SUMMARY:
Camped at Tobrang in the Bashiyang Valley, the party plans a seven-day stay, dismisses the coolies, and notes leech problems and severely disorganized mail. Pimbo goes to T'gong to investigate the missing mail, while the diarist spends the day birding near camp and reports Ahmed Sheikh’s quick recovery. Heavy Bhutan–Tibet barter traffic is observed, and plant collections are listed.

CONTENT:
business in the morning, when he put it on.
This place is by no means free of leeches. It was last year, but we had a dry spell here then. We have decided to put in seven days here & have dismissed the coolies, paying them 2 tankhas a day. Pimbo has gone off to T'gong to find out what has happened to our mail if he can. It is completely disorganised, & we are getting no mail up at all. It seems very doubtful whether any mail is reaching Kumarikhata either, which is a serious matter.

Bashiyang Valley.
Tobrang
Aug. 30
Osbeckia capitata 913
Crotalaria capitata 914
Selaginella chrysocaulos 915
Erythrina arborescens 916
Impatiens 918
Adenophora khasiana 920
Shuteria ferruginea 919
Apios carnea 921
Didymocarpus pulchra 923
Inula nervosa 924
Phytolacca acinosa 926

30th August. Halt Tobrang. Fine most of the day.
Spent the day looking for birds in the jungle close to camp. There are any number of good birds about, but they are extraordinarily difficult to get, owing to the thick undergrowth. Ahmed Sheikh made a very quick recovery, being perfectly all right again in the morning. At the moment all seem to be pretty fit. This is the time that all the barter is done between Tibet & Bhutan, & we have seen hundreds of Bhutanese going up to Tibet with cloth etc, & returning with Tibetan cloth & salt. Men & women both carry great loads which must be

SUMMARY:
The diarist halts at Dungkar, plans to cross the Rudo La, and writes to HH, Wangmoo, and Lhuntse about arrangements. Botanical notes mention a primula (18846) from Tim resembling earlier Lo La material and a likely Cochlearia (18847) previously seen in 1937 at Tang Chu, Central Bhutan. Yundru, servant of the Nyerchen Trepa, arrives from forced labour at Sam Choling monastery and is taken on permanently for the journey to Tomtem.

CONTENT:
I must now write to HH & give him the new programme, & to Wangmoo to say I will see her on the way, & to Lhuntse to say I want transport.

11th May. Halt Dungkar. Another fine day after rain at night, but only a little. It is nice to think that, all being well, we should be over the Rudo La before having to halt again. It would be nice to halt on the pass itself, but coolie difficulty makes that out of the question. Now there are five days to get through as best we may before anything of interest is likely to be seen. At Tim we got one interesting primula 18846, which will no doubt be put down as P. atrodentata, but which is more like one of the ones put aside last year for discussion, & which is like my 3636 from the Lo La. With the primula was one other plant 18847, which I have only seen once before, & that in Bhutan. I think it was number 3209, taken in Cent. Bhutan, Tang Chu, in 1937. I rather think that was probably a sp. nov. of Cochlearia but has not yet been named. Unfortunately there was but one specimen here to be found, & it, like the primula, had come down from a good deal higher, near 13-14000'.

Today the Nyerchen Trepa's servant, Yundru, arrived. He was one of the many forced labourers at Sam Choling monastery, the new monastery being built by Ashe Wangmoo where Tasho Haku died. One man per household from this area has to go, & has been there for months. I got him leave to get away from that, so as to come to Tomtem with me. Now we are in fact there, I have not been sure what to do, but decided to take him with us as permanent.

SUMMARY:
Notes describe worries about a Kutsap at Showa, poor birding and fatigue, and at Hall a hypsometer reading, Tsongpen’s trip to Gampo Ne, and pilgrims circling a boulder. Further notes list local crops and livestock with reliance on takin across the Po Tsangpo. On 27 Feb the party moved to Dzama with fine views of Namcha Barwa and the Gyala peaks, crossing the Adju La, with arrangements made by the Dingpon of Lome and a wild peach observed.

CONTENT:
to Kongbo out onto Showa, where he is afraid what will happen to him. The 'Kutsap' there apparently holds a wife of his as hostage. This doesn't make him feel any more friendly to the Tibetan official. We found no birds this afternoon, a disappointment after what we saw yesterday. Both of us feel very tired today.

25 Feb. Hall. Fine, but cloudy, with some sun. It rained hard last night, and was very misty this morning, but cleared considerably and looked as if it would clear altogether. Tsongpen went down to Gampo Ne today, but got little or nothing, just one rhodo which had been brought in yesterday. He took the hypsometer with him and got readings: - BP 203.0° F. Temp 48° F. (Ht = 4917') B and I looked for birds and saw very few indeed. There are interesting birds here, but there seem to be very few of them. No sign of any more quail. Nor have I found a skulker which I heard the first day - Horaites, I think. Tsongpen again saw a big green woodpecker with orange buff crest or mantle. There is a big flat, with a large boulder in the middle, round which pilgrims walk.

