a height of 900 feet, and some 
forty miles in length, evidently formed by the wind driving the 
desert sand up into the hollow between the two rocky ranges. 
depression of about eighty miles separates the Hurku range from 
the out-lying spurs of the Altai. The Altai range is here perfectly 
barren, the upper part formed of bare rock, while the lower is a 
continuous slope of débris. The cold winds of winter and the fierce, 
sun of summer crumble the rocks, but the lack of rainfall causes 
the fragments to lie where they fall. After crossing the desert of 
Dzungaria, the Tian-Shan range was traversed at a height of 8,000 
feet above the sea. The 1,255 miles between Kuei-hua-cheng and 
Hami were accomplished in seventy days. From Hami the ei 
passed through Pichan, Turfan, Karashar, Kuchar, Aksu, and Us 
Turfan, along the valley of the Aksu river, across the Belowti Pass 
(11,000 feet) and over the plain called the Syrt, to Kashgar, and 
thence to Yarkand. Here Lieut. Younghusband determined to 
attempt the Mustagh Pass, which is the shortest way into Kashmir, 
but has latterly fallen into disuse because of the raids of the Kanjut 
robbers. The Tupa Dawan Pass, a very easy one, 10,400 feet high, 
was crossed, and the valley of the Tisnaf, a tributary of the Yar- 
kand, ascended. The next pass was that of Chiragh Saldi, after 
which the valley of the Yarkand was reached. This river here 
ows due west, but afterwards turns north to Yarkand. 
On leaving Yarkand the party ascended the Surukwat stream to 
the Aghil Dawan range, which, after passing two more gorges, rose 
like a wall in front of them. Fortunately they struck the right 
path, and after some winding among the spurs, crossed the ia 
through a great gap, over a long gravel slope. From a hill beyon 
the summit of this pass, standing at a height several hundred ve 
above the top of Mont Blanc, the great Karakoram or Musta 
range, forming the water-shed between the rivers that flow into the 
Indian Ocean and those of Central Asia, was visible as a succession 
of needle peaks like hundreds of Matterhorns, rising several ee 
sands of feet higher still. Mr. Younghusband estimates the Ag te 
Dawan range at some sixteen to seventeen thousand feet. From 1 
he descended to the Shaksgam river, hitherto unknown to An 
phers, though nearly equal in volume to the Yarkand, of whic v 
is a tributary. Leaving this river, the Sarpo Laggo, 4 strea d 
flowing from the glaciers of the Mustagh Pass, was ascended, a 
soon a full view was obtained of the second highest mounta 3 
the world, then known only by the surveyors’ designation of x 
but since named by Gen. J. T. Walker, Peak Godwen-Awet : 
At this point serious difficulties commenced. There are two a 
tagh Passes, The new one, which had been found after the a 
donment of the old pass on account of the accumulation of sige 
ound to be impassible for the same reason, so an attempt was 
