

. Physical Geography of the Hbaalayah Mountains. 283 



tion yet to enable us to guess. It has, radiating from it 

 in all directions, ridges, composed, 1st, of successive strata of 

 mica-slate, some containing precious, some common garnet, im- 

 beddod, the latter in imperfect dodecahedral crystals, which I 

 have seen of considerable size. 



The mica-slate has also small beds of primitive limestone, 

 some of which form a beautiful marble of large crystalline 

 grain, and snowy whiteness. 



The succeeding clay-slate contains a rich iron ore, with 

 Pyrites, by the oxygenation of which, probably, we have at 

 many places inexhaustible stores of an impure sulphate of 

 iron, which forms an article of trade with the plains. 



Respecting the metallic riches of these districts, I may re- 

 mark, that Gold, although found plentifully in a state of very 

 minute subdivision in the sand of the bed of the Sutluj, has, 

 as yet, been nowhere discovered in its natural situation. Cop* 

 per exists at various places in the clay-slate, and most of the 

 mines have been abandoned. Galena, which (I think, gene- 

 rally occurs near the junction of the clay and mica-slate, is 

 worked to a considerable extent) is the chief substance, be- 

 sides the iron, in which the metallic riches of the country con- 

 sist. The miners are the least communicative race whom I 

 have encountered in these hills ; but I never could learn from 

 any certain authority, that Silver was contained, or had been 

 procured from any of the Galena on the plainward face of 

 the Himalayah, although it is said to be brought from some 

 of the Tartarian provinces beyond the Sutluj. 



The mines of Galena — partly, I believe, from a desire to 

 keep their history and their value unknown to strangers — 

 partly to enable the miners and the officers of the native go- 

 vernment safely to league together, in order to defraud the 

 Rajah of his prescribed share of the pvoduce — partly, per- 

 haps, from ignorance and indolence, are excavated in so slo- 

 venly a manner as to be quite inaccessible to any one (at least 

 at two different places where I visited them) except a 

 practised miner among themselves, who, as we have some- 

 times experienced in military operations, seem to have ac- 

 quired by habit a power of breathing where only moles or 

 snakes could support existence. 



Such arc the most common mineral substances of which the 



