OcL 28, 1875] 



JMATURE 



551 



It is a perfect mine of information about the Kashmirian 

 territories, more especially about their physical and 

 political geoj^aphy and their ethnology, while occasional 

 details are introduced as to their zoology and botany. Mr. 

 Drew delivers a " plain unvarnished tale," and has made 

 no attempt to work his materials up into'a merely popular 

 book. Indeed, it might have been an advantage had he 

 exercised a little more skill in arrangement ; but with this 

 defect we are not disposed to find serious fault, as every 

 page of the work contains valuable information, which, 

 by means of contents and index, is, after all, easily got 

 at. Mr. Drew has made a substantial contribution to 

 our knowledge of one of the most interesting regions of 

 the globe. 



Most Europeans, we suspect, have but a vague notion 

 of how much is included under the name Kashmir. 

 After all, Jummoo has a better title to give a name to the 

 dominions of the Maharaja, as it is in the capital of this 

 district that he resides. Jummoo is quite near the 

 southern boundary of the Kashmirian territories, on a 



branch of the Chinab river, and hence must arise many 

 inconveniences in the government of the country. 



The territory included under the sw?.y of the Maharaja 

 is somewhat extensive, and of great variety in climate, 

 physical characteristics, and races, extending from the 

 broiling plains of the Panjab to the immense glaciers and 

 eternal snows of the highest Himalayas, and including 

 peoples both of Aryan and Turanian affinities, and of 

 Mohammedan, Buddhist, and Brahman faiths. Looking 

 down, however, upon the general map which accompanies 

 Mr. Drew's volume, it is seen that the great mass of the 

 territory is distinctly mountainous, and that to such an 

 extent that one wonders where there can be any room for 

 a population at all. Besides Jummoo arid Kashmir, the 

 countries of Ladakh, Baltistan, and Gilgit are included in 

 the Maharaja's territories, whose entire area is estimated 

 at 68,000 square miles. 



Mr. Drew's plan is first in an introduction to present a 

 general view of the Kashmirian territories, and then in 

 succeeding chapters to treat of the various districts. The 



High Himalayan peaks east of Nubra. 



main characteristics of each district and its inhabitants 

 are described in some detail, after which Mr. Drew takes 

 the reader along a particular route which he himself has 

 traversed, pointing out with great minuteness all that is 

 worthy of note by the way. As Mr. Drew records mainly 

 his own experiences, and as he is seldom tempted aside 

 from the record of facts, it will be seen that the work is 

 well adapted to afford the reader a clear and full idea of 

 a region that is well worth becoming intimately acquainted 

 with. 



Mr. Drew divides the entire territory from a physical 

 point of view into three regions, commencing at the plain 

 of the Panjab and proceeding northwards. These are, 

 first, the region of the Outer Hills, composed of moun- 

 tains averaging from 2,000 to 4,000 feet above sea-level ; 

 second, the Middle Mountains, averaging between 8,000 

 and 10,000 feet ; and lastly, the region of the lofty Hima- 

 layas, the mountains in which vary in height from 15,000 

 to 27,000 feet. There are many points in Mr. Drew's 

 descriptions into which we wish we could enter in some 



detail, many observations concerning the country and the 

 people we should like to lay before our readers, but this 

 is impossible ; a mere enumeration of the contents of the 

 work would occupy most of the space at our command. 



Of the inhabitants especially of this curious region, so 

 near the supposed cradle of the Aryan race, and where 

 the Aryans and Turanians meet, and sometimes inter- 

 mingle, Mr. Drew has much to say that will no doubt 

 command the attention of ethnologists. He observed 

 carefully and records faithfully the characteristics and 

 ways of the varied peoples, and although these have been 

 observed by previous travellers, still it will be found, we 

 are sure, that Mr. Drew has made an important contribu- 

 tion to the ethnology of the region. The Aryan people 

 of Kashmir he divides into five principal races : the 

 Dogra, Chibah, Pahari, Kashmiri, and Dard ; and the 

 Turanian, which belong to the Tibetan section of that 

 group, into Balti, Ladakhi, and Champa. As might be 

 expected, Mr. Drew gives much information concerning 

 the castes of the Aryan races, and what he tells us is full 



