Dr Govan's Observations on the Natural History, $c. 277 



Art. XVII. — Additional Observations on the Natural His- 

 tory and Physical Geography of the Himalayah Mountains, 

 between the River-Beds of the Jumna and the Sutluj. * 

 By George Gov an, M. D. Communicated by the Au- 

 thor. 



In the paper which I had the honour of laying before the 

 Society a short time ago, my remarks upon the Physical Geo- 

 graphy of certain districts in the Himalayah Mountains closed, 

 at what may be considered by some as the most elevated 

 points of the transition limestone of the Sein range. In order, 

 however, to avoid as much as possible that hypothetical lan- 

 guage to which the appearances presenting themselves can 

 hardly fail strongly to incline an observer, we may merely 

 mention, that these remarks applied to the first of the divi- 

 sions, into which the districts under consideration (with re- 

 ference to geological structure) seem naturally to arrange 

 themselves, viz. the belt of somewhat parallel ranges about 

 fifteen or twenty miles in breadth, next adjacent to the plain 

 of Upper Hindostan, the rocky masses composing which are 

 of a much less compact and more earthy structure than those 

 of the succeeding divisions, upon which they may be observed 

 to rest at different points, elevated from five to about seven 

 thousand feet above the level of the sea. A subdivision of 

 this may perhaps be made at Nahun, where the sandstone be- 

 comes perfectly durable and hard, of a dark grey colour, 

 with dark purple macula?, besides losing all traces of carbona- 

 ceous matter. The next divisions are, 1st, The central moun- 

 tain groupe of the Choor. 2d, The high snowy ridge, and the 

 ranges proceeding from it. A marked difference subsists be- 

 twixt the two last mentioned tracts, and that formerly treated 

 of, in the luxuriance of their vegetation, being much better 

 wooded, in many places, with noble trees of the largest di- 

 mensions, particularly three new species of pine, the Kail,\ ve- 

 semhling the Weymouth, — the Khutrow, analogous to some 

 of the varieties of the spruce, — the Pindrow to the Yew-leaved 



• Read before the Royal Society of Edinburgh, December 20, 1824. 



t The seeds of the Kail are those which have succeeded most readily 

 in the climate of Great Britain, and have now been raised in considerable 

 number. 



