526 Journal of a trip to Sikim. [May, 



east, and sharp peaks rising in different places along it. Hooker has 

 made a striking sketch of it. Thermometer at 6 p. m. 46° ; 10 p. m. 

 43° ; fell during the night to 36° . 



On the 26th started for Mainomchoo, about 500 feet above last 

 ground, and two miles distant, in a westerly direction, came to Yan- 

 gang, where there is a Goomba, and just below it, in a very pretty spot, 

 a small piece of water 400 yards in circumference, and said to be 15 feet 

 deep. Put up a "Woodcock here. From Yangang commenced the ascent 

 of Mainomchoo. For the first hour we rode our ponies over a good 

 road, and easy ascent, at the end of the second hour we came to oaks, 

 chesnuts, Rhododendrons, and the paper plant. At the 3rd hour 

 came upon patches of snow in shady places, birches and pretty pur- 

 ple primrose just coming into flower. Road steep, and overgrown 

 with jungle. After 5 hours slow ascent we were obliged to halt for the 

 coolies, and encamped 500 feet from the top, in a foot and a half of 

 snow. Elevation 10,000 feet. Ther. at 6 p. m. 34° ; fell during the 

 night to 24° . Surface of the snow 36° .* It was wretched work for 

 our bare-footed servants and coolies, who had to clear the ground of 

 the snow for places to cook and lie down on, and cold enough for any 

 one even with better appliances than theirs. One of the men went 

 tumbling down the hill with his load, and we have lost all our stock of 

 wine, brandy, butter, and almost all our sugar. The snow water, which 

 is all we had, makes very good tea j but beware of getting it smoked in 

 the melting. 



Started at 7 this morning, and in an hour reached the summit of the 

 hill. Snow two feet thick, and just hard enough to bear our weight. f 

 A bright and clear morning — ascent very steep, and no road ; cut our way 

 through an under jungle of small bamboos, with a forest of pines, pinus, 

 "Webbiana, birches, and Rhododendrons. There is a small Goomba of 

 two rooms, which occupies all the cleared portion of the summit, and in 

 this we have taken up our quarters, for the Lamas do not come at this 

 inclement season. In the outer room is our kitchen, we occupying the 

 inner one. It is open at both ends of the roof, and has a very poor 



* All the Thermometrical observations since the 23rd were kindly given to me 

 by Dr. Hooker. 



f We came upon a covey of the beautiful Chilmia; their scarlet legs and 

 bright plumage enabling us to see them a long way as they ran over the snow. 



