Himalayan Journals, vol 2 by J. D. Hooker (android pdf ebook reader TXT) 📕

The mean temperature of Lamteng (about 50 degrees) is that of the

isothermal which passes through Britain in lat. 52 degrees, and east Europe in lat. 48 degrees, cutting the parallel of 45 degrees in

Siberia (due north of Lamteng itself), descending to lat. 42 degrees on the east coast of Asia, ascending to lat. 48 degrees on the west of America, and descending to that of New York in the United States.

This mean temperature is considerably increased by descending to the bed of the Lachen at 8000 feet, and diminished by ascending Tukcham to 14,000 feet, which gives a range of 6000 feet of elevation, and 20

degrees of mean temperature. But as the climate and vegetation become arctic at 12,000 feet, it will be as well to confine my observations to the flora of 7000 to 10,000 feet; of the mean temperature, namely, between 53 degrees and 43 degrees, the isothermal lines corresponding to which embrace, on the surface of the globe, at the level of the

sea, a space varying in different meridians from three to twelve

degrees of latitude.* [On the west coast of Europe, where the

distance between these isothermal lines is greatest, this belt

extends almost from Stockholm and the Shetlands to Paris.] At first sight it appears incredible that such a limited area, buried in the depths of the Himalaya, should present nearly all the types of the

flora of the north temperate zone; not only, however, is this the

case, but space is also found at Lamteng for the intercalation of

types of a Malayan flora, otherwise wholly foreign to the north

temperate region.

A few examples will show this. Amongst trees the Conifers are

conspicuous at Lamteng, and all are of genera typical both of Europe and North America: namely, silver fir, spruce, larch, and juniper,

besides the yew: there are also species of birch, alder, ash, apple, oak, willow, cherry, bird-cherry, mountain-ash, thorn, walnut, hazel, maple, poplar, ivy, holly, Andromeda, Rhamnus. Of bushes; rose,

berberry, bramble, rhododendron, elder, cornel, willow, honeysuckle, currant, Spiraea, Viburnum, Cotoneaster, Hippophae. Herbaceous

plants* [As an example, the ground about my tent was covered with

grasses and sedges, amongst which grew primroses, thistles,

speedwell, wild leeks, _Arum, Convallaria, Callitriche, Oxalis,

Ranunculus, Potentilla, Orchis, Chaerophyllum, Galium, Paris,_ and

Anagallis; besides cultivated weeds of shepherd's-purse, dock,

mustard, Mithridate cress, radish, turnip, Thlaspi arvense, and

Poa annua.] are far too numerous to be enumerated, as a list would include most of the common genera of European and North American

plants.

Of North American genera, not found in Europe, were _Buddleia,

Podophyllum, Magnolia, Sassafras? Tetranthera, Hydrangea, Diclytra, Aralia, Panax, Symplocos, Trillium, and _Clintonia. The absence of heaths is also equally a feature in the flora of North America.

Of European genera, not found in North America, the Lachen valley has Coriaria, Hypecoum, and various Cruciferae. The Japanese and

Chinese floras are represented in Sikkim by _Camellia, Deutzia,

Stachyurus, Aucuba, Helwingia, Stauntonia, Hydrangea, Skimmia, Eurya, Anthogonium, and _Enkianthus. The Malayan by Magnolias, Talauma,

many vacciniums and rhododendrons, Kadsura, Goughia, Marlea, both coriaceous and deciduous-leaved _Caelogyne, Oberonia, Cyrtosia,

Calanthe, and other orchids; _Ceropegia, Parochetus, Balanophora,

and many Scitamineae; and amongst trees, by _Engelhardtia,

Goughia,_ and various laurels.

Shortly after my arrival at Lamteng, the villagers sent to request

that I would not shoot, as they said it brought on excessive rain,*

[In Griffith's narrative of "Pemberton's Mission to Bhotan"

("Posthumous Papers, Journal," p. 283), it is mentioned that the

Gylongs (Lamas) attributed a violent storm to the members of the

mission shooting birds.] and consequent damage to the crops.

My necessities did not admit of my complying with their wish unless I could procure food by other means; and I at first paid no attention to their request. The people, however, became urgent, and the

Choongtam Lama giving his high authority to the superstition, it

appeared impolitic to resist their earnest supplication; though I was well aware that the story was trumped up by the Lama for the purpose of forcing me to return. I yielded on the promise of provisions being supplied from the village, which was done to a limited extent; and I was enabled to hold out till more arrived from Dorjiling, now, owing to the state of the roads, at the distance of twenty days' march.

The people were always civil and kind: there was no concealing the

fact that the orders were stringent, prohibiting my party being

supplied with food, but many of the villagers sought opportunities by night of replenishing my stores. Superstitious and timorous, they

regard a doctor with great veneration; and when to that is added his power of writing, drawing, and painting, their admiration knows no

bounds: they flocked round my tent all day, scratching their ears,

lolling out their tongues, making a clucking noise, smiling, and

timidly peeping over my shoulder, but flying in alarm when my little dog resented their familiarity by snapping at their legs. The men

spend the whole day in loitering about, smoking and spinning wool:

the women in active duties; a few were engaged in drying the leaves of a shrub (Symplocos) for the Tibet market, which are used as a

yellow dye; whilst, occasionally, a man might be seen cutting a spoon or a yak-saddle out of rhododendron wood.

