1830.1 
Visit to the Siccim Mountains. 
119 
west, where it is used for the same purpose. The bamboo is found in areat perfec- 
tion in these hills, and at a greater height than I should have supposed it could hear. 
It grows much thicker than the bamboo of Bengal, though not equal to the enor- 
mous bamboo of Martaban. The Lepchas, however, find their bamboo large 
enough to serve them instead of jars to keep a supply of water in their houses. 
They cut them into lengths of about five feet, and cut away, or otherwise remove 
the partitions at the knots. Such a bamboo will hold about three gallons. The 
shrubs and herbaceous plants seem to have a greater resemblance than the trees to 
the productions of the other mountains. The several species of Habits are found the 
same, amongst which I particularly remarked a herbaceous one, with shoots like 
the strawberry, which bears a raspberry of very tolerable flavour, and which, T am 
persuaded, would improve by cultivation. The wild strawberry is also found, from 
which I would infer that this fruit might be brought, by cultivation, to great perfec- 
tion here *, judging at least from the excellent specimens which ai-e every year pro- 
duced in the plains, — a climate certainly less congenial to it than one where it grows 
wild. Of flowers I only saw the violet, and one or two unimportant species ; but the 
season was not sufficiently advanced to entitle us to expect to see any i here is 
the same variety of ferns, mosses, lichens, and fungus, that we have t > the north- 
west ; and in this department of botany iny fellow traveller made an excellent 
collection. 
Our two days, — to which period we had limited our stay, — soon passed away, 
and, to our great disappointment, without any improvement in the cloudy state of 
the atmosphere. I was unable to determine even the latitude of the place, though 
provided with the means ; and the arrangements I had made for settling its longi- 
tude by chronometer became nugatory. What was still more mortifying, we could 
not get a fair view of the snowy range, or even of the high peak Ivanching-jinga, 
so as to take an azimuth and altitude, which with similar observations in the plains, 
combined with latitudes and the elevations of the two places by barometer, would 
have given the means of fixing the position and elevation of the peak within suffi- 
ciently narrow limits. The only observations made, were those of the barometer 
and of temperature. The former stood, on the 19th February, at 4 p.m. 23,056, 
Therm. 49,7 ; and on the 20th, at 4. r. M. 23,134 att. th. 47 det. th. 46- These 
observations being calculated, give 7134 and 2294 as the height of Darjiling; the 
mean is 7218, which cannot be very erroneous. The temperature, by a register 
thermometer, was each day minimum 39°, maximum 49*. 
On the 21st, finding the weather still unpromising, we determined to descend. 
With some difficulty we got a sufficient number of porters, for those we had brought 
from Samdong had there stipulated that they should be free to return from Darjil- 
ing. Some of them, however, were induced to accompany us, and the full number 
was made up by a few that had come in from the neighbourhood. It had been 
thought adviseable that we should return by another route, in order that we might 
be prepared to sav which was preferable. The route by the Sabbak pass, near the 
deboucke of the Tista river, was said to be the best, and by that we accordingly de- 
termined to return. 
Our first march was to Takdak, a small hamlet, the residence of a Lama, situat- 
ed in a north-easterly direction from Darjiling, and on the declivity ol the Gardan- 
kattar range. The first six miles was a very easy descent, the- road excellent, and 
the scenery far superior to any thing we had yet seen. The road was evidently a 
made one as far as Ging (about four miles ;) and so broad, and of so easy a descent, 
as to render this part of our march most agreeable. At Ging there is a small 
square building, surmounted by a pyramidal top, and called Giug-ehuten or Paspat- 
natb, but no other trace of the village which was once here. Two miles beyond 
Ging, the road which had led down the crest or back of the ridge, turns to the 
southward to descend to the bottom of the glen which separates the Darjiling 
ridge from that of Gardan-kattur. This part of the road is at first tolerable, but 
gradually gets worse, and finishes with so steep and difficult a descent, that except- 
ing there was little or no danger, I scarcely ever saw a worse. The that pait was 
well cleared, and was indeed altogether such a road as a person wou d tune tor 
pleasure ; but the latter part was through a thick jungle, in which the long and luxu- 
riant grass was particularly the source of much annoyance and difficulty. As we 
got near the bottom the heat was quite dreadful, we having left Darjiling about 
half past 9, and, therefore, had the hottest part of the day to get over the worst 
part of the road. Great was the satisfaction with which we at length dozened the 
beautiful stream that ran at the bottom of this most fatiguing descent, winch had 
occupied us an hour and three quarters. The mere sight of the watci, and t..e 
