506 Journal of a trip to Siklm. [May, 



Lachoong and Lachen ; to the N. and west of the latter of these, its own 

 source is in the snows, and far east of Kunchinjinga.* I have made 

 incessant enquiries as to the possibility of seeing Kunchinjinga from 

 any of the mountain tops hereabouts, but it is universally said that it 

 is not visible, that mountains partly snowed, and not snowed, intervene. 

 The people at Tukbrum point a little S. of W. to the situation of 

 Kunchinjinga. 



The people hereabouts and onwards to the snow are Lepchas 

 and Bhotiahs mixed ; all the way from Bangsong they look starved 

 and miserable. No wonder ; it is a sterile land, — rice does not grow, 

 and they live it out the best they can by bits of wheat, barley, mur- 

 wa, and buckwheat cultivation among the endless rocks. On the east 

 side of the Teesta it is better, and there are some nice looking farms 

 occasionally seen from the river upwards to 5 or 6,000 feet. They are 

 generally fenced in, and are for the most part permanently cultivated ; 

 the Lepchas not being so erratic on the Teesta as on the two Run- 

 geets, the Balasun, and Mechi. The manuring is done solely by 

 penning the cows in different portions ot the little farm. They rarely 

 have pigs, and fowls even are scarce, goats unknown, and so are sheep. 

 Darjeeling and its free expenditure of ready cash has wonderfully ame- 

 liorated the condition of the people who resort to it and live near it. 

 This was well described to me yesterday as we came through a wretch- 

 ed field of buckwheat. " Here a man cannot exist unless he grows 

 something, however bad, from barren soil ; at Darjeeling he can live 

 well on good rice, and not cultivate at all. There, leaves, bamboos, 

 rattans, and all sorts of yams, and vegetables will fetch him money. 

 Here there is no money, and little to sell if there was ; so the people 

 are starving; grass is used for thatch hereabouts instead of bamboo.'* 

 There is a Cartus tree here, the first ever seen by my Lepchas, and the 

 first by me in Sikim, also some tobacco plants, but of no use. 



Water boils at 204°. Temperature of air at 1 p. m. 60°; of water 

 56°. 



* P. S. I leave this exactly as it was noted at the time, but when at Mainora- 

 chi with Dr. Hooker, I came to the conclusion that the feeder of the Teesta which 

 I call the " Rieng" is the proper source of the Teesta. If Dr. Hooker succeeds 

 in getting to the Lachen and Lachong passes, we shall have accurate information 

 on the sources of the Teesta. 



