of the Valley of the Setlej River. 275 



cracked and partly fallen outwards into the lake. Just beyond 

 them are three high passes, Nibrang, Gunas, and Ghusul, 

 which lead over the summit of the range, into the valley of the 

 Baspa river, and are very steep. The travellers were unable 

 to persuade the guides to conduct them over either of these 

 passes, but subsequently visited them from the other side. 



The Burendo, or Brudng pass, near the Pabar, was again 

 visited. It had been measured barometrically in 1818 : the 

 measurement now taken exceeded the former one (which was 

 15,095 feet) by 153 feet. To that extent the barometric 

 measurements must be considered uncertain. They halted 

 two days on the summit of the pass ; and, as is usual at so 

 great elevations, were troubled with headaches and difficulty 

 of respiration. The nights were calm ; but the solemn still- 

 ness was now and then interrupted by the crash of falling rocks. 



They descended into the valley of the Baspa; sliding down 

 the declivity of a snow-bed, by seating themselves upon a blan- 

 ket on the snow. This mode is invariably, practised by the 

 mountaineers, where there are no rocks nor precipices. They 

 had then a dreadfully dangerous footpath, along the rugged 

 sides of the dell : it crossed many snow-beds, inclined at an 

 angle of 30° or more ; which delayed them much, as they had 

 to cut steps in the snow. 



The Baspa is a noble river, running through a romantic 

 valley, which, the people have a vague tradition, was formerly 

 a lake, and it has every appearance of it. The valley is bound- 

 ed, on each side, by abrupt ridges of the Himalaya, which 

 present a great deal of bare rock. 



The travellers advanced to the confluence of the Baspa and 

 Bakti rivers ; examined the valley of the latter, and reached 

 the confluence of the Bakti and Nalgun rivers, proceeding 

 along the ridge, which is traversed by several passes before- 

 mentioned, all of which they now visited, viz. Nibrang, 16,035 

 feet high ; Gunas, 16,026 feet ; and Ghiisul, 15,851 feet ; as 

 also Rupin, 15,480 feet. 



At Nuru, a halting-place, where there are good caves for 

 shelter, at the elevation of 13,150 feet, and at D6n\s6n, where 

 they halted the following evening, at the height of 14,200 

 feet, there was, through the night, a continued crash of falling 



VOL. V. NO. II, OCTOBER 1826. X 



