A GREAT MOUNTAIN CHAIN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 2994, 19 September 1908, Page 5

A GREAT MOUNTAIN CHAIN.

SVEN HEDIN'S DISCOVERIES. Received September 18, 8.20 a.m LONDON, September 17. Dr Sveti Hedin, the explorer, who has just reached Simla after a trip through Tibet, says he has discovered the continuity of a great mountain chain two thousand miles in length, and stretching from east to west, northwards of the Brahmaputra Valley. Dr Sven Hedin has this time been in Tibet a little over two years, and the last letter received from him was dated "Gartok (in the south-east), October 7th, 1907 " In this letter, which is printed in Peterinanns "Mitteilungen," he says:—"lt is exactly half a year since 1 left Shigatse, and many great and important discoveries have been made in the interval. The great range which I first crossed at the Sela-la (pass) I have now surmounted by four other high passe?, and so have been able to trace its course. It is an enormous nhain, certain',, not inferior in length to the Himalayap, and the mean height of the passes is greater; oniy in the height of the peaks do the Himalayas retain, of course, the advantage. . . . After paying a short visit to Nepal, I followed the discovery of the source of the Brahmaputra, which comes from a huge glacier mass, the Kubi-gangri, belonging to the northern most chain of the Himalayas. Then for five weeks studied the Sutlej problem. The real source of this river lies not where it is marked on the maps, but two long days' journey east-south-east of Manasarowar. Oil the same pass from which the most westerly branch of the Brahmaputra flows eastwards begins the river Tagetsanpo, which falls into the Manasarowar. Then made a pilgrim journey round the Kailas, and from the temple of Diripu an excursion to the source of the Indus, where, so far as 1 know, no European has been hitherto. The source is called by the Tibetans Singi Kauap—that is, the mouth out. of which the Indus comes. From here tyy?Hed thrrvgb unknown couiitry to Yamba in 32deg\ north latitude, and then back to Gartok; crossing the.lndus again. Maps must now undergo many extensive alterations. Esjfecially remarkable will be a quite new gigantic range right across the whole of Tibet, for the Nin-jeng-tang-la* to the south of the Tengri-noi, is the same chain which I crossed a few days ago to the north of Gartok by the high and difficult pass Jukti-la. . . Now I am on my way to Ladak. n year and three months in Tioet is enough for any ordinary man, and now another winter is beginning, with the thermometer already at a minfmum of 21.3 Centigrade, as it was la3t night."