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

260   THE MAPS OF STRAHLENBERG AND RENAT.

more important and honoured position at the court, enjoyed the same opportunity and liberty. This becomes the more likely as not only »Jercken», but all the other towns of Little Bokharia are entered on the map. And therefore also the conclusion of the Russian Geographical Society: »Il est évident que Renat n'a jamais visité ces lieux», loses very much of its strength. So is also the case with the Russian doubts about his achievements amongst the Kalmuks, for in his letter of resignation from the military service which he sent in 1739 to King Fredrik of Sweden, he says that he has taught 200 Kalmuks the art of artillery, and that he made a campaign with the Kalmuks against China.' The above-mentioned »personalia» tell us, that Renat, when he returned home, was arrested in Moscow. The Russians »had got a great hatred to him, on account of the assistance he had given their enemy the Kalmuk to put themselves in a possibility to defend themselves against future hostile attacks». Through the efforts of the Swedish legation at St Petersburg he regained his liberty.

Finally I will say only a few words about a question which has something to do with Renat's map, namely about the wild camel. To the authors of the Chinese annals the wild camel was not the same stranger as to European naturalists. I give only one quotation, from the Thang epoch:

Selon le Thse fou chin koueï, la cinquième année Khaï-youan, à la sixième lune, il vint des ambassadeurs du royaume de lu-thian, lesquels offrirent quatre chevaux propres au jeu de paume, un chameau sauvage, au pied léger comme le vent, et un na ou renard.2

In his geography RITTER mentions the wild camel in several places, for instance:3 »Im Süden von Turfan ist überall kahle Steppe (Kobi), wo wilde Kameele und wilde Pferde in zahlreichen Heerden umherziehen.» Still zoologists doubted the existence of this animal, until Prshevalskiy, on his memorable journey 1876-77, bought the skins of four wild camels from native hunters. He says himself: »Ich brauche nicht zu sagen, wie froh ich war, Felle von dem Thiere erworben zu haben, dessen schon Marco Polo erwähnt, das aber bis jetzt kein Europäer gesehen hat.»4 And with full right Dr. Brehm adds: »Prshewalskiy hat im vorletzten Jahrzehnte nachgewiesen, dass in Innerasien wirklich wilde, nicht bloss verwilderte Trampeltiere (Camelus bactrianus ferus) zahlreich vorkommen.» 5

It is therefore interesting to note, that nearly 200 years ago the existence of the wild camel was known to a Swedish officer. For on Renat's map we find, just east of Gaschon Noor, a lake now better known as Ebi-nor, a forest tract, Carangoj, under which the legend is written: I Inur Skog finns Willa Kameler, or, with the

I Loc. cit. p. 51.

2 Abel-Rémusat: Histoire de la ville de Khotan, Paris, 1820, p. 71.

3 Die Erdkunde von Asien, VII, P. 435.

4 Przhewalsky's Reise an den Lob-Nor und Altyn-Tag 1876/7. Pet. Mit. Ergänzungsh. Nr. 53, p. 19. Marco Polo does not mention the wild camel.

5 Brehm's Tierleben. Säugetiere — Dritter Band. Leipzig und \Vien 1891, p. 151. Compare, concerning the life of the wild camel, my Central Asia and Tibet.