| Ryder's and Wood's peaks a considerable space was left blank on the maps. FERNAND GRENARD seemed to be right when, on his map of 1899, I he entered two long and parallel ranges, sending out several ramifications to the north and south. The Chinese sources, which, up to 1906 were the only ones of real authoptic authority, as far as the orography of the Central Transhimalaya is concerned, gave a great number of small ranges in all directions of the compass. Ritter and Humboldt joined them to one great range. On German maps both these kinds of orography were reconciled with each other: one principal range with smaller ramifications in different directions. On English maps the representation of Ritter and Humboldt was given: only one great range without ramifications. Such was the case even on maps published after Nain Sing's journey of 1873-74. But nobody existed who could tell whether the mountains, which obviously were situated north of the Tsangpo exhibited the general morphology as given by the Chinese, or as given by Ritter and Humboldt. This was impossible even in 1905. Nobody was able to tell whether these mountains were a continuation of the Kara-korum or not. But in England, as late as in 1882, there were geographers who believed they knew that the Nien-chen-tang-la turned off to the N.E., in the direction of Tsaidam, — although already ten years earlier PRSHEVALSKIY on his first great journey had proved that if such a range existed, it would have to cross a series of gigantic mountain systems at right angles. I was fortunate enough to solve this old and obstinate problem definitely during my journey of 1906 to 1908. I crossed the unknown regions of Central Transhimalaya on eight different lines and was able to get an idea of its general orography. My journey therefore put an end to the speculation which, originally founded upon Chinese information, showed itself in so many different shapes in Europe. I have already discussed the important contributions of Klaproth, Humboldt and Ritter. After them a few other geographers, chiefly English, have also paid some attention to the mountains north of the Tsangpo. One of the most prominent of them was BRIAN HODGSON, whose name is familiar to everybody who has studied historical, linguistic or ethnological matters and natural history in India. As Brian Hodgson is probably one of the first Englishmen, if not the first scholar after Ritter and Humboldt, who has tried to disperse the dark clouds which have always veiled Transhimalaya from the eyes of European knowledge, I have thought it worth while to examine his geographical methods regarding the great mountains north of India. I do so with so much the greater pleasure as Hodgson is a connaissance d faire and his map of the Himalayan and Transhimalayan mountains, printed in 1857, could give rise to supposition that during his many years' life in the Himalayas, he had perhaps obtained some important information about the mountains in Southern Tibet. Further it would be interesting to know whether Hodgson's representation of the | |
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