cing summits, peak succeeding peak, and crag succeeding crag,
far as the eye could reach, from east to west a glittering chain, while
here and there the light clouds which hung upon its rocks and precipices
became thinned, till they vanished altogether, or, rising in denser
masses from some dark valley, obscured the lower portions of the range,
only to give relief to the summits and elevate them in appearance--an aid
they little needed, for the height of the lowest level of the chain is
upwards of 15,000 feet. But it was not the actual height of the various
peaks, nor the masses of glistening snow which clothed them, brightly
reflecting the rays of an almost vertical sun, and tinted by the most
brilliant hues, that was the chief cause of wonder and admiration. It
was the sharpness of the horizon-line against the serene clear sky which
displayed precipices and crags of inconceivable grandeur, the overhanging
peak looking down some thousands of feet upon the lower part of the
range. Had it been possible to calculate upon such a stupendous scale, I
felt I was gazing at sheer precipices 6000 or 8000 feet in depth, for the
descent from 25,000 to 15,000 feet was not gradual, but the whole line
was cragged and notched upon a scale of unsurpassable magnificence and
grandeur.

The Dawalogiri, the highest mountain in the world, and 28,700 feet above
the level of the sea, was as worthy a termination of the chain at one end
as its rival, the Kinchin Jung, was at the other; while not ten leagues
distant, and completely towering above me, the Gosain Than reared its
gigantic head, the third highest in this mighty barrier.

Turning from this marvellous scene, I looked down upon the placid valley
of Nepaul. Its four rivers appeared like silver threads, winding their
way amidst rich cultivation to swell the waters of the parent Bhagmutty.
Blooming and verdant, the populous plain lay embosomed in lofty
mountains, shut out as it were from the cares of the world. It seemed a
Paradise on earth, with an approach to heaven of its own along the summit
of the Gosain Than.

I viewed with interest a country on which European foot had never trod,
and my eye ranged over bleak hills enclosing fertile valleys, into which
torrents first flung themselves wildly, then, flowing sedately through to
the other end, dashed away again behind rocks and hills and jumbled
masses of broken country, which must have afforded magnificent scenery as
it graduall