THE TRAVELLER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13811, 26 January 1907, Page 10

THE TRAVELLER.

IX UNKNOWN BHUTAN.

Mr Claude White, tho British -political agent at Sikkim, made two expeditions into Bhutan last year and during the late summer. During his first journey, which was undertaken to invest the Tongsa Pen-' lop, the ruler of Bhutan, as a Knight Commander of tha Indian Empire, for tho services he rendered during the Tibet campaign, the entire country was crossed, and portions of Tibet which had not been visited by white men were traversed. Everywhere Mr White was received with absolute friendliness. Tho Tongsji Penlop himself undertook a difficult and dangerous journey over ten days from his residence* at Biaga to meet. Mr White at Lhakhang. At Lhalong monastery, one of tho moat noted in Bhutan, the chief incarnate lama is the nephew of Tongsa Penlop. Here a great reception was organised in honour of the British political officer. As tho caravan approached up the gorge towards the ancient monastery it was met by masses of lamas all wearing dark robes. When Mr White and the Tongsa Penlop had been escorted up to the monastery an extraordinary lama, dance was organised in their honour. This took place in tho courtyard of tlie monaster}', the various dancers wearing grotesque masks of animals' heads. During the summer mission Mr White was beyond the limits of Bhutan proper, and travelled for a prolonged period through hitherto unknown parte of Tibet. Mr White camo across the takin (Budorcas axicolor), an exceptionally rave- animal, which, so far as is known, had never been previously 6een alive or shot by a European. Mr White was presented with a very lino specimen by the Tongsa Penlop, but it died in the Chumbi Valley on its way home. Its habitat is just below the snow line. This extremely rare animal, which in appearance is half an ox, half antelope, is stated by the natives to exist only in three places in Bhutan. The foothills of Bhutan are admirably adapted for tbo cultivation of rubber, etc., and the people are extremely anxious to trade with Britain. Eventually, it is stated, they will form a valuable market for Manchester cotton goods. Mr White discovered a 6horter route to Lhasa than the one now known,

CHINESE TUBKESTAtf. Dr 31. A. Stein is at present engaged on an important expedition to Central Asia, on which ho set out from India in the spring of last year. He successfully accomplished the journey through tlio Chitral Valley and across the extreme north-eastern corner of Afghanistan, northwards to Kashgar. Towards the end of June last Dr Stein was able to make a fresh start, and entered upon what may bo called the -main portion of his expedition. Journeying south-east-wards along the borders of the desert, with occasional , excursions among the mountains, Dr Stein passed through Yarkand and Khotan, and early in October arrived at Keriya, whence the latest advicee as to his progress are dated. At the time of writing ho was on the point of leaving Keriya for the purpose of examining some ancient remains in the desert beyond Niya, still further to tho east. Already tho archaeological investigations, which constitute the main object of the expedition, had been fruitful of many interesting discoveries. The excavation of a ruined temple in the desert eastwards of Khotan yielded, among other remains, a number of small tcrra-cotta relievos, which showed marked traces of the influence of Greco-Buddhist art, and appeared, by comparison with other sculptures whose age had approximately been determined, to date from the fifth or sixth century of the present era. Still more interesting were the discoveries among a group of small ruined sites in the scrub-covered desert not far from the village tract of Domolco, between Khotim 'and Keriya. From the chief ruin, a, Buddhist shrine, Dr Stein unearthed a large number of writings, some on paper and some on wooden tablets, the languages employed being Sanskrit, Chinese, Thibetan, and the "unkmiwn" language of old Khotan, to which scholars have long been searching for the clue. Dr Stein, it may bo hoped, has at last furnished this clue, for among his "finds" are a number of excel-lently-preserved rolls of manuscript, having written on one side a Buddhistic text in Chinese characters and on the other side what appears to be a translation of the text into this , - "unknown" language of old Khotan. The stylo of the frescoes, painted panels, and other art remains pointed to the latter half of the eighth century as the date of their execution, and the discovery in a second 6lirino close by of a number of striuged rolls o{ Chinese copper money, manifestly deposited by some of tho last worshippers, afforded definite numismatic proof that the ruins had been occupied at that period. There were also found portions of a far older Sanskrit manuscript, on birch bark, which Dr Stein thinks was, no doubt, brought from India.

But archreological research work in the desert tracts between Khofan and Keriya is far from composing the sum of Dr Stein's labours since leaving Kashgar. The intense heat of the summer months is unfavourable to travelling in the plains of Chinese Turkestan, and accordingly Dr Stein devoted tie months of Jnly and August largely to exploring work among the mountains ivhiob interpose such a formidable barrier between the desert and the countries to the south. Supplemented as his efforts have- been by the labours of M Earn Sin«h, the expert native Indian surveyor who accompanied him on his former journey to Chinese Turkestan, Dr Stein is ablc'to report the addition of many new features to the maps of this part of Central Asia.. While he himself was busy at Kashgar, Earn Singh made an interesting journey through, a previously unexplored section of the Taslikurgaa Elver Valley, and thence along tho eastern slopes of the Mustajh-ata Eange, afterwards joining his leader at Yarkand. Prom that place the journey was continued by a- hitherto unsurveyed route east of the Tiznaf River to the outer falls about Kokyar. Here Dr Stein remained for some time, collecting all the information he could about a small but interesting tvibo oE hill people, who, shut off from the rest of the world, have preserved throughout the centuries practically unchanged the main characteristics of' Mteir race. Meanwhile Earn Singh went oft' on another excursion to explore the difficult mountain region between the Kara-kash and Yurung-kash Rivers, a task whieli he achieved with complete success, crossing the main range in the course of his journoy by a pass which several European travellers had attempted in vain to surmount, and which had become practically unknown even to the local Kirghiz. Tho two parties came together again at Khotan in the early part of August, and before turning to his aroliteological researches Dr Stein, accompanied by Ram Singh, pushed some distance among the high mountains to tho south of Khotan, and in spite of difficulties due to summer floods and the lack of transport facilities, managed to clear up many doubtful points in connection with the panoramic views ho had secured in the autumn of 1900. A ivery interesting feature of his subsequent work in the plains was the evidence which came under his notico of the way in •which land formerly abandoned to the desert is again being brought under cultivation. The fortunes of Chinese Turkestan, at anyrato of the western oases, appear to be on the upward grade, and in the Khotan district the result is especially marked by an increase in the population and the extension of the cultivated area. In Dr Stein's opinion, the canals fed by tho Yiirung-kash would furnish, plenty of water for extended irrigation, and he suggests that the value of a scheme of systematic irrigation works might not unprofitably be the subject of investigation on the part of a competent, engineer. In some respecte the conditions aro not unlike thoee prevailing in parts of the Punjab nnd along the Xorth-wesfc Frontier, and Indian experience would, no doubt, prove highly useful to the Chinese authorities in (ho event of their taking tho task in hand.