May, 1848. HEIGHT OF MOUNTAIN. DESCENT. 171 



These observations, and those of the barometer, were 

 taken 60 feet below the summit, to which I moved the 

 instruments on the morning of the 23rd. At a much 

 more exposed spot the results would no doubt have been 

 different, for a thermometer, there sunk to the same depth 

 as that below, stood at 49f (or one degree colder than 60 

 feet lower down). My barometrical observations, taken 

 simultaneously with those of Calcutta, give the height of 

 Tonglo, 10,078'3 feet; Colonel Waugh's, by trigonometry, 

 10,07 9 4 feet, — a remarkable and unusual coincidence. 



May 23. — We spent a few hours of alternate fog and 

 sunshine on the top of the mountain, vainly hoping for 

 the most modest view ; our inability to obtain it was 

 extremely disappointing, for the mountain commands a 

 superb prospect, which I enjoyed fully in the following 

 November, from a spot a few miles further west. The air, 

 which was always foggy, was alternately cooled and heated, 

 as it blew over the trees, or the open space we occupied ; 

 sometimes varying 5° and 6° in a quarter of an hour. 



Having partially dried the tent in the wind, we com- 

 menced the descent, which owing to the late torrents of 

 rain, was most fatiguing and slippery ; it again commenced 

 to drizzle at noon, nor was it till we had descended to 

 6000 feet that we emerged from the region of clouds. 

 By dark we arrived at Simonbong, having descended 

 5000 feet, at the rate of 1000 feet an hour; and were 

 kindly received by the Lama, who gave us his temple 

 for the accommodation of the whole party. We were 

 surprised at this, both because the Sikkim authorities had 

 represented the Lamas as very averse to Europeans, and 

 because he might well have hesitated before admitting 

 a promiscuous horde of thirty people into a sacred 

 building, where the little valuables on the altar, &c, were 



