1854.] 'HIMALAYAN JOURNAL. 1 393 



how strongly I answered, and I presume you wanted to know 

 what I should feel ; whoever would have dreamed of your 

 being so crafty ? I am glad you have shown a little bit 

 of ambition about your Journal, for you must know that I 

 have often abused you for not caring more about fame, 

 though, at the same time, I must confess, I have envied 

 and honoured you for being so free (too free, as I have always 

 thought) of this " last infirmity of, &c." Do not say, " there 

 never was a past hitherto to me the phantom was always 

 in view," for you will soon find other phantoms in view. 

 How well I know this feeling, and did formerly still more 

 vividly ; but I think my stomach has much deadened my 

 former pure enthusiasm for science and knowledge, 



I am writing an unconscionably long letter, but I must 

 return to the Journals, about which I have hardly said 

 anything in detail. Imprimis, the illustrations and maps 

 appear to me the best I have ever seen ; the style seems 

 to me everywhere perfectly clear (how rare a virtue), and 

 some passages really eloquent. How excellently you have 

 described the upper valleys, and how detestable their 

 climate ; I felt quite anxious on the slopes of Kinchin that 

 dreadful snowy night. Nothing has astonished me more 

 than your physical strength ; and all those devilish bridges ! 

 Well, thank goodness ! it is not very likely that I shall ever 

 go to the Himalaya. Much in a scientific point of view 

 has interested me, especially all about those wonderful 

 moraines. I certainly think I quite realise the valleys, more 

 vividly perhaps from having seen the valleys of Tahiti. 

 I cannot doubt that the Himalaya owe almost all their 

 contour to running water, and that they have been subjected 

 to such action longer than any mountains (as yet described) 

 in the world. What a contrast with the Andes ! 



Perhaps you would like to hear the very little that I can say 

 per contra, and this only applied to the beginning, in which 

 (as it struck me) there was not flow enough till you get to 