26th Feb. Hall. Rain again last night and clouded all day today, but just fine. We have got some wheat here, tsatse (millet) and onions. Indian corn is also grown and barley and buckwheat. There does not seem to be a great surplus of anything though. Crops are autumn sown, and are now 10" high. Peas are also autumn sown. A fair number of good cattle, with mithun blood, are kept, but I don't think are ever eaten. The locals depend on wild game, mostly takin, for meat. Takin seem plentiful on the other side of the Po Tsangpo on the left bank of the Tsangpo.

27th Feb. Dzama. Cleared up to a fine day. Views of the Namcha Barwa - Gyala peaks were quite magnificent again and lasted till we had passed the Adju La and got into the forest. All arrangements were well made by the Dingpon. I thought he was a Gyimpon, but he is Dingpon of Lome. A Dingpon has 4-6 gyimpons under him. The only interesting flower seen today was a peach, apparently wild, growing on the edge of a small clearing in the forest, with very fine

SUMMARY:
Travel from Gyetsa to Bumthang in rainy, misty weather with few notable plants collected and leeches troublesome. The diarist meets HH, discussing his health, former drinking, and his visit to holy water near Kurjey monastery; news includes Kapshopa Shape being locked up (said to be in Netang/Nechung) and reported trouble between the DL and the Tibetan Government. Dansey passes through the area and Dorji Llowden is expected shortly.

CONTENT:
was here. We got a few flowers again today, including a rather striking creeper 19664 which I don't ever remember having seen before. Leeches pretty bad. Dansey & Co passed through here rumoured to be in Bumthang today, I'm told.

31st August. Gyetsa. Heavy rain all night, but clearing up soon after we left. Mist much like the Yuto La, and then pretty clear and bright. Nothing of interest anywhere on the way. Here the country looks very pretty indeed, with the patches of bright pink here and there of the buckwheat crops.

1st September. Bumthang. Wet night, but just fine till we got here when there was quite a lot of sun. I sent a letter to HH to ask if I could come to see him today or tomorrow. He sent round to say he was coming today at 12.0 and he came. We had a pleasant talk, with the ever present difficulty of Urdu and Hindi. He seems in good form, but had again had a giddy fit on the way to Tongsa. I asked him today if he drank much, and he gave the answer "Not now. I used to when worried and depressed, but have given it up." He was quite frank about it, and I am sure truthful. HH was on his way to have a bathe in some very holy water just beyond Kurjey monastery which is supposed to be very good for one. Khampas take a lot of the water away with them when on pilgrimage from Kham. HH told me that Kapshopa Shape was very safely locked up. He said in Netang. I wonder if he means Nechung. He is said to be shut up in a small place where there is little more than room for himself. He also said there was some trouble between the DL and the Tib. Government. I should think that Kapshopa is at the bottom of it all. What surprises me is that they all seem surprised that Kapshopa should be locked up. A more patently crooked man it would be hard to find, always too nicely spoken. Dorji Llowden is coming the day after tomorrow. I'm glad to have tomorrow free as

SUMMARY:
Diary notes describe arrival at Gyantse after storms, a visit to Tering Raja, meeting Worth and Rajput officers, and mail issues, with B.31 sent to Calcutta on 21 September 1937. Subsequent days in Gyantse included social calls on the Kengchung, a good lunch, and tennis with Worth, Henlin, and Capel, with observations of local crops and a parnassius butterfly.

CONTENT:
99
barley & mustard crops - & peas
the barley being again nearly ripe. There are also peas. Saw nothing very interesting in the way of birds, but saw one parnassius. It was too lively & we failed to catch it.

17th September. GYANTSE. 16 miles. 13000'. Very heavy
B. 31. thunderstorm with hail all night & a lot of snow on the
Leaving camp ground when we left, very late, at 9.0 am. On our
at Gobshi. way in it was showery & we got rather soaked
once. Called in to see Tering Raja, the rightful ruler
of Sikkim, now banished here - a most delightful man.
Found Worth & two officers of Rajputs here - all very
kind. Also a really fine mail, but some of our
letters must have gone astray, as we miss some
parcels which must have reached here had our
letters not been lost.

