542 Notes upon a Tour in the Sikkim Himalayan Mountains. No. (J. 



all separated by deep valleys, through which flow impetuous torrents, 

 and in one of which was visible the Great Rungeet pouring along 

 6,000 feet below us, form the most appropriate, because grand and 

 beautiful foreground to the lofty, and perpetually snow-covered 

 Himalayan, some of whose perpetually snow-covered peaks are only 

 thirty miles distant. The air was so pure that the distance appeared 

 reduced to five or six miles, and with a telescope rocks that had 

 been hurled down by earthquakes, were seen reposing upon the green 

 glaciers between Kunchinjinga and Pudeem mountains, doubtless 

 on their way to the Moraines at the foot of the glaciers. 



The descent from Darjeeling by the Tuqvor-spur to the little Run- 

 geet river, is by a good Government road, and can be ridden upon the 

 whole way down, which we did passing rapidly through the various 

 botanical regions, or through oak, chesnut, maple, olive, walnut, 

 birch, magnolia, to palms, tree-ferns, ratans : at 5,000 cultivation is 

 met with, comprising barley, wheat, maize, buckwheat, rice, &c. then 

 through Gordonia, pandanus, banian-trees, wormwood, twelve feet in 

 height, to the Little Rungeet river 1,996 feet above the sea, which we 

 reached in two hours and a quarter, having descended 5,169 feet. 



The forest at 6,000 is peculiarly beautiful ; the oaks, magnolias 

 and other large trees being covered with gigantic pothos, epyphitical 

 ferns, arums, and enormous creepers resembling ship's cables ; the 

 underwood consists of the tree-fern, some of which measure fifty 

 feet in height and fifteen feet in girth at the base of the stem. The 

 gracefulness of this botanical beauty can only be described by the 

 pencil not by words. 



Temperature of the air at Darjeeling 65° Faht. ; at the little 

 Rungeet at noon 89° ; at 2 p. m. 91° 50 r ; temperature of the water 71°. 



The little Rungeet which rises from the mountain Tongloo falls 

 into the great Rungeet, three miles further down, and is here crossed 

 by a substantial cane-bridge. The main chains supporting the 

 bridge are composed of five ratan-canes each ; the sides are of split 

 cane hanging from either main chain as loops, two feet apart and 

 three feet deep ; into these loops, the platform is laid composed of 

 three bamboos, the size of a man's arm, laid side to side ; the section 

 of the bridge resembling the letter V. ; in the angle or base of the 

 letter the traveller finds footing. This being a Government bridge 



