1850.] Notice of a Trip to the Niti Pass. 81 



weather, which for the first few days of our stay in Hundes had been 

 fine, became abominable, and a good deal of rain fell, extending as far 

 as we could see, over the whole plain of Guji, and covering the moun- 

 tains north of the Sutlej with snow. I may as well note here that the 

 plain of which I talk, the existence of which Capt. J. Cunningham 

 doubts, was crossed in the direction of its length by my brother on his 

 way from Ladak. It is I fancy 100 miles long, and where broadest 40 

 or 50 miles, and it is very distinctly seen from the vicinity of Niti 

 pass extending in a N. Westerly direction to a great distance. We had 

 encamped at the foot of a mountain, the top of which was about 18,000 

 ft. above the sea, and which we had fixed upon as one of our survey 

 stations, our camp was at about 16,500 ft., which is I think very near 

 the limit of possibility for a permanent camp in this region. We 

 waited quietly here — the place is called Lanjar, — till the weather cleared 

 up, which it did in course of time. The Zungpun remained in camp 

 with his tail within a quarter of a mile of us, occasionally stirring us 

 up to go ; but he was not taken much notice of. The first fair day, 

 however, we went up the mountain and remained there the greater part 

 of two days and one night, during which the angles that were wanted 

 were taken and horary meteorological observations made for a period 

 of 24 hours, also of Magnetic Dip, &c. When this was done we 

 moved on to the Lung-yung hills to complete the triangulation that 

 was to fix the position of Kailas and Gurla. The Zungpun did wot 

 think it worth while to follow us, though we had, in reality, gone so 

 close to Daba and Dungpu, that he could not have prevented our 

 going to either place, if we had been so disposed; indeed it looked very 

 much as though his waiting till we moved was a mere pretence to 

 take in his own superiors. There can be little doubt that at the bot- 

 tom of all this non-interference with us, was the utter impossibility 

 of his doing any thing if he had wished it. At that time there were, I 

 believe, in Daba, more British subjects than Tibetans ; and although 

 there has hitherto been a sort of impression, that our people were afraid 

 of the Tibetan authorities, and therefore declined to take English tra- 

 vellers into Hundes, the result of this last expedition has been to prove 

 most satisfactorily to me that this is utterly unfounded. Indeed, the 

 whole of this part of Tibet is absolutely at the command of our Go- 

 vernment, for by stopping the export of grain across the frontier the 



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