Dec. 1848. CAMP ON MAINOM. 307 



on its north flank, and the superb snowy peak of Choi a 

 at its head. 



One of our coolies, loaded with crockery and various 

 indispensables, had here a severe fall, and was much 

 bruised ; he however recovered himself, but not our goods. 



The rocks were all of chlorite slate, which is not usual at 

 this elevation ; the strike was north-west, and dip north- 

 east. At 9000 feet various shrubby rhododendrons pre- 

 vailed, with mountain-ash, birch, and dwarf-bamboo ; also 

 B, Falcon eri, which grew from forty to fifty feet high. 

 The snow was deep and troublesome, so we encamped 

 at 9,800 feet, or 800 feet below the top, in a wood of 

 Pgrus, Magnolia, Bhododendron, and bamboo. As the 

 ground was deeply covered with snow, we laid our beds 

 on a thick layer of rhododendron twigs, bamboo, and 

 masses of a pendent moss. 



We passed a very cold night, chiefly owing to damp, the 

 temperature falling to 24°. On the following morning we 

 scrambled through the snow, reaching the summit after 

 an hour's very laborious ascent, and took up our quarters 

 in a large wooden barn-like temple (goompa), built on 

 a stone platform. The summit was very broad, but 

 the depth of the snow prevented our exploring much, 

 and the silver firs {Abies Webbiana) were so tall, that no 

 view could be obtained, except from the temple. The 

 great peak of Kinchinjunga is in part hidden by those of 

 Pundim and Nursing, but the panorama of snowy moun- 

 tains is very grand indeed. The effect is quite deceptive ; 

 the mountains assuming the appearance of a con tinned 

 chain, the distant snowy peaks being seemingly at little 

 further distance than the nearer ones. The whole range 

 (about twenty-two miles nearer than at Dorjiling) ap- 

 peared to rise uniformly and steeply out of black pine 



x 2 



