406 THE HILL STATE OF KASHMIR. 



have followed prolonged droughts in a thickly populated 

 district; as for instance on the plains of Hindustan, 

 where drought may be regarded as synonymous with 

 famine. 



Indian droughts as we have elsewhere shown are 

 often followed by the most terrible consequences. We 

 find, however, on our north western frontier there, an 

 extensive mountain state which as regards its rainfall 

 seems in all respects, except one essential particular, to 

 be the counterpart of the climate of Peru. We refer 

 to the hill state of Kashmir (or Cashmere as it is often 

 written) and the one essential difference between 

 Kashmir and Peru is that the great Himalayan range 

 here intercepts the masses of vapour carried by the 

 winds from distant seas across the burning plains of 

 India, and causes them to be deposited in the form 

 of immense masses of snow upon their southern face. 

 Mighty rivers therefore here take their rise, and 

 traversing the state and dependencies of Kashmir, roll 

 down from thence to the sea the Indus, the Jhelum 

 and other great rivers for example. Thus while the 

 Indian plains may be perishing with drought, 

 unless where they are protected by irrigation canals 

 drawing their supplies of water from these rivers, 

 Kashmir may be enjoying the blessings of special 

 fertility, the watercourses there being constantly main- 

 tained full, of water during the dry season, by the 

 melting of the snows. Kashmir therefore is thus 

 rendered independent of rain all that is in consequence 

 required to ensure an abundant harvest, is that the 

 previous winter should have been hard enough to store 

 up a sufficiency of snow upon the mountain tops to 

 furnish the summer water supply. 



