312 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 4. 



and Bhairavathan, an admission in itself sufficient to render all his 

 evidence valueless. 



Having got this fixed idea, Mr. Hodgson next collected data for 

 Bhairavathan or Deodnngha indefinite in themselves, and which 

 might apply to any mountain peak within a considerable range, 

 including Mount Everest of course. On only one of these or rather 

 on a class of them, I think further comment necessary. 



The position of Mount Everest is connected with that of Gosain- 

 than as a known point ; but I have shown that name is not an 

 evidence of identity. Eurther, the position of Gosainthan given in 

 the Physical Geography of the Himalayas is not that generally 

 given even as regards Kathmandu. Thirdly, that the longitude of 

 Kathmaudu itself is uncertain to a small extent, and was so to a 

 great amount, till the identification of Col. Crawford's peaks with 

 ours, reduced the limit, all which tells on the position of Deodangha. 



On the whole, we have no evidence that Mr. Hodgson ever saw 

 Mount Everest, or that any one else ever recognised its pre- 

 eminent height, for contrary to Mr. Hodgson's repeated assump- 

 tions, it is demonstrably not a very conspicuous mass from a dis- 

 tance. There is a wide difference between the manner in which 

 the known names have been given and that in which it is proposed 

 to force this on us. All the points to which names have been given 

 are laid down by competent Surveyors under those names, in most 

 cases by some of the men who have fixed the final position. Deo- 

 dangha has never been so defined, and even on Mr. Hodgson's 

 showing the names may be those of passes or mountain masses, or 

 particular prominences. 



Mount Everest is the assigned name of a protuberance of no very 

 large extent, and it would be most unadvisable in my opinion to aban- 

 don this definite name, which will soon be familiar to every English 

 or European child, for one of the — to Europeans, — unpronounceable 

 names given by Mr. Hodgson, whose application is, to say the 

 least, extremely doubtful, and whose misapplication would cause 

 endless confusion. 



(Signed) J. E. Tennant, Lieut., J£ngrs. 



1st Asst. G. T. Survey. 



