CALCUTTA TO DARJEELING. 869 
number of forest-trees and dicotyledonous plants, in the absence (in the 
usual proportion, at any rate) of such plebeian Orders among them as 
Composite, Leguminosae, Crucifere, and Ranunculaceae, and of Graminee 
amongst monocotyledons; and above all in the predominance of the 
rarer and more local families, Magnolia, arborescent ricea, Araliacea, 
Cornee, Caprifoliacee, Saxifragee, and Ternstramiacee. 
These observations are, however, premature, considering how little 
I have seen, and at how unfavourable a season 
From Pacheem, the road runs i in a northerly direction to Darjeeling, 
z 
E 
m 
o 
5 
ag 
= 
c 
w 
E 
E 
S 
[= 
- 
Tul 
ct. 
= 
$ 
Qu. 
E 
fa) 
S 
eM 
3 
E 
a 
5 
ih 
is n 
it a spur projects northwards, advancing some miles amongst the cluster 
of Sub-Himalayan hills still intervening between it and the snowy 
ridge. This saddle crossed, you are fairly amongst the mountains : the 
plains behind are cut off by i£; in front, the snows may be seen when 
the weather is propitious. The valleys on this side of the mountain run 
north, and pour their waters into great streams which, coming from 
the snow, wind amongst the hills, and débouche into the Teesta, to the 
east, where it divides Sikkim from Bhootan. Darjeeling státion occu- 
pies a spur, or narrow ridge, of Sinchal mountain, which projects north 
some five or six miles, and then bifurcates, the horns descending steeply 
to the bed of the Rungeet river, up whose course the eye is carried 
almost to the base of the great snowy range. Darjeeling spur is very 
narrow at the top, along which the houses are perched, as they are on 
its flanks, where narrow locations on the east, and broader ones on the 
west, are cleared from wood. On either side the valleys are profound, 
at least 5,000 feet, and the slope to them is one clean forest-clad 
sweep, with no step, flat, or horizontal plane, and no absolute precipice : 
it is a sheer slope, especially to the east ; from the west flank innumer- 
able little spurs project, occupied by Lepcha and Limbo clearings. 
Two roads run round the station, meeting at the north extreme. 
I continued along that of the east flank, which overhangs the valley 
of the Rungmo river. Looking east, the sweep of hills from the ridge, 
I had crossed is very fine: they form a vast amphitheatre some four 
miles across and 4,000 feet deep, clothed throughout with an impene- 
trable dark forest. There is not one clear patch except near the very 
bottom, where are some scattered hamlets of two or three huts each. 
The rock is everywhere near the surface, and the road has been formed 
VOL. I. 3 B 
