National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Mandata with the Kubi-gangri, the northern pierced by a problematic river which
is marked as a southern tributary to the Tage-tsangpo. I could not tell whether
such a river exists or not, as I never have been beyond the Ganglung-gangri. A
small tributary comes from the south no doubt, but I believe it comes from the
range which joins the Gurla with the Ganglung-gangri. If Webber's map could be
trusted in the least, which is not the case, his Dak Eo pass of 19,000 feet should
be situated exactly where Ryder has his transverse valley cut through the same
range. At the first sight the Ta-ch'ing map seems to corroborate the view of the
existence of such a southern river, for it represents the Tage-tsangpo double. But
this argument loses all of its force as both branches are drawn as situated north of
the Langchen-kabab or Ganglung-gangri. As Ryder followed the northern route he
could not possibly make out the orography along the southern route, and much less
the river-courses and their valleys. From high stations of triangulation all the dom-
inating peaks were visible but sometimes they may have been formed into ranges
in a wrong way. But Ryder has quite correctly left the question open by marking
both the Tage-tsangpo and its southern tributary with dotted lines. Only a new
survey in the country S.E. of Gurla can solve the problem.

The Chinese documents de Rhins has used for south-western Tibet consist of
the Ta-ch'ing map, some Chinese itineraries (Wei-tsang-t'u-chih, translated by Kla-
proth) and the general geography of Tibet (part of the Ta-ch'ing-i-t'ung-chih trans-
lated by the missionaries in Peking and Klaproth). In his atlas de Rhins gives a
reproduction of the Tai-ch'ing map;¹ on his map of construction, N:o 22, he puts
down in red the itineraries of the Pundits. He tries to get rid of the errors of the
Ta-ch'ing map by means of transformation, as indicated on his map N:o 21 (Pl. VII.)
His geometrical deductions and comparisons do not inspire much confidence in spite
of the erudite and honest work he has sacrificed. He compares his own construc-
tions with the Chinese map to find out the different values of this. From Naïn
Sing's map from Shigatse to Maryum-la he gets a control of the Chinese map,
which, however, does not at all agree with the Ta-ch'ing text. The text is correct,
the map wrong in distances.

In the following quotations from de Rhins, based on the Chinese text² we
find that the Indus is regarded as taking its rise from the mountains N.E. of the
Gang dis ri (la montagne de couleur de neige), which was transcribed Kaintaissé by
the missionaries: »Dans le nord-est du Gang dis ri s'élévent les pics Imarou, Pa
tchoung et Senghé khabab.» I cannot identify Gangmarou, but Pa tchoung and Senghé
khabab are here given exactly as they are pronounced by the Tibetans. »Le Senghé
khabab gang ri — montagne neigeuse de la source du Lion — est à 360 li (80 milles)
au nord-est de la ville de Goughé djachi loumbo; et au nord-est du Gang dis ri.