226 Capt. Pemberton's Mission to Bootan, 1837-38. [March. 



There is a good deal of wheat cultivation around the village, which 

 is not the only occupant of the valley : this is the highest we had 

 yet seen, and is perhaps one of the highest inhabited vallies known, as 

 it is 9410 feet above the sea ; it is drained by a small stream, and is of 

 less extent than either that of Byagur or Bhoomlungtung. The 

 surrounding hills are covered with open fir woods, and are of no con- 

 siderable height. Larks, magpies, and red-legged crows, continued 

 plentiful, but on leaving this valley we lost them. 



March 5th. We proceeded up the valley, keeping along the banks of 

 the stream for sometime ; we then commenced ascending a ridge, the top 

 of which we reached about noon ; its elevation was 10,930 feet. The 

 descent from this was for about 2500 feet very steep and uninterrupted, 

 until we reached a small torrent at an elevation of 8473 feet ; from 

 this we ascended slightly through thick woods of oak, &c. until we came 

 on open grassy tracts, through which we now gradually descended at 

 a great height above the stream, which we had left a short time 

 before. We continued descending rather more rapidly until we 

 came to a point almost immediately above Tongsa, by about 1000 

 feet; from this the descent was excessively steep. The distance was 

 13 miles. On the ascent snow was common from a height of 9000 feet 

 upwards. The vegetation oil this, or the eastern side, was in some 

 places similar to that above Byagur. Beautiful fir woods formed 

 the chief vegetation, until we came close to the summit, when it 

 changed completely. Rhododendrons, Bogh puttah, and a species of 

 birch, and bamboos, were common, mixed with a few black pines. 

 The woods through which we descended, were in the higher eleva- 

 tions almost entirely of rhododendrons; and lower down chiefly of 

 various species of oak and maple — the former being dry and very 

 open, the latter humid and choked up with underwood. After coming 

 on the open grassy country we did not revert to well wooded tracts. 



No villages occurred, nor did we see any signs of cultivation after 

 leaving the valley of Jaisa until we came near Tongsa, above which 

 barley fields were not uncommon. Tongsa, although the second, or at 

 any rate the third place in Bootan, is as miserable a place as any 

 body would wish to see. It is wretchedly situated in a very narrow 

 ravine, drained by a petty stream, on the tongue of land formed by 

 its entrance into the large torrent Mateesum, which flows 1200 feet 

 below where the castle stands. The village is 6250 feet in altitude : it 

 consists of a few miserable houses, one of the worst of which was 

 considerately lent to us. The castle is a large and rather imposing 

 building, sufficiently straggling to be relieved from heaviness of ap- 

 pearance : it is so overlooked, and indeed almost overhung by some 



