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

D'un autre côté le P. Régis nous apprend que le Tsanpou coule des environs du Lac
Mapama, & que passé les mêmes frontières du Tibet il tourne au Sud-Ouest, tirant du côté du
Gange; & l'opinion du pays est que le Brahmapoutren, qui va à Ascham & à Rangamati, sort
du lac Mansaroar, le même que le lac Mapama: Le Tsanpou & le Brahmapoutren sont donc
un seul & même fleuve.

He also points to the difference between the view of Régis and that of the
Chinese map, which may be explained by the fact that the Lama explorers never
went beyond Lhasa. As we know, the question of the lower course of the Brahma-
putra gave rise to a struggle that had to continue until not very long ago, when it
was finally settled by the Pundits.

Anquetil du Perron sums up the »geographical truths‹ that are represented on
Tieffenthaler's Indian maps, in the following words:

›La premiere Partie de la Carte du Gagra, faite sur les lieux par des Indiens, en pré-
sentant les deux Lacs Lanka & Mansaroar, nous donne la source, jusque'ici inconnue, des
trois plus grands fleuves de cette contrée; le Sardjou, qui sort du lac Lanka, & dont le cours
ne se trouve sur aucune Carte Européenne; le Satloudj, qui sort du lac Mansaroar au Nord-
Ouest, & coule vers le Pendjab; & le Brahmapoutren, le même que le Tsanpou, qui a sa source
dans le même lac Mansaroar, à l'Est, & qui, après avoir traversé une grande partie du Tibet,
tourne au Sud-Ouest, & se jette dans le Gange au dessous de Daka . . .‹

He also comes to the conclusion that the lakes as well as Mount Kentaïssé
must be removed some five degrees farther north than on d'Anville's general map
of Tibet. And this unfortunate idea he calls: »Corrections importantes en Géogra-
phie, Découvertes même, s'il est permis de le dire, qui donnent une nouvelle face
à la vaste étendue de pays que je viens de nommer.‹ ¹

Tieffenthaler's maps give indeed a new aspect to the country round the
lakes! But has geography gained by these changes? By no means! Starting
from d'Anville's map, the map of Tieffenthaler is a great step backwards. One
cannot even compare the two. Tieffenthaler's map is very erroneous, whereas
the Lamas' map is admirable, although it is 200 years old. The Lamas were
quite independent of every kind of religious prejudice, whereas the pilgrims from
India under all conditions had to believe even what they could not see with their
own eyes, namely, that the sacred river Brahmaputra began from the sacred lake,
the Manasarovar, and the Gogra from its neighbour, the Rakas-tal. One can easily
understand the pleasure it must have been for such a learned and able scholar as
Anquetil du Perron to get hold of Tieffenthaler's documents and maps in which he
had unlimited confidence, and which he calls discoveries.

Then Anquetil du Perron gives a detailed description of the course of the
Gagra. He finds it very probable that the uppermost part of the river, from the
lakes and down to the cataracts, is based on the description of a native from India.
The rest, from the cataracts and downwards, should be Tieffenthaler's own work.