Nov. 1848. VIEW FROM SAKKIAZUNG. 191 



Aran and Tambur, debouches into the Ganges opposite 

 Colgongl (see p. 95). 



A little further on we crossed the main ridge of Sakkia- 

 zung, a long flexuous chain stretching for miles to the 

 westward from Phulloot on Singalelah, and forming the 

 most elevated and conspicuous transverse range in this 

 part of Nepal : its streams flow south to the Myong, and 

 north to feeders of the Tambur. Silver firs {Abies Web- 

 bianci) are found on all the summits; but to my regret none 

 occurred in our path, which led just below their limit (10,000 

 feet), on the southern Himalayan ranges. There were, 

 however, a few yews, exactly like the English. The view 

 that opened on cresting this range was again magnificent, 

 of Kinchinjunga, the western snows of Nepal, and the 

 valley of the Tambur winding amongst wooded and culti- 

 vated hills to a long line of black-peaked, rugged mountains, 

 sparingly snowed, which intervene between Kinchinjunga 

 and the great Nepal mountain before mentioned. The 

 extremely varied colouring on the infinite number of hill- 

 slopes that everywhere intersected the Tambur valley was 

 very pleasing. For fully forty miles to the northward there 

 were no lofty forest-clad mountains, nor any apparently above 

 4000 to 5000 feet : villages and hamlets appeared every- 

 where, with crops of golden mustard and purple buckwheat in 

 full flower; yellow rice and maize, green hemp, pulse, radishes, 

 and barley, and brown millet. Here and there deep groves 

 of oranges, the broad-leafed banana, and sugar-cane, skirted 

 the bottoms of the valleys, through which the streams were 

 occasionally seen, rushing in white foam over their rocky 

 beds. It was a goodly sight to one who had for his only 

 standard of comparison the view from Sinchul, of the gloomy 

 forest-clad ranges of 6000 to 10,000 feet, that intervene 

 between that mountain and the snowy girdle of Sikkini ; 



