Abstract
COL. PREJEVALSKY writes from “Houi-de-Tin, plateau of the Hoang-ho, May, 1880.” Having packed up and sent off all his collections to Alashan, be left his camp, 25 versts from the town of Donkyr, on March 20, to reach the Hoang-ho, 83 versts from Donkyr. Here the Yellow River turns abruptly from north-east to east, at the small valley of Gomi, inhabited by Tungut cultivators, and forming the extreme point of the habitable lands of the Hoang-ho. The river here is pretty wide, and has a very rapid current. The banks are wooded, with bere and there pretty clumps of poplars and weeping willows. The river here is 8,000 feet above sea-level. After ten days at Gomi, Prejevalsky's party resumed their route. From Gomi the journey along the Hoang-ho was very difficult, the banks being deeply cut by steep ravines, which can only be noticed when dose upon them. A stream usually flows at the bottom of these ravines, which are bordered by trees and wild arbutus. As soon as ever the party touched the Si-Fan territory a horseman appeared and, telling them they would soon be murdered, disappeared—a threat happily not realised. Indeed the Si-Fan became so reconciled to the presence of the intruders as to sell them butter and sbeep. At 130 versts from Gomi they found, in the ravines bordering the river vast forest frequented by innumerable birds, especially blue pheasants. The second local rarity was rhubarb, which was met with in prodigious quantities. The old roots of this plant reach colossal proportions. One of these roots, taken at hazard, weighed 26lb. The mouth of the Churmysh, an affluent of the Hoang-ho, was reached 130 versts below Gomi, by the course of the river. Having examined the country for a distance of 40 versts, Prejevalsky was convinced that it was impossible to cross the enormous chain of mountains which extends along the Yellow River, the summits of wlhich are lost in the clouds. Gaping ravines are met with at every verst, and there is not the least trace of vegetation, and therefore no forage for animals. He decided to return to Gomi. Thence be went to Houi-De, 60 versts on the south bank of the river, and sent his interpreter to Sinin to inform the local authorities that Prejevalsky wished to reach the mountain regions of eternal snow. The Amban of Sinin informed Prejevalsky that it was impossible to allow him to proceed to the Koko-nor, or to penetrate further into Houi-De, where there was a revolt of the Tunguts. Prejevalsky decided to spend the month of June where he was, exploring the fauna and flora, and afterwards go north towards Cheibsen, where be would remain duning July, and complete his explorations in the mountains. The weather, he says, was detestable, cold and wet, with the thermometer sometimes 12° below zero C. He had collected 250 specirnens of plants, 500 species of birds, and many of fish. The geography of the country traversed had, moreover, been observed and noted, astronomical, barometrical, and thermometrical observations made, and sketches taken of the various types of natives. He doubts much whether the Hoang-ho makes the enormous curve represented in maps; he did not observe any such curve in the 250 versts explored by him. He expeeted to reach Alashan about August 20.
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Geographical Notes . Nature 23, 21–22 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/023021b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/023021b0