282 SIKKIM HIMALAYA. Chap. XII. 



be believed that though this chiefs dominions were 

 redeemed by us from the Nepalese and given back to 

 him ; though we had bound ourselves by a treaty to sup- 

 port him on his throne, and to defend him against the 

 Nepalese on the west, the Bhotan people on the east, and 

 the Tibetans on the north ; and though the terms of the 

 treaty stipulated for free intercourse, mutual protection, 

 and friendship ; the Sikkim authorities had hitherto been 

 allowed to obstruct all intercourse, and in every way to 

 treat the Governor- General's agent and the East India 

 Company with contempt. An affectation of timidity, mis- 

 trust, and ignorance was assumed for the purpose of 

 deception, and as a cloak for every insult and resistance 

 to the terms of our treaty, and it was quoted by the 

 Government in answer to every remonstrance on the part 

 of their resident agent at Dorjiling. 



On the following morning the Kajee waited on me with 

 a magnificent present of a calf, a kid, fowls, eggs, rice, 

 oranges, plantains, egg-apples, Indian corn, yams, onions, 

 tomatos, parsley, fennel, turmeric, rancid butter, milk, 

 and, lastly, a coolie-load of fermenting millet-seeds, where- 

 with to make the favourite Murwa beer. In the evening 

 two lads arrived from Dorjiling, who had been sent a 

 week beforehand by my kind and thoughtful friend, 

 Mr. Hodgson, with provisions and money. 



The valley of the Kulhait is one of the finest in Sikkim, 

 and it is accordingly the site of two of the oldest and richest 

 conventual establishments. Its length is sixteen miles, 

 from the Islumbo pass to the Great Rungeet, for ten of 

 which it is inhabited, the villages being invariably on long 

 meridional spurs that project north and south from either 

 flank ; they are about 2000 feet above the river, and from 

 4,500 to 5000 feet above the sea. Except where these 



