1923%20Memoir%20on%20Maps%20of%20Chinese%20Turkistan%20by%20Stein%20s

Chap. IV] NOTES ON SHEET NO. 32 $9
The aroa represented in this sheet com- of tlris Lop deeert route and the tt~[)ogrsphiprises
two distinct regions. lu the north cal facts voneerning it, as elucidated in the
thore extend tho low desert ranges and the course of our surveys, have been set forth in
plateaus of tho Knruk-tigh ; irl tho south, Se~inditr, ii. pp. 553 scly. I('
the great salt-cncrusted basin occupied in The caravan track along the southern
prehistoric times by the Lolj sea, together shore of the dried-U~J lake bed, is described
with its desolate shores of bare gravel or in Deserl Cntbay, i. ~IJ. 520 sqq. lg'or a full
clay. 130th regions are utterly lifeless, except account of the historical topography of thin
for the occasional passaEe of wild camels. interesti~lg route, the fiamo which Hsiian-
Their character is illustrated by the fact that tsang (.\.u. 645) and hlarco Pol0 followed,
apart from the wells of Kum-kudnk there is see Serintlzo, Chapter xrv. see. i-iii (ii. pp.
to be found no drinkable water in this vast 549 sclq.). A preliniinary report on my
area, nor living vegetation, except in scanty explorations amoug the easternmost ruins of
patches close to the rare salt springs in the the Lon-Ian territory (A. 3), and on the
north antl in narrow strips along the sllores jonmey by which I traced the earliest Chinese
of the great easter~~ bay of the ancient lakebed
(C,D.4). '!'
route from Tan-huang to Loo-Ian across the
salt-encri~sted Lop lake bed, is contained in
While the Kuruk-tigh region llere Grogroph. Jo~irrrul, 1916, slviii. p1). 126
sho\vn has never known human life escept sqq. ; Geqqraplticul! Heriezo (New York),
for rare visits of hunters in its western l~nrt, 1921, is. pp. 22 sqq.
distinct historical interest is imparted to tlie Cori.ections. A. 1. Delete the latitude
lake-basin by the fact that across its wastes statior~ symbol from Bir-atai-bulak, Camp
of hard salt-crust antl alon: its equally 1t~1,ren 270.
shores of gravel and wind-el,oded clay tllere C. 3. For Achchik-bulak the height
led the route which froni the ~econd century 2270 (ancroid ; of 1913) ought to beadopted.
B. c. onwards formed the earliest, and for a D. 4. For Iium-kuduk, Camp 52, the
long time the chief, line of comn~unication height 2245, observed by mercurial barofrom
China into the Tarim basin. The
complete ' desiccation ' of the Lou-Ian terrimeter,
ought to have been shown. Delete
height 2750 (aneroid) at adjoining Camp 95
tory some four centuries later finally closed and height 2730 (aneroid) at Camp 94.
it to traffic. The Chinese historical notices
Astrono~nicalZy observeil Iatit7ides.
3913-15 Kauriik-bulak, Camp 88 (near spring; A. 2)
Camp 92, southernmost Kurulr-tigh (D. 3)
Palgan-bulak, Camp 260 (near spring ; A. 8)
Camp 266, S. of Achi-tBgh (B. I ) ...
NOTES ON SHEET No. 33 (LOWAZA, BASH-KuRGHBN)
The two routes from which all the
ground shown in this sheet was s~uveyed, are
the only lines of communication now practicable
between Tun-hoang and tlie Lop region.
They mere followed both on tlre second and
third espeditions, the latitude obserrations
taken on the latter (see below) making it
possible to lay down the route lines more
correctly than before. The traverses of both
routes are adjusted on the positions ad0~te.1
for 1Iir;in and An-lrsi. In the case of the
former place, it must be noted that reconsi-
deration of R.B. La1 Singh's triangulation
in 1921 brings its longitude about 2 minutes
to the vest of the one shorrn in Sheet No.
30. B 2.
The route shown in the north-western
portion of the sheet forms part of the old
'"0 vegetntion of any kind, whether living or crossed some 120 miles of the snlt-encrnatecl sen-bed
dead, wns met with by It. B. Lil Singh on his tire nnd its sborcs to Carup cvi on the sl~ore of the abovelong
mnrches in the nnexplored Knrnk-tlgh between nnmed bay (D. 4).
Camps 262-267. I mgself in Febrnnrj, 1914, left lo For detnils of the ancient topogrnphy of thin
bel~ind the Inst. remains of dend vegetntio~l nenr tbe ronte ns trnced in the course of my surveys of 1914,
ensternmost rain (L. J.) of ancient Lou-Inn (A.3), and
(lid not come upon any living vegetation until 1 hnd
cf. also Seriiidia, i. pp. 311 sq., 423 sqq.