CHAPTER XXIX.
View of Himalaya from the Khasia—Great masses of snow—Chumulari—
Donkia—Grasses—Nnnklow—Bnrrampooter—Tropical forest—Bor-
panee—Rhododendrons—Wild elephants—Blocks of Syenite—Return
to Churra— August temperature—Leave for Chela—Birds—Habits
of leaf-insects—Curious village—Houses—Canoes—Boga-panee river
—Jheels—Chattuc—Churra—Leave for Jyntea hills—Trading parties
—Dried fish —Cherries — Cinnamon —Fraud—Nonkreem— Granite
boulders—Iron washing—Forges—Tanks—Siberian Nymphcea—Pom-
rang—Patchouli plant—Mooshye—Pitcher-plant—Joowye cultivation
and vegetation—Sulky hostess—Nurtiung—Sacred grove and gigantic
stone structures—Altars—Pyramids, &c.—Origin of names—Collections—
November vegetation.
T h e snowy Himalaya was not visible during our
first stay at Myrung, from the 5th to the 10th of
July; hut on three subsequent occasions, viz., 27th
and 28th of July, 13th to 17th October, and 22nd to
25th October, we saw these magnificent mountains,
and repeatedly took angular heights and bearings
of the principal peaks. The range, as seen from
the Khasia, does not form a continuous line of snowy
mountains, but the loftiest eminences are conspicuously
grouped into masses, whose position is probably
between the great rivers which rise far beyond them
and flow through Bhotan.
The most conspicuous group of snows seen from the
Khasia bears N.N.E. from Myrung, and consists of
three beautiful mountains with wide-spreading snowy
shoulders. These are distant (reckoning from west to
east) respectively 164, 170, and 172 miles from
Myrung.
I t is singular, that to the eastward of this group, no
snowy mountains are seen, and the lower Himalaya
also dip suddenly. This depression is no doubt partly
due to perspective; but as there is no such sudden
disappearance of the chain to the westward, it is far
more probable that the valley of the Soobansiri river,
which rises in Tibet far behind these peaks, is broad
and open; as is that of the Dihong, still farther east,
which we have every reason to believe is the Tibetan
Yaru or Burrampooter.
Far to the westward again, and distant 200 miles
from Myrung, is a very lofty peaked mountain bearing
N.N.W., apparently either Chumulari, or that great
peak which I saw due east from Bhomtso top, and
which I then estimated at ninety miles off and 23,500
feet high. Donkia, if seen, would be distant 230 miles
from the same spot in the Khasia, and Kinchinjunga
260 ; possibly they are visible (by refraction) from
Chillong, though even further from it.
The distance from Myrung to Nunklow is ten miles,
along an excellent road. The descent is at first
sudden, beyond which the country is undulating,
interspersed with jungle (of low trees, chiefly oaks)
and marshes, with much rice cultivation. Grasses are
exceedingly numerous; we gathered fifty kinds, besides
twenty sedges *. four were cultivated, namely sugar