B 31 sent from Gyantse 21.9.37 to Calcutta

Sept 19 - we at Gyantse
B. 31. finished 24th Sept. Gyantse. Last day in Gyantse. We could very
Chang girls well have done with less than a week here, as there has
in Gyantse: not been very much of interest to do. We called on the
view of Gyantse Kengchung & another day had lunch with him. He is
Dzong & country a cheery soul living in a monastery, but living better
round about. than one expects a monk to. He gave a most
B. 32. excellent meal - not too long with nothing forced on
Monastery Gyantse. his guests. Also played pretty bad tennis twice
Tibetan women. with Worth & Henlin & Capel. It was nice to have

SUMMARY:
Travel from Gyantse to Dochen via Phari and Tuna with notes on weather, flowering plants, and limited seed collecting. Transport disputes with local headmen lead to a bribe; Pangdatshang intervenes, the party meets Dorje Tsering, exchanges currency, attempts wildfowl hunting, and receives letters of introduction from Tsarong.

CONTENT:
21st October. Gyantse. Very fine day after three days of heavy rain. We are not taking any specimens yet, but only a few seeds here & there. Today there were several fine clumps of Gentiana amoena in full bloom. Besides these there are many of a sp. of small blue Swertia, some Asters, Cyananthus lobatus, the usual odd blooms of Rhod. cinnabarinum which always appear in October. The Headmen of Yatung lived up to their reputation. They will not supply transport at the rates laid down. We have transport from Kalimpong to Gyantse, & yesterday the headmen tried to stop it going beyond Yatung. However Pangdatshang ordered them to let us go without hindrance.

22 October. Phari. Very cold in the morning, with thin clouds. Cleared up later and was lovely. Met by Dorje Tsering this time. Exchanged rupees at 3.35 sangs per rupee. The only seeds collected were P. bellidifolia. I could not find P. tenella under the snow.

23rd October. Tuna. A clear but very cold day indeed until we reached Shabra Shubra, about 12.15. As usual we could not get off to time, even though we had our own through transport. Last night the Phari headmen demanded a bribe. We could take our own transport if we liked, they said: if we did then they would of course not supply any other sahibs. Rs 20 bribe paid that night. Saw no gazelle or game of any kind.

24 October. Dochen. Fine still. Went after duck & geese in the afternoon. Have seen but we could get near nothing. Got a large letter from Tsarong enclosing several letters to people on our way. These should be very useful later on. All are in Tibetan, so we have not been able to see yet who they are addressed to.

SUMMARY:
Records transport hire rates and payments for donkeys and ponies between Gyantse and points along the route, including a Rs 70 bribe to the Gyantse headman reportedly instigated by Samdup’s statement about rates. Notes exchanging Rs 10,000 through Sadutshang in Gyantse for 33,000 sangs tied to cotton cloth sales in Lhasa, and mentions seed collection.

CONTENT:
5

Paid from Gyantse at the rate of 6 sangs per pony - riding or pack, and 3 sangs per donkey. Our transport requirements were approx. 36 donkeys & 24 ponies or mules.

Changed Rs 10000/- through Sadutshang in Gyantse for 33,000 sangs all in 100 sang notes. This was in exchange for Rs 10000/- I paid Sadutshang's friends to buy cotton cloth to sell at Lhasa on my behalf. The cloth has not yet been sold. When it is, I expect to have a further sum paid to me, representing 50% of the profit due.

Pd. Gyantse to Nangartse sangs 738 for 36 donkeys & 23 ponies. We also had to pay Rs 70 bribe to the headman at Gyantse, whom Samdup had apparently told that our lamyig mentioned sangs 12 & 6 as the rate to be paid.

At Gobshi paid sangs 20

• Nangartse " " 30

Nangartse to Pede paid sangs 378 for 1 1/2 days march.
At Khamba Trombo pd " 213 - 1 - - Tramalung to K. Trombo.
Paid for kowas sangs 35 each from K. Trombo to Gongkar Dz.

Seed collected of In

SUMMARY:
The party halts in Gyantse amid bad weather, attends meals with local contacts, handles repairs and correspondence, and exchanges currency; they hear by wireless that Germany has invaded Austria. They then march to Gabshi, Ralung, and Nangartse with cold, snowy conditions over the Karo La, noting altitudes, distances, and a tidy visit to Williamson’s grave.

CONTENT:
genuine.

8th - 13th March. Halted in Gyantse. Rotten weather all week, with a gale of wind during the day, which raises a dust storm. We have seen a good deal of Tendong, who has been most helpful, getting us little concessions which make all the difference to our comfort ahead. Repairing shoes, kit and dealing with correspondence. On 13th March we heard on our wireless that Germany had invaded Austria - Lhasa !!

