1861.] 
Lticrai'i) and Miscellaneous Intelligence. 893' 
been very successful yet, and am here at the wrong time of the year 
for collecting. When the underwood is (annually) burned, it might 
be different.” 
Annexed is an extract from a letter dated 17th December, from 
Capt. E. Smyth to the President. There is clearly no difficulty to 
be apprehended from Chinese officials in traversing this part of Thi- 
bet. The “ watching” of the traveller here alluded to, is not observed 
with a view to impediment, and would probably be abandoned even 
as a precaution, could the traveller show the “ red chop.” It is to 
be hoped notwithstanding the late unfavourable reply to our Vice- 
roy’s application to Pekin, that the required passports will yet be 
obtained in the course of the ensuing year. 
Capt. S. is sending to our Museum some fine skins of Yak, Barral, 
Musk Deer and Thar in their winter coats. A subsequent letter gives 
the following dimensions for the Yak. 
“ The Yak is a good specimen though not so large as two I shot 
in 1S59, both of which were within an inch of eighteen hands. This 
skin was never pegged out and has of course shrunk very much. The 
dimensions of the animal which I took as well as I could when he 
was lying dead are as follows. 1 had only two men with me and we 
could not turn him over to measure him very correctly, but you may 
look upon the following as tolerably correct. I had a measuring 
tape with me : — 
Nose to between horns, 27 inches, girth round belly 8 feet. 
Circumference of do. 15 do. do. chest do. 
Length of do. 30 do. 
Prom horns to root of tail, 87 do. 
Length of tail, 40 do. 
Between eyes, 15 do. 
Height lOJ hands. 
“ I spent twenty days in Thibet in October, I crossed the pass on 
30th September, and returned by another pass on 21st October. For 
the first fifteen days, I met no one and could have gone half way to 
Lassa. I then sent to Daba for some things, and about twelve or 
fourteen men came out, as usual, to watch me. 1 heard that a pro- 
clamation had been issued at Lassa during the previous winter 
opening the country to all foreigners, but that it had been cancelled 
