1862.] 
531 
Literary Intelligence , Sfc. 
tent or fire-wood near the top of the pass. When I awoke next 
morning at two, I found myself covered with snow, as it had snowed 
all night, hut I did not feel the cold in the slightest, being wrapped 
in a suit of Canadian furs I had sent to me from England. I met 
about twenty Tartars at the foot of the pass on the Thibet side. I 
had made no secret of my intention of going from here forty or fifty 
miles eastward to our district of Byause, then re-crossing the Byause 
pass into Thibet and going eighty miles westward through Thibet to 
the Niti pass. These Tartars had accordingly been sent to stop me, 
so next day, I halted and shot four fat burral, and gave them one. 
When they had eaten it, I sent for them, and after a good deal of 
talking and tobacco smoking I had it all arranged to my satisfaction. 
I could have forced them easily enough, but it was better policy to 
manage the thing peaceably. At Byause, I received your last letter 
containing a list of desiderata for the museum from Mr. Blyth. I 
have had very little sporting since I received your note, but I have 
managed to procure a few of the things mentioned in the list, and 
will send them on my arrival at Almorah after the Bagesur fair in 
January, and I will at the same time send your birds, and as many 
more as I can procure between now and then. 
From Niti I crossed a very high and seldom used pass between 
Niti and Budrinath. It is about 18,000 feet and being within reach 
of the rainy season, there is much more snow and glacier than on tho 
passes leading into Thibet. We mistook our way and had to bivouac 
on some rocks close to the top of the pass without food, water or 
fire-wood, and where there was not room to lie down, on the face of 
a sheer precipice. Here we had to remain squatted until 10 a. m. 
next day when the sun made its appearance, as the rocks were too 
cold to touch with our hands. The thermometer all night and until 
10 A. M. next day remained at 10°. I had only two loads with me. 
I did not feel the cold at all, and slept all night in a sitting posture, 
but all the men with me I am sorry to say suffered. Some were sick 
all night, and three men had their feet frost-bitten more or less, only 
one at all severely. This was on 1st November, which is very late 
for crossing a high glacier pass. No European had ever crossed the 
pass before. 
If the Government allow Stewart and me to go, I will send you a 
sketch of the plan by which I propose to reach Lhassa. We may per- 
3 z 2 
