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HIMALATA MOUWTAma 



HWERA. 



1» 



and 98* K lonp. (he mountahu rua wert and east, esteiuUiig about 

 600 mile*. Ita breadth, as f»r as It haa bean anertained, Tariea 

 batween 80 and 120 miles, llie whole range may occupy a surface 

 of 150,000 square miles. 



This extmnve mountain range lien between a luw and level plain, 

 drained by the Ganges and the Bmhmap^itm, and the elevated and 

 partly hilly taUe-Iand of Tibet, which lies to the north-east and 

 north of the range. The plain of the Oanges and BrahmapAtra, at 

 its southern extremity, is little elevated above the sea, and where it 

 is farthest fk<om the shore its elevation does not much exceed 

 1000 feet. The table-land of Tibet, as fnr as it is known, rises to 

 an elevation of more than 10,000 fe<^ The Himalaya Monntnins rise 

 far above the level of the table-land of Tibet, and where they ar^ 

 contiguous to it they constitute au uninterrupted range, covered with 

 ■now in its whole extent, with the exception of a few mountain 

 paaaea, which are partly free (h>m snow during the hottest months. 

 In the middle region of the Himalayas the surface varies consider- 

 ably. The mountnins terminate on the plain of the Ganges, in a 

 wall-like range from 4000 to fiOOO feet high, which however ia 

 frequently broken by gaps through which the rivers escape that carry 

 off the water collected in the interior of the mountain region. 



The most north-western extremity of the Himalayas, called the 

 Oooseie Mountains, a high snow-topped range, protrudes into the 

 most northern bend of the river Indus, and skirts ita banks as far 

 south as the neighbourhood of Attock. This range is separated from 

 the great mountain range of Cabul, called the Hiudoo-Koosh, by the 

 narrow valley of the Indus. This valley is about 60 miles in length. 



The river Sutlej, an affluent of the Indus, originates on the table- 

 land of Tibet, and crosses the Himalaya range between 31° and 82° 

 N. lat. in ita winding course from east to west. That portion of the 

 mountains which lies between the valleys of the Indus and Sutlej, 

 incloses the valley of Cashmere on the north. On the south, between 

 the upper course of the Chenaub and the Sutlej, it incloses the 

 valleys of the Ravee, the Beas, and others, which are probably 

 between SOOO and 7000 feet above the sea. 



Twelve mountain passes connect the valley of Cashmere with the 

 adjacent countries, among which the most frequented are the 

 Kandaiball Pass, to the east, near H° 20' N. lat, to Leh, or Ladak, 

 on the table-land of Tibet ; the Sagam Pass, to the south-east, from 

 Islamabad in Cashmere to Kishtewar on the Chenaub; and the 

 BammuUa Pass to the south-west, running along the course of the 

 river Jelum to Mozufferabad and Attock. At the western extremity 

 of this range, where the oflsets of the Oooseie Mountaiux approach 

 the Indus south of Attock, extensive layers of rock-salt occur, which 

 are worked to a great extents The other natural riches of this 

 portion of the Himidayas are best known in the valley of Casduere. 



The central part of the Himalayas, or that which extends between 

 the valley of the Sutlej and Bootan (from 77° to 88° E. long.), is 

 about 1 00 miles across, and is composed of enormoiu mountain masses, 

 which protrude from the principal range. These masses contain between 

 them a few transverse narrow valleys or ravines. Such protruding 

 massf . rising to between 18,000 feet and 20,000 feet above the sea, 

 eztond from the valley of the Sutlej to the Jumna and the Bhaghirotee. 

