THE SIND SAGUR DOAB. 283 



ties, that there would be a good and ready market for their 

 produce, they would willingly resort there in preference to making 

 the circuitous journey to Cashmere. At least the trade is 

 sufficiently important and extensive to be worthy of trial. To 

 introduce the produce of the Trans-Himalayan States, nature has 

 marked out that route via Neetee to Hurdwar, seeing that with 

 capital, care, and trouble a carriage-road might be made, with an 

 inclination of little more than 25 feet per mile, along the banks 

 of the Aluknunda and Dowli rivers to Neetee, the frontier town 

 in the British Himalayahs, and by it hackeries could travel almost 

 to the limit of perpetual snow. Along the line of road proposed, 

 the rocks, too, are generally of a soft nature, and easily worked ; 

 consisting principally of sandstone and clay, and mica slates. 

 Towards Josimuth vast masses of large granular granites occur, 

 which are again succeeded by slates which continue on to Neetee, 

 and which, beyond Goulding, are succeeded by limestone abound- 

 ing with belemnites. This fossiliferous limestone forms the 

 great Neetee pass, in altitude 16,800 feet. 



On leaving Goojrat and proceeding to the north-west, we pass 

 over an undulating, and in many places low lying country, richly 

 cultivated, and about four miles from the Jhelum, near Mookerian, 

 first meet with hilly land, a spur of the Salt range, consisting of 

 sandstones, clays, and red marls, with a considerable dip (15° to 

 20°) to the east-south-east. Through this small range the road 

 runs for about six or seven miles over a bold raviney country, 

 devoid of cultivation. We then descend gradually to the Jhelum, 

 and, as we leave the sandstone ridge, get into fine wheat cultiva- 

 tion. This magnificent tract of cultivation extends for about forty 

 miles along the Jhelum, and so rich is it as to allow the Zemindars 

 to get three cuttings of green fodder prior to allowing it to come 

 into ear. Across the river Jhelum, and opposite the town of that 

 name, there is a swing bridge, consisting of three boats held 

 together by strong hawsers. The river, in the cold weather, is 

 about one hundred yards broad. Crossing the Jhelum we enter 

 the Sind Sagur Doab, comparatively speaking a poor Doab when 

 compared to the others, with, here and there, some fine cultivation. 

 In this Doab the water is generally at a distance from the surface : 

 in many places, as at Manikyala, at one hundred feet. The staple 

 article of the Khureef crop is Bajra (Holcus spicatus) and Mucki, 

 or Indian Corn (Zea mays), and of the Paibbee, Torea, Tirra, and 

 Wheat. The former are cultivated for their oil, which is manu- 

 factured on an extensive scale, particularly in the upper and middle 



