^sialic Soc'iehj. 61 



On the 2A of October he pitched his tent on the crest of the 

 Brooang Pass, 15,095 feet above the level of tl>e sea. It is si- 

 tuated in lat. 31" 23' and long. 7^'''' 12'. The country is seckided, 

 rugged, and barren, and the villaees very thinly scattered, not 

 more than one or two occurring in a stage. The inhabitants 

 wear a frock of while blanket, often twofold, reaching down 

 to ti'e knees, and having sleeves, a pair of trowsers and girdle of 

 the - me, a cap of black blanket like a bonnet, and shoes of which 

 the upper part is woollen, and the sole alone leather. The peo- 

 ple are very dark and extremely dirty. The villages are generally 

 lart e, and the houses spacious, and even elegant. They are 

 built of sto))e or wood, and either slated or flat roofed ; the last 

 is most common. The temples of the Deotas (Deities) are rnag- 

 mficvut, and adorned with a profusion of ornaments. In Koo- 

 nawur the crops are extremely poor ; and in time of scarcity small 

 pears and horse chesnuts, after being steeped in water to take 

 away their bitterness, are dried and ground into flour. Bears 

 are verv numerous; and the dogs are of a large ferocious breed, 

 covered with wool, and generally chained during the da)', otherwise 

 it would be dangerous to approach a village. The language dif- 

 fers much from the Hindee, most of the substantives ending in 

 ing and ting, and the verbs in mig and nig. 



At Kispe he first saw Lamas, and near that place he passed 

 several tumuli, from 10 to 10 feet in length, two broad, and about 

 four high. They are constructed of loose stones without cement, 

 and upon their tops are numerous pieces of slate of all shapes 

 and sizes, carved with strange characters. Thev are calledAfa7/e, 

 and are erected over the graves of the Lamas. There are inva- 

 riably roads on each side of them ; and the natives, from some 

 superstitious custom, always leave them on the right hand, and 

 will rather make a circuit of half a mile than pass them on the 

 wrong side. 



The course from Brooang to Shi()ke had been about N. E. 

 Lieut. Gerard arrived at the latter place on the r2th of October. 



Shipkc is a large village in the district of Rongzhoong, under 

 the Deba or governor of Chubrung, a town, or rather collection 

 of tents, on the left bank of the Sutliij, eight marches to the east- 

 ward. The houses are verv much scattered, and are built of 

 stone with flat roofs. There are gardens before each, hedgcil with 

 gooseberries, which give them a neat appearance. Lieutenant 

 Gerard and his brother were the first Europeans the inhabitants 

 had ever seen. The Tartars pleased them much ; they have 

 none of that ferocity of character so commonly ascribed to them ; 

 they have something of the Chinese featmes, their eyes arc small; 

 they go barchcacted even in the coldest weather, and have their 

 hair plated in a number of folds, ending in a tail two or three 



feet 



