of Utja yao with 1,000 houses in a long row between the river bed and the mountains on the left. Pottery of corase quality was being baked in 23 furnaces. The clay is taken from the mountains, which are divided here by a gorge on the left. Each furnace was said to produce 6-7,00o pots monthly. The walls round many of the poorer houses were made of broken or defective pots. There was a »matui» post here. The soldier, whom the obliging officer at Yutai Shan had given me, left me here, but another, with his horse saddled, was waiting to accompany me. To judge by his appearance and manners, he promised to be as capable as his predecessor. The houses in the village were dilapidated and the inhabitants looked poor. There was no tillage visible.
We passed the villages of Hwangchia tien with 50-6o houses, Sui-shih-li-chuan with 40 and Changchia tien with 30-40 after 18, 25 and 32 li. The mountains began to give way to large hills with gentle slopes. After 34 Ii K'tuo tien with 15 houses. We had reached the beginning of the river bed and rode in a NW direction up to the village of Mathoutu with 150 houses, situated on a slight eminence (39 li). Traffic was lively. We met many arbahs, small caravans and litters carried by mules. A young Chinese, sitting upright and stiff and dressed in khaki, was seated in one of them. At the sight of me he rose, saluted in military fashion and called: »Good morning, sir». I asked who he was and was told that he was a master in a civilian school at Tai-yuan-fu.
On the other side of the small hill the ground dipped considerably, but crept immediately afterwards up to another long stretch of hills. Further to the SW a dry, stony water-bed ran between the hills. As we followed it with our eyes, we could see more and more hills rising behind each other in the far distance. We went on to the NW and after 41 li reached Tapu with 10 houses. Beyond it the road led up a hill of löss (barometer No. 1 621.3). The view was lovely. We let our gaze wander with pleasure from a valley to the nearest ridge of hills in the W, similar to the one on which we stood, and thence to the next and so on until at last it was arrested by a dark line of mountains far off. In the N there was a chain of mountains considerably nearer going in a NE—SW direction. After 51 li Weichiaku with 40 houses, after 56 Ii Mahwanghu with 3o at the bottom of a small valley. In general the difference in altitude between the valleys and hills we crossed was not great and the slopes were very gentle. With the exception of the mountains in the N and far off in the W, the landscape had the character of an uneven plain. A little grass was growing on the slopes and their lower parts were cultivated. We soon followed a stony water-bed again. After a couple of li it turned to the NNE, while we continued up another hill. About a dozen li lower down towards the stony bed we caught sight of the regular wall of Tso wei hsien (according to the local pronunciation), Tsoyün hsien being the correct name. Again we crossed a small valley with a tiny watercourse going in a NNE—SSW direction and a very long stretch of hills of löss (barometer No.' 630.7). — Jumi (like wheat), tchingmi (black wheat, triangular?), tchumiza, shuza (like millet), millet, wheat, huma (red kunsjut) and potatoes are grown. Average crop 2 fold (?). Sowing is done during the 2nd month. Snow from the loth to the 12th month, 6-7 inches deep; rain from the 4th to the 8th month, but insufficient; W and E burans frequent in the spring. — 1 pyn of matui. — The whole village owns about 6o head of cattle, 3o horses and mules, 20 donkeys and 200 sheep.
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