513 
3862 .] Notes of a trip from Simla to the Spiti Valley. 
given by Cunningham give a mean excess of *f- 781 feet over my deter¬ 
minations, and the Chomoriri Lake also as much as -f- 728 over what 
I make it. I am not so sure that the height of the pass is so much 
too low, as I am that the other heights are too high ; and the esti¬ 
mate of the pass made by gentlemen on the G. T. Survey whom I 
met, leads me to incline towards my own or the higher estimate : but 
as far as I can judge, Col. Cunningham’s observations of heights as 
compared with mine, exhibit an increasing proportionate difference 
from 17,000 ft.; this difference being — for all heights above 17,000 ft. 
and + for those below. The Parang pass, by me made 19,132 
ft., exhibiting the extreme difference of — 630 ft. ; whilst Lari, at 
10,845 ft., exhibits a gain of -f- 1,049 ft. according to Col. Cunningham. 
At the camping ground the Para river is already a considerable 
stream, spread over a wide channel in numerous small streams, some 
of which, however, at midday are over the knees, and the sheep and 
goats required to be unladen before crossing. 
14 th .— Camp on the Vara river , a few miles a.bove the mouth of the 
Chomoriri valley. Day'very inclement, rain and sleet falling and 
new snow whitening all the peaks around. Met large flocks of sheep 
and goats hurrying on towards the pass. The Para river receives 
three considerable tributaries from the eastward, in whose valleys 
thick deposits of old river gravel are seen, forming steep cliffs along 
the liver course, and fully one hundred feet thick. 
15 th.—Camp at South end of Chomoriri Lake, 14,272 ft. The 
temperature of the water was 56° 4', that of the air 51° and a stiff 
north-easterly wind. The waters of the lake are beautifully clear 
and pleasant tasted, though they are stated by the natives to be un¬ 
wholesome, which I think may possibly be the result of some super¬ 
stition. Col. Cunningham states that the lake has “ no outlet, and its 
waters are consequently brackish, although not very perceptibly so to 
the tasteV This question of an outlet to the lake is important, but 
not having read the above passage or being aware that others have 
stated the same thing, I did not ascertain if such was really the case. 
Any how I think that there can be no question that the lake has an 
ample outlet for its waters, though very probably not a visible one. 
Above Maui, a sort of small lake is found by a talus of gravel and 
rocky accumulation stretching across the valley and damming up the 
stream from the glacier; but considerable percolation is always going 
3 x 
