Southern Tibet : vol.3 / 187 ページ（カラー画像）

0187	Southern Tibet : vol.3
南チベット : vol.3

them. This is not exceptional, for it is the same with the Kara-korum, Kwen-lun
or Himalaya. Even if several peaks and ridges are visible from points situated out-
side the area of the system, one cannot get the faintest idea of the general
building and orography of the system and specially not of such a complicated and
irregular system as the Central Transhimalaya.
»The only geological fact elicited is that the low range to the east of the
Lhasa River was composed of sandstone. According to the Pundit, this sandstone
was very like that of the Siwalik range at the southern foot of the Himalayas.»
From the Pundit's report that the water of the northern tributaries was clear
Montgomerie draws the correct conclusion that »none of the northern tributaries
appear to rise among glaciers, or, at any rate, if they do, the glaciers must be very
remote or very small, as their streams were clear, even in April and May, after the
rivers had begun to rise».¹
I regard Montgomerie's discussion of Nain Sing's comparatively meagre report
as one of the best works ever written on Tibet. It is admirable that he has been
able to read so much and so well between the lines and that he has constructed in
his own mind the great features of the country in such a correct and scientific way.
At such an early date nothing more could possibly have been extracted from the
original diary. It may be understood, however, that Montgomerie obtained a good
deal of verbal information from the Pundit in answer to his inquiries.
It is a striking fact that, except the quotations given above, there is nothing
about the Transhimalaya.² Montgomerie does not deal with this problem at all. He
only remarks »that more bearings to distant peaks would have been a great addition
to the Pundit's route-survey». There is nothing about Hodgson's Nyenchhen-thánglá.
The name Nien-chen-tang-la is not even mentioned. On the map there is no trace
of Hodgson's range. Only indirectly does Montgomerie remove the water-parting a
good distance to the north, when speaking of the northern tributaries. Compared
with Desideri, Nain Sing has proved that mountains are really situated north of the
river the whole way from Kailas to Lhasa, a fact which was already known from
the Chinese maps.
After Montgomerie had read his paper on this important journey before the
Royal Geographical Society an interesting discussion took place.³ Sir RODERICK
MURCHISON said that Lord CANNING had determined upon an expedition into this
region, but it was never carried into effect. »It had been an opprobrium to English-
men, that though this interesting region lay at no very great distance beyond the
Himalaya Mountains, which had been admirably explored by English surveyors, they
had never yet reached Tibet» which was a mistake for Moorcroft, the Stracheys and

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