and thence—still running west—dip to 18,500 feet,
forming the Donkia pass, beyond which they rise again
as the great mural mass of Kinchinjhow. This girdle
of mountains encloses the head waters of the Lachoong,
which rises in countless streams from its perpetual
snows, glaciers, and small lakes: its northern drainage
is to the Cholamoo lakes in T ib e t; in which is the
source of the Lachen, which flows round the north base
of Kinchinjhow to Kongra Lama.
The Lachoong is here twelve or fifteen yards wide,
and runs over a pebbly bed, cutting a shallow channel
down to the subjacent rock, which is in some cases
scooped out six or eight feet deep by its waters.
On our arrival, we found that a party of buxom,
goodnatured looking girls who were tending yaks, were
occupying the hut, which, however, they cheerfully
gave up to my people, spreading a black tent close
by for themselves ; and next morning they set off
with all their effects packed upon the yaks. The
spot appearing highly favourable for observations, I
determined to remain here during the equinoctial
month, and put my people on “ two-thirds allowance,”
i. e., four pounds of rice daily for three men, allowing
them to send down the valley for what more they
could get. The Singtam Soubah was intensely disgusted
with my determination: he accompanied me
next day to the pass, and having exhausted his persuasions,
threats, and warnings, about snow, wind,
robbers, starvation, and Tibetan sepoys, departed on
the 12th for Yeumtong, leaving me truly happy for
the first time since quitting Doijiling. I had now a
prospect of uninterruptedly following up my pursuits
at an elevation little below that of Mont Blanc,
surrounded by the loftiest mountains, and perhaps the
vastest glaciers on the globe ; my instruments were in
perfect order, and I saw around me a curious and
varied flora.
The morning of the 9th of September promised fair,
though billowy clouds were rapidly ascending the
valley. To the eastward my attention was attracted
by a double rainbow; the upper was an arch of the
usual form, and the lower was the curved illuminated
edge of a bank of cumulus, with the orange hues
below. I took the path to the Donkia pass, fording
the river, and ascending in a north-east direction,
along the foot of stony hills that rise at a gradual
slope to broad unsnowed ridges, 18,000 to 19,000 feet
high. Shallow valleys, glacier-bound at their upper
extremities, descend from the still loftier rearward
mountains; and in these occur lakes. About five
miles up, a broad opening on the west leads to Tomo
Chamo, as the eastern summit of Kinchinjhow is called.
Above this the valley expands very much, and is stony
and desert : stupendous mountains rear themselves on
all sides, and the desolation and grandeur of the
scene are unequalled in my experience.
I passed several shallow lakes at 17,500 feet; their
hanks were green and marshy, and supported thirty
or forty kinds of plants. I collected in the dry bed
of a stream a curious white substance like thick felt,
formed of felspathic silt (no doubt the product of
glacial streams) and the siliceous cells of infusoriæ