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

II)

DIFFERENT VIEWS CONCERNING THE TRANSHIMALAYA IN LATER YEARS.   22 t

Lhasa. R 217 was the highest peak he observed, and its altitude was 23 255 feet. It is unlikely that Montgomerie's or Littledale's peaks are higher than this. The Lani range is an easterly branch of the Ninchinthangla.» On his frontispiece map Burrard has sketched the hypothetical conjunction of the Kara-korum with the Nien-chen-tang-la. In this view, which we shall have to consider later on, I believe Burrard is right. But only under the condition that we should talk of systems and not of ranges, for a system consists of many ranges. Further, so far as I am aware, it is only one branch of the Karakorum system which is in continuity with the Transhimalaya. On the other hand, the following view is not correct: »The Kyi or Lhasa river rises in the Ninchinthangla range, and forces a passage through the Kailas range.»' Burrard could not arrive at any other conclusion than this from Ryder's map, which is so far misleading as it gives the student the impression of one continuous range following close north of the Tsangpo and Raga-tsangpo.

And Ryder himself could not possibly get the impression of a continuous range north of the Tsangpo, for from his route the mountains are more like the edge of a high plateau, here and there crowned by peaks_ Or, as Colonel Burrard wrote to me in 1910: »Ryder told me that what he saw north of the Tsangpo were the ends of separate spurs and no continuous range, and that he drew his map hastily and without any intention of conveying the idea of a range.» 2

I have tried in the preceding chapters to set forth the theories and hypotheses of different geographers and travellers regarding the mountains north of the Tsangpo.

I should not be complete if I left out my own views regarding them. I wrote about them in 1905 before Ryder's map had been published and a few months before I began the journey, the principal ambition of which was to discover the still unknown mountains north of the river. From my earlier expedition I had, as Nain Sing, got the impression that south of my route from Chargot-tso to Panggong-tso stretched a long mountain range. And I wrote of it: 3 »Probably it consists of a series of parallel ranges with a main range, which swells up here and there into higher elevations capped with perpetual snow and ice.» It seemed likely that Shakangsham, Tok-jalung and Aling-gangri could be considered as parts of this range. Concerning the Transhimalaya proper I wrote as follows : 4

I Op. cit. p. 156.

2 After my journeys across the system Ryder at once accepted my description of it and wrote:

»Until Sven Hedin has had time to work out his observations and plot his map, it would be advise-able to postpone any discussion as to the extension of this range east and west; but Sven Hedin has very thoroughly explored it throughout that region marked 'Unexplored', on the R. G. S:s map of

Tibet, and there is no possible doubt that the range exists, and is the watershed between the Brahmaputra on the south and the lake region on the north.» Geographical Journal December 1908, Vol.

XXXII, p. 589. As the most important result of my last journey Ryder regards the discovery of this

very high and complicated mountain system».

3 Scientific Results of a journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902, Vol. IV: Central and West

Tibet, p. 578. Stockholm 1907. This volume was published in my absence.

4 Ibidem p. 579.