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

more important and honoured position at the court, enjoyed the same opportunity and
liberty. This becomes the more likely as not only »Jercken», but all the other towns
of Little Bokharia are entered on the map. And therefore also the conclusion of
the Russian Geographical Society: »Il est évident que Renat n'a jamais visité ces lieux»,
loses very much of its strength. So is also the case with the Russian doubts about
his achievements amongst the Kalmuks, for in his letter of resignation from the
military service which he sent in 1739 to King Fredrik of Sweden, he says that he
has taught 200 Kalmuks the art of artillery, and that he made a campaign with the
Kalmuks against China.¹ The above-mentioned »personalia» tell us, that Renat, when
he returned home, was arrested in Moscow. The Russians »had got a great hatred
to him, on account of the assistance he had given their enemy the Kalmuk to put
themselves in a possibility to defend themselves against future hostile attacks». Through
the efforts of the Swedish legation at St Petersburg he regained his liberty.

Finally I will say only a few words about a question which has something to
do with Renat's map, namely about the wild camel. To the authors of the Chinese
annals the wild camel was not the same stranger as to European naturalists. I give
only one quotation, from the Thang epoch:

Selon le Thse fou chin kouei, la cinquième année Khaï-youan, à la sixième
lune, il vint des ambassadeurs du royaume de lu-thian, lesquels offrirent quatre che-
vaux propres au jeu de paume, un chameau sauvage, au pied léger comme le vent,
et un na ou renard.²

In his geography RITTER mentions the wild camel in several places, for instance:³
»Im Süden von Turfan ist überall kahle Steppe (Kobi), wo wilde Kameele und wilde
Pferde in zahlreichen Heerden umherziehen.» Still zoologists doubted the existence of
this animal, until Prshevalskiy, on his memorable journey 1876—77, bought the skins
of four wild camels from native hunters. He says himself: »Ich brauche nicht zu sagen,
wie froh ich war, Felle von dem Thiere erworben zu haben, dessen schon Marco
Polo erwähnt, das aber bis jetzt kein Europäer gesehen hat.»⁴ And with full right
Dr. Brehm adds: »Prshewalskiy hat im vorletzten Jahrzehnte nachgewiesen, dass in
Innerasien wirklich wilde, nicht bloss verwilderte Trampeltiere (Camelus bactrianus
ferus) zahlreich vorkommen.»⁵

It is therefore interesting to note, that nearly 200 years ago the existence of
the wild camel was known to a Swedish officer. For on Renat's map we find, just
east of Gaschon Noor, a lake now better known as Ebi-nor, a forest tract, Carangoj,
under which the legend is written: I Inur Skog finns willa Kameler, or, with the