collected in South China. 
575 
during six months of the year. There can be no doubt that 
it is slowly and very gradually filling up, especially in the 
northern half, where the waters of the Yangtse river bring 
down vast quantities of silt, which is deposited, as the current 
is checked, on meeting the water of the lake .... 
“ The country between I-men (a place three marches south¬ 
west of Yunnan city) and Ching-tung is terribly fatiguing 
to travel over—a continual up and down 2000 to 4000 feet 
every two days’ march. The highest point crossed by me 
during this portion of the route (and, indeed, during the 
whole journey from Hankau to Bhamo) was just east of the 
Ching-tung valley, where the road reached 8400 feet, and 
the highest peaks of the range were probably 10,000 feet 
above sea-level. The next highest range was crossed just 
west of I-men, at about 8000 feet, the highest peaks being 
1000 to 2000 feet above the pass. Taking a bee-line from 
Yunnan city to Kun-lung ferry, on the Salwm river, 
I should put the average height of the more important 
ranges at from 7000 to 8000 feet, and the average depth of 
the main river-beds below the general level of the plateau 
2500 to 3000 feet. 
“ In Hunan and Eastern Kweichu I encountered con¬ 
siderable opposition from the people, who objected to my 
plane-tabling and photographing; but we never came to 
blows, and, all things considered, except in three or four 
towns, they behaved fairly well. Chen-yiian district is one 
of the most disturbed and rowdy. In Kwei-chu and Yunnan 
no difficulty was encountered, so far as the people were 
2 li 2 
