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 difficulty; above that point it is excessively dangerous; and therefore it may safely be averred that there is little probability of the trade of the Hinterland of Indo-China being diverted from its ancient channels by means of a steam flotilla plying upon the waters of the Mekong.

The actual sources of the Mekong are still to some extent in doubt, though the upper reaches of the river have been explored in some detail by Prjévalsky, by the Pundit Krishna who was sent on an exploring expedi- tion by the Government of India, by Dutreuil de Rhins in 1893, and by Prince Henri of Orleans and Lieutenant E. Roux in 1895. The best information at our disposal leads to the belief that the main or western branch of the river rises on the slopes of Dza-Nag-Lung-Mung in about 33° N. lat. and about 93° E. long., at an altitude of 16,760 feet above sea-level, close to the point indi- cated by Prjévalsky. This stream is called the Lung- Mung until it unites its waters with that of the Nor-Pa- Chu, when it assumes the name of Dza-Nag-Chu and flows through deep ravines, the surrounding country being sparsely inhabited by Tibetan Gejis, a wild tribe in a primitive state of civilisation. Lower down it receives the waters of the Dza-Gar-Chu and is called the Dza-Chu, the name by which it is known throughout the remainder of its Tibetan course. Immediately below this point of junction it forms a rapid of tremendous force, its waters flowing so swiftly that even in winter no ice is able to form upon them. It is none the less an insignificant stream, for lower down, just above the monastery of Tachi-Gonpa, the Dza-Chu measures barely thirty yards from bank to bank and is less than three