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residence, inhabited throughout the year. The fields are partitioned by dikes of granite. At Taz-hi-gang they are enclosed by barberry and gooseberry bushes.

"The effects of particular exposures and localities towards the development of vegetation cannot be more strongly contrasted than between this and Namgia; for, although here 3,000 feet higher, the crops were much farther advanced. Vast extent of arid surface on every side reverberates a surprising warmth, and favours an early harvest.

"Messrs. Gerard were desirous of verifying by trigonometric measurement the elevation of their old high station on Pargéúl, just above Nákó̟. In 1818 Capt. G. made it 19,411 feet by three barometers, which agreed exactly (14.675 inches). In 1820 two other barometers were taken to this spot, and they showed 14.67 inches. The result of the trigonometric measurement now gave 7,447 feet above the former camp, which being 11,995 feet, makes the extreme height of the peak 19,442 feet above the level of the sea, differing 31 feet from the barometric measurement.

"They proceeded along the banks of the Li to Chango. Part of the road traversed a plain studded with enormous masses of rock, seeming, as Capt. G. remarks, to have been under water at no very distant period. The road then lay along the bank of a rivulet, over water-worn stones of many sorts, and crossing the stream enters the plain of Chango. The village is fully 10,000 feet above the sea; but this elevation does not prevent its enjoying a sultry summer, the temperature rising to 80° in August. The situation is pleasant, unlike the rude and sterile character of the country. The seasons are at least a month earlier than at Nákó: seed time begins in March, and harvest in July and August. Snow falls from November to March, but it is seldom a foot in depth; and in April and May, rain is frequent. The grain crops are those noticed at Nákó, with ógal? millet, and fine fields of turnips, pease, and beans, all well tasted. There are likewise many apricots. The plain lies east and west, in a dell, through which flow two streams, that no sooner escape from their dark and winding passages, which are bounded by lofty and inaccessible crags, nearly perpendicular, than they are conducted in tamer conduits, by the industry of man, to the fields, which rise one above another in terraces. This glen is terminated on the north and south by bare thirsty ridges, on which nothing animate appears. On the west is the Lá or Spiti river, flowing in a tranquil expanse of bed. On the east, at the head of the plain, is a high-peaked mountain, on whose summit rests snow.

“The next march was to Changrezhing by the Chárang lama pass, of which the elevation is 12,600 feet. Here limestone was again met with, as well as clayslate, &c. Pebbles imbedded in clay, and small rounded stones are numerous; all having the appearance of having been acted upon by water, although the Spiti is nearly 3,000 feet below this level, and no rivulet is near. The Chálá-dókpó, a considerable stream from the eastward, extremely muddy, and rushing with inconceivable rapidity between perpendicular cliffs of granite and mica slate, at an altitude of 11,400 feet above the sea, was crossed by a wooden bridge. The breadth of the stream was twenty-five feet.

“Having understood that Chinese were at a short distance in front to stop them, Messrs. Gerard did not move their baggage, but advanced to meet the opposite party. They crossed two rivulets, near which they saw the black currant in the highest perfection, and larger than any which they had hitherto met with. They found fifty Tartars awaiting their arrival a mile S.W. of Chúret, 3 N 2 the

the first Chinese village. Not being able to prevail on them to allow of their proceeding, they returned to Changrezhing.

"In the afternoon they visited the confluence of the Spiti with the Zangcham or Párátí river, which comes from the N.E. The last is the larger river, being ninety-eight feet broad; the Spití (from the N.W.) but seventy-two feet; the former rushing with great fury and noise, the latter flowing with a more gentle current. The elevation was found to be 10,200 feet above the sea.

"A mile from Changrezhing, proceeding towards the river, they got among the crags and water-worn passages, whence it was no easy matter to extricate themselves. Capt. G. remarks, that they were evidently on the former bank of the river: the whole bank was a concreted rubble, hardened by the air on the retiring of the waters. After descending a series of difficult steps or ledges, each seeming to have once been the bank of the river, they arrived at its bed. The distance from Changrezhing was three miles and a half.

