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

18o

THE OSCILLATIONS IN THE WATER-LEVEL OF THE LAKES.

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Hindu's pilgrimage, which may have fallen within the years of the Father's travels.

The information he got, say about 1 760 or 1765, from the pilgrim, namely, that the Satlej went out of the Manasarovar to the N.W., and that a river issued out of the Rakas-tai to the west, was, at any rate, in harmony with the much older map. We have also other statements that there was an outflow from both lakes about 176o.

Gaubil's I map published 1729 by Father SOUCIET, is drawn from a Chinese

original and seems to date from the journey of the first Lama explorers, or 1711. There was then a channel between both lakes, and a great river, - Ganga», going out of the Lanka or Rakas-tai. As quoted above Bonin thinks that this map may be later than the one from about 1590; there is no doubt that this is the case.

A much more detailed topography and hydrography is given on the Lama map published by D'ANVILLE in 1733, and with material dating from 1717. His map proves effluence from both lakes. In 1715 DESIDERI indirectly confirms the description of the Lamas.

From 1762 we have the Shui-lao-ti-hang or Outlines of Hydrograahy. The compilator CHICHAONAN, may have used material from a much earlier date. From whatever time it is, perhaps the time of the Lamas' journeys, there was outflow from both lakes. Or does the information really date from about 1762 ?

About 177o PURANGIR visited the Manasarovar and saw »the Ganges» flowing out of the lake. Even in the dry season the channel carried water. Here is a case touching only the channel from the Manasarovar. The fact that he calls it Ganges indicates that it has a continuation down to India. The circumstance that it contained water even during the dry season also makes it likely that water flowed out of the Rakas-tai as well. But we can only be sure of the channel.

In 1792 DUNCAN's Fakir remembered that the Satlej issued from the Rakas-tai. He had been on his pilgrimage to the lakes, which may have been in 1770-1780. It is, however, unlikely that the Fakir ever visited the Rakas-tal, as it is not included in the pilgrimage. He has seen the channel only, and heard that it was the Satlej, and that this river also left the Rakas-tai.

HARBALLABH, Moorcroft's old Pundit, had crossed the channel between the two lakes on a bridge in 1796, and in support of the truth of his assertion he could produce the evidence of all the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.

ALEXANDER GERARD obtained positive information that »about 20 years ago» a rapid stream, crossed by bridges, ran from the Manasarovar to the Rakas-tai, and that this channel had since dried up. As Gerard's statement is from 1817-1818, he speaks of 1797 or 1798 as the date when there was still water issuing from the Manasarovar.

This statement is confirmed by Moorcroft's »Ladaki Traveller», who asserted that »8 years ago», or in 1804, the stream actually existed. But since that time the channel had dried up and its bed filled with sand.

I Vol. I, Pl. LIII.