国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

health and spirits, despite the hardships of the journey. The return-trip, especially, had been full of reverses, for both the engine and the tyres were worn out, and up on the Mongolian plateau the cold had begun to make itself keenly felt.

BERGMAN they had duly met just to the north of Mao-mu on October 8th. He had continued his excavations in the 2,000-year-old ruins on the Edsen-gol, and the number of manuscripts on wood had increased considerably. They had subsequently made a comprehensive ethnographic collection among the Torguts. This, which included amongst other things a Mongol yurt complete with household utensils and furniture, was being transported eastwards on hired camels led by MERIN.1

During the autumn, as I have mentioned, I wrote a popular book about Jehol and the gay life in the heyday of that city in the 18th century. Professor LESSING lent me intimate support in this connection by looking up anecdotal material, as well as with literature and translations from Chinese sources. A Mr Koo at the National Library also did several translations for me. that I made use of in my book.

At the same time I was working on a scientific monograph on Lop-nor, the wandering lake — a manuscript that has not yet been published.

On LESSING'S return from a month's pilgrimage to Wu-t'ai-shan, the sacred mountain of Buddhism in Shansi, he completed his historical summary of the Bdsen-gol region in ancient times; and on November 29th we were able to send this to BERGMAN by a special messenger, the Mongol NAIDANG, who had come with MONTELL and SÖDERBOM in the car from the Edsen-gol. He also took with him, together with much else, winter clothes and stout shoes for the members of the Gobi-group. JoEL EiuxssoN, who a month earlier had returned to the East from a holiday in Sweden, helped to procure the camels. (Not until February i6th did NAIDANG reach BERGMAN'S camp on the Edsen-gol.)

OUR POSTAGE STAMPS

On December 2nd the details were agreed upon for the bringing out of the expedition's postage stamps. We were to have a set of four stamps with face-values of 1, 4, 5 and io cents. The size was to be 30 x 23 mm and the text should be in Latin and Chinese. Twenty-five thousand sets were to be put on the market. Of these, the post-office was to have 500, the Chinese and ourselves

1 MONTELL has described the adventures and experiences of this trip in »Våra vänner på stäppen» (Stockholm 1934), German edition »Durch die Steppen der Mongolei» (Stuttgart 1938). See also his paper »Mongol Life and a Journey to Etsingol» in the Journ. of the Roy. Central Asian Soc., Vol. XXIV, London 1937. F. B.

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