180 
Some further particulars* 
£Ji/ne 
a farther advance, the most effectual of which was continual delay, so as to exhaust 
my provisions, of which I had no very great abundance, and time, of which I had 
still less. I was therefore forced to make up my mind to stopping short and 
collecting what information I could of the country from the very imperfect sources 
at hand. A good observation of the meridian altitude of the sun gave me the 
latitude of the house I occupied 26° 54' 34". There are four stockades at Ndgri, 
the centre and western of which are the most elevated, and garrisoned by our sepoys, 
The southern is held immediately for the Rajah by a Bhdtiah subakdar, and 
the eastern is occupied by the Cazi . Each of these is situated on the summit of 
as many eminences, which form the crest of the hill. The house I occupied was a 
little distant from the rest, on a separate rising ground. It was roofed and floored 
•with bamboos, split and opened out in the way previously described. The sides and 
partitions were made of mats,, and tolerably airtight and comfortable. There were 
two rooms, a closet, and a neat cheerful verandah to the south. The floor was raised 
about 14 foot from the ground— the ceiling black enough from the constant action 
of a wood fire, the smoke from which bad no other channel of escape than the door 
and windows, and was constantly precipitating flakes of black soot, very much in 
the most approved London style. The Bhbtiah commander of the Rajah's stock - 
ade, was gone to the Nepalese frontier, to take part in one of the usual negociations 
regaiding refugees, whom the tyranny of the government had driven to take sliel- 
ter amongst their most inveterate enemies the Goorkhas. The Sepoy subahdar had 
resided here fifteen months, and was able to give some little information, which 
could be verified by reference to the few Lepchas present, only one of whom, a lad 
named Loha Singh, could read and write. Every Lama resided at a distance, and 
indeed only once a year does one of that class make his appearance at Nagri, when 
he comes by the express order's of the Rajah to quiet the superstitious fears of the 
gamson, by appeasing all the bhut^hs in the neighbourhood. 
The Rajah's subjects consist of three tribes, the Lepclias, Limbos, and Bh6tiahs. 
, e . rs f ot tlie f e P revai1 in the southern parts, to the south of the Rinjit ; the Lim- 
10 s in the noi th- western, and the Bbotiahs in the north-eastern. They do not, how- 
ever, very strictly observe these limits, but are considerably intermixed. The Bho- 
t ias are held in the. highest esteem, the Lepclias in the lowest. These last arc a 
s 10 rt stout-made race, with very thick and strong legs — their complexion is light, 
ant ieir features iartar. Their dress consists of a sort of loose gown, which folds 
round them, and is secured by a girdle, in which is stuck a broad-pointed knife, 
° u 3 *° 0t - a , IK Ion .»> called a bhan, thrust into a kind of bamboo sheath, 
9“® s,de ’ Jf‘ eir hair is long, black, and very dirty, sometimes tied into a 
. ocinnd. home wear caps occasionally, ornamented with cock’s feathers, 
ne cloth of which their gowns are universally made, has once been whitish, with 
m ,CU ar S - tl!I l e8 - at long intervals. The cloth appears strong and well 
• „ and Uiey say 1S then- own manufacture ; but I had no opportunity of observ- 
; . n j anner ir j which it is prepared. They are very harmless, good natured, 
nC * lmi ue > ai J d use( * frequently to sit and stare during the taking of an obser- 
on or an y such process, but. went away very readily, if requested to go when 
an / troublesome. They have no prejudices of caste as to their food, 
iokes wirt! C ti hey Y 1 A? - 1Uy tlung but a horse or a monke y* The sepoys bandy 
pronensitv thev h ^ readlne f s to eat Goorkhas, but they declare the only 
Goorkah ° j n . that way is for the flesh of the J6n Pattri, a famous 
disposition to tlifS neigh ts“° rtal enemy_a joke iudicative of no very friendly 
certafn nf^.° nd V *7 77' t0 the IowIand *<™inddrs~ They possess a 
furnish a contingent ,l ^ es » descend to their posterity. In time of war they 
seems to erist Yn S ; >ld l iers > whom kad to battle themselves ; but there 
c&TlmonZ ti l T legU , lfirl y organized army, or gradation of rank. The chief 
The husbandrvVf theYlmf t - pHr exce ,en e e the Cdzi) resides on the Rinjit. 
plough or the S1 “i ple m , the extre “ e - They neither use the 
field anti as , -I * 7 d ? 1 he jungle on the spot they have selected for their 
cut Cl tr fC r SUn ; Pti0n * rice ’ whici 
their lioLes,Vhere i?re”nains e tm c7n S P mnptZ St Ther d r' tbe ," eilinS:S ° f 
S • C0tt0n ' and are their principal products for export. The 
