perceptible rise in the ground. Our course again turned SSE for a time, but soon turned SE. After 57 li Hsiao with 6o houses and after 6o li Ta-tsahanpula with too. Here jumi, tchaumi, peas, beans, tchumiza, shuza and millet are grown. Average crop 5-6 fold. The road turned E and the ascent became slightly more perceptible. After 65 li Yulipa with 6-7 houses (barometer No.' 616, No.2 583). The road now led us with a slight descent into a fairly large valley, surrounded on all sides by the same kind of mountains. Its greatest extent is E—W. A great many small villages were scattered round the plain that was cultivated everywhere. In it we passed the villages of Hou tien with g houses, Tunghou tien with 30-40 and Ninchiachuen with to after 72, 74 and 8o li. On the right, close to the road, there was now a gentle slope. We turned SE at about 82 li and passed some small mound-like hills. These led us up to a small saddle-shaped pass between two slight hills. We reached this at about 88-8g li after a perceptible rise in the ground for li; the road was good and not steep (barometer No.' 612.2, No.2 579). In the distance in the E a slightly higher ridge was visible running approximately N—S.
The descent was slightly steeper and rocky in parts, but shorter than the way up. Both in ascending and descending there were sunken roads, though of no great depth in some places. After 90 li Hsiao paza with to houses in a valley that took us down from the pass. This soon debouched into another wide valley, the main direction of which was NNE—SSW. The road turned at the foot of the mountains on the right in almost a S direction. After t to li Suchi with 20 houses. The same plants are grown as above, also potatoes and hemp. Average crop 4 fold. — Snow from the 9th or loth to the 3rd month, 9 inches deep. Rain irregular from the 4th to the 8th month. NW burans in spring. 20 head of cattle, 20 horses, 7-8 donkeys and zoo sheep.
,duly 12th. We started in a direction that was at times S, at others SSW, along grassy and partially
Fengchen ling. cultivated ground with a slight fall between low, long, grassy hills. On the right they were really nothing but slight slopes, on the left rocky in places and more in the nature of mountains. Between them, a good way in front of us, the blue surface of Taiha Nor could be seen against the dark background of the mountains. There were a few scattered houses on the right of the road. We crossed a dry river bed several times. After 8 li the mountains retreated and we entered a cauldron-shaped valley that dipped towards Taiha Nor in the SW. It was surrounded on all sides by mountains, of which those rather further to the W appeared to be the largest. A gap was noticeable between them and the mountains that came towards them from the other side of a lake. A road was said to lead westward there. The lake extended far to the WSW, where it disappeared among the mountains.
After to li the village of Sataiku with too houses, some rather scattered. Our course was now SSW across the grassy and only slightly tilled plain. After 15 li Kusan with 15 houses, and at 25 li Mjehothu with too. In the W, close to the shore of the lake, a village was visible with a Mongolian temple, the white suburgan tower of which could be seen at a great distance. The Chinese call it Hala Chow, which should probably be Hara Chow. Small villages were scattered about the valley and herds were grazing round the lake. After 32 li we crossed a river bed, about 25 yards wide, with only a little water, flowing
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