A Journey into the Interior of Ashanti

Abstract

them to understand what they saw, and to bring back an account of what they had done which would really add to the stock of valuable knowledge which the world possessed with regard to those mountains. Mr. Graham said the bearing of the high peaks which he saw almost due north-west, with a trifle west. When he got down he had his instruments com? pared, and they were fairly accurate. Many of the heights were well known, and the aneroid barometer might be fairly reckoned on for differential measurements. Mr. Freshfield observed that in one of the surveys published by the Indian Survey Department two peaks with an indication Yery high snowy peaks, were put down on the authority of one of the native surveyors or pundits, No. 9, to the north-west of Kabru, north of the Arun river, and north-east of Mount Everest, on the real water-parting of the Himalayas. General Walker replied that the bearing of those peaks was no doubt all right, but the native explorers had no means of estimating the altitude, which might be anything between 20,000 feet and 30,000 feet. The Presidekt, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Graham, said that gentle? man had taken them to one of the most magnificent regions in the world, and considering that he went to India more for sport and ad venture than for the advancement of science, he had shown that he a discoverer of more than ordinary intelligence. If he returned to those regions he would do so still better, supplied with the lamp of science to which General Strachey had referred. It interesting to note how surveyors and discoverers had discrowned one peak after another from being the highest in the world. In his youth Dhawalagiri con? sidered to have dethroned the Andes; soon after Kangchinjanga discovered to overtop DhawTalagiri; then came a great surveyor who dethroned Kangchinjanga in favour of the mountain which now bore the name of Mount Everest; and now, if Mr. Graham right, and there appeared to be no reason to doubt it, Mount Everest must bow its cloud-capped head. No doubt others would be stirred to rival Mr. Graham, and very soon the mystery would be solved. At any rate, Mr. Graham had made a very interesting addition to the knowledge of this stupendous region, and it must be very gratifying to men like Sir Joseph Hooker, who led the way there, to find that they were followed by youthful adventurers like Mr. Graham.