14th March. To Gabshi. 16 miles. alt. 13,700' approx. A fine morning, after two bad days in Gyantse when it snowed on all the hills round about. We stopped at Tering's house and had lunch and a good long talk. They are a nice family. Only the old pair, and Jimmie and his wife were there. When we came out, the day was rotten, very cold, clouded over, and remained so all day. Tents are cold but not too bad, as here the wind is not high. We are all very glad to get away from Gyantse, though everyone was very pleasant there. We all dined together on the 8th, and all lunched together at Tendong's on the 10th. Then we had Sunday supper again in the Mess our last evening. Richardson was most helpful and seems a nice man. The Doctor, Morgan, is more independent than any of the others, and we both liked him, as also Colbourne Hudson, the two B.O.'s. We changed Rs 4000/- into the new silver Tibetan rupee, at the rate of Rs 300/- = T.Rs 500/-. That added considerably to the weight of our kit, but it was better than changing to copper, where Rs 200/- would be a mule load. I saw the graveyard one day, just to have a look at Williamson's grave. It is all very tidy and neat.

15th March. To Ralung. 16 miles. alt. 14,300 ft approx. Pretty cold last night, though not windy. This morning was lovely, with very little wind as far as Ralung, by which time it had clouded over. We could see Ningsingkangsa, but only in a very flat light. Nothing of interest seen in bird line. We are living in a 'house' here. It is not clean, but not bad as they go, only a little draughty. Tomorrow with 32 miles to go, we must be up early.

16th March. To Nangartse. 32 miles. Snowed most of the night. Two inches lying, till well over the Karo La. Left at 6.0 am - without shaving - in at 5.0 pm. Kit in at 5.30 pm. In spite of the hard night, it was a lovely day, the sun coming out at 7.0 am and remaining bright all day.

SUMMARY:
Notes reference Kodachrome images of Chomolhari from south of Phari, hot springs, transport crossing the Kala Chu, and manis near Samodar. Kodachromes 1 and 2 were sent from Gyantse on 30/10/1946, and seeds (unnumbered) were sent to Taylor from Gyantse; taxa and collection localities are listed. A payment of Rs 250 was made to Bo at Gyantse for his son Sangye Tsering.

CONTENT:
3

Kodachrome 2. Chomolhari from S of Phari
" " N " hot springs.
Transport crossing Kala Chu.
Manis near Samodar.

Kodachrome 1 & 2 sent from Gyantse on 30. 10. 46.

Seeds sent to Taylor from Gyantse
without any number.

Primula obliqua. (2) Changu
Polygonum vaccinifolium "
Mec. villosa "
Mec. paniculata. "
Thalictrum chelidonifolia? "
Berberis sp. dwarf. "
Primula bellidifolia. Gautsa.
Euonymus sp. Changu.
Aconitum Ludlowi Sankang.

Paid to Bo at Gyantse for his son Sangye Tsering Rs 250/-.

SUMMARY:
Entries describe leaving frost-bound Gortsum after a storm, incentivizing the team to dig a large haul of lily bulbs (430 total) with little Meconopsis bella seed found, and reaching camp early. The next day at Dhur was a short march with collection of Notholirion macrophyllum bulbs and Thalictrum chelidonii seed, seed-drying and packing, games with companions, and Yundon sent to Shasjetang to collect more seed before rejoining at Kuji (Bumthang).

CONTENT:
5th October. Gortsum. Another lovely day. We were all anxious to be off this morning. It thundered last evening and rained and sleeted heavily, but cleared up about midnight and was sparkling and very cold indeed. My tent was thick with frost which we eventually thawed off by making 3 large fires and bringing the tent to them. It is a long march and we were anxious to get as many bulbs of the new lily as possible. So I offered Rs 1/- per 25 to Pasang, Yundru, Tupden and the man with a pony. On the word 'go' Yundru was down to it at once, the others were slower. When we had to stop, the result was Yundru 157, Pasang 123, Tupden and the pony man 75 each. So we have 430 bulbs, as well as a good deal of seed. I could find very little Mec. bella seed, although it was quite profuse in the same place, when in flower. We got in at 2.0 having walked very fast today. It is very very warm here to us, after those high camps, but I must say is rather pleasant for a change.

6th Oct. Dhur. A lovely day and a very short march. In at 8.30 am. We collected only two things on the way - bulbs of Notholirion macrophyllum and seed of Thalictrum chelidonii. I had a good day drying seed and packing things away, while everyone else washed clothes and bodies for our arrival tomorrow. By 2.30 I had finished work, so joined Ngudup, Namgyal, and HH's syce who had come out to meet me in a game of stone throwing, like we used to have with the high lama officials in Lhasa. From 2.30 till it was too dark to see at 5.45 we played without a pause, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yundon went on today to Shasjetang to get seed of four other trees and shrubs, and will join us in Kuji (Bumthang) tomorrow.