ISLAND OF SAGALIAN, OR TCHOKA. TILL this large island was explored by the unfortunate navigator La Perouse, it was supposed to be only a small isle at the mouth of the Amur, the southern extremity being placed by D'Anville about four degrees, or 240 geographical miles, to the north of Jcsso. By the account and maps of La Perouse, which have since been followed, it is only divided from Jesso by a narrow strait of about twenty miles in breadth, since called the strait of Perouse. The discovery and account of this large island, which extends from the forty-sixth degree of latitude, to the fifty-fourth degree, or not less than 480 geographical miles in length, by about eighty of medial breadth, is the most important portion of that navigator's voyage. The natives seem to approach to the Tataric form; and the upper lip is commonly tatooed blue. Dress, a loose robe of skins, or quilted nankeen, with a girdle. Their huts, or cabins, of timber, thatched with grass, with a firt-place in the centre. In the south are found Japanese articles. A little trade seems also known with the Mandshurs, and the Russians. The native name of this large island is Tchoka, that used by the Japanese, Oku Jesso, perhaps implying further Jesso; while the Russians, who only know the northern part, call it the isle of Sagalian, because it is opposite to the large river of that name. The centre is mountainous, and well wooded with pine, willow, oak, and birch; but the shores are level, and singularly adapted to agriculture. The people arc highly praised by La Perouse as a mild and intelligent race. The portraits which he gives of three old men, with long beards, rather resemble the European than the Tataric lineaments: and La Perouse expressly informs us that they are quite unlike the Mandshurs, or Chinese. He observes as a singularity that their words for M/ip, two, and three arc nearly the same with the English; and for this he refers to the vocabulary, in which, however, ship is kahani: two is indeed tou, but three is rche. The island of Jcsso, and some others to the north of Japan, will be described in the account of that interesting country. PART III. CHINESE EMPIRE. TIBET. NAMES.—EXTENT.—BOUNDARIES AND PROVINCES.—PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHY, RELIGION.—GOVERNMENT.POPULATION.—MANAND LITERATURE. CITIES AND TOWNS.— MANUFACTURES AND COMMERCE.—CLIMATE AND SOIL. RIVERS. NERS.-LANGUAGE -MOUNTAINS. ZOOLOGY. MINERALOGY. NATURAL CARIOSI TIES. THE account of this interesting country must unfortunately be limited in the topics, as the materials are far from being ample. The recent narrative of Capt. Turner's journey shall be selected as the most authentic; but it only embraces a small part, and for the general geography recourse must be had to more antiquated authorities*. Tibet, with its numerous independencies, may in fact still be arranged among the undiscovered countries in the centre of Asia. Names. The name of Tibet, which is probably Hindoo, or Persian, is in the country itself, and in Bengal pronounced Tiibet, or Tibt. But the native appellation is Pue, or Pue Koachim, said to be derived from Pue, signifying northern, and Koachim, snow; that is the snowy region of the north. ExTtNT. According to the most recent maps, Tibet extends from about the seventy-fifth to the 101st degree of longitude, which in the latitude of thirty degrees, may be about 13i0 geographical miles. The breadth may be regarded as extending from the twenty-seventh to the thirty-fifth degree of latitude, or about 480 geographical miles. The For an account of Nipal, see Hindostan: and the authors there mentioned may be consulted for a further account of Tibet. †Turner, p. v. and 305. Probably at least to thirty-seven degrees, which would add 120 G. miles: for Mus Tag is, according to the Russians, the northern boundary of Tibet: and they place that range in thirty-eight degrees. original population has not been accurately examined, but as the people of Bootan, which is regarded as a southern province of Tibet, are said to differ essentially and radically from the Hindoos, and somewhat to resemble the Chinese; it may perhaps be concluded that they belong to that grand race of men, which approaches the Tataric, though they cannot be regarded as Mandshurs, Monguls, or Tatars proper. BOUNDARIES AND PROVINCES. As Mr. Forster in his travels observes, that the material for the shawls of Cashmir is "brought from districts of Tibet, lying at the distance of a month's journey to the north-east* :" and as Tieffenthalar, in his account of Cashmir, specially mentions that Great Tibet is to the north-east of that country, and Little Tibet to the north-west, there is every reason to