The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XVI, No. 6 [‎378r] (108/232)

THE MONTHLY RECORD.
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important from the point of view of Great Britain is, as is well known, that for
a line from Burma, in continuation of the railway already constructing to the
Kunlong ferry on the Salwin, through Yunnan to the province of Sechuan, the
wealth of which it is hoped to tap hy this means. A survey of the proposed route
was carried out about eighteen months ago on behalf of a British syndicate— Ihe
Yunnan Company ”—by Captain Davies and Lieut. Watts-Jones, working from
the side of Burma, and Captain E. C. Pottinger starting from the Yangtse river.
An account of his survey was given by the latter officer in February last at the
Royal Artillery Institute, in the Proceedings of which body (April, 1900) a report
of the lecture appears. Captain Pottinger was assisted in the work by Lieut.
Hunter, R.E., and, until his death at Chungking from inflammation of the lungs,
by Mr. L. Tucker, son of General Tucker, now in South Africa. Two native
Indian surveyors also accompanied his party. During the voyage up the Tangtse,
Captain Pottinger executed a survey of the rapids, while the surveyors lan e
frequently and sketched in as much as possible of the adjacent country. The
serious work of the expedition began, however, only after arrival at Chungking,
when it became necessary to decide on the line to be surveyed from the langtse
to Yunnan-fu. The intervening country is exceedingly difficult, and the genera
consensus of opinion has hitherto been that it would be quite impassable for a
railway. By the principal trade routes, the shorter of which reaches the river at
Sui-fu, this seems to be the case, and even the telegraph route which starts from
Lu-chao presents great difficulties, rising abruptly from 1000 to 5000 feet, falling
to 2000, and again ascending to 8000. Tunnelling is out of the question, as what
appear to be mountains are in reality the escarpments of tablelands, while the
rivers often run in corkscrew gorges, with a drop, in places, of 500 eet in a a
mile. However, by leaving the main road and exploring the adjacent coun ry (o
which existing maps are in places 40 miles out), Captain Pottinger at as oun
what he considers a practicable route. A tributary of the Y'angtse was o owe
up as far as Yung-ning, beyond which the whole country begins to rise rapi y,
the formation changing from sandstone to limestone, with coal outcrops all over
the hills. The country becomes very irregular and broken, rivers and streams
flowing in deep limestone gorges, disappearing underground and again emerging in
the most confusing manner. There are many blind valleys and hollows, he
drainage water escaping underground, and even from hill summits it was o en
impossible to estimate accurately the run of the rivers and ranges. Captain
Pottinger was much struck by the absence of timber, every tree and shrub having
been destroyed for firewood, so that stalks of poppies, sedges, etc., are now dried
and used for that purpose. The people are, however, beginning to appreciate the
advantages of coal. Bamboos are grown in the villages and used for all building
purposes. In the mountains some of the Miao-tzu aborigines were met with the
women still retaining their tribal costume, though the men wear Chinese dress
ami are rapidly losing their original characteristics The Burma P^y
met at Weining, and the main object of the expedition was completed. Captain
Davies returned mi Toughing, while Captain Pottinger and Lieut. Hunter worked
their way back to the Yangtse by different routes, surveying as large a tract of
country as possible. During the four months spent in the hills there had been
hardly twenty days without rain. , _ ,
Himalayan Ascents.*—In their recently published volume, Dr. and ilrs.
Workman give a personal narrative of two summers’ travel among t e pea s,
* ‘ In the Ice World of the Himalaya.’ By Fanny Bullock Workman and William
Hunter Workman. London : Fisher Unwin. 1900.