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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

tion with my visit of 1907 to the ruined site
of Khôra (D. 4). The plane-table work has
been adjusted to the positions adopted for
Kara-shahr, Korla and Bugur; see Notes on
Sheets 21, 24.

For an account of my visit to Khôra,
cf. Desert Cathay, ii. p. 372; Serindia, iii.
pp. 1224 sqq. The northern slope of the
outer Tien-shan range then seen, appeared
very barren, and even in the wide valley of
the Khaidu-gol, stony but scrub-covered in

parts, there was little to suggest the rich
grazing which has made the plateaus of
Yulduz at its head favourite haunts for
nomad tribes from the times of the Huns
down to the Mongols of the present day.
But on ascending to the Kara-dawân (A.4)
by a route which leads from Yangi-hissâr to
Yulduz, Lâl Singh noticed fine pine-forest
clothing the southern slopes of the range
from an elevation of about 8000 feet up-
wards.

NOTES ON SHEET No. 21 (BUGUR, KORLA)

The area shown in this sheet forms part
of the extreme north-eastern corner of the
Târim basin proper. Of the routes along
which the surveys lay, those leading from
Korla to the Inchike-daryâ were followed in
1908 and the rest, mainly north and south
of them, in 1915.

The compilation of this sheet and those
immediately adjoining to the east and south-
east has been adversely affected by the erro-
neous longitude adopted at the time for the
position of Korla in connection with R. B.
Lâl Singh's northern triangulation series
along the Kuruk-tagh. In paras. 2-4 of
Major Mason's Memorandum prefixed to
Appendix A, the circumstances have been
explained which necessitated in 1921 a
re-examination of the computations relating
to this triangulation and led to the rejection
of its distant connection with the southern
series of the same surveyor's triangulation
along the K'un-lun range.

The western extremity of the northern
series, as marked by station CC 85 (3170)
in Sheet 25. A. 1, approaches Korla within
about 5 miles, and as a result of the revised
computation it was decided to base the work
of the northern series on Mr. Clementi's value
of Korla (lat. 41° 44′ 20·8″, long. 86° 10′
10·4″). While the tables of Appendix A
now show throughout the revised values for
R. B. Lâl Singh's triangulation stations and

points, it has been impossible to rectify their
positions as shown in the map sheets. The
corresponding correction in the case of Korla
necessitates a shifting of its longitude by
about 15′ 30″ to the east, while the latitude
remains practically unchanged.¹³

In addition to the latitude observations
recorded below, use was made also for the
main road of those available from Mr.
Clementi's work and for the Târim river
route (Ugen-daryâ) from that of Dr. Hedin.
The latter route and that along the Inchike-
daryâ were adjusted in longitude to the
values derived for Peres and Shahyâr (Sheet
No. 17) from the traverse between Kuchâ
and the Keriya river.

For a brief account of my observations
regarding the Korla oasis and the ancient
topography of this region, see Serindia, iii.
pp. 1230 sqq. There the reasons for the
surveys made in the desert between the
Konche-daryâ and Inchike-daryâ have also
been explained. The part played by the
riverine tracts of the Inchike-daryâ and
Târim in early historical topography is dis-
cussed in Serindia, iii. pp. 1236 sq.

Except for the presence of some drift-
sand belts towards the Konche-daryâ, the
area shown in this sheet south of the line
of oases along the foot of the Tien-shan,
shares the character of the scrub- and jungle-
covered zone extending around the cultivated