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They proceeded by the Chóngbá pass (11,900 feet above the sea), and crossing the Spití by a good bridge of three fir trees planked over, to Shïálkhar, where there is a fort in a commanding situation, on the brink of the channel. The walls are of loose stones and unburnt bricks, with houses all around the inside. It is in the parallel of 32° N. lat. The river is here 10,000 feet above the sea. The climate resembles that of Chángo. The grain crops are the same; and apricots are plentiful, and of very superior flavour.

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Lári, the first village in Spiti, a dependency of Ládák, is distant about eleven miles to the N.W. Messrs. Gerard wished to visit it, but the Spíté intervened, and was then unfordable, and there are no bridges. For the same reason they could not see the hot wells between the Spiti and Zangchám, four miles north of Shïálkhar. They are in great repute in this quarter, and diseased people resort thither from long distances, either to bathe in them, or drink the waters.

"The travellers proceeded along the glen of the Spití, to Lakh, which is 12,900 feet above the sea, whence they descended into the bed of the Yulang river, a middling sized stream, rising among perpetual snow in the west. It is increased by rivulets from either side; and above the ford, a stream gushes from the brow of the mountain, and is precipitated into it in a transparent cascade. Hence the angle of ascent was 34°, rising 2,000 feet perpendicular, in a distance of one mile, over hard gravel. Difficulty and danger in a thousand forms attend the traveller's progress: when he clings to the bank, he frequently brings away a piece of it. In some places there are many large stones amongst the gravel, which it requires much caution to avoid setting in motion, for one displaces others, so that sometimes a space of 100 yards of gravel and stones moves downwards at once, and the larger stones, bounding over the slopes, are showered to the bottom amidst much confusion and noise. Now and then niches for the point of the foot were cut and Messrs. Gerard, not taking off their shoes, as their followers did, were often obliged to grasp the nearest person's hand. They reached the top without accident, much wearied with climbing, and rested upon the verge of the gulph, and enjoyed a refreshing breeze at the height of 12,700 feet, blowing over an extensive tract, which resembles a heath. Thence they descended to the village of Liu, which occupies a slip of land on the right bank and in the bed of the Spiti, embosomed by sterile masses, glowing under the ardour of a tropical sun. From this the climate acquires a delicious softness. On the east is a solitary rock sixty feet, high, which was formerly the site of a fort now in ruins: southward,

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the plain is washed by a stream called Lipak, falling into the Spití a bowshot distance.

"They halted on the 15th August, on account of rain. In the evening, when it cleared, they visited the Spiti, which is here broad. It was measured 258 to 274 feet wide. The river is rapid, and at this season appears to contain a greater body of water than the Setlej. The snow had within two days descended on the granite range of mountains across the Spiti, to 16,000 feet. At Nákó, judging from the heights before determined, it was certainly not under 18,500 feet.

'Crossing the Lápak under the village, by a firm and well-raised sango, they resumed their journey (16th August) and ascended, by a steep path over granite and mica slate, to the height of 11,600 feet above the sea, and proceeded at this level for a mile, winding round sharp projections of rocks into recesses, in and out again, where the pathway bordered upon precipices of 2,000 and 3,000 feet. They turned their backs upon the Li or Spítí, and its deep abyss, and entered the Chóling dell, which sends its waters to that river. "The march of the next day was to Súngnam by the Hangrang pass (14,800 feet above the sea). The limestone is broken by the action of the weather into a gravelly surface, thickly clad with furze, juniper, and short grass, the arid pasturage of the cattle. Horses were seen loose, feeding at the height of 15,000 feet above the sea.

"From the pass the view extended to the elevated range between the Setlej and Indus, from N. 15° E. to N. 10° W. It is most probably a continuation of the lofty range seen from Kéúbrang: it was so completely covered with snow, that not a rock could be distinguished by a telescope of large magnifying power.

