CHINESE TARTARY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 673, 20 July 1870, Page 3

CHINESE TARTARY.

At a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, in London, on February 28, Mr R. B. Shaw, who had lately arrived in England after an adventurous journey in Chinese Tarjtary, read a paper entitled " A Visit to Yarkand and Kasbgar." The following is the summary given in the Times : — He said that the common idea of Tartary was tbat of a succession of vast plains, over which hordes of barbarians wandered atjwill

with their cattle and tents. He had found the reality widely different. It is a well-cul-tivated country, containing flourishing cities of more than 100,000 inhabitants, where many of the arts of civilization are carried on. Security of life and property exists ; commerce is protected ; the roads are full of life and movement, and markets a*fe held on a fixed day of the week, even in the smallest villages. In the towns extensive bazaars, covered in against the rage of the sun, contain rows of shops, where goods of every kind and from every country are exhibited. In Yarkand alone there are 60 colleges, with endowments in land, for the education of students of Mussulman law and divinity, while every street contains a primary school attached to a mosque, where turbanned rows of boys may be seen daily at their first lessons in reading and writing. There are special streets for the various trades. In one street will be found spread out the silks of China, in another the cotton goods and prints of Russia, while a third will contain robes made of both materials, three or four of which make up the ordinary dress of the Turki inhabitants. In some streets ali kinds of groceries are. sold ; others are set apart for the butchers, who offer a choice of horseflesh, camel, beef, or mutton ; the first is rather a luxury, but the last two are most abundant, selling at about one penny a pound. The bakers make most excellent light loaves by a process of steaming the bread. The greengrocers present abundant supplies of vegetables in great variety, besides cream nearly as thick as that of Devonshire, and delicious cream cheeses. Everywhere sherbet made of fruit is sold, which you can get cooled at any street corner, where there are stalls for the sale of ice. There are tea-shops, where the great urns are ever steaming, and eating-houses in abundance. Such is the manifold life of this little-known nation, living a life of its own, making history very fast, and looking upon European politics with the same indifference with which its own have been regarded by us. The author, who, as is well known, made his journey with the view of opening the way for trade, especially in tea, between India and j Eastern Turkistan, described the manner of bis reception by tbe Governor of Yarkand j and by the Ataligh Ghazee, the ruler of the country, who was then resident in Eashgar. The Ataligh, under his former title of Yakoob Beg, wrested this flourishing country from the Chinese five or six years ago, but the blow to Chinese domination was struck by the Tooras, a family claiming descent from Zenghis Khan, who had formerly been dispossessed by the Chinese.'' These, assisted by a force of Andijanis from Kokand, who were led by Yakoob Beg, expelled or destroyed the Chinese garrisons in 1864 ; but the fruits of victory were gathered by Yakoob Beg, who now seems firmly established as King over a productive region containing a population variously estimated at from 20 to 60 millions. The Andijanis now occupy the chief places in the Administration and form the strength of the army ; but their attitude towards the native Yarkandis is very conciliatory, and they are looked upon not as conquerers, but as brothers in faith and blood, who have delivered them from the yoke of unbelievers and idolators. The Yarkandis are naturally addicted to commerce and the arts of peace, while the Usbeks of Andijan find their most congenial occupation in administration and arms. Both peoples speak the same languaage, which is essentially that of the Turks of Constantinople. Takoob Beg impressed Mr Shaw as a man of remarkable intelligence and energy. After the expulsion of the Chinese he overawed the unruly population of Turkistan by acts of severity and cruelty, but secured by these means perfeot order and security, without alienating tbe mass of his subjects. He sits every day in the gateway of Kashgar for two or three hours to hear complaints and administer justice. Mr Shaw's first presentation to him was an effective scene. He was preceded by men carrying his presents on trays. After them came a troop of long-robed ushers with white wands ; then followed two officers of high rank who had come as a deputation to fetch him. He was dressed himself in the costume of the country, and in approaching the palace the procession marched up an avenue formed by lines of soldiers, several pieces of artillery standing on each side of the gateway. The large quadrangle into which they then entered was lined with rows upon rows of guards, dressed in the brightest coloured robes, and sitting in solemn silence with their hands folded in front of them. At an inner quadrangle he was left to proceed alone to the inner chamber with one official, and he there saw the King sitting in expectation at the farther end. When he approached he put out his hand to greet his guest, smiling pleasantly, and invited him to sit down on a cushion opposite to him Mr Shaw found him to be a man of about 45 years of age, short and stoutly built, with a very broad forehead. He bid him welcome as the first Englishman that had ever been in his country, and said God put it into bis heart to accept tbis arrival as a favourable omen to himself. In all subsequent interviews Yakoob expressed his great desire to be friendly with the English. He said often, "Your Queen is like the sun which warms everything it shines upon ; I am iv the cold and desire that some of its rays should fall upon rae. lam very small (.showing the tip of his finger), a man of yesterday ; in these few years God has given me this great country. Whatever services I can render you here you may command, and you mußt do the same for me. Come I what account will you give of me in your own country when you get back ? " The parting interview was most affectionate on his part. The chief object of Mr Shaw's journey being to open up commerce between India and the Yakoob's dominions, he was glad to be able to say that hi 3 subsequent acts were in harmony with hia profession to encourage this intercourse. Merchants from India are beginning to frequent Yarkand, and it only requires the removal of a few obstacles in the

hill countries subject to our own influence to open out a field for trade, of which it would be difficult to over-estimate the importance. The whole region forms a vast elevated basin in Central Asia, about 4000 feet above the sea level, surrounded on three sides by a wall of snow-covered mountains, reaching in many places an altitude of more than. 29,000 feet. On the east it passes into tbe sandy desert of Gobi, which separates it from China. All the rivers which descend from the snows of tbe mountains flowing eastwards are lost in the sands, and as there is little or no rain the soil has' to be fertilised by canals and irrigation. The beautiful cultivation and luxuriance of the thickly-peopled parts are entirely due to these irrigating canals, which are exceedingly numerous and carefully kept. Mr Shaw stated that the King himself superintended the works at a new canal while he was there and even laboured at it himself. The country is separated from the plains of India by the mountain system of the Himalaya, forming an elevated belt 500 miles broad, with 11 more or less parallel ridges of mountains lying along it. The most northerly of these ridges was styled Kuen-lun by the Chinese, but was not a distinct chain from the rest of the mountains. Mr Shaw concluded by describing his return journey over the Karakorum Pass. Sir Henry Rawlinson said that the Government of India had considered Mr Shaw's discoveries of so much importance that they had entered into negotiations with the Maharajah of Cashmere for • the purpose of encouraging trade with Eastern Turkistan, and arrangements had been entered into by which all transit duties through Ladak would be abolished. The difficulties of the route northward from Ladak over the Karakorum would probably be obviated by the adoption of the much easier road to the east, via Cbangcbenmo, or, still better, by the elevated level plains of Rudok, still further east. The difficult San ju Pass over the Kuen-lun would also be avoided in future by the adoption of the Yenghi Pass, all that was necessary being the establishment of a fort at its foot, to protect caravans from the depredations of hordes of robber-* who frequent that district. The President reminded the meeting that Mr Shaw was the first European since the days of Marco Polo who had penetrated to Yarkand, and been allowed to return from that wonderful country. The society's envoy, Mr Hayward, had reached the place a few days after him, but the two were not allowed to see each other until they were on the way back again.