

THE SNOW-LINE. 339 



than those of a purely physical nature, since it exercises no 

 inconsiderable degree of influence on the mode of life of 

 numerous tribes the meteorological processes of the atmo- 



decisive notice of the determination of the snow-line in the Himalayas. 

 Mr. Batten, of the Bengal service, writes as follows, from camp Semulka, 

 on the Cosillah river, Kumaon : "In the July, 1843, No. 14 of your 

 valuable journal of Natural History, which I have only lately had the 

 opportunity of seeing, I read Captain Hutton's paper on the snow of the 

 Himalayas: and, as I differed almost entirely from the conclusions so 

 confidentally drawn by that gentleman, I thought it right, for the 

 interest of scientific truth, to prepare some kind of answer; as, however, 

 on a more attentive perusal, I find that you yourself appear implicitly 

 to adopt Captain Hutton's views, and actually use these words, ' We have 

 long been conscious of the error here so well pointed out by Captain. 

 Hutton, in common mith every one who has visited the Himalaya,' I 

 feel more inclined to address you, in the first instance, and to ask whe- 

 ther you will publish a short reply which I meditate ; and whether your 

 note to Captain Hutton's paper was written after your own full and care- 

 ful examination of the subject, or merely on a general kind of acquies- 

 cence with the fact and opinions of your able contributor, who is so well 

 known and esteemed as a collector of scientific data] Now I am one 

 who have visited the Himalaya on the western side; I have crossed the 

 Borendo or Boorin Pass into the Buspa valley, in Lower Kanawar, 

 returning into the Rewaien mountains of Ghurwal by the Koopin Pass; 

 I have visited the source of the Jumna, at Jumnootree; and moving 

 eastward, the sources of the Kalee or Mundaknee branch of the Ganges, 

 at Kadamath; of the Vishnoo Gunga, or Alukntinda, at Buddrinath 

 and Mana; of the Pindur, at the foot of the Great Peak Nundidevi; of 

 the Dhoulee branch of the Ganges, beyond Neetee, crossing and recross- 

 ing the pass of that name into Thibet ; of the Goree or great branch of 

 the Sardah, or Kalee, near Oonta Dhoora, beyond Meluin. I have also, 

 in my official capacity, made the settlement of the Bhote Mehals of this 

 province. My residence of more than six years in the hills has thrown 

 me constantly in the way of European and native travellers, nor have L 

 neglected to acquire information from the recorded labours of others. 

 Yet, with all this experience, I am prepared to affirm that the perpetual 

 snow-line is at a higher elevation on the northern slope of ' the Hima- 

 laya' than on the southern slope. 



" The facts mentioned by Captain Hutton appear to me only to refer 

 to the northern sides of all mountains in these regions, and not to 

 affect, in any way, the reports of Captain Webb and others, on which 

 Humboldt formed his theory. Indeed, how can any facts of one 

 observer, in one place, falsify the facts of another observer, in another 

 place] I willingly allow that the north side of a hill retains the snow 

 longer and deeper than the south side, and this observation applies 

 equally to heights in Bhote; but Humboldt's theory is on the question 

 of the perpetual snow-line, and Captain Hutton's references to Simla 



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