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

sqq.; for historical references to it, Serindia,
i. pp. 293 sq.

The desert route (A-C. 1) keeps to the
southern edge of the sandy belt where vege-
tation, mostly in the form of scrubby jungle
and tamarisk-cones, is supported by subsoil
drainage. It thus shares the character of
the route leading from Niya north-eastwards
(Sheet No. 19); but here the foot of the
glacis of the mountains is overrun by coarse
drift-sand, rising to dunes of considerable
height. The water found in wells along the
route is very brackish, and the latter in
consequence is scarcely ever used during the
late spring and summer.

Astronomically observed latitudes.
1906-08. Kapa, Camp 99 (near gold pits; B. 2) ... ... 37° 14′ 53″
Kapa, Camp 99 (Ile-dong hill station; B. 2) ... ... 37° 14′ 5″
1913-16. Gudäche, Camp 4 (Ushlung hill station; D. 2) ... ... 37° 19′ 52″

NOTES ON SHEET No. 24 (KARA-SHAHR)

The survey shown on the southern edge
of this sheet is confined almost wholly to
the traverse made along the high road pass-
ing from east to west through the Kara-
shahr basin; this was followed in 1907 by
myself and in 1915 by M. Muhammad
Yakūb. As the compilation of this sheet
was adjusted to the positions adopted for
Turfān (Sheet No. 28) and Korla (No. 21.
D. 1), the longitudes throughout are affected
by the error in placing the latter town about
15′ 30″ too far west, as explained in the
Notes on Sheet No. 21. While at Kara-
shahr town the divergence from Mr.
Clementi's and Gen. Pyewzow's fairly con-
cordant longitude values is about the same
as just noted for Korla, the difference at
Kumush near the eastern edge of the sheet
is reduced to about 9′ as against Dr.
Vaillant's longitude 88° 4′,6. The latitudes
shown for several stations along the route
are derived from the observations recorded

by Mr. Clementi and various Russian ex-
plorers.

With the exception of the ground east
and north-east of Kumush the whole of the
area represented falls within the drainage of
the Baghrash lake. The wide expanse of
the latter, only roughly indicated in outline,
affects the physical conditions of the whole
Kara-shahr basin. They are briefly described
in Serindia, iii. pp. 1178 sqq., where the
historical topography of the district and the
peculiar conditions impeding cultivation and
permanent settlement within it have also
been discussed.

Corrections. A-B. 4. The upper
courses of the streams descending into the
basin from the north between Ushak-tal
and Kara-shahr ought to be shown in
broken lines, as well as the hill contours
adjoining.

D. 4. The well symbol at Kara-kizil
Station ought to be shifted close to road.

NOTES ON SHEET No. 25 (KONCHE-DARYĀ)

This sheet shows the surveys made north
and south of the westernmost Kuruk-tāgh
and along portions of the courses of the
Tārim and Konche-daryā lying south of it.
The former belong to the work of the second
and third expeditions, the latter exclusively
to that of the years 1914-15.

The several traverses were adjusted to
the positions adopted for Korla and Āltmish-

bulak before the re-examination of R. B.
Lāl Singh's triangulation had proved the
serious error made in the connection, as
explained in Appendix A and the Notes on
Sheets Nos. 21 and 29. In consequence all
places in this sheet appear considerably to
the west of their correct longitudes.

For the very numerous points in the
Kuruk-tāgh shown by this sheet as trigono-