ISO Report of the Magnetic Survey of India. [No. 2. 



Ibi G-amin is the real Thibetan name for Kamet) ; we were met 

 there by some coolies from Mana, with provisions, some additional 

 instruments, &c. Ibi Gamin, which, seen from Gunschankoerr 

 over-towered all the Himalaya peaks, seemed to us to be one of the 

 most favorable mountains to ascend with the view of attaining some 

 considerable height. Furnished with axes, ropes and every thing 

 we wanted for the ice, we left our camp on the foot of the glacier 

 on the 16th of August. We were rather surprized to find that the 

 glacier was one of very considerable ascent ; it is an exceedingly 

 regular and very fine glacier, somewhat similar to the Aar glacier 

 in Switzerland, but considerably larger. Ibi Gamin seemed to 

 become more distant, the further we proceeded along the glacier, and 

 at last we discovered that the summit was situated in the most 

 remote corner, at its very source. For three days we went up 

 m short stages along the glacier, sleeping on the heaps of rocks, 

 " Moraines," which border it. On the third day, we encamped at 

 the very foot of the Ibi Gamin, at an elevation of 19,220 E. F., 

 where the glacier valley terminates. We had altogether fourteen 

 people with us ; instead of wood we were generally obliged to burn 

 a sort of grass called peaug (a species of Cherleria, if I am not 

 mistaken), which we found on the mountains near the lower parts 

 of the glacier. The night of the 18th had been very cold and 

 stormy, but the following morning was pretty clear ; we there- 

 fore went out at 8 o'clock to see how far we could get upon 

 Ibi Gamin. Only eight of our people were willing to accompany 

 us; the other hands got quite apathetic, saying that they and 

 we were all about to perish. We soon began to ascend over steep 

 snow, often crevassed, which covers the flanks of Ibi Gamin ; halting 

 frequently and making a very circuitous route in order to avoid 

 crevasses, or places which were too steep to climb, we rose gra- 

 dually higher. At last at 2 o'clock it became absolutely impossible 

 to go on any higher : two of our people had got sick and had 

 remained behind, and all the rest of us felt exceedingly tired 

 and exhausted, more so indeed than we had ever been before in 

 our lives. The view which we enjoyed was not very extensive ; 

 clouds had been constantly passing around us, but in the clear 

 intervals we had a very instructive view over the glacier masses and 



