From the foothills which about the Chengtu plain, to the border town of Tachienlu, numerous signs may be seen of the westward movement of the Chinese, as, during the past centuries, they have forced back the original mountain people and occupied the river valleys, preparatory to incorporating' the whole country. The nearer the plain, the older the occupation, and the more complete the transformation. Up to the second mountain pass, the Feiyuehling, on the Yachow-Tachienlu road, the occupation, as viewed from the main road, is complete, and it would be necessary to turn to histories to learn of old conditions, for the outward traces of the form: er inhabitants. have long been removed, and both place and people are entirely Chinese. But a descent from the Feiyuehling to the Tong Valley, immediately brings one in touch with former times, and traces of Tibetan occupation become more frequent and apparent the farther you advance up the valley, until in the Yutong district, contiguous to Tach'enlu, the merging of the two peoples is plainly visible, and Chinese absorption still in progress.
Lower Yutong leads on to the Chinchuan Valley, whose former inhabitants were—subjugated and where, during the past century, generations ago by the Chinese,
several Chinese colonies have been established. As the result of that ingress, we have the present habitants of Yutong, a mixture of Chinese and Tibetan, the latter element predominating. The mixing of the two peoples is not happy in its issue: it has not improved the stock.
To one who has travelled west of Tachienlu, and observed the Tibetans amid their natural surroundings, there is much to noted that places them above, and makes them superior to their kinsfolk of the Tong. In stature and physique, the people of the Tong Valley are not equal to the Tibetans of Kam. Tall and short, stout and spare may be found among them, but the average height falls below the Tibetan standard. Their complexions are dark and muggy, comparing very poorly with the healthy sun tanned people of the steppes, or the rosy cheeks of many Tachienlu Tibetans. Their character, if we may believe a Chinese secretary of their former prince and ruler, is surpassingly crafty. This expresses the mature judgement of ten years' experience. My acquaintance with them is less than that, but what I have seen of them would lead me to concur. They are prone to litigation, and readily risk the loss of four hundred rupees in a case at law, to gain a paltry four.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.