1849.] excursion from Darjiling to TongU. 427 



spur to a narrow ravine, choaked with Calami, Figs, and the Wallichia, 

 and crossing a stream ascended the Simonboug spur of Tonglo, so 

 called from a small village and Lama convent of that name on its 

 summit. The cultivation is of rice, murwa (Eleusyne), millett, yam, 

 brindjal, bhang, buckwheat of 2 species, fennell and cummin, &c. 

 A white flowered Rue, Ruta albijlora, is sometimes cultivated, and very- 

 common ; truly wild at elevations of 3 to 7000 ft. ; it is commonly 

 used for all diseases of fowls, mixed with their food. 



Aqitilaria, Myrsine, Embelia, Ardisia and Mcesa all occur at 3 to 

 6000 ft., and we passed through groves of a handsome shrubby Tephro- 

 ria in full purple flower. Near the top of the spur Rubi and Osbechia 

 appeared, the former of several species ; and hence upwards the bram- 

 bles are very frequent, to 12,000 ft., between which and this level 

 upwards of 12 species occur. These flower at different seasons, one 

 was already in fruit, bearing large-sized well-flavored yellow fruit, as 

 big as a raspberry. 



At noon, arrived at the top of the spur, and passing some chaits,* 

 gained the Lama's residence and temple. The latter, nothing more 

 than a rather large wooden Bhothea house raised on a stone platform. 

 As we stopped here on our way down I shall allude to it afterwards 

 more particularly. 



Two species of bamboo, "Payong" and "Praong" of the Lepchas, 

 here replace the " Pao" of the foot of the hills. The former flowered 

 abundantly, the culms, 20 ft. high, being wholly a diffuse panicle of 

 inflorescence. The " Praong" bears a round head of flowers at the 

 apices of the leafy branches. Wild strawberry, violet, Lysimachia of 

 several species, Geranium, Polygona, Veronica, &c. announced our 

 approach to the temperate zone. In the outskirts of the temple were 

 potato crops and peach trees. The potato thrives extremely well in 

 Sikkim, though I think the root cultivated in Purneah district, from 

 the Darjiling stock, is superior both in size and flavor. 



Peaches never ripen in Sikkim, apparently from the want of sun ; 



* The chait of Sikkiaa (borrowed from Thibet) is a square pedestal, surmounted 

 with a hemisphere, the convex end down and terminated with a cone, crescent and 

 disc. These are erected as tombs to Lamas, and in memory of illustrious people, 

 and are venerated accordingly, the people always passing them from right to left, 

 often repeating the invocation " Om mani Padmi hom." 



3 K 



