1856.] Report of the Magnetic Survey of India. 129 



pleasure of finding ourselves in the Indus valley, some miles above 

 Gartok. 



From a little hill on the left side of the valley we had an excel- 

 lent view over the large valley, and over the mountain ranges which 

 border it to the .North-east, and we were able to take numerous 

 angles with our theodolites, and to make some drawings. On the 

 28th we went on to the Indus river itself, and after taking altitudes 

 of the sun, &c, were obliged by the most absolute want of provi- 

 sions to return without delay along the usual route to our camp on 

 the Southern side of Chako La, which we only reached late at 

 night. The next day, the 29th, we went out over Chako La again 

 with fresh horses, to one of the peaks of this mountain range, Guns- 

 chankoerr, which from its isolated position and somewhat consider- 

 able height (19,610 E, F.) promised to be a good station for study- 

 ing the orography of the surrounding country. The view which we 

 had from the top of the mountain was really magnificent. To the 

 North we had high snowy mountain ranges from East of Kailas 

 along the Indus valley far beyond the confluence of the two great 

 branches of the Indus ; right at our feet we saw the great plain of 

 the two Sacred Thibetan Lakes (the water itself was only visible in 

 a few small patches) and the pass which separates the Sutlej from 

 the Brahmaputra. To the South the Himalaya was visible from 

 distant snowy peaks in Nepal far East of the Brahmaputra pass, 

 over Gurla Gumin beyond the high peaks of Bessez, Koenower and 

 Spiti. On the 30th we returned to the Sutlej, and from thence we 

 went by Gyungal and Daba to Mangnang. By degrees we had now 

 got upon a very friendly footing with the Thibetans, and they even 

 allowed us to go into the villages of Gyungal and Mangnang. In 

 the latter place they have a fine temple and some high poplar trees. 

 They showed us the interior of the temple, gave us some books, &c, 

 and contantly expressed their surprise that we were not half so bad 

 a set of people as their Lhassa rulers wanted to make them believe 

 all Europeans to be. We bad also taught our Kuchop, or Thibetan 

 chuprassie, what the real duties of a good chuprassie were ; and he 

 went every day to considerable distances to procure fresh milk, 

 sheep, &c. from the shepherds. From Mangnang we proceeded 

 Southwards to the foot of the great Ibi Gamin glacier (Gamin or 



a 



