BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 201 
great part of the valley into cultivation. I am sorry to say that 
the advanced state of the season rendered my means of becoming 
acquainted with the vegetation very limited. There is no natural 
wood larger than Hippophae. Two Poplars, P. dilatata, Y be- 
lieve, and a cordate-leaved one, and a Willow, like Russelliana, 
but broader leaved and exceedingly variable, are cultivated. An 
Echinops abounds on the dry stony plains, with a very handsome 
blue Nepeta, and remnants of Potentille, Melilot, Lucerne, &c., &c., 
lined the banks of the water-courses. Hippuris is common in 
marshy places. I have notes of the species observed every second 
or third day, and oftener when the elevation changed, which will 
enable me, by comparing them together, to define, as accurately as 
the season permits, the changes which have taken place during 
my journey. 
“ At Leh we remained a week to rest, after two months almost 
continual marching, and to make arrangements for the future. 
Our instructions were to proceed down the Indus, to regions where 
the season in winter would be sufficiently mild to enable us to 
move about ; and we determined to take different routes,—Captain 
Cunningham proceeding to the south of the Indus, while I crossed 
over the range of hills to the north, and descended to the Shayük 
or northern branch of the Indus, about one half of which has 
never been explored. I left Leh on the 11th, and reached the 
Shayük on the 14th. The intermediate mountains were covered 
with fresh snow, of which we had a slight sprinkling one day 
at Leh (a little above 11,000 feet). The Shayük branch is stated 
by Vigne to be 1000 feet more elevated than the southern, which 
runs near Leh ; that is, about the elevation of Leh itself, which must 
be very nearly 1000 feet above the river. Judging from the vege- 
tation, I should think that this is a mistake. I found water to 
boil at 103° 2 F., which will give you the elevation roughly. I 
have not the means with me of reducing my observations. The 
Shayük runs through a wide gravelly channel, bordered on each side 
by high snow-tipped exceedingly barren mountains; but in many 
Places, where water abounds, the plain is covered with a dense jungle, 
Principally of Hippophae, growing to a small tree. I turned up 
