Ms. H. T. Colebrooke's Remarks on the Setlej River. 37S 



the level of the sea. Toward Ladalc the habitations must be still more 

 elevated, and the country very barren, and the climate inhospitable. 



It was the intention of Messrs. Gerard to have gone on towards Ladak, 

 and returned by the Tdri pass, which is the most direct road. But intreaties 

 and the offer of a douceur of 150 rupees were unavailing : the Lafa, or 

 chief person, would not hear of their proceeding onwards, or attempting the 

 Tdri pass. 



After a fruitless negociation, which lasted two days, they returned to 

 Manes, and thence to Supma ; and again (7th Sept.) by the Mdneramg 

 pass to Pdmdchan, Siando, and Ropd. The barometric measurement was 

 repeated with nearly the same result. The Ddrbung river was only half its 

 former size; for a few days had brought on winter ; and the stream was now 

 but slowly and scantily supplied amongst the ice. The snow had not 

 descended more than 400 feet lower, since they last crossed the pass, but the 

 great fields had a new thick covering frozen hard. Shortly after leaving 

 the pass, it began to snow, and continued till they arrived at Pdmdchan. 

 Upon the old snow-beds it lay at 14,500 feet; but what fell upon the 

 ground, melted at iG.OOO feet. 



Sumdo is about 12,500 feet above the level of the sea. 



They crossed the Ddrbung under the village of Geobung, and ascended 

 the face of a thinly wooded hill to the elevation of 13,500 feet, where they 

 encamped at the distance of a mile from any kind of fire-wood ; but the spot 

 afforded water. The upper limit of the pines in this neighbourhood is 

 12,300 feet ; the juniper scarcely extends 100 feet higher. At sun-rise the 

 thermometer was 39". Every thing around was covered with hoar frost 



They ascended the Runang pass, 14,500 feet above the sea ; the moun- 

 tains are of clayslate ; and the creeping juniper, as if it had found a conge- 

 nial soil, spreads its roots higher than the pass. 



Descending from the zone of frost, they tiavelled several miles upon an 

 undulating tract much indented, but preserving a height above the limit of 

 trees ; and leaving the populous villages of Kdnam and Labrang at a 

 profound depth below on their left, they descended into tiie dell in which 

 Lipe or Lidang is situate. The village is considerable, the houses entirely 

 built of ifeVtipine, small, compact, and exactly resembling cisterns. 



The bottom of the dell stands 8,700 feet above the sea ; the vine is 

 cultivated ; and there are orchards of fruit trees around. A few of the 



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