100 Captain Thomas Hutton's Hemarks on the 



it is evident that the snow, whether much or little, must remain 

 nearly or altogether intact. 



We are further told, that *' the air that comes up from the south 

 no sooner reaches the southern boundary of the left of perpetual 

 snow, where the mountains suddenly rise from an average of per- 

 haps 8,000 or 10,000 feet, to nearly 19,000 or 20,000, than it is 

 deprived of a very large proportion of its moisture, which is con- 

 verted into cloud, rains, or snow, according to circumstances. And 

 the current, in its progress to the north, will be incapable of carrying 

 with it more moisture than is allowed by the very low temperature 

 to which the air is of necessity reduced in surmounting the snowy 

 barrier, 19,000 or 20,000 feet in altitude, that it has to pass. Nor 

 can any further condensation be expected at all comparable in 

 amount to what has already taken place, as it would manifestly de- 

 mand a much more than corresponding depression of temperature ; 

 and this is not at all hkely to occur, for the most elevated peaks 

 being situated near the southern limit of perpetual snow, the cur- 

 rent on passing them will more probably meet with hotter than with 

 colder air." 



I must confess that this theory does not appear to me to be either 

 conclusive or even probable ; for, in the first place, we are neither 

 furnished with any 'proof that the air will be hotter to the north of 

 the high peaks, nor with any approach to data for determining the 

 question ; the whole resting upon the unauthorised assumption of a 

 desired fact, the existence of which is absolutely necessary to give 

 anything like validity to the theory. 



Were the upward or northward passage of the moist air effected 

 slowly and gently, no doubt we might expect a heavier fall of snow 

 on the southern aspect of the chain, provided always the tempera- 

 ture beyond it was, as Lieut. Strachey supposes, hotter than on the 

 Indian side ; but this is not the case, as is most convincingly proved 

 by the admission that snow always lies longer on the northern aspects 

 of all hills and ranges than on the south, and I need only cite Lieut. 

 Strachey''s own black range as an instance of the fact. He likewise 

 admits that " southerly winds blow throughout the year over the 

 Himalaya ;" and " in the winter," which is of course the season of 

 snow, '* with the peculiar violence^ This is recorded also by Gerard 

 and by Captain Cunningham, and every traveller can confirm the 

 same. But this very violence of the southern winds must neces- 

 sarily carry the snow across the southern range, and accumulate it 

 deeply to the north ; and this is clearly shown to be the case by 

 Captain Cunningham, who relates that, while during winter, and 

 " indeed at all times, the violent southerly winds kept southern ex- 

 posures /ree /rom snow," — " on the north it was I don't know how 

 deep." Moreover, if the temperature of the air was hotter to the 

 north than to the south of the high peaks, we ought, as we approach 

 the plains of Tibet, to find no snow on the northernmost range ; yet 



