268 GEOGRAPHICAL EESULTS OF THE TIBET MISSIO'N^. 



I trust, before long give you full particulars of his surveys. But 

 who will ever be able to adequately describe the fascination of that 

 glorious range of mountains? From sunrise to sunset the days Avere 

 a continual delight. As- 1 looked out of my tent in the early morn- 

 ing, while all below was still wrapped in a steely gray, far away in 

 the distance the first streaks of dawn would be just gilding the snowy 

 summits of Mount Everest, poised high in heaven as the spotless pin- 

 nacle of the world. By degrees the whole great snowy range would 

 be illuminated and shine out in dazzling, unsullied whiteness. Then 

 through all the day it would be bathed in ever-varying hues of blue 

 and pur2:)le till the setting sun clothed all in a final intensity of glory, 

 and left one hungering for daylight to appear again. 



And all was rendered doubly interesting from the history of its 

 geological past, which Mr. Hayden was able to describe to me. He 

 was indeed enraptured with the district from the geological stand- 

 point, and a ))ed of fossil oysters he discovered there had more fas- 

 cination for him than Lassa itself. He was able, from the oysters, 

 to accurately determine the age of the hills in this part of Tibet. 

 According to him they were '' recent " — that is to say, not more than 

 two or three million years old, and the main axis of the Himalayas 

 was thoroughly modern, perhaps not more than a few hundreds of 

 thousands of years old. In Avhat to geologists are really ancient 

 times Tibet was below a sea which washed around the l)ase of the 

 Himalayas — a mighty granite ridge Avhich is constantly being pro- 

 truded upward from the interior of the earth and ever l)eing worn 

 away by the snowfall on its summit. Xever have I been able to see 

 nature at Avork on such a mighty scale as here, and Avhen the scien- 

 tific results of Mr. Hayden 's work in this region haA^e been thor- 

 oughly investigated I feel sure they Avill proA^e of the highest interest 

 and A^alue. 



The mission remained at Khamba Jong from July 7 to December 6, 

 but long before the latter date Ave had discoA^ered that our political 

 objects Avould never be obtained until Ave advanced farther into the 

 country. A moA^e on to Gyantse Avas accordingly ordered, and, as a 

 considerable body of troops under the command of General Macdon- 

 ald Avas to escort the mission, the line of adA^ance Avas changed onto 

 the Chumbi route. 



Winter Avas now on us, and the difficulties Avhich General Macdon- 

 ald and his troops had to contend Avith can hardly be realized in 

 England. But not cA^en the rigors of a Tibetan Avinter Avere able to 

 stop the advance of the little force of British and Indian troops. 



Early in December Ave crossed the Jelap la and descended into the 

 Chumbi Valley. At Yatung, the trade mart established mider the old 

 couA^ention, a Avail had some years ago been erected to exclude our 

 trade, and beyond this our traders had so far never been allowed to 



