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134   THE EXPLORATION OF THE PUNDITS FROM 1867 TO 1873.

on the watershed between the Sutlej and Indus.» It may be regarded as very probable that the range of which the Aling-gangri is the culminating peak, continues to the S.E. through parts of Tibet which have not yet been explored.

»When at Thok-Jalung the Pundit made diligent inquiry as to the adjacent countries; he was informed that a large district, called Majin, extended for nine days' journey to the east, and that a smaller district, called Shellifuk, lay to the southeast. The Majin country was said to be a difficult one to travel in, as no rivers ran through it. The Shellifuk district boasted of some streams, but they all run into a large inland lake.»

The Majin of the Pundit is no doubt my Yumba-matsen, to the southern boundary of which I proceeded in 1907. What he says of Selipuk is also generally correct. The Pundit heard »that at a considerable distance to the north-east there was a tract called the Whor country, inhabited by Shakpo people, the same style of people as those who come from Jilung. "I'artary is said to be to the north-east of Whor.» As Jilung is reported to be about one month north of Lhasa it must be Sining. The Skakpo is Sokpo or Mongols of Tsaidam. Whor is Hor or Eastern Turkestan.

»There is said to be a direct route from Thok-Jalung, south-east to Tudam monastery, on the great Gartok and Lhasa road. This route crosses some comparatively low ranges, but is said generally to run over great plains.» Such a road really exists and I obtained some information about it in Selipuk, which will be given later on. It is true that it does not cross any high mountains as it passes between the parallel ranges.

On the map of the Pundit's journey in 1867 we find three more or less parallel ranges all belonging to the Transhimalayan system. One »Snowy Range» is situated between the Gartang-chu and the Lang-chu, the second is on the left bank of the eastern Indus branch and the third along the north and east bank of the source. This range is called Chomorang in the text, and the pass in which it was crossed, Chimorong-la on the map. The route between Gartok and Tok-jalung thus crosses the western Transhimalaya. We shall have to return to it for I have done the western part of the same route.

A few passages from the discussion after this paper may be quoted as throwing some light upon the knowledge of High Asia at the time. Sir HENRY RAWLINSON found it important to remember that at last we had penetrated beyond the great elevated plateau which bounded India to the north». Regarding the several goldfields of Western Tibet he said: »We know that the gold-diggers resorted to a place about i oo miles to the south-east of Ilchi, and obtained the gold along this range, so we had fair ground for believing that the gold-fields extended from Lhasa, along the foot of that range, for a distance probably of nearly 1 00o miles in a direction north-west and south-east.» It is not clear which range he is speaking of. It seems to be i oo miles S.E. of Ilchi and it stretches from Lhasa to the north-west for i 000 miles. Thus it crosses the whole of Tibet from Lhasa to Khotan cutting the eastern