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

THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPLORATION NORTH OF TIIE TSANGPO.   2

tang-la, as does also Mr. Littledale himself. These mountains are of the greatest possible importance and interest; they have only been crossed by native explorers and by Mr. Littledale opposite the Tengri-Nor, and in the whole length from TengriNor to the Mariam-La pass no one has crossed them, so far as we know. One of the last suggestions by General Walker was that a rough survey should be undertaken of these northern parts of the Himalayan system, and I believe nothing in Asia is of greater geographical importance than the exploration of this range of mountains, which I trust geographers will agree to give some name to, and next time we have a map of Tibet in this room I shall take care that they are portrayed

upon it.»

It is difficult to follow Sir Clements when he first says the absence from the map of the chain of mountains shows the importance of further exploration in Tibet, and afterwards promises that next time a map of Tibet is exhibited the chain shall be portrayed on it. For if the chain could be portrayed sans façon, the further exploration would be superfluous. But he is right in saying the mountains had never been crossed by anybody in the whole length from Tengri-nor to the Maryum-la, -

d   and a mountain system which has been crossed by no one is terra incognita.

The following words of Sir Clements Markham : »nothing in Asia is of greater

geographical importance than the exploration of this range of mountains», were strongly in my mind when I started on my last expedition. My original plan was to begin from the south, but circumstances forced me to turn round and enter the country from the north. But the great terra incognita, Transhimalaya, was always my goal.

To the same effect Sir Clements Markham expressed himself in his opening adress 1896 where he said: »Pundit Krishna, advancing northwards from the valley of the Tsanpu, crossed the northern range of the Himalayas and reached the plateau by the pass called Khalamba-la, 17 200 feet above the sea. — It is to the desirability of completing the exploration of this mighty range (Nin chen Tang la), that I am anxious to turn the attention of geographers. — Although several intrepid travellers have crossed the Chang in various directions, a vast area still remains unknown, especially towards the north-west. But I think it is to the mountains which form its southern buttressing wall, and which rise from the valley of the Tsanpu or Brahmaputra, that the efforts of explorers should now be directed. The western portion of the northern Himalayan range is known as the Karakorum . . . The Tibetan continuation of the Karakorum, which is still almost unknown, commences at the famous central peak or knot called Kailas by the Hindus, and Gangri by the Tibetans . . . Continuing in an easterly direction, it forms the northern watershed of the Tsanpu or Brahmaputra. It appears to be a magnificent range of mountains . . . The name given to it by Mr Brian Hodgson is Nyenchen-tang-la, and the same name is referred by Pundit Krishna to one of its peaks. The only traveller who has

I Geographical Journal, July 1896, Vol. VIII, p. 6 et seq.