332 Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, fyc. [Sept. 



from the skill of the Ruddukh-pa, in combing it out without shearing 

 the fleece ; in Gugi and Pruang, where this article forms a small, and 

 that illict, fraction of their trade, the people are content to shear it 

 along with the hair, from which it is afterwards picked with much 

 trouble. Of late a few Bisehir people have been taking a little Pashm, 

 (twenty or thirty cooly loads yearly) through Pruang by Humla and 

 Jumla to Baimj, i. e. Baraich, in north-eastern Oude (formerly a flour- 

 ishing town and mart of importance), whence merchants buy and take 

 it to Lucknow, and it is there disposed of to one or two Cashmiri Shawl 

 weavers, who have lately settled in the city. 



Informant thinks that if there were any steady and remunerative 

 demand for the Pashm in Kumaon and, Gurwal, it would not fail to 

 find its way across the frontier, notwithstanding the Ladak monopoly ; 

 for the Lhassan authorities in Gnari, are not incorruptible (except in 

 matters of foreign intercourse), and have no other agency for effecting 

 the prohibition than the people themselves, who are interested in evad- 

 ing it, most of them having flocks which produce the shawl wool, but 

 no manufacture that can render it worth keeping in their own hands. 

 Moorcroft in 1812, found the Garpan themselves ready to dabble in 

 the contraband traffic, and they are known to do the same to this day. 



The Nipalese have little intercourse with Gnari : being ignorant of 

 shawl manfactures, they have no demand for the staple product, Pashm, 

 and for every thing else, they have as good and better markets on their 

 own frontier, and especially in U-Chang, to the eastward. A few of 

 the Gorkhas visit Gangri on pilgrimage, but they seem to be prohibit- 

 ed from mercantile traffic with Gartokh. Of the western districts (as 

 already mentioned), Bung and Marma have a small trade with Pruang 

 through Byans, and Bazinjia by Dhuli. 



The Gorkhas pay tribute to China, their Vakil taking it all, or part 

 of the way to Peking, probably to Lhassa only, every third year ; the 

 payment is nominal, being usually equalled or exceeded by the value of 

 presents given in return by the Chinese to Nipal ; but it is doubtless 

 still understood as an acknowledgment of the imperial supremacy. 



The Hurnla pass, following the opening made through the snowy 

 range by the valley of the Karnali, is very much easier than any of 

 the other routes, in the British Himalayan frontier at least, though in 

 the middle of winter, the higher parts of this road are of course dif- 



