116
Section IV.-Urga to Uliassutal
Uliassutai.
Opium in North Mongolia and Turkestan.
Traces of Japanese en route.
V.-Uliassutai to Kobdo
Kobdo.
VI-Kobo to Sharasumé across the Altaishan
Section
Section
Sharasumé.
Section VII-Sharasumé to Chuguchak ..
Buluntogoi.
The Tourgout Prince.
Chuguchak.
Section VIII-Chuguchak to Kuldja
Shihu.
Talki Pasa
Suiduu.
:
Page
78
90
96
106
.. 119
Hsincheng (New Kuldja).
Ningguenhsien (Old Kuldja).
Arrival at Kuldja (table of distances).
Education in China.
A trade suggestion.
Summary of situation.
Moslem rebellion possibilities.
Journey reviewed.
Section IX.-Kuldja to London
181
Russian garrisons along Chinese frontier.
SECTION I-PEKING TO KWEIHUACHENG.
General.
INFORMATION having reached His Majesty's Government recently from several sources to the effect that the Chinese Government were undertaking a series of measures in Mongolia with the intention of strengthening their hold over the country, it seemed advisable that full details should be obtained of the constitution of these measures, and a Report furnished not only on these, but also on the effect which they were creating throughout the country, especially as the Russian Government had intimated that in view of these measures the Imperial Government might find themselves compelled to strengthen their garrisons on the northern frontier of the Chinese Empire. It was with the object of furnishing the information which appeared necessary that I requested and obtained eight months' leave of absence in order to undertake a journey across Mongolia.
Route.
The choice of route was guided by two principal factors-(1) my wish to avoid the main road to Kashgar, which has been comparatively frequently visited by foreigners; (2) a personal desire to visit Chuguchak and Kuldja. This latter factor fixed the first point. As any Report on administrative changes would have been incomplete unless the governing centres in northern Mongolia, of Ürga, Uliassutai, and Kobdo, were visited, another point was fixed. As the vernacular press in Peking in 1907 threw occasional gleams of light which seemed to show that Kweihuacheng and the Ordos were the districts in which these rumoured reforms were being attempted, the final link in the chain of places to be visited slipped into place, and the route, as finally planned before leaving Peking, was to be via Kalgan, Tatungfu, Kweihuacheng, and through the Ordos to Ninghsiafu. From this latter place I intended to reach Dinyuaning, the capital of Alashan, and to strike thence northwards across the Gobi Desert to Urga. From here the Khangai Mountains and Karakoram were to be visited on the way to Uliassutai, and the journey continued to Kobdo, across the Altaishan to Buluntogoi and Chuguchak. Here Kuldja would be within easy distance to the south. As is, however, unavoidable on journeys of such a nature as these, certain changes had to be made from time to time in the programme to meet unforeseen occurrences. The first change which had
to be made was the abandonment of the idea of crossing the desert from Dinyuaning to Urga, as it was impossible to find camel-owners willing to send a caravan across that sterile portion of the desert during the heat of July. This forced us to return from Ninghsiafu to Kweibuacheng and to cross the Gobi from there. The change delayed us by some three weeks, but proved beneficial in the end. The second change was
3
especially disappointing. At Urga we were wholly unable to get any transport for Uliassutai which would have enabled us to cross the Khangai Mountains; we were therefore compelled to give up the projected visit to Karakoram, and obliged to retrace our steps into the desert in order to reach Uliassutai by the other side of the
range.
Object of Journey.
While the object of the journey was mainly to report on the changes in the government of Mongolia, my intentions were also~~~
(a.) To observe to what extent the anti-opium Edicts of the Central Government had been carried out;
(b.) To verify the statement of the Russian Government that Japanese were to blame for any trouble among the Mongols; and
(c.) To study the military strength maintained by the Chinese Government in the large Government centres of northern Mongolia,
By visiting the capital of Alashan (Dinyuaning) unexpectedly I came into contact with Colonel Kozloff's Central Asian Expedition.
Money.
It will be readily understood that the question of money is a serious one on a journey of any length in an Empire where the coins in use in the capital would only be viewed as curiosities a few days' distance to the north, while if one offered at the capital the material which is currency in the distant dependency one would meet with derision. With dollars accepted only to a certain distance at face value, with strings of copper cash, large and small, good and bad, following, the dollar accepted in exchange for these only at a great loss, and then depending on whether a Mexican or Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank production, followed by the tea-brick and sometimes silk scarves as coins of the realm, the traveller's financial arrangements become so confused that in despair he limits himself to carrying a pair of scales and sycee cut up as small as possible. This is by far the wisest course to pursue, the only objection being the comparatively small amount one can carry because of the weight. I found the best thing to do was to pay for the carts to Kweihuacheng beforehand; we had then only to carry a small amount for incidental expenses along the road. At Kweihuacheng there are good, reliable native banks. On one of these I had an order for 100, bought through the compradore of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank at Peking. I had another one for the same amount on a native bank at Ninghsia, but, having over-estimated the expenses and finding the latter to be unnecessary, it was returned safely through the post to the bank at Peking, who redeemed it. The native bank at Kweihuacheng was entirely reliable. During a two months' absence from the town I left over 751. there, which sum was duly handed over to me on return in exchange for the receipt. For travelling among the Mongols small pieces of silver are the best form of money, but a few bricks of tea are exceedingly useful and have a high value; priced, I believe, at 20 cents a brick at Hankow, the value rises to 1 tael at Kweihuacheng, while a few days later it rises to 14 taels. Urga and Uliassutai one could be bought for 2 taels, and this seemed to be the usual price throughout the rest of the journey. Once Urga is reached the traveller comes in contact with civilization again in the form of the Russo-Chinese Bank, with branches at Uliassutai, Chuguchak, and Ili. A letter of credit, accompanied by a letter to the various Managers from the Head of the Russo-Chinese Bank at Peking, opens the coffers of the branches, so that one need only draw as much as one needs from one branch to the next.
Relutions with Foreign Officials.
At
When making preparations for the journey it appeared advisable, not knowing what difficulties might not be encountered in a long desert journey, to have letter of introduction to the Russian Consular officials in Northern Mongolia and Chinese Turkestan. I, therefore, approached the late Russian Minister at Peking on the subject, and M. Pokotilow readily consented to instruct his officers to render every assistance they could. The Russian Government also took the same steps from St. Petersburgh. In consequence of this the most generous welcome and hospitality were extended by one and all, and my relations with them were of the most cordial nature. The Consul-General