infer that our maps are wholly defective in fixing the northern boundary of this country, which ought to be extended to the sources of the riters of Little Bucharia, between the thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth degree of north latitude. Tieffenthaler also mentions, that the nearest route to Cashgar would be through Great Tibet, but, this not being permitted, the passage is through Little Tibet, the capital of which, Ascardu, is eight day's journey from the north limit of Cashmir. Further on is Schakar: and after travelling thence for fifteen days, through thick forests, appears the frontier of Little Tibet. In other fifteen days the caravan readies Cashgar, formerly the residence of the prince; but it is now at Yarkand, ten days further to the north. These clear testimonies of two intelligent travellers seem to evince that the northern boundary of Tibet may be safely extended two degrees further than it appears in our best maps, in which there is no portion of Great Tibet to the north-east of Cashmir. It would seem that the Chinese Lamas, in their great haste to escape from the Eluts, who attacked Lassa**, were contented with bare reports, not only concerning the sources of the Ganges, but the whole western provinces of Tibet. From their rude drawings, D'Anville placed the northern limit of this country, (as well as of Cashmir) in latitude thirty-four degrees, and when Major Rennell judiciously, but cautiously, moved it one degree further to the north, he might safely have extended it at least three degrees. The source of the Ganges stood in the Chinese map, latitude twenty-nine degrees thirty minutes: D'Anville found it indispensable to raise it to thirty-two degrees, and Rennell to thirty-three degrees fifteen minutesft. Hence it appears that one radical defect, in that very imperfect and erroneous map, was the great diminution of the latitude. To fill up this deficiency, geographers have here introduced the great sandy desert of Cobi; which, as appears from Marco Polo, and other travellers, is in the centre of Asia, corresponding in latitude with that Bernoulli, Tome 1. p. 77. P. 84. Vol. ii. p. 18. This last intelligence is new, but as all our maps place Yarkand to the south, the sole testimony of Tieflenthaler cannot be followed. He adds that from Cashgar to Cathay, or the north-west of China, the caravans occupy two months, a space which agrees with the positions. As Little Tibet is to the north of Cashmir, and is bounded on the east by Great Tibet, (Bcrnicr) it is clear that the latter must extend further north than our maps bear. *• Du Halde, iv. 577. ft Rennell, 310. of Shamo, on the north of China, beginning near Yarkand, but spreading into a far wider expanse at the city of Lop, further to the east*. The extracts from Giorgi, and others, concerning Tibet, in Bernoulli's third volume, bear that it is divided into three parts, Upper, Middle, and Lower. Upper Tibet chiefly comprises the province of Nagari, full of horrible rocks, and mountains covered with eternal snow. Middle Tibet contains the provinces of Shang, Ou, and Kiang: while the provinces of Lower Tibet are Takbo, Congbo, and Kahang. In this division the countries of Lata, or Ladak, (Latacj) and Breguiong, or Bramasciou, (perhaps Sirinagur, which abounds with Bramins,) mentioned in another here given, being omitted, it is probable that they constitute, with Nagari, what is called Upper Tibet. Many of these provinces are again subdivided: for instance Nagari, which is considered as a kingdom of three departments, Sangkan, Pourang, and Tamo (Dam, or Daum?). Shang is on the west, bounded by Nipal. The province of Ou contains Lassa, the capital of Tibet. Kiang is to the north (north-east) of Ou; and is inhabited by mingled Tibetans and Monguls in tents. Kahang is in the southeast, bordering on the Birmans, and is divided into twelve departments^ To these must be added the wide region of Amdoa, if it be not the same with Kahang, but it seems more probably to embrace the confines towards China, as the natives are remarkably ingenious, and speak the Chinese language. The country of Hor is situated betwixt Talary and the provinces of Nagari and Kiang, and seems to be the Hohonor of our maps. In tracing these numerous provinces, the map of the Jamas will be found entirely useless. Our Bootan is by the natives styled Decpo, or Takbo: all the countries to the vest ©f which, as Moringa, or Morung, Mocampour, Nipal, Gorca, and Kemaoon, (for Almora is only a city,) are not considered as parts of Tibet. The confusion of Chinese, Mongul, and Tibetan appellations has been a great impediment in the geography of this extensive country; the north-east part of