274 Captain Gerard's Account of a Survey 



Unable to procure guides to the Sundru pass, Messrs Ge- 

 rard proceeded to Janglig, a place already visited in 1820, 

 Its height is 9,200 feet : the highest habitation, 9,400 feet. 



The Y6su pass, at the head of the Sipon river, which is 

 called Yusu, in its upper course, above Banddjan, is 15,877 

 feet high. The dell, between this and Banddjan pass (14,854 

 feet above the sea), is shut in towards the N.E. by snow-cap- 

 ped mountains, upwards of 17,000 feet high, amongst which 

 the river has its source. The rocks at Banddjan, and on the 

 bank of the river, where the travellers encamped at the height 

 of 13,650 feet, were gneiss ; and the adjoining mountains the 

 same, and clay slate. The descent was over broken slate, 

 from Banddjan. 



The ascent of Yusu pass was extremely fatiguing : Messrs 

 Gerard describe themselves as having been so exhausted at 

 first, that they rested every hundred yards ; and, had they not 

 been ashamed, before so many people^ some of whom they had 

 induced to accompany them after much intreaty, they would 

 have turned back. 



At the summit of the pass, there is a plain covered with 

 snow for 400 or 500 yards. The ground slopes suddenly to 

 the valley of the Setlej : the peaks on each side seemed about 

 800 feet higher. 



The Yusu river is divided into several streams, all of which, 

 but the principal one, were crossed by arches of snow. The 

 largest, which was forded, was forty feet broad, and six inches 

 deep : the bed full of pebbles, and the margin snow-washed 

 by the stream. With the exception of that principal channel 

 of the river, and some openings partially disclosing the smaller 

 branches, the rest is a bed of snow six or eight inches thick. 



The glen becomes more and more contracted, till at last it 

 is bounded by mural rocks of granite, with the Yusu forcing 

 its passage between them in impenetrable obscurity, under im- 

 mense heaps of indestructible ice, running in ridges, and stud- 

 ded with mounds of snow. 



The source of the Pabar is in a lake, called Chardmai, 

 above a mile in circuit, whence the river rushes forth over a 

 perpendicular rock, forming a fine cascade. Above it are en- 

 ormous banks of snow, 80 or 100 feet in thickness, which have 