 Farther east lie the mountain masses of Gurwal, which, with their 

 extensive snow-flelds and numerous peaks, several of which rise to 

 mora than 20,000 feet, fill up the country between the two principal 

 branches of the Ganges, the Bhaghiratee, and the Alakanando. Still 

 farther east is the great mass of the Jawahir, which in its most 

 elevated summit rises to 24,238 feet, and is surrounded by other peaks 

 not much inferior in elevation. To the east of the upper branches of 

 the river Gogra lies an extensive mountain region, of which we 

 hardly know anything else than that it is covered with very high 

 mountains, and partly with snow. It extends to the Dhawalaghiri 

 range, the highest mountain mass in the whole region, which occupies 

 the space between 28° SO' and 29° N. lat, 83° and 84* E. Joug., and is 

 traversed by the principal source of the Qunduck. Its highest 

 summit, called Ohosa Cotee, attains an elevation of 28,000 feet above 

 tba sea, and ia the bluest known land on the surface of the globe. 

 Contiguous to the Dhawalaghiri Mountains on the east is the great 

 masa of the Dhayabung Mountains, whose highest pinnacle rises to 

 24,560 feet Tlieae extensive masses terminate north-west of Khat- 

 mandu on the banks of the Bori GandakL The apace between the 

 Bori Uan<laki and the Anin, an affluent of the Coosy, is mainly 

 occupied by the Salpoo range, which contains two aummiU exceeding 

 24,000 fcot in height, and many othen nearly as high. 

 ' The enormous mountain masses an separated from one another by 

 long but vei^ narrow valleys, which descend towards the south and 

 south-west with rather steep slopes, especially in their higher parts. 

 During the summer these upper valleys are covered with a vigorous 

 TCigelation, and an used by the inhabitants of the lower valleys as 

 iMstar»gioand ; but during the greater part of the year they are 

 buried in snow, and uninhabited. Through these valleys lie the few 

 roads by which the plain of the Oanges communicates with the 

 countries on the table-land of Tibet 'The most northern of these 

 roads follows the valley of the Butlei. At Bhipkce, where it issues 

 on the table-land, the road is 10,484 feet above the level of the sea. 

 Other mountain paaiaa, or ghauts^ are at their highest parts from 

 16,000 to 18,000 fs«t above Um MB-lareL Nearly all the poasM ara 



too steep and high for any beasts of burden, ezoept sheep, whioh in 

 the Himalaya Mountains are used for the transport of merchandise. 



The high mountain masses advance so far from the princi|>al rang* 

 into the interior of the mountain region, as to occupy more than 

 one-third of it, when they descend with a rapid declivity. The 

 general elevation of the lower portion may be between 4000 and 

 5000 feet above the sea. On the hill sides, and in the valleys of these 

 mountainous districts, between 29* and 30° N. lat, the cultivation 

 and manufacture of tea is carried on. The Indian government has 

 authorised an outlay of lO.OOOt a year upon the tea-culture. Inferior 

 kinds are carried through the passes, and compete with the Chinese 

 teas in Tibet The superior kinds are sold in Hindustan, and some 

 portions have been sent to England. The usual varieties of black 

 and green tea are cultivated, but the colouring of the green kinds, 

 which is practised in China, is not permitted by the Company's 

 manager. Almorah, the capital of Kumaon, on the river Kodla, and 

 only 15 miles in a straight line from the lower edge of the mountain 

 region, IB 5485 feet above the sea-level. Only the valleys which are 

 drained by the Bhaghiratee and Alakananda sink considerably below 

 this level, Tin, on the Bhaghiratee, being 2272 feet above the sea, 

 and Sireenuggur, on the Alakananda, 1800 feet The surface of this 

 portion of the mountain region is extremely uneven ; the more elevated 

 summits are not numerous, and are considerably below the snow-line, 

 as they generally do not rise above 8000 or 9000 feet The tract 

 between the upper branches of the Jumna and the Sutlej is much 

 more mountainous, and several of the summits attairi the snow-line. 

