1830 ,] 
Visit to the Siccbn Mountains. 
93 
the path leads through a bamboo forest, occasionally ascending, occasionally descend- 
ing to a stream, whence there is a small descent to Dimali G61a ; where we arrived 
in a heavy shower of rain. This is one of the stations where the mountaineers 
barter their manjit for the good things of the plains or for money: we had there- 
fore a pretty full meeting to stare at and welcome us. The j~madar, as they call 
the officer or head man who is here on the part ol' the Raja, cleared out a house 
for us, and we soon found ourselves very comfortably settled. 
This was my first interview with the Lepchas, and I saw immediately that they 
were the same people whom I had met with at Nialang, at Jalmabbi, at Shipci on the 
Satlej, in Hangarang, and at Lari in Lariac. They are in fact the people who have 
been erroneously called Chinese Tartars, and are in reality of the same race as the 
Thibetians, being a family of the great division of Eleuth Tartars or Calm ucs. Yet 
the Lepchas distinguish between themselves and the Bhotiahs or Thibetians, and the 
languages, though resembling each other sufficiently, have yet a difference. I ima- 
gine however this distinction to be rather that of the new and old settler, and the 
difference of the languages to have originated in the same circumstance. There is 
certainly not the least difference in their appearance, or manner, or character, as 
far as we could see into it, or habits, or prejudices, and their religious worship is 
actually the same. 
The peculiarity of feature that marks this race is very striking. A broad, flat 
face; the nose little elevated, but with expanded nostrils; the eyes small and set 
obliquely in the head, the inner angle being depressed ; a rather large mouth, but 
with thin lips ; and a great deficiency of heard ; form the elements of a counte- 
nance, which though it cannot, according to European notions, be pronounced hand- 
some, is yet often, from the expression of intelligence and good humour that dis- 
tinguishes it, more prepossessing than the regular features of the Hindustani. 
Their character answers to their looks : they are cheerful, frank, full of curiosity ; 
bold, yet not presuming in their address ; and to all this is added a simplicity of 
manner, as well as of feeling, that must render them favourites with Europeans. Their 
curiosity was not to be satisfied ; they crowded around us, while we were dressing, 
and what seemed greatly to interest them was the process of removing the beard, 
a part of the human face divine, which requires little trimining with them. That 
little is effected by plucking it out by the roots in most cases, and the few who cul- 
tivate it are not improved in their appearance, as it is so very scanty. Our teles- 
copes attracted much attention, as did a pocket compass, and a watch ; the latter 
being held at a distance, and a long stick touching it, brought in contact with the 
ear of one of them, lie seemed greatly delighted, and called out to his companions 
that it said tick, tick, tick ! using the very word that we do to express the sound. 
The Lepchas are able bodied men — they are short square thick-set muscular 
looking figures. One of them will carry as much as two Bengalis, and this without 
grumbling or complaint. Their legs exhibit proportions which might do honour to 
an Irish coalheaver or chairman. Their complexion is of a lighter tint than that 
of the Hindustani, or rather would be, could they he persuaded to remove the 
thick coat of dirt that obscures it. This leads me to notice their only fault ; at 
least the only one we could discover in our short acquaintance with them. I mean 
their excessive filthiness ; and this is such as to surpass belief. Notwithstanding 
this drawback, many of them appear remarkably fair, and exhibit considerable co- 
lour. They all, men and women, allow their hair to grow, some wearing it loose 
on the neck, others plaiting it into a tail which hangs down behind, and to the end 
of which cowries are often attached. The dress of the two sexes is precisely the 
same. These circumstances of the similarity of the hair and dress, added to their 
smooth faces and want of beard, give the men a very effeminate appearance, and 
several of them were constantly mistaken by us for women — the voice alone ena- 
bling us to distinguish. 
The rocks in this day’s journey were gneiss, apparently dipping to north-west, and 
lying at an inclination of 45. In the bed of the river it continued of the argillace- 
ous type, hut on Jamdari Ghat it consisted of the ordinary ingredients, the 
felspar being reddish. 
On the 1 7th we left Dimali G61a for Saradong. The road descends through a 
bamboo forest to the river’s bed, in which it proceeds, crossing it by a bridge formed 
of a single bamboo, with another to hold by. A little beyond this, at a place called Gul- 
gulia-muni, the river is collected in a deep and extensive pool overhung by a lofty 
precipice, which even towards noon keeps the spot in shade. Here appears to 
reign always a cool and refreshing air — too cold indeed; for heated as we were with 
our walk, the breeze from the pool chilled us. The precipice is of great height and 