During my stay at Lamteng, the weather was all but uniformly cloudy and misty, with drizzling rain, and a southerly, or up-valley wind, during the day, which changed to an easterly one at night:

occasionally distant thunder was heard. My rain-gauges showed very

little rain compared with what fell at Dorjiling during the same

period; the clouds were thin, both sun and moon shining through them, without, however, the former warming the soil: hence my tent was

constantly wet, nor did I once sleep in a dry bed till the 1st of

June, which ushered in the month with a brilliant sunny day. At night it generally rained in torrents, and the roar of landslips and

avalanches was then all but uninterrupted for hour after hour:

sometimes it was a rumble, at others a harsh grating sound, and often accompanied with the crashing of immense timber-trees, or the murmur of the distant snowy avalanches. The amount of denudation by

atmospheric causes is here quite incalculable; and I feel satisfied that the violence of the river at this particular part of its course (where it traverses those parts of the valleys which are most snowy and rainy), is proximately due to impediments thus accumulated in

its bed.

It was sometimes clear at sunrise, and I made many ascents of

Tukcham, hoping for a view of the mountains towards the passes; but I was only successful on one occasion, when I saw the table top of

Kinchinjhow, the most remarkable, and one of the most distant peaks of dazzling snow which is seen from Dorjiling, and which, I was told, is far beyond Sikkim, in Tibet.* [Such, however, is not the case;

Kinchinjhow is on the frontier of Sikkim, though a considerable

distance behind the most snowy of the Sikkim mountains.] I kept up a constant intercourse with Choongtam, sending my plants thither to be dried, and gradually reducing my party as our necessities urged my so doing; lastly, I sent back the shooters, who had procured very

little, and whose occupation was now gone.

On the 2nd of June, I received the bad news that a large party of

coolies had been sent from Dorjiling with rice, but that being unable or afraid to pass the landslips, they had returned: we had now no

food except a kid, a few handfuls of flour, and some potatos, which had been sent up from Choongtam. All my endeavours to gain

information respecting the distance and position of the frontier were unavailing; probably, indeed, the Lama and Phipun (or chief man of

the village), were the only persons who knew; the villagers calling all the lofty pastures a few marches beyond Lamteng "Bhote" or

"Cheen" (Tibet). Dr. Campbell had procured for me information by

which I might recognise the frontier were I once on it; but no

description could enable me to find my way in a country so rugged and forest-clad, through tortuous and perpetually forking valleys, along often obliterated paths, and under cloud and rain. To these

difficulties must be added the deception of the rulers, and the fact (of which I was not then aware), that the Tibet frontier was formerly at Choongtam; but from the Lepchas constantly harassing the Tibetans, the latter, after the establishment of the Chinese rule over their

country, retreated first to Zemu Samdong, a few hours walk above

Lamteng, then to Tallum Samdong, 2000 feet higher; and, lastly, to

Kongra Lama, 16,000 feet up the west flank of Kinchinjhow.

On the third of June I took a small party, with my tent, and such

provisions as I had, to explore up the river. On hearing of my

intention, the Phipun volunteered to take me to the frontier, which he said was only two hours distant, at Zemu Samdong, where the Lachen receives the Zemu river from the westward: this I knew must be false, but I accepted his services, and we started, accompanied by a large body of villagers, who eagerly gathered plants for me along the road.

The scenery is very pretty; the path crosses extensive and dangerous landslips, or runs through fine woods of spruce and _Abies

Brunoniana, and afterwards along the river-banks, which are fringed with willow (called "Lama"), and _Hippophae. The great red rose

(Rosa macrophylla), one of the most beautiful Himalayan plants,

whose single flowers are as large as the palm of the hand, was

blossoming, while golden Potentillas and purple primroses flowered by the stream, and Pyrola in the fir-woods.

Just above the fork of the valley, a wooden bridge (Samdong) crosses the Zemu, which was pointed out to me as the frontier, and I was

entreated to respect two sticks and a piece of worsted stretched

across it; this I thought too ridiculous, so as my followers halted on one side, I went on the bridge, threw the sticks into the stream, crossed, and asked the Phipun to follow; the people laughed, and came over: he then told me that he had authority to permit of my

botanising there, but that I was in Cheen, and that he would show me the guard-house to prove the truth of his statement. He accordingly led me up a steep bank to an extensive broad flat, several hundred

feet above the river, and forming a triangular base to the great spur which, rising steeply behind, divides the valley. This flat was

marshy and covered with grass; and buried in the jungle were several ruined stone houses, with thick walls pierced with loopholes: these had no doubt been occupied by Tibetans at the time when this was

the frontier.

The elevation which I had attained (that of the river being 8,970

feet) being excellent for botanising, I camped; and the villagers,

contented with the supposed success of their strategy, returned to

Lamteng.

My guide from the Durbar had staid behind at Lainteng, and though

Meepo and all my men well knew that this was not the frontier, they were ignorant as to its true position, nor could we even ascertain

which of the rivers was the Lachen.* [The eastern afterwards proved to be the Lachen.] The only routes I possessed indicated two paths

northwards from Lamteng, neither crossing a river: and I therefore

thought it best to remain at Zemu Samdong till provisions should

arrive. I accordingly halted for three days, collecting many new and beautiful plants, and exploring the roads, of which five (paths or

yak-tracks) diverged from this point, one on