National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0160 |
Southern Tibet : vol.3 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
It cannot, however, be denied that Hodgson, in this controversy as well as in
the morphology of Himalaya in general, has been too rash. Without sufficient know-
ledge and authoptic experience he makes his constructions at home and believes that
he is able in a few words or on a sketch map to solve problems which need centuries
to be cleared up. In the same way he has dealt with Transhimalaya, and it is only
as an example of his methods in physical geography that I have touched upon his
views regarding the questions of Himalaya.
He does not give up his own ground for he says: »Since I presented to the
Society in 1849 my paper on the physical geography of the Himalaya a good deal
of new information has been published, mixed with the inevitable quantum of speculation,
touching the true character of the chain, and the true position of its water-shed, with
their inseparable concomitants, the general elevation and surface character of the plateau
of Tibet. After an attentive perusal of these interesting speculations I must, however,
confess that I retain my priorly expressed opinion that the great points in question are
inextricably involved with, and consequently can never be settled independently of the
larger question of the true physical features of the whole of the bâm-i-dûnya of Asiatics
and Asie Centrale of Humboldt.» He goes on saying that it may be that the Hi-
malaya is not a chain at all and that Elie de Beaumont's theory of chains is right
even here,¹ it may be that Himalaya is not a latitudinal but a meridional chain, it
may be that the question of the water-shed is to be regarded with reference to the
whole eastern half of the continent of Asia . . . and he sums up: »Such things, or
some one of them, I repeat, may be, and one of the theories just enumerated may
involve the true solution of questions for some time past investigated and debated
on the frontier of India, though without any sufficiently distinct reference to those
theories, prior though they all be in date. But the mere statement of them suffices
I should say, to show that they will not find their solution on that frontier, but only
when the whole bâm-i-dûnya has become accessible to science.»
These are wise words. When has a geographical problem of this sort ever
been solved in easy chairs at home, and what is the use of disputes beyond the
frontier and the loss of time with empty words when only exploration in the un-
known country in a simple way lays the unknown regions before everybody's eyes.
It would be unjust to Hodgson not to point out that he himself never claimed
to have played any part at all in the history of Transhimalaya. He regarded the
existence of a range indubitable, for its existence had been made very likely by Klap-
roth and Ritter. For himself he never claimed an inch of new ground and he would
probably not have felt flattered had he known that he would be quoted as an
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
17
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
28
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
38
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
49
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
60
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
74
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
86
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
98
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
108
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
120
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
133
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
147
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
158
159
160
161
162
|
.
.
.
.
168
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
178
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
189
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
200
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
210
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
221
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
231
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
242
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
253
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
265
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
277
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
287
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
298
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
309
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
321
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
337
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
349
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
362
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
375
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
393
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
410
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
427
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
443
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
455
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
473
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
487
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
500
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
513
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
527
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
539
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
550
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
563
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
575
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
587
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
599
.
.
.
.
610
Copyright (C) 2003-2019
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
