hollowed out and laid on a pile of rocks and stones. One end was closed, and the log is kept from rolling away by rocks being piled upon it. A good view of the Luli valley is obtained from the small hill exactly opposite Kwamba's houses. The range of hills to the east and southeast is higher than the Namwero hills, and there are some rather fine cliffs opposite Kwamba's. Our guide called this range the Makua hills, but this probably is the general name for all the country from Kwamba's to the coast. The Makua hills (for want of a better name) rise from 1000 to 1200 feet. The north-east and south-west limits of this range are accurately laid down on the map. The ranges lying beyond the Makua hills to the east are similar in appearance, and I judge them to attain a similar altitude (1000 feet). As far as the eye can see, the whole country is thickly forested, and there are no signs of clearings which might indicate fields or sites of villages. There are no villages between Kwamba's and the Luli river, but I noticed several fires on the slopes of the Makua hills, which would appear to indicate human habitation. I was informed that there were no villages in the neighbourhood of mount Maripa. The water-supply at Kwamba's was obtained from water-holes and a very small stream of water which issued from a rock close to Kwamba's house. It was with regret that I found my duties prevented me from staying any length of time in the country and exploring thoroughly the surroundings. Our return route passed over the Namwero hills to the south. Except in two parts, the gradient was fairly easy, and, as already mentioned, the path from Kwamba's cuts into the path we had traversed a few miles to the east of the Mtamkulu river, and thus we regained the route by which we had approached the Namwero hills. The expedition returned to Lake Chiuta by the same path as that it had come by. NOTES ON THE MAP.-This has been made by means of prismatic compass observations and by observations for latitude, the whole forming a system of triangulation. No attempt was made to obtain observations of longitude, the longitude on the map being based upon the position of Madziabango shown by O'Neill in his 'Preliminary Map of a Journey to Lake Kilwa.' For the observations north of the open water of Lake Chiuta, I am indebted to Mr. A. Sharpe's kindness. His observations were made during the early part of 1899, and the latitude of various points on Lake Amaramba fixed and many bearings by prismatic compass taken. The heights noted were obtained by average readings of two "boiling-point" thermometers. The height of Mtungwe mount has not been calculated, but my estimate of 9000 feet will not, I feel sure, be far wrong, as in a great many features this mountain was similar to the Mlanje mountain in the Protectorate territory. No base was actually measured, but the scale was obtained by reducing the difference of latitude between two places to statute miles, and as the various details shown on the map were obtained by triangulation, the respective distances are, of course, proportional to the distances between parallels of two points fixed by latitude. There is thus a difference of latitude of 10° (nearly) between Madziabango and Tombowe water-holes. Between the parallels passing through these two points there is a difference, therefore, of 11:51 statute miles. On the same scale of latitude Mr. Sharpe's observations on Amaramba have been laid off. The difference between parallels of Tombowe water-holes and the point which marked our camp on the Matawpa river has also been used as a check, and, as will be seen, has worked out accurately. The position of intermediate points other than points of triangulation has been fixed by "time and marching" observations, and as the routes were traversed generally more than once, I am of opinion that very fair accuracy has been attained as regards these minor places. It is a good country for triangulation purposes, and had I had an opportunity for more extensive observations, the extent of ground which could have been mapped would have been very much increased. A JOURNEY THROUGH SOUTH-WEST SECHUAN. By EDWARD AMUNDSEN. I STARTED on December 13, 1898, from Ta-chien-lu, my aim being to cross the unknown part of Chalag and Mili. These two districts, though within the jurisdiction of the province of Sechuan, are by the Tibetans called "kingdoms," and each has its ruler or Tibetan king. The Chinese officials at Ta-chien-lu tried to dissuade me from attempting the journey by representing the dangers of the road, and the character of the people; but, finding I was determined to go, they eventually procured passports for me in both Chinese and Tibetan, and furnished an escort of two men, one of each nationality, to protect and help me on the way. Two servants, one a Lhasa man-Yin Chung-kindly lent me by Mr. C. H. Polhill-Turner, completed the party. Our first eleven days' march lay through the country of the "King" of Chalag, who resides at Ta-chien-lu. The much-scattered population of this district speak the official language of Kham to a certain extent, but in the family circle the dialect of the respective valleys is used, and each valley seemed to have its own dialect. Of the people and customs I need not speak much, my main intention being to give a few notes of the geographical features of the country traversed, but I may mention the fact that everywhere I received the greatest kindness from the simple hospitable people. The "king" having sent word through his officials to the people along the road, my coming was everywhere expected, and unpleasantness was avoided. The country is a succession of mountain ranges. We crossed no less than thirteen passes from Ta-chien-lu to Ba-u-rong. Luxuriant pine forests abound everywhere except on the crest of the passes, where small shrubs only were to be seen. The forests increased in grandeur as we went farther south, till in the valley before reaching Ba-u-rong I imagined myself among the mountains of Norway. The land, when not used for pastoral purposes, is given up to the