OCT.— MAE. 1858-59.] 



Selections. 



305 



The information from India and Russia, collected from Natives 

 by European Officers of the adjoining districts, concur but too 

 accurately in establishing the fact, that Adolphe Schlagintweitwas 

 killed at Kashgar in Turkistan (Central Asia) in August 1857, 

 falling a victim to his scientific mission. 



He was recognized as a European after having passed the Kara- 

 korum and Kiienluen, in disguise, where before us no European 

 had ever travelled ; he had taken a route more westerly than ours 

 and had succeeded in penetrating far into Central Asia. 



The reports which have reached us are so various, that they do 

 not of course all agree ; as to the immediate cause and particulars 

 of his death ; yet it is evident from all of them, that the political 

 condition of these countries, and the circumstance of the deceased's 

 being recognized as an officer of the Indian Government, notwith- 

 standing every precaution, essentially contributed to his tragic end. 

 Even with the lively sympathy ever so energetically evinced by 

 England, in the fate of Scientific Travellers, it will scarcely be 

 possible to succeed in bringing the murderers of our brother to 

 account. 



According to some reports he perished in consequence of hav- 

 ing taken up the cause of some captive Bhot-Rajputs, British 

 subjects, interceding for them, that they might not be executed or 

 sold as slaves. Other accounts state the immediate cause of his 

 death was, his having been recognized as a European, and fallen 

 by the hand of fanatic Mussalmans. 



Notwithstanding our most zealous exertions for some months 

 past, in endeavouring to obtain his manuscripts, drawings, etc., 

 we have not yet been successful in learning anything definite about 

 them ; still however, many very important geographical communi- 

 cations have been made to us by his followers, and we are not 

 without hope that from the active sympathy which the Indian Go- 

 vernment has always displayed in our Scientific Mission to India 

 and High- Asia, nothing will remain untried that can tend to the 

 rescue of his last papers. 



We owe the subjoined reports respecting the last fate of Adol- 

 phe to the kindness of the following gentlemen : 



