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OSOBER, 1917)
THIRD JOURNEY OF EXPLORATION IN CENTRAL ASIA
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sion of Chinese political influence north of the Tien-shan these conditions must have changad, and subsequently the abandonment of the Lou-lan routs, and the deziccation of the region it led through, must have greatly reduced the importanca of this ancient ling of communication along the Konche-darya. Yet the line marked by the towers appears to have continued in use as a high-road down to T'ang times, as was shown by the finds of coins, torn documents on paper, etc., we made on clearing the refuse heaps near them.
My visit to the quasi-peripatetic modern colony of Kara-kum on the upper Konchedarya gave me opportunities for curious observations about irrigation conditions and Chinese aulinistrative methods ; but I cannot pause to describe them. At the large and flourishing oasis of Korla, higher up the river, I had soon the satisfaction of seeing, by the beginning of April, our four surveying parties safely reunited. Lal Singh had succeeded in carrying his triangulation from Singer through the western Kuruk-tagh to the snow-covered peaks north of Korla. His dogged perseverence had triumphed over exceptional difficulties, both from the very broken nature of the ground and the adverse atmospheric conditions, which a succession of the violent duststorms usual at this season had created. The reward was the successful linking I had aimed at, of the T'ien-shan range with the system of the Trigonometrical Survey of India.
From Korla we set out on April 6 in three separate parties for the long journey to Kashgar. Lal Singh's task was to keep close to the Tien-shan and to survey as much of the main range as the early season and the available tim would permit. Muhammad Yakub moved south
ross the Konche and Inchike Rivers to the Tarim, with instructions to survey its present main channel to the vicinity of Yarkand. I sent most of our brave camels with him in order to let them bənefit by the abundant grazing in the riverine after all the privations they hal gone through. My own antiquarian tasks obliged me to keep in the main to the long ling of oases, which fringes the south foot of the Tien-shan and through which the chief caravan route of the Tarim basin still passes, just as it has always done since ancient times. Well known as this high-road is over which lay most of my journey to Kashgar, some 900 miles in length, the opportunities it gave for interesting observations, both on the historical geography and the present physical and economic conditions of this northern fringe of oases, were abundant. But here a brief reference to the result of my work round Kucha must suffice.
Three busy weeks spent within and around this historically important oasis enabled me, with Afrazgul's help, to survey both its actually cultivated area and that which, by the evidence of the numerous ancient sites found scattered in the scrubby desert to the east, south, and west, must have formed part of it. This survey, which archæological finds of interest at a number of ruined sites usefully supplemented, has given me strong grounds for assuming that the area occupied in Buddhist times demanded for its cultivation irrigation resources greatly in excess of those at present available, of which I secured careful estimates. It seems to me clearly established that the discharge of the two rivers feeding the canals of Kucha has diminished considerably since Tung times. But the antiquarian evidence at present obtainable does not allow us definitely to answer the questions as to what extent this obvious "desiccation ” was the direct cause for the abandonment of once irrigated areas, and at what particular periods it proceeded. Here I may also mention in passing that remains of the ancient Han route, in the shape of massive watch-towers, could be traced as far as Kucha, and that their position clearly indicated that the old caravan route had followed the same line as the present one.
