1868. | Geography. 241 
different parts of the town are being discovered by shafts let down 
to the rocky foundations. 
A great deal of careful investigation of the country through 
Nepaul and along the whole length of Thibet to Lhasa has been 
made by a pundit at the instance of Captain Montgomerie, R.E., who 
was prohibited by his official position from making the attempt bim- 
self. The country described, of which we shall probably soon get 
very full information, runs along the valley of the Brahmaputra 
almost from its source. The pundit had to travel in various dis- 
guises, but succeeded in carrying philosophical instruments with 
him, and in making a large number of accurate observations, thus 
settling both positions and elevations of many places. The road 
between Gartokh and Lhasa, a distance of 800 miles, is one of the 
most important features of the country. It passes the head waters 
of the Indus, the Sutlej, and the Brahmaputra, and continues to 
keep very closely to the line of the latter river. The Government 
couriers traverse it in twenty-two or twenty-three days, only dis- 
mounting to change horses and to pass rivers, never resting or 
changing their clothes, which are sealed on, and arriving at their 
journey’s end haggard and worn, and eaten into sores by lice. The 
description of Lhasa, 11,400 feet above the sea, differs little from 
that of Huc and Gabet. The Grand Lama, whom the pundit saw, 
lives at a fort a mile from the town. He isa boy of thirteen, sur- 
rounded by priests, who show him every respect. He exhibited 
some considerable intelligence, but the government is entirely in the 
hands of the prime minister. Tea is imported in large quantities 
from the north-east, and musk is the principal article of commerce 
which finds its way into the Indian market. 
The whole Chinese empire seems to be in a state of dissolution. 
Province after province has revolted. Rumours, with what founda- 
tion it is impossible to say, speak of defections on the western 
boundary. Russia, probably, will in time take advantage of this, 
and increase her already overgrown dominion. A survey has been 
made to discover the best route to the south-western part of China 
from Rangoon. 
In this survey the country of the Karens, an independent tribe, 
has been traversed. The people are peaceable, but they appear to 
dread their neighbours, for they invariably flee as soon as strangers 
visit their villages. Paths are rare, and there is but little to mark 
that the country is inhabited, though it is extremely fertile. The 
custom seems to be to clear a piece of land, crop it until it is 
exhausted, and then abandon it for a new clearmg. The most 
valuable product is the iron-tree, frequently rising 80 ft. straight 
upwithout a branch. 
In New Zealand, the district of the Lower Waikato, to tle 
south of Auckland, has been surveyed. It is a fertile countiy, 
