国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

Fraser was exceedingly anxious to get information about the Satlej and its
sources, and paid particular attention to all the natives said relating to that river.
He has some confidence in what they told him, about the river coming from a
considerable distance to the eastward and behind the Himalaya range. But the na-
tives could not distinctly say where the river was derived from. His intention was
to follow the river up to its very source, but he found that it was too large and
rapid. He is of opinion that the Satlej is, in all probability, chiefly supplied by the
melting of the great bosom of snow that terminates the valley, and lies between the
peaks of the mountains spoken of above. This mountain, reckoned the loftiest and
largest of the snowy range in this quarter, and probably yielding to none in the
whole Himála, obtains the name of Rudra Himála, and is supposed to be the throne
or residence of Maha'deo himself. The mountain has five principal peaks forming
a semicircular hollow, filled with eternal snow. From this the principal part of the
river flows. He is certain that the Satlej comes through the Himalaya and that the
Bhagirat'hi rises within the same mountains.

Fraser travelled three years after Moorcroft, and his account was published
two years after Moorcroft's in the same journal. Under such conditions it is
curious that he does not make any allusion at all to the very valuable and important
results of his predecessor. He does not seem to have had any knowledge of Moor-
croft's journey, for if he had known of it he would hardly have reported the na-
tive information that beyond the Rudra Himalaya, at only 12 cos' distance there
was a plain and well cultivated country, which was impossible to reach, except by
a very circuitous route. But whether they alluded to the great plains of Tartary,
or to some intervening valley it was impossible to discover. Moorcroft had
heard from the natives that the Satlej issued from the Rakas-tal. But of this there
is not a word in Fraser's account.

This omission, however, Fraser made good in his great, and, for the time,
very remarkable work containing the results of his journeys and which was published
the same year as the above quoted article. Regarding the holy lake and the sources
of the Indus and Satlej he there publishes some information he got from a native,
and which nearly corresponds with that of Mr Moorcroft. This native said that
the holy Lake of Mantullaee, or Mansrowar, is about eight days' journey from Gára
(Gartok). Gára appears to be situated near the forks of the Sing-kecho, or rather
the Eekung, or chief branch of the Attock, where it collects the different streams
from the mountains in the vicinity of this great lake, if not from the lake itself. In
the Sing-kecho we easily recognise Singi-chu. Concerning this river he says in another
place: Hymap is on the banks of the great river Sing-kechoo, which, rising in the
mountains around, and to the north of lake Mantullaee, runs by Gára through Lud-