IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Southern Tibet : vol.3 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
CENTRAL TRANSHINIALAYA WAS, BEFORE 1907, A TERRA INCOGNITA. 225
maient un obstacle insurmontable. En conséquence, je résolus de suivre le premier cours d'eau dont la direction ferait présumer qu'il se dirigeait vers le Brahmapoutra. — C'est ainsi que nous cheminâmes plusieurs jours en suivant les bords d'une rivière sans cesse grossissante appelée 'Chang-Chu' que des Européens voyaient pour la première fois . . .»
This is all we are told of this remarkable crossing, the last before I had the
good fortune to cross seven hitherto unknown passes in the Transhimalaya and one
which was known before.
The first communication of my Transhimalayan discoveries I sent from Simla
to the Royal Geographical Society. It was a photograph of a very rough sketch-map
which I had drawn to illustrate my lecture at Viceregal Lodge, September 24th,
1908. It was never meant to give anything else than an idea of where I had been,
and to show the principal ranges which constitute the central Transhimalaya. In a
note to the map I said : 2 »Of course, you will easily understand that the whole east
and west parts of the Transhimalaya were known before, but one third of the
range, or rather system, situated exactly where you have the word 'Unexplored' on
the Society's map of Tibet, is absolutely new, and I have been able to show very
clearly that the whole lot is one single system.»
It was too generous to say that the whole east and west parts were known
before. They had been crossed by a few pioneers and we possessed a few sections
with long distances between them. But the orography and geology of the mount-
ains remained extremely little known, and so is the case to the present day.
As to the Central Transhimalaya it was absolutely unknown. A part of it
had been skirted by Nain Sing in the north, its southern flank had been followed
by Ryder's and Rawling's memorable expedition. Between the routes of these two
expeditions the terra incognita was situated, and I went out to fill up the blanks so
far as my forces allowed.
IS
I George Bogle had seen it in 1774.
1 Geographical Journal, November 1908, Vol. XXXII, p. 527.
29-141741 III.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.