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

148   NAIN SING'S JOURNEY IN 1873-74, — AND OTIIER EXPLORATIONS.

level. This range runs southward and culminates in some enormous peaks known by the name of Tårgot Lhå, from which extends eastward a snowy range, numerous peaks in which were fixed by the Pundit, along a length of 18o miles up to where the range terminates in a mass of peaks called Gyåkharma, which also lie to the south of and very near the Pundit's road. The highest of these Gyåkharma peaks was ascertained by measurement to be 22 Soo I feet above sea-level, and the Pundit estimates that the highest of the Tårgot peaks is at least 2 500 feet higher than the highest of the Gyåkharma group. Tårgot Lhå was seen from the Chapta Pass at a distance of over one hundred miles, and is believed by the Pundit to be the highest mountain seen by him on his journey. — This range is probably not the watershed between the basin of the Brahmaputra and the lake country of Hor, for the Pundit was informed that to the south of the range, running parallel to it, is a large river, the Dumphu, or Hota Sangpo, which ultimately changes its course and flows north-wards into the Kyåring Lake.»

This section of Nain Sing's journey is, so far as I can see, the most important of all discoveries he made during his long and brilliant work in Tibet. On d'Anville's map Dangra-yum-tso is called Tankin Yamso L and on the Ta-Ch'ing map L Tang la you mtso, and between Dangra-yum-tso and Tengri-nor there is, on d'Anvilles map, 14o years earlier, a series of four lakes, corresponding to Mokieu Cho, Bul Cho and the Ring Cho Lakes on the Pundit's map, although not specially mentioned in his text. D'Anville has a Tarcou MM, and the Ta-Ch'ing, on the same place a Mt Tarkou, both, of course identical with Nain Sing's Targot Lha. The Chinese spelling is so far more correct that the name should be written without a t at the end. When Nain Sing found that from Tårgot Lhå »extends eastward a snowy range), one may observe that such a range, with or without snow, is also to be found on d'Anville's map. These details were, more or less changed according to every mapmaker's personal taste, upon European maps during the first three quarters of the last century. Such is for instance the case with Berghaus' map of Asia where the lake is called Dhwang la yu mtso, whereas Tarcou MM has no name. All this is, of course, taken from Chinese maps.

Then comes, not very long ago, a period when every bit of Chinese geography is abolished from our maps and blanks left instead. But even if this had not been the case, it would have been mean to diminish the merit of Nain Sing. For if we were to be scrupulous to an extreme, we should say nor did the Chinese discover Dangra-yum-tso and Targo-gangri, as both were very well known to the "Tibetans hundreds of years back. From a serious geographer's point of view Nain Sing will always and with absolute right be called the discoverer both of the chain

I In the Pundits Itinerary it is said 21 000 to 22 000 feet (Ibidem p. 129). On the map there are two peaks, 21 Too and z o 700 resp. On the map: North-eastern Frontier (second edition) Sheet

Nos: 62

_Î, published April 1908, the highest point of the Gyäkharma group is given as 20 700 feet.

3

Thus in different maps and texts the height varies within 2 100 feet.