430 Notes, chiefly Botanical, made during an [May, 



pean fruits, either in the plains or hills is manifest, nor do the tropical 

 nourish as in other quarters of the globe, where the seasons are not so 

 contrasted. Hence there is not one good fruit peculiar to the country, 

 and perhaps but one which arrives at the highest perfection ; I mean 

 the mango. The plantains are good, so are the oranges, pine-apples, 

 but all these are far more abundant, most of them of much better kind, 

 and all of them enjoying a much longer season in other warm 

 climates. Who that has walked the fruit-markets of South America, 

 the West Indies, or Western Africa, has not been struck with the peren- 

 nial profusion of all the above fruits, and many more besides, which 

 are unknown to India. 



On ascending Tonglo, we left cultivation, and the poor groves of 

 peaches at 4 — 5000 ft., and this on the eastern exposure, which is a 

 good deal the sunniest, and at the average level to which agriculture 

 reaches in Sikkim. Both in Bhootan and in E. Nepal cultivation is 

 carried much higher, the more nourishing salt trade, and probably 

 easier nature of the passes, favoring th e formation of fixed habitations 

 much nearer to the perpetual snow than in Sikkim, where the enor- 

 mous mass of Kunchinjinga, intrudes its snows considerably south of 

 the main range, and forbids cultivation within upwards of fifteen miles 

 from its summit, in any direction. The uniform clothing of the 

 forest too allows of no pasturage. 



Above Simonborg the path to Tonglo top is little frequented, and 

 chiefly as one of the many routes between Nepal and Sikkim which 

 cross the Singalelah spur of Kunchinjinga, at various elevations, gener- 

 ally less as they are remote from the Himalaya crest, and varying from 

 6000 to 7000 ft. As usual, the track runs along ridges wherever these 

 are to be found, very steep, and narrow to the top ; through deep 

 humid forests of oak, and Magnoliacece, many Lauri ; both Tetran- 

 thera and Cinnamomum, one species of the latter ascending to 8500 ft., 

 and of Tetr anther a to 9000. Chesnut and Walnut here appeared, with 

 Elceocurpus, and some leguminous trees, which however did not ascend 

 to 6000 ft. Scarlet flowers of Vaccinium serpens strewed about, an 

 epiphytical species, and above these the great blossoms of a Rhododen- 

 dron and Magnolia lay together on the ground. The Rhododendron* 



* A drawing and description of this are preparing for publication in England 

 under the name of R. Dalhousice. 



