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

THE SOURCE OF THE SATLEJ ACCORDING TO SHERRING.

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occasion was eleven years ago, when exceptional rain fell and there were floods accompanied

by great loss of life to cattle ... At present the bed is full of stagnant water (saline) and there are many hot sulphur springs . . .,

He reminds us of the fact that the only boat that so far had been launched upon the Manasarovar was that of Mr. DRUMMOND, Commissioner of Bareilly.

Sherring expresses the following somewhat audacious theory: »the whole of this land as far as the foot of the Kangri or Kailas range of mountains must at one time have been a lake and part of the Rakas Tal, for the ground is very little higher than the level of the lake, and in times of much rain becomes absolutely waterlogged and very difficult to traverse ...» For the foot of the Kailas range, for instance at Tarchen, is at 4698 metres, which would not agree with the outflow of the Satlej, where the vertex of the bed is nowadays 4 or 5 metres above the Rakas-tal (4589). Even admitting the progress of erosion the eventual beachlines should not resist destruction for such a long time as were needed for the erosion cutting down the bed of the Satlej to 104 metres.

It is difficult to recognise the monasteries from the names he gives. Gangta monastery is said to be most interesting on account of a library of books, but it is not said where it is situated.

The most important passage in the book is the following:2 »The actual source of the Sutlej is at the monastery of Dalju, where there is a large spring, though a dry channel is continued up to the Rakas Tal, and in places in this channel water is found ... The local statements all agree in asserting that there is an underground flow of water throughout the entire length of this dry channel, which occasionally comes to the surface only to disappear later on. There can be no doubt that during a season of very heavy rain and floods this dry channel would connect the source at Daiju with the Rakas Tal.> I came to the same result regarding the underground filtration, and a strong precipitation would no doubt cause an outflow.

He regards Misser (14,300 feet) or Misar as »situated on one of the tributary sources of the river Sutlej». Of the Jerko-la he says : »Soon after crossing this pass one of the sources of the Indus, the Langboche, or Elephant's trunk, is met with.»

I have never heard this name for the Gartang-chu, and it cannot possibly be a revival of the Latchou on d'Anville's map. Satlej is, as we know, the Elephant river.

Interesting it is to hear that during 1905 »the rainfall in Western Tibet was smaller than it had been for many previous years».3 Of 1906 I have no record. But 1907 was an exceptionally dry year, and in 1908 a considerable amount of rain fell both during the later half of July and the whole of August. From 1905 to

T »The incident is quite fresh in the minds of the people although it took place in 1855, and the course followed by the little craft was pointed out to us as rememberd by tradition. It has been said that the Tibetan official in charge of this part of the country was decapitated by order of the Lhasan Government for permitting such terrible sacrilege ...»

2 Op. cit. p. 284.

3 Op. cit. p. 328.

18-131387 II.