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

historical topography is fully discussed in
*erindia*, iii pp. 1147 sqq.

The area comprised in the sheet falls
into two climatically well-defined regions,
divided by the easternmost extension of the
T'ien-shan. To the north of it stretch the
plateaus and open valleys of Dzungaria
where the amount of precipitation received
maintains sufficient grazing for nomadic
existence and in places facilitates cultivation
independent of irrigation. Owing to these
conditions Barkul has throughout historical
times played the part of a gate for nomadic
invasions threatening the extreme north-
west of China.

While on the northern slopes of the snowy
part of the range, known here as Barkul-
tāgh, conifer forest is abundant (A,B.1, C,
D.2), the southern side of the range and the
wide glacis of piedmont gravel along its foot
are extremely arid. Leaving aside the small
patches of cultivation to be found in the
narrow and deep-cut valleys of the Karlik-
tāgh eastwards (D.2,3), most of the cultiva-

*Astronomically observed latitudes.*
1906-08. Hāmi, Camp 253 (Bēg's garden near W. bank of river-bed outside
town; C. 3) ... ... ... 42° 48′ 44″
Taranehi, Camp 259 (field north of hamlet; B. 2) ... ... 43° 6′ 33″
1913-15. Barkul, Camp 226 (temple beyond N.W. corner of Chinese town;
B. 1) ... ... ... 43° 36′ 29″

NOTES ON SHEET No. 35. (SU-LO-HO DELTA)

The surveyed part of this sheet shows
the ground along the eastern portion of the
desert route from the Lop region to Tun-
huang, together with the geographically and
archæologically interesting area containing
the terminal course and marsh basin of the
Su-lo-ho. The caravan track leading from
Tan-huang to the southern shore of the
dried-up Lop sea bed was followed both in
1907 and 1914, while the numerous detailed
surveys to the north and south of it were
also made on the second and third expedi-
tions.

In compilation the several traverses
along the desert track were fitted upon the
positions adopted for Mirān and An-hsi. The
longitude values of Bēsh-toghrak, as deriv-
ed thus from the route from Mirān, and as
obtained from the traverse from Āltmish-
bulak agreed within a few minutes. The
mean adopted between them, circ. 92° 46′
40″, falls short by only two minutes of the
longitude shown in Sheet No. 70 of the

tion in the fertile but small oases scattered
along the foot of the gravel glacis from
Toghucha-Lapchuk (B.3) to Hoang-lung-
kang (D.3) is possible only through the use
of subsoil water (*kara-su*) coming to light
in the usually dry flood-beds.

The latter all terminate in the drainage-
less basin of the Shona-nōr (A.3), found in
November, 1914, completely dry as far as
M. Muhammad Yakūb's survey extended.
To the south of the line of oases and the
adjacent narrow belt of loess steppe with
desert vegetation, the utterly barren Pei-shan
'Gobi' stretches its stony or gravel wastes.

*Corrections.* A. 3. Omit the latitude
observation symbol at Oda-nōr.

B. 1 In the environs of Lake Barkul
much difficulty was experienced in distin-
guishing real marsh areas from sandy ground
with vegetation under temporary inunda-
tion.

D. 3. The name of *Ara-lam* near ruins
should be printed red.

1906-08 map; but account must be taken
also of the correction, already referred to
under Sheet No. 30, which the reconsider-
ation of the triangulation of 1913 indicates
for the position of Mirān. Owing to pro-
longed explorations along the ancient
Chinese *Limes*, comparatively numerous lati-
tude observations were available for the
ground near the terminal course of the
Su-lo-ho.

In view of the special geographical
interest which, as stated above, pp. 30 sq.,
attaches to the well-defined valley stretching
down from near Bēsh-toghrak to the eastern-
most bay-like extension of the dried-up Lop
sea bed, a line of exact levelling was carried
from a point north of Kum-kuduk, marked
by C. xcviii (Sheet No. 32. D. 4), to the
western edge of the ancient lacustrine basin
showing strings of Mesas and wet sand to
the east of Bēsh-toghrak (B. 3). The
heights shown along this line of levelling
against Camps xcviii—cii, as well as the