1853.] Notes upon a Tour in the Sikkim HimalayaTi Mountains. 567 



up their hands in the attitude of prayer when they saw the water, 

 and remained in that position muttering to themselves for several 

 minutes. 



The Sirdar after showing us the cairn of stones erected by Cap- 

 tain C. T. G. Weston in 1822, (?) and having shown us the boun- 

 dary between Nepal and Sikkim, took his leave and returned home, 

 taking with him as presents a pair of scissors, a sharp scalpel, a pen- 

 knife, a quantity of gunpowder and shot, and a bottle of brandy. 



On the cairn of stones are three carved slabs of gneiss, the carv- 

 ings representing Boodh in the attitude of meditation, and several 

 other Hindoo gods and some very indistinct figures, none of which 

 were visible until I had destroyed, with boiling water, a very tough 

 and flat lichen, that had spread over the whole of the slabs. 



On a slab of flinty slate, we engraved our names and date of visit. 



The view looking into Nepal is extensive and very beautiful, the 

 spurs of almost all the mountains up to 5000 feet being much more 

 cleared and cultivated than those in Sikkim, bespeaking a denser 

 population. The grandeur of the view, looking back the way we 

 had come or to the east, can hardly be described in words. The 

 eastern snowy range was out in all its glory ; there was not a cloud 

 to obscure a single peak. Gipmochee 14,509 W. was bare of snow ; 

 Cholah 17,319 ~W. was covered with snow for about 1000 feet ; fur- 

 ther north all was one wintery scene of snow, and the lofty Chuma- 

 lari 23,929 W. distant 80 miles and far in Thibet, towered over all 

 the peaks in advance of him. I have given a slight sketch of this 

 mountain upon the accompanying map, as it appears from the Tum- 

 bok Pass. To the north, nothing was visible but the sharply pointed 

 and snowy peak, Nursing 19,139 W. distant 23 miles and covered 

 with perpetual snow, the higher crest of Singaleelah shutting out 

 our view to the north. 



The valley of the Kullait from its great depth appeared bathed in 

 a cobalt tinge ; Hee, Tendong and many other fine mountains seen 

 from Darjeeling were now seen in flank by us ; and on our right a 

 fine waterfall, the source of the Nyu, was dashing down the fir clad 

 Melida mountain which is 12,329 feet in height. 



Our tent was pitched upon a bed of geraniums in full flower, 

 thousands of whose pretty blossoms were trodden under foot. Gad- 



4 c 



