AREA VII.
HIMALAYA OF BHUTAN, SIKKIM, AND NEPAL.
Longitudinal, from east to west: from Bhutan in the direction of Darjiling, to the western border
of Nepal.
This area begins in the longitude of the upper end of the Assam valley, and
being continued to the left bank of the Kali-Sarju, or Grhogra river, it consequently
includes Bhutan, Sikkim, and Nepal, as well as the few isolated heights hitherto
measured to the north of the eastern Himalaya.
By far the greater number of the loftiest peaks as yet determined are situated
within these regions. Although Turner's visit to Bhutan in 1783 had called general
attention to the existence of heights till then unrivalled, it was only in 1816 that
Colebroke, then President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, could consider himself
authorized "to make an unreserved declaration of the opinion, that the Himalaya is
the loftiest range of Alpine mountains which has been yet noticed, its most elevated
peaks greatly exceeding the highest of the Andes."1
More recently, owing to the rapid progress of the Gr. T. S. under Sir A. Waugh,
many valuable determinations have been furnished for the Himalaya, and considerable
additions made to our knowledge of its eastern regions by the special labours of
Campbell, Hodgson, and Sherwill, and more particularly by the well known work of
Hooker.
In our division of the countries to be respectively examined by us, the eastern
Himalaya was allotted to Hermann. Both in Sikkim and Nepal many unexpected
difficulties, mostly of a political nature, frequently limited my choice of routes,2 and
Asiatic Researches, 1K1G, Vol. 12, p. 252.
2 See Vol. I., p. 16.
34*
HIMALAYA OF BHUTAN, SIKKIM, AND NEPAL.
Longitudinal, from east to west: from Bhutan in the direction of Darjiling, to the western border
of Nepal.
This area begins in the longitude of the upper end of the Assam valley, and
being continued to the left bank of the Kali-Sarju, or Grhogra river, it consequently
includes Bhutan, Sikkim, and Nepal, as well as the few isolated heights hitherto
measured to the north of the eastern Himalaya.
By far the greater number of the loftiest peaks as yet determined are situated
within these regions. Although Turner's visit to Bhutan in 1783 had called general
attention to the existence of heights till then unrivalled, it was only in 1816 that
Colebroke, then President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, could consider himself
authorized "to make an unreserved declaration of the opinion, that the Himalaya is
the loftiest range of Alpine mountains which has been yet noticed, its most elevated
peaks greatly exceeding the highest of the Andes."1
More recently, owing to the rapid progress of the Gr. T. S. under Sir A. Waugh,
many valuable determinations have been furnished for the Himalaya, and considerable
additions made to our knowledge of its eastern regions by the special labours of
Campbell, Hodgson, and Sherwill, and more particularly by the well known work of
Hooker.
In our division of the countries to be respectively examined by us, the eastern
Himalaya was allotted to Hermann. Both in Sikkim and Nepal many unexpected
difficulties, mostly of a political nature, frequently limited my choice of routes,2 and
Asiatic Researches, 1K1G, Vol. 12, p. 252.
2 See Vol. I., p. 16.
34*