cultivation of barley, wheat, Indian corn, and buckwheat. After climbing the last pass, Ko-se-la, an almost perpendicular descent brought us to the village of Ba-u-rong, a place with about eighty families, Chinese and Tibetans, a cosy spot on the left bank of the Nak-chu river. The valley is warm and fertile, yielding three crops a year. Here we remained over Christmas, waiting for the people of Mili, the next "kingdom," to come and receive their charge. The two runners from Ta-chien-lu, having escorted me thus to the boundary river between Chalag and Mili, were now at liberty to return, having only to see us across the river and on to Milian soil. A messenger had been sent on to the Mili chief with an order for “oola” (i.e. baggage animals) and escort to the palace of the Mili king. The manner of sending such an order is unique. My whip was tied on to a piece of wood, to which some feathers were also attached; this was sealed with the chief's seal, and couriers ran with all despatch carrying this queer official document to its destination. The Mili chief happened to be away from home, so the messenger had to go to a more distant point. Meanwhile the Mili people, in fear and trembling, received me, and, on the security of a Tibetan runner, gave me "oola" for the further journey. On Monday, December 26, we were escorted by about thirty people to the bank of the Nak-chu, and ferried over on a raft made of two pieces of timber, with a plank in the middle to stand upon. The horses had to swim across. During the high water in summer the raft cannot be used, and recourse is had to a bamboo rope stretched from bank to bank-a rather risky business, I imagine, as the river is probably 60 yards broad, and the rope bridge very high. We found the heat on the river-bank oppressive as compared with the atmosphere of the mountains we had been crossing. Having crossed the Nak-chu in safety, we climbed to the first Mili village, about 1000 feet above the river. The road on this side of the river is nothing but a poor footpath along cliffs and steep mountain ranges. A day's journey will often take the traveller no farther than he can call back to his last night's restingplace, traversing the deep valley between having occupied all his time from daybreak. The Milians are poor, and have the appearance of an oppressed people. Their houses are small and dirty, with simply no furniture in them, save a stool or two to put the food on while eating, though in some of the better ones they are able to offer the traveller a cushion or piece of skin to spread on the floor for a seat. The one room, which has neither windows nor chimney, serves for bedroom, dining-room, parlour, guest hall, and kitchen. The family and guests, besides, perhaps, a goat or two and a pig, all find accommodation in this one room. However, I did not hear much complaining on the part of the people; even the poorest with only Nature's covering on seemed to be content, and ate their buckwheat cakes with gratitude to the lama-deity for life and safety. These cakes are a staple diet among the Tibetans here, being easily made with just water and buckwheat, and cooked on a fragment of some discarded iron pot. I found them to be superior as an article of diet, and a welcome change from "tsamba" (barley meal). The Milians cling to Tibetan customs and fashions as far as they are able. They dress in orthodox Tibetan fashion when possible — the lamas, of course, always do so—but many of the people cover themselves with whatever they can get, adding, whenever they go out on a journey, the large heavy cloak of the Lolos, which is both clothes and tent in emergency. The people are peaceable and law-abiding, and always speak highly of their lama-king, or, as they sometimes call him, "the incarnate lama," who owns allegiance to the Dalai-lama at Lhasa, to whom he must pay an official visit before being recognized as the "king" of Mili. Tribute is also paid to China every twelfth year. In religion they adhere to the " Yellow Sect," or reformed church of Tibet. To the Nak-chu I followed the road traversed by M. C. E. Bonin two years ago, but from that point to Mili Gen-chen (the principal place in Mili), so far as I am aware, no foreigner had ever travelled the road I took. On December 30 we reached the Gya-yul-chu, or "river of China," as the Tibetans call it. It flows, I was told, down from Litang, and is not more than half the size of the Nak-chu, and is very shallow in parts. Before reaching the Gya-yul-chu we passed along the Kang-da valley, through which falls the Kang-da-chu, emptying itself into the river just mentioned. This valley has made Mili famous for its gold, which is found in the river-bed. In past years this had proved a great attraction to the Chinese, who came as goldseekers, but it proved also their ruin. The Milians combined and killed off the immigrant Chinese by rolling rocks and trees upon them from the mountain-sides, and thus rid themselves of their undesirable neighbours. Now none but Milians wash for gold. From the village of Kang-da, a thriving place, four women were sent to carry my things and escort me to the next place, and they did it singing as they went. One sang the solo part, and the rest took up the chorus, while now and again one of the more pious broke the melody by turning to prayer, a combination that greatly helped one to forget the rough and difficult road. On this stage darkness overtook us when we reached the place where the road bends to the south, following down the Gya-yul-chu, which we heard rather than saw on our right. The women carried pine torches to show the way through the forest, and we reached a solitary roadside house about 9 p.m. The woman of the house made great objections to us staying, but, as she knew the women carriers, she at length consented to our doing so. Once inside the house her feminine curiosity overcame all other feelings, and she came holding up the torch close to my face to inspect the new arrival. So astonished was she that she smote upon her breast, saying, "Holy Trinity!" as much as to say, |