The map of the world in 1857 was still largely blank. No one knew what could be fund beyond the walls of the Himalayas: where did these river came from and most importantly, what riches could be exploited. There was two big unknown in these days: the Himalayas and the steppes beyond Afghanistan. The second one turned out to be most important because it was the point of entry of Russia in the region. Any information was then good information, but traveling to get it was a most dangerous venture.