25 
After a farewell feast given by the Dadkhwa on the 27th, marching was resumed on the 
following day, and on the 4th of December Yangihissar, or Kashgbar, was reached, and the 
party were forthwith summoned to the presence of His Majesty the Atalik, by whom all 
were well received ; but the formal presentation of the letters of the Queen aud the 
Governor General of India, with the accompanying presents, was postponed for about a month, 
till the 10th of January. During the interval the members of the mission were enabled to 
go about freely, and Stoliczka availed himself of the liberty to collect and observe in the 
neighbourhood. He also obtained specimens of some of the large mammals, such as the 
great sheep, Ovis karelini, which were brought in by the inhabitants for sale. 
A few days later he started with Colonel Gordon and Captain Trotter on a trip to the 
Cliadirkul, and he then had an opportunity of seeing a number of these noble animals, 130 in 
one day, of which 85 were in one flock. In this trip the party came under the observation 
of some Iiussian-Kirghiz spies, who, however, disappeared at their approach, and nothing more 
was heard of them. 
At Chakmak, the Toksawa, or commander of the fort, insisted on their taking with them nine 
Kulja ( Ovis karelini) and Tekke , or ibex ( Capra sibirica ) from his store of winter provisions. 
The general results of Stoliczka’s geological observations were recorded in papers which he 
wrote from time to time, some of them, having been forwarded by post, were published as soon 
as ^ey reached India. 
On the 2nd of February the treaty with the Atalik was duly signed, and on the 14th some 
°f the party started on an excursion to Artish and Kalti Ailak, encountering much snow and 
the inconveniences resulting from delayed baggage during the trip, in which, however, 
numerous observations on the geology were made. On the 3rd of March Colonel Trotter 
and Dr. Stoliczka returned to Kashgar, and a few days later it was decided to arrange for 
the return journey to India, certain visits to coal and other mines which were to have been 
shown to Stoliczka having been abandoned, apparently on political grounds. The party to 
which Dr. Stoliczka was attached was instructed to march to India by the Pamir and Kabul. 
On the 16th of March they shook hands with the Atalik, and took their leave of Kashgar on 
the following morning ; marching was continued daily till Panjali was reached, on the 14th 
of April, when, in consequence of the disturbed condition of Kabul, the original intention 
°f returning through that country, via Badakshan, was relinquished by Colonel Gordon, who 
Was in charge of the detachment from the main camp with which Stoliczka travelled. The 
route of the Pamir Kulan was adopted, and Panjah was left on the 25th. 
As the temperature ameliorated with the advance of the season, gentians and other lloweis 
be §'an to appear, and Stoliczka’s notes on the vegetation at various elevations, though of 
Necessity not extensive, are often very interesting. 
-A-t Sarikol, which was reached on the 8th of May, Stoliczka records that he lieai d to 11 s 
horror ” that they were to return by the same road as that by which they had gone to 
Yangihissar. It was no doubt a keenly felt disappointment to him to see an opportunity 
f°r traversing a new line of country thus put out of reach. ^ 
At Pasrobat he found the vegetation more advanced than elsewhere, which he attributed to 
the effects cf numerous hot springs. 
On the 21st of June the party re-entered Yarkand, where they remained to the 27th. At 
this period a new subject is added to those with which Stoliczka’s diary previously abounded, 
this is the nidification of birds, and under this heading there are many valuable observa- 
tions recorded. At Beshterek he noticed a curious dimorphism on the leaves of a species o 
o Y 9787. 