"Limestone disappears, and clay slate is frequent, near Súngnam. This populous place, in the valley of the Dárbúng, had been already visited by Messrs. Gerard (in 1818). It is 9,350 feet above the sea. At this place, where they halted for several days (17th to 28th August) Capt. Gerard remarks: The situation is fine, in a glen bounded on the north and south by lofty ranges of mountains, the passes through which are nearly 15,000 feet above the sea. On the N.W. up the course of the Dárbúng, is a high pass to Spiti; and to the S.E., the Setlej, at the distance of several miles. For the space of five miles, this valley presents a sheet of cultivation. There are two crops here, and the grains are barley, ogul? and phapur? there is plenty of pease, beans, and turnips; and wheat and Siberian barley thrive at great elevations upon the slopes of the dell. Around the village are vineyards, and orchards of apples, apricots, and walnuts. In this neighbourhood the pine, to which we had long been strangers, begins to raise its head; it is stunted in growth, and thinly scattered upon the surrounding mountains.

"We stopped here till the 28th August, and at times we were somewhat incommoded by the heat; during our halt the temperature of the open air ranged from 60° to 82°. For two or three hours after sunrise low clouds were seen hanging about the hills, but they dispersed as the day advanced. In the evening, and during the night, dark clouds charged with thunder appeared towards the N.W. but there was scarcely any rain. About 1 P. M. an easterly wind sprung up, and it increased in violence till five; whence subsided till 9 P. M.'

"From Súngnam the travellers proceeded to visit the Mánerang pass, and thence to Mánes. I continue to transcribe Captain Gerard's account of this excursion, in his own words, unabridged.

"The road from Súngnam to Rópá (four miles) lies in the dell along the bank of the Dárbúng. Fields and hamlets are scattered on either hand; and apricots and apples occur at every step. The glen is about a bowshot in breadth; and the mountains on each side are crumbling clayslate and limestone, bearing a few dwarf pines. Near the village of Shibé is a copper mine, which was formerly worked. The height of Rópá is 9,800 feet: so the seasons and productions are similar to those at Súngnam.

"The next day we proceeded to a resting place for travellers, named Pámáchin (ten miles and three-quarters). At first the road was level for a short way, and it led through fields of beans and bowers of apricots: then there was an ascent of two miles and a half, latterly steep: but the path was good to Tómókëú pass, 13,400 feet high. The surrounding hills are slaty, and crumble away at the surface, which is almost naked: a few dwarf pines and juniper bushes occurring now and then. Below this the first branches of the Dárbúng are concentrated. The streams are amongst perpetual snow, and rush down from different directions in clamour and foam to unite their waters. The next four miles are of an extraordinary nature, scarcely to be described: rugged cliffs, banks of hard gravel much inclined to the river, mural precipices, and sharp-pointed rocks succeed one another.

"After a series of difficulties and dangers, we descended to a considerable stream, which we crossed by a wooden bridge, and proceeded upon level soil to Súmdó, a few huts occupied by the shepherds and their flocks. Hence to camp, a distance of two miles, the path was nearly plain, and we passed through a belt of birches at the immense elevation of 14,000 feet.

"This was a very fatiguing march for loaded persons. Súmdó is the usual stage: and the next does not cross the pass; but it had been snowing for some days upon the heights around, and our guides preferred crossing the chain on the second day from Rópá for fear of bad weather.

“The Dárbúng is here much reduced in size. The cliffs rise from the water's edge in wild disorder; and every year marks them with decay. Their sharp summits crumble away by frost and snow; and large portions of rock are precipitated into the bed of the river.

"The following day we marched to Sópóná, a halting place for travellers, distant eight miles and three-quarters. The road lay upon the bank of the Dárbúng, which it crossed thrice by immense arches of snow, covered with heaps of stones that had fallen from above. The mountains are of limestone, and end in peaked summits of many curious forms, inclined to the north at various angles. Not a trace of vegetation meets nourishment there; and the snow cannot find a rest, but is hurled down, together with the rock itself, and is exhibited at the bottom in accumulations of a frightful magnitude.

