Antonio De Andrade

Abstract

In the preface to their excellent work on the Himalaya mountains S. G. Burrard and H. H. Hayden rightly date the scientific exploration and study of this huge mountain range from the opening years of the nineteenth century ¹). It was in 1807 that, under the leadership of the British officers Webb and Raper, was undertaken the famous expedition to discover the sources of the Ganges. But however much one may appreciate the merits of these intrepid explorers and of those who followed them, one cannot but regret the omission in their accounts of any mention of the laborious journeys of their predecessors. Yet there were men among them who, though but pioneers, not scientific explorers, may lay claim to undeniable merits in the vast field of the history of discovery. Such a one is the Portuguese Jesuit Antonio de Andrade, who nearly 300 years ago was the first European to climb those stupendous mountain walls, to discover one of the principal sources of the sacred Ganges, and, starting from Hindostan, to penetrate into the unknown regions of Tibet. This neglect is the more to be regretted, since in the case of Andrade, if writers on the subject do make passing mention of his travels, their accounts are generally incorrect. An immediate illustration of this in accuracy is a fforded by the following quotation from Clements Markham’s book on Bogle and Manning. After relating how Andrade set out for the Himalaya mountains he continues: “He climbed the terrific passes to the source of the Ganges and eventually after fearful sufferings reached the shores of the sacred lake of Mansarowar, the source of the Sutlej. Thence the undaunted missionary found his way over the lofty passes to Rudok and eventually by way of Tangut to China” ²). These words, however commendatory of Andrade’s labours, are not consonant with the facts, for Andrade never saw the lake of Mansarowar, nor did he ever set foot in China. I shall indicate later a possible source of this error.