228 



BOOTAN. 



some importance, its condition shows the barrenness of the country. 

 The Rajah's house is a large one, apparently consisting of a quadrangle 

 with an elevated story. News arrived yesterday to the effect that 

 tumults still prevailed : the Deb it was said had been deposed by 

 treachery : that a new one had been permanently appointed : but that 

 the usurper did not wish us to come on. Tongsa, however, said that 

 after we have come so far, we should advance, and that we may settle 

 our plans at his place. 



February 5th. — Left : descended immediately from the town to the 

 bridge over the Monass. The descent is steep but winding, the face of 

 the hill being nearly precipitous. Close to the river we passed a small 

 field of Cajanus, used for feeding the lac insect. The bridge is a 

 suspension one, the chains, one on either side, being of iron in square 

 links the curve is considerable, in the form of the letter V, the sides 

 being of mat. Hence it is difficult to cross, and this is increased by 

 the bridge swinging about considerably : it is seventy yards in span, 

 and about thirty above the Monass. 



The Monass is 1,300 feet below Benka, it is a large river, the' 

 banks being about eighty yards apart, but this space is not generally 

 filled with water. Its violence is extreme. 



We continued along this river some time, gradually rising from 

 its bed until we ascended nearly 1,000 feet. We continued at this 

 elevation until we reached Nulka, to which place we descended a 

 little. The whole march was through a barren, rocky, burnt up coun- 

 try. The Monass was in sight nearly the whole distance. Passed two 

 villages, both small, one on the right and one on the left bank of 

 the river. No change in vegetation occurred except that we came 

 upon pines, P. longifolia about a mile and a half from Nulka, coming 

 into flower. I am almost inclined to think this is different from the 

 Khasya species, Kurrimia, Indigofera pulchra, Desmodium, Buddleia 

 sp., were the only plants of a novel nature that occurred. The hills 

 are chiefly clothed with Andropogoneous grasses, very little cultiva- 

 tion was observed, but there seemed to be more on high hills to the 

 east. 