"We had now come two miles and three-quarters, and the dell was terminated, and close round. The Dárbúng is lost among the fields of snow where it is generated; and the whole space on every side is floored with ice and frozen snow, half hid under stones and rubbish. In some places the snow is of incredible depth, and lies in heaps. Having accumulated for years together, it separates by its gravity, and spreads desolation far and wide.

"We had never before observed such enormous bodies of snow and ice, nor altogether so wonderful a scene. So rapid and incessant is the progress of destruction here, that piles of stone are erected to guide the traveller, since the pathway is often obliterated in a few days by fresh showers of splinters. "Our elevation was now upwards of 15,000 feet, although we had but ascended in company with the river, against its stream. Here only began our

toils, and we scaled the slope of the mountain slowly; respiration was labo rious, and we felt exhausted at every step. The crest of the pass was not visible, and we saw no limit to our exertions. The road inclined at an angle of 30°, and passed under vast ledges of limestone. The projections frowned above us in new and horrid forms, and our situation was different from any thing we had yet experienced. Long before we got up, we were troubled with severe headaches, and our respiration became so hurried and oppressive, that we were compelled to sit down every few yards; and even then we could scarcely inhale a sufficient supply of air. The least motion was accompanied with extreme debility and a depression of spirits, and thus we laboured for two miles. The last half mile was over perpetual snow, sinking with the foot from three to twelve inches, the fresh covering of the former night. The direct road leads in the centre of the gap, but we made a circuit to avoid the danger of being swallowed up in one of the deep rents, which were now covered up with the new snow.

"The day was cloudy, and a strong wind half froze us. The rocks were falling on every side, and we narrowly escaped destruction. We twice saw large blocks of stone pass with incredible velocity through the line of our people, and between two of them not four feet apart.

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"We reached the summit of the pass named Mánerang at half-past two P. M. Its elevation is 18,612 feet by barometric measurement. There is here a very circumscribed spot, where is a shagár, or pile of stones, free from snow. Leaving the pass, we travelled over snow, and descended gently for a mile. The wind blew with great violence, and benumbed us; but the sun shone bright and caused a reflection that affected our eyes, but did not inflame them much for at this season the snow is soft and somewhat soiled; but in winter, when it is frozen and sparkles like diamonds, the inflammation is very distressing and painful.

“After quitting the great snow-bed, the road became extremely rough and difficult, leading over the scattered wrecks of the cliffs and patches of melting snow, and along the edge of a stream in a channel of solid ice.

"The adjacent ridges are wholly limestone, without a vestige of vegetation; they are even deserted by the snow, and exhibit an enormous extent of pure rock, and shoot into slender summits of a great variety of forms.

"We encamped at the foot of the slope that stretches from the pass, where the glen takes a regular shape; the stream spreads out and ripples upon sand and pebbles; the mountains slant away, and some stunted vegetation appears at their bases. The elevation of the camp was 15,200 feet above the

sea.

"At sunrise of the following day the thermometer was at 31°; but the night must have been colder, for the dew which fell upon our bed-clothes (we had no tent) was so completely frozen, that in the morning our blankets were as tough as the hardest leather.

"We proceeded towards Mánes (distant six miles and a quarter) through the dell that leads to Mánerang pass, along the bank of a rivulet which has its source amongst the snow-beds in that direction. There is a good deal of soil and bushes, and we passed fine crops of wild leeks at the height of 15,000 feet.

"Three miles and a half from camp we came to an open valley, being an expanse of sand and pebbles. We followed the stream till it entered a lake upwards of a mile wide; and here, leaving it to the right, we proceeded to Mánes, winding through low gravelly hills covered with támá bushes. Mánes

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