THE LOP-NOR PROBLEM 
of the southern Lop-nor dates from the year when Numet 
Beg was twenty-five years old, in consequence of the 
Tarim seeking a new channel for itself, and the lake 
beside which he dwelt, and in which his forefathers had 
fished, dried up. It was he (Numet Beg) who founded 
Abdal, and there his descendants still live. According 
to my calculation all that happened about 175 years ago, 
or say about the year 1720. 
In the winter of 1893-94 the Lop region was visited 
by P. K. Kozloff, who had previously taken part in 
the journeys of Przhevalsky and Pievtsoff. He travelled 
from Tikkenlik along the left bank of the Kunchekkish- 
Tarim, and discovered the lake Chivillik-koll, which I 
only saw at a distance. From Arghan he made an 
excursion to the lake of Sogot, which probably is the same 
as my Arka-koll. Thence he travelled by the ordinary 
road to Abdal, and afterwards turned towards the north- 
east alonof the southern shore of Kara-koshun. 
I first learned of a tura (“gentleman.” i.e. European) 
having been in the neighbourhood at Tikkenlik, and in- 
quired, as accurately as was possible through the natives, 
which way he had gone, so that I might not unnecessarily 
visit the same places as he. One of the most interesting- 
discoveries made by Kozloff was that of an ancient river- 
bed, which the natives called Kum-daria (the Sand River). 
It struck off from the Koncheh-daria a short distance 
north of Tikkenlik, and went due east, skirting the 
southern foot of the Kurruk-tagh. 
Kozloff’s explorations and my own have rounded off 
Przhevalsky’s, and materially added to our knowledge 
of the entire Lop region. We now possess a detailed, 
accurate map of it. But the dispute regarding the 
Lop-nor is not by any means settled yet. Kozloff has 
written an article, Lop-nor, with Especial Reference to Sven 
Hedin s Lecture before the Lmperial Russian Geographical 
Society on 15 {2’/)tk October 1897, which he attempts 
to controvert Baron von Richthofen’s views and mine 
with regard to the position of the old Chinese Lop-nor. 
Immediately I returned to Khotan, I sent Von Richthofen 