which was, with the Chinese province of Shensi, before the great wall, was extended in this quarter, the celebrated Tangut of oriental history and geography. On the western side, high moun, tains covered with perpetual snow, and with all the terrible avalanches, and other features of the Swiss Alps, have in all ages prevented the Persians, and the conquerors of Bucharia from invading this country; while the deserts in the north-vast have proved ineffectu J barriers against the Monguls and Eiuts. These almost inaccessible western * Paul. Venet. Cap. 43, 44. edit. Muller, 1571, 4to. By Dtsideii's account Lett. Edif. xv. ami Aslev, iv. 453, Latac forms a kind of detached sovereignty. The town is seven miles north of the river Lachu, which tails into the Ganges (rather the Indus, for Ganga only means the river.) Chaparong stands eighty miles south-east, probably on another river which joins the Indus. If Latac, or Chaparong stood near the Ganges, they would be well known to the Hindoo pilgrims, which is not the case. Penna informs us that the secular princes had maps of the country, and it is to be regretted that our envoy did not rtquest one from the lama. In the German work called New Mtmoits of the North, of which Pallas published four volumes 8vo. 17bo, there is vol. i. an account of Tibet from the reports of the lamas to Muller and Pallas. In vol. iv. Uackmanu has abstracted all the intelligence concerning this country. mountains have also prevented travellers from penetrating in that quarter, which is little better known at present than in the time of Ptolemy. PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHY. The progressive geography of Tibet chiefly dates from a recent period; for though Ptolemy's knowledge extended to the golden Chcrsonnese, or Pegu, and the western shores of the Siamese monarchy, yet as his Seres, or the furthest inland people known to him in this quarter, were situated in Little Bucharia, there is no room to believe that the snowy mountains of Tibet had been penetrated by the ancients. The Portuguese commerce with the EastIndies may be said to have first disclosed this ample region, of which, however, our knowledge, even at this day, is lamentably defective. Yet Tibet seems to have been the southern part of the Tangut of Marco Polo*, and other travellers. Polo, indeed, specially describes the province of Tebeth, (which he says contained eight kingdoms, with many cities and villages,) as a mountainous country, producing some gold and spices, a large breed of dogs, and excellent falcons. About 17i5, the emperor of China being desirous to obtain a map of Tibet, two lamas were sent who had studied geometry in a mathematical academyt. These lamas drew a map from Sining, in the province of Shensi, to the sources of the Ganges; which was afterwards examined by the Jesuits, and improved by them, so far as their materials would admit. This map, published in the Atlas of Du Halde's work, unfortunately continues almost the sole authority, and is followed, with a few variations, by the most recent geographers. It seems but of doubtful credit, especially in the western parts, where the source of the Ganges is confessedly only from the report of some Tibetan lamast; whence it is no wonder that recent accounts scum to evince it to be erroneous, nor is it certain whether the adjacent parts have Lamas or Bramins. In the south the Chinese Lamas certainly never passed the ridge of Himmala: whence Nipal, Bootan, and other countries are omitted; and even the names in general appear rather to be arbitrary Chinese terms than real appellatives of places, so that in fact we may be said to possess no map of Tibet in this the nineteenth century. Other most suspicious circumstances in the pretended Chinese Atlas of Tibet are, that there arc no distinct names of small kingdoms, states, or provinces, though from recent accounts these seem particularly to abound in the country; and that the great river Gogra is totally unknown and omitted. The geography of Asia cannot be said to be complete till we have new and correct maps of the central parts, particularly of Tibet, which may be called the heart of Asia, whence the streams of life flow into the vast southern regions of that extensive country. The sources of the Ganges and Indus, the Sanpoo, and all the prodigious and fertile streams of exterior India, and of China, belong to this interesting region; and must be exactly traced and delineated before we can have precise and scientific ideas of Asiatic geography. Histoky. The Lama of Tibet was the Prester John of the middlc ages, if he were not some neslorian Chan : and this strange • Cap. x.wvi. edit. 1537, 15.577, † Du Haldc. iv. 571. |