 The difficulty which the general unevenness of this tract presents 

 to an ea.iy communication between the inhabited places, explains the 

 circumstince of there being in it a great number of sovereigns whose 

 dominion frequently extends only over a few villages. The remainder 

 of thin lower portion of the Himalaya range contains more cultivable 

 land than is generally found in mountain regions, and is also pretty 

 well inhabited, though the villages are mostly very smalL 



The mineral wealth of that portion which belongs to the British, 

 or is under their protection, is imknown ; but Kepaul contains, accord- 

 ing to Sir Francis Hamilton, rich mines of copper, iron, lead, and 

 sulphur. 



In such a mountainous country the climate must of course vary 

 extremely. The snow-line occura on the north-eastern declivity a^ 

 about 16,600 feet; on the south-western declivity it occura at 12,500 

 feet above the sea-leveL It follows that the vegetation must be 

 different at the same elevation on the two sides. 



The portion of the Himalaya between the Sutlej and Bootan is in 

 part immediately subject to the British or under their protection, 

 and partly subject to the independent Raja of Nepaul. About one- 

 half of the country between the Sutlej and Kali Gogra is governed by 

 about 30 rajsa under British protection, and the other half constitutes 

 the British province of Kumaon. The province of Kumaon is annexed 

 to the sub-presidency of the North-West Provinces. The countries 

 within the Himalaya range, extending from the eastern banks of the 

 Kali Oogra to the boundary of Bootan, are subject to the independent 

 Raja of Nepaul, except a very small portion contiguous to Bootan, 

 which is possessed by the Riya of Sikim, an ally of the British, who 

 resides in the town of Sikim. 



With the eastern portion of the Himalaya range, extending from 

 the western boundary of Bootan to the sources of tlie BrahmapAtra 

 River, we are only acquainted as far as it is contiguous to the road 

 whioh leads from the plain of the Ganges through Tassisudon, the 

 capital of Bootan, to the table-land of Tibet When seen from the 

 valley of Asam it does not appear to rise to the snow-line west of 

 92° E. long. ; but between 92° and 98° E. long., extensive ranges aro 

 visible, which rise above the snow-line. 



The word Himalaya is a Sanscrit word, compounded of ' bima,' 

 cold, or frost, or snow, and ' alaya,' abode. (Wilson's ' Sanscrit 

 Diet') The resemblance of the firat part of the compound to the 

 Greek 'cheima' (x'V"') and the Latin 'hiems,' is obvious; the Greek 

 and Roman geographen were acquainted with this enormous mountain 

 range under the general name of Imaus or Emodus, though their 

 limited geographioJ knowledge does not allow us to assume that 

 their term Imaus comprehended so much as the word Himalaya. It 

 was known to Pliny that the word ' Imaus ' signified, " in the 

 language of the natives, snowy." (vi. 17.) 



(Hodgson, Webb, Herbert, Wilcox, and Traill, in ^(>a(ici2c(earcA«« ; 

 Webb anil Hilgcl, in Lorulun (kvt/rajihkat Journal ; Fraser, Journal 

 of a Tour through Part of the Snow;/ Range of the Ifimala 

 Mountain* ; Mundy, Journal of a Tour m India; Johnson, Journal 

 through the JfimaUh Mountaint ; Archer, Totur in Upper India ; 

 Hitter, Erdkundt If. aud III. ; Berghaus, Karte von A— am und 

 SpexiaOcarte vom Hitnalaya in Kumatm, Qurhwal, Sirmur, Jec ; 

 Parliamentary Paperi, Ac.J 



HI'MERA, an ancient Greek city on the north coast of Sicily, at 

 the mouth of the river Himera, was founded (ac. 648) by the 

 Zanclaians of Myla; in Sicily. (Streb., vi. 272.) "1110 application of 

 Terillus, tyrant of Himera, expelled by Theron of Agrigentum to the 

 Carthaginians for aid, gave that people a pretext for invading Sicily 

 B.O. 480. Theron defended Himera against Uamilcar at the head of 

 800,000 Carthaginian troops, until Gelon of Syracuse arrived with aid 

 and with far uiferior forces fought the great battle of Himora, in 



