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128 H. C. Marsh— Description of a trip to the Gilgit Valley. [tf . 2, 



The name Bote, as the people call themselves, is not to be confounded 

 with the BMtias or Tibetans. The name is derived from the cap, so that 

 all who wear this headdress, be they Shi'ah, Sunni, Astori, Gilgit'f, or Chi- 

 lasi, Shin, or Yeshkun, are Bote, although the difference of language is 

 great between all these countries, especially the latter. Of the two castes if 

 one might so call them, the Shin is the highest, and forms a comparatively 

 small, but influential body throughout Astor, Gilgit, Guaris, and parts of 

 Chilas ; they are careful to intermarry only among themselves, but of late 

 years, the Yeshkun, or mixed breed, is unavoidably increasing, owing to the 

 pressure put on by the Kashmiris, who all like to intermarry with Shin 

 families if possible. The Shins are a fine class, and look upon themselves as 

 the creme de la crime. In Gilgit there are about 100 families of pure de- 

 scent, they are looked up to as upright honest people, whose word and faith 

 may be depended upon, in fact most of the heads of the villages are 

 Shins. 



The Kardar, Ganga Singh, had on the departure of my friends for 

 Astor, gone to Sher Kil'a, to place on the gadM, or throne, the son 

 of the late Tsa Bahadur, chief of that place, who had died a month before 

 our arrival, and now came to see me in state with a large following. 



He is a little old man, very polite, was formerly the Darbar Munshi 

 to the Eesident at Srinagar. He has lately been made Governor, and is well 

 acquainted with our ways. I told him of my desire to proceed to Gaokuch, 

 the furthest point on the Kashmir frontier. He of course made every ex- 

 cuse, as roads were bad, nothing to be seen, great heat, no food, &c, &c, 

 but seeing I was determined on going, he gave in with a good grace, and made' 

 all the arrangements necessary for my comfort and safety. 



I visited Colonel Teja Singh, some relative to the Maharaja of Kash- 

 mir, a broken-down old man, and the Sunadis, or General, Man Singh, who 

 were both hard at work, the former, in drilling the troops, the latter, making 

 improvements in and about the fort. The troops were expecting their usual 

 two-year relief, and longing for the return to Kashmir and Jammu. They 

 have rather hard times of it in this outpost, getting few or no luxuries, 

 as all articles imported are very expensive, and money scarce. 



The coinage is copper, and has to be brought from Srinagar, which 

 increases its value much. The usual rate for pice at the capital is ten to 

 the anna, but here only four go to the anna, which makes all small articles in 

 the bazar very expensive, for instance, tobacco, sugar, and salt, all of which 

 have to be imported.* 



In my evening strolls amongst the villages, I came across some an- 

 cient mounds and slabs of sandstone and granite, the remains of the palace 

 of a former Baja by name Shirbudut, regarding whom are many popular 

 * It would be a gain to travellers to take coppers with them. 



