IIIFカラー高解像度
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
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| IIIFカラー高解像度 |
| Southern Tibet : vol.3 | |
| 南チベット : vol.3 |
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引用情報
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MONTGOMERIE'S DISCUSSION OF NAIN SING'S REPORT. 131
them. This is not exceptional, for it is the same with the Kara-korum, Kwen-lun or Himalaya. Even if several peaks and ridges are visible from points situated outside the area of the system, one cannot get the faintest idea of the general building and orography of the system and specially not of such a complicated and irregular system as the Central Transhimalaya.
»The only geological fact elicited is that the low range to the east of the Lhasa River was composed of sandstone. According to the Pundit, this sandstone was very like that of the Siwalik range at the southern foot of the Himalayas.»
From the Pundit's report that the water of the northern tributaries was clear Montgomerie draws the correct conclusion that »none of the northern tributaries appear to rise among glaciers, or, at any rate, if they do, the glaciers must be very remote or very small, as their streams were clear, even in April and May, after the rivers had begun to rise».1
I regard Montgomerie's discussion of Nain Sing's comparatively meagre report as one of the best works ever written on Tibet. It is admirable that he has been able to read so much and so well between the lines and that he has constructed in his own mind the great features of the country in such a correct and scientific way. At such an early date nothing more could possibly have been extracted from the original diary. It may be understood, however, that Montgomerie obtained a good deal of verbal information from the Pundit in answer to his inquiries.
It is a striking fact that, except the quotations given above, there is nothing about the Transhimalaya.2 Montgomerie does not deal with this problem at all. He only remarks »that more bearings to distant peaks would have been a great addition to the Pundit's route-survey». There is nothing about Hodgson's Nyenchhen-thånglå. The name Nien-chen-tang-la is not even mentioned. On the map there is no trace of Hodgson's range. Only indirectly does Montgomerie remove the water-parting a good distance to the north, when speaking of the northern tributaries. Compared with Desideri, Nain Sing has proved that mountains are really situated north of the river the whole way from Kailas to Lhasa, a fact which was already known from the Chinese maps.
After Montgomerie had read his paper on this important journey before the Royal Geographical Society an interesting discussion took place.3 Sir RODERICK MURCHISON said that Lord CANNING had determined upon an expedition into this region, but it was never carried into effect. »It had been an opprobrium to Englishmen, that though this interesting region lay at no very great distance beyond the Himalaya Mountains, which had been admirably explored by English surveyors, they had never yet reached Tibet» which was a mistake for Moorcroft, the Stracheys and
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i L. c., p. 214.
2 The mountains which Petermann sketched on his excellent map of the Pundits' journeys
1865-67 as situated north of the Tsangpo, are conjectural. Vide P1. XVI.
3 Proceedings Royal Geogr. Society, Vol. XII, 1867--68, p. 165 et seq.
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