1^48.] Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, §c. 115 



Crossing a small Garh, Hangchu, which rises from the base 

 of Kelirong, we pass through Tala-Kawa, a hamlet of one or two 

 houses, the land cultivated by the Gunjials, for which they pay 

 rakam* to the Gurkhuli government. It is a very picturesque place, 

 with a pretty expanse of open fields bordered by copices of Pine, but the 

 corn, now under the sickle, is very poor looking stuff. Here the goose- 

 berry makes its appearance, by the Byansi Bhotias called Guldum* 

 which is also the Hunia name for the Bisehir grapes (and the 

 Apricot too) ; the Jwari name for the gooseberry is Sirgochi : also 

 the wild Apple Tree (Pyrus baccata) bearing a very small red crab, 

 no bigger than a wild cherry. Both of these fruits are quite worthless. 



The hamlet of Tala-Kawa, is a mile or two higher up, round the 

 corner, on the road to Lipu-Lekh, which here turns off to the right. 



Hereabouts we met a nondescript sort of person, late from Pruang, 

 a native of Lamjung, in western Nipal on the river Gandaki, called 

 also the Kali and the Saligrami. Below Lamjung is Betia, above it is 

 Shama, an Alpine district inhabited by Buddhist Bhotias, and communi- 

 cating by snowy Passes with Hundes, which is there, as here, level 

 table-land. This gentleman was not wanting in assurance, but could 

 give no very clear account of himself, or of the countries through which 

 he had travelled. He called himself a pilgrim, but looked more like 

 a " Chevalier d' industrie." With difficulty I extracted a few particles 

 of information from him ; he says that the two principal communica- 

 tions between Nipal and Hundes are by Kirong in the western, and 

 Nyanam in the eastern quarter, the former of which (also written Kee- 

 roo) is known to Indian Geography and is about north of Khatmaudu ; 

 and the latter should be either another name of Kuti, which is the 

 Lhassam frontier village on the road from Khatmandu to Digarcha, &c. 

 or else some place close beyond, that though I cannot find such a name 

 in any other authorties. From the " Geographical Notice of Tibet" (J. 

 A. S. No. 4, 1832) by Csoma de Koros, I afterwards found that My an- 

 am is the name of the district. These are frontier posts, commanding 

 the Passes of Nipal, each in charge of two Zungpun appointed from 

 Lhassa, and acting jointly like the Grapan of Gnari. Deba Phundu, 

 the late Zungpun of Pruang, is now gone to Kirong in the joint ofiice. 

 Kirong must be lower than Pruang, as it has trees and other signs of a 



* Revenue. 



Q 2 



