42 
SECOND YARKAND MISSION. 
PART VII. 
Erom Yarkand to Burtsi, south of the Karakoram Pass, via Kugiar, the upper valley 
of the Yarkand River, Aktagh, and the Karakoram Pass. 
[This route lies in general considerably to tbe west of that traversed by Dr. Stoliczka in 
the preceding autumn. Eor two marches from Yarkand to Kargkalik the road is the same as 
before ; thence it leads a little west of south across the Kuenluen to the upper valley of the 
Yarkand river; it turns eastward up the valley of that stream as far as Aktagh, where it 
meets the former route, but it then turns southward across the Karakoram pass. The 
following notes commence from Karghalik and are copied, like those in the preceding section) 
from the diary.] 
May 31st, Karghalik to Besliterek , 20 miles. — The first 10 miles over gravelly desert ; 
thence the road lies up the Kugiar stream, a broad desert valley, nearly a couple of 
miles wide. Gravel beds, as much as 150 feet thick in places, extend up to the village : they 
are evidently alluvial, and not Artysh beds, though the reddish sandstones at Bora 1 belong 
to the latter. Loess rests on the gravel, and in places has been re-deposited by the river and 
stratified. There is a good deal of tills stratified loess in the valley itself, but it is chiefly 
sand. 
Jmie 1st, Kugiar, 17 miles. — Eor 14 miles the road lay across desert, over some- 
what elevated terrace land of sand and gravel. About 4 miles north of Kugiar, Artysh 
beds, clayey sandstone, and fine conglomerate are seen below horizontal beds of diluvial 
gravel. Further on, they again entirely disappear under the diluvial terraces, which rise 
about 200 feet above the elevated ground. The amount of sand, clay, and gravel brought 
from the hills is something enormous. The Artysh beds evidently form the axis of the Ion' 
ridge, which runs from east to west, about 4 or 5 miles north of Kugiar ; but they are covered 
with diluvial gravel. 
June 2nd, Ale Masjicl, about 27 miles. — The first half of the road is entirely over gravel 
beds, then a grey dolomite begins to crop out. The beds undulate, but the general dip i 9 
north : not a trace of a fossil could be detected. Further on, close to camp, a reddish, some- 
what silicious sandstone, and thin-bedded streaked limestone of the same colour, with a high 
northerly dip, underlies the grey dolomite, and rests upon other grey and whitish dolomitie 
limestone, less distinctly stratified. As a rule, dust covers all the slopes of the hills so thickly 
that, except on a precipitous cliff, not a trace of solid rock can be seen. In the valley, loess 
attains a thickness of fully 30 feet ; it is partly stratified, but the accumulation appeal' 9 
mostly due to moisture. 
June 3rd, ChikliJc, 13 miles. — Up to the foot of the pass the grey limestone rock continues) 
gradually becoming in places thinner bedded, streaked, and metamorphic. Near the foot 
of the pass it changes to a stratified chloritic rock, while the grey limestone occupies the 
1 These were noticed in Part III, and were observed on tbe road between Sanju and Yarkand ; ante , p. 22. 
