100 Extracts from the “ Journal of a Survey to explore [Ave. 
bears, or musk deer, or eagles, or any living creature, except 
some small birds. 
To form an idea of the imposing appearance of a snowy peak, 
as seen here under an angle of elevation of nearly 33°, and when 
its distance is not quite three miles, and yet its height is 8052 
feet above the station, one should reflect that if even when 
viewed from the plains of Hindustan, at angles of elevation of 
one, and one and a half degree, these peaks towering over many 
intermediate ranges of mountains, inspire the mind with ideas of 
the grandeur, even at so great a distance : how much more must 
they do so when their whole bulk, cased in snow from the base 
to the summit, at once fills the eye. It falls to the lot of few to 
contemplate so magnificent an object as a snow clad peak rising 
to the height of upwards of a mile and a half, at the short hori- 
zontal distance of only 23 miles. 
May 31.—Along, and above the right bank of the river, rocks 
and snow. 
Descent to the bed of the river, enclosed by rocks. 
A most wonderful scene. The B’hagirat’hi or Ganges issues 
from under a very low arch at the foot of the grand snow bed. 
The river is here bounded to the right and left by high snow and 
rocks ; but in front over the debouche, the mass of snow is per- 
fectly perpendicular, and from the bed of the stream to the sum- 
mit, we estimate the thickness at little less than 300 feet of solid 
frozen snow, probably the accumulation of ages ; it is in layers 
of some feet thick, each seemingly the remains of a fall of a 
separate year. From the brow of this curious wall of snow, and 
immediately above the outlet of the stream, large and hoar 
icicles depend ; they are formed by the freezing of the melted 
snow water of the top of the bed, for in the middle of the day, 
the sun is powerful, and the water produced by its action falls 
over this place in cascade, but is frozen at night. The Gangotri 
Brahmin who came with us, and who is only an illiterate moun- 
taineer, observed, that he thought these icicles must be Maha- 
déva’s hair, from whence, as he understood it is written in the 
Shastra, the Ganges flows. I mention this, thinking it a good 
idea, but the man had never heard of such a place as actually 
existing, nor had he, or any other person to his knowledge, ever 
been here. In modern times they may not, but Hindus of 
research may formerly have been here, and if so, I cannot think 
of any place to which they might more aptly give the name of a 
Cow’s Mouth than to this extraordinary Debouche. The height 
of the arch of snow is only sufficient to let the stream flow under 
it. Blocks of snow were falling about us, so there was little 
time to do more here than to measure the size of the stream. 
Measured by a chain, the mean breadth was 27 feet. The 
greatest depth at that place being knee deep, or 18 inches, but 
more generally a foot deep, and rather less just at the edges, say 
9 or 10 inches ; however, call the mean depth 15 inches. Believ- 
