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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

NOTES ON SHEET No. 36 (KHANAMBAL OR ANAMBAR)

The outermost ranges of the Altin-tagh and their glacis towards the Su-lo-ho terminal basin, shown in this sheet, were surveyed mainly from the ttiglt yol or `hill route' .connecting Tun-huang with the Lop region and already mentioned above (Sheet No. 33). This was followed by Rai Ram Singh in 1907 and again by R. B. Lai Singh in 1913. The belt of high sand-ridges fringing the southern edge of the glacis was reached by reconnaissances from the termination of the ancient Chinese Limes in 1907. The traverses along the `hill route' have been adjusted on the positions adopted for Miran and Nan-hu (Sheet No. 39). The obser

vations of 1913 at Khanambal (C. 2) and Su-mu-t'ou (D.1) have proved the latitudes shown for these places in Sheet No. 75 of the Serindia map as correct within about a minute.

References regarding the historical topography of the `hill route' have been given in the Notes on Sheet No. 33. The range along which it leads is exceedingly barren also in this section ; but some modest grazing is found at Khanambal, a winter camping ground of Mongols, and at Klhalastai, while a little patch of cultivation exists at Su-mu-t`ou, occupied by a couple of Chinese families.

NOTES ON SHEET No. 37 (KARLIK-TAGH)

This sheet shows the surveys made along the Karlik-tagh, the eastern extremity of the Tien-shan range, and those carried towards it from the south-west across the northernmost Pei-span desert. With the exception of the caravan road from An-hsi to Hâmi and some routes in 1907 on the southern slopes of the snowy portion of the Karlik-tagh, all belong to the third expedition.

The positions accepted for Barkul, Hami, An-hsi and Su-chou in adjoining sheets have served for the adjustment of the several traverses, besides the latitude observations noted below. For two points on the HamiAn-hsi caravan road latitude and chronometrically obtained longitude values of other travellers are available for control. Dr. Vaillant's position of Yen-tun (A. 4 ),

23 See Dr. Hassenstein's map (1:500,000) in Futterer, Geographische Skizze der Wüste Gobi, Petermann's Mittheilungen, Ergänzungsheft No. 139 (1902). Prof. F. 's Utun-oszü corresponds to 1 u.t'usg-too-tzu (C. 4), while his Utun•da-tschuan, where his route diverged to the south, lies probably in the

42° 21',6 lat., 94° 4',9 long., agrees closely in latitude with that shown in the map, while his longitude is about 2 minutes less than on the map. At K'u-shui ( B. 4 ) Mr. Clementi's observed latitude is the same, but his longitude value, 94° 26' 25", is exceeded by fully 8 minutes on the map ; this difference conforms to that already noted as regards Hami ( see .ettb Sheet No. 34 ).

It is satisfactory to note that M. Muhammad Yakilb's traverse from Ming-shui (No. 40. A. 1) to Tash-bulak (A. 3) shows between his Camps um and orxry very close agreement with the careful route survey carried by Professor K. Futterer • over the same ground. 23

The approximate snow-line shown on the 12,000 ft. contour is necessarily conjectural, the range having been surveyed

same depression as Din-t'on.ching (D. 4), but some little distance to the south.

I may note that the Chinese local names which Muhammad Yakiib heard from his guide along this route could not be checked from any record in Chinese characters.