3862.] Notes of a trip from Simla to the Spiti Valley. 513 



given by Cunningham give a mean excess of -{- 781 feet over my deter- 

 minations, and the Chomoriri Lake also as much as -f- 728 over what 

 I make it. I am not so sure that the height of the pass is so much 

 too low, as I am that the other heights are too high ; and the esti- 

 mate of the pass made by gentlemen on the G. T. Survey whom I 

 met, leads me to incline towards my own or the higher estimate : but 

 as far as I can judge, Col. Cunningham's observations of heights as 

 compared with mine, exhibit an increasing proportionate difference 

 from 17,000 ft. ; this difference being — for all heights above 17,000 ft. 

 and -f- for those below. The Parang pass, by me made 19,132 

 ft., exhibiting the extreme difference of — 630 ft. ; whilst Lari, at 

 10,845 ft., exhibits a gain of + 1,049 ft. according to Col. Cunningham. 

 At the camping ground the Para river is already a considerable 

 stream, spread over a wide channel in numerous small streams, some 

 of which, however, at midday are over the knees, and the sheep and 

 goats required to be unladen before crossing. 



14^/?. — Camp on the Para river, a few miles ahove the mouth of the 

 Chomoriri valley. Day very inclement, rain and sleet falling and 

 new snow whitening all the peaks around. Met large flocks of sheep 

 and goats hurrying on towards the pass. The Para river receives 

 three considerable tributaries from the eastward, in whose valleys 

 thick deposits of old river gravel are seen, forming steep cliffs along 

 the river course, and fully one hundred feet thick. 



lhth. — Camp at South end of Chomoriri LaJce, 14,272ft. The 

 temperature of the water was 56° 4', that of the air 51° and a stiff 

 north-easterly wind. The waters of the lake are beautifully clear 

 and pleasant tasted, though they are stated by the natives to be un- 

 wholesome, which I think may possibly be the result of some super- 

 stition. Col. Cunningham states that the lake has " no outlet, and its 

 w r aters are consequently brackish, although not very perceptibly so to 

 the taste.'''' This question of an outlet to the lake is important, but 

 not having read the above passage or being aware that others have 

 stated the same thing, I did not ascertain if such was really the case. 

 Any how I think that there can be no question that the lake has an 

 ample outlet for its waters, though very probably not a visible one. 

 Above Mani, a sort of small lake is found by a talus of gravel and 

 rocky accumulation stretching across the valley and damming up the 

 stream from the glacier ; but considerable percolation is always going 



3 x 



