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pyramidal masses of granite too perpendicular for 

 the snow to rest on/' 

 " These Valleys by no means present a general 



evenness of surface. Their contour 

 an^ eneral apP6ar ' is pleasantly broken by transverse 



ridges and numerous streams which 

 descend from the mountains above. A hundred 

 canals, filled with clear water, intersect the area in 

 all directions, and convey the blessings of irrigation 

 to every field. Trees and plants of opposite zones 

 are here intermingled, and Alpine vegetation con- 

 tends for pre-eminence with the growth of the 

 tropics. The Bamboo, the peepul and the mangoe, 

 attain a luxuriance not excelled in Bengal, while 

 firs and dwarf oaks, the cherry, the barberry, and 

 the dog-rose, flourish in their immediate vicinity. 

 Among cereal productions, rice and maize alternate 

 with wheat, linseed, and barley : and three-fifths of 

 the soil yield double crops in the course of the 

 year. The dwellings of the people are seldom, 

 grouped together, but lie sprinkled in isolated 

 spots over the whole Valley. Every house is 

 encircled by a hedge of bamboos, fruit trees, and 

 other timber useful for domestic wants. Some- 

 times a cluster of five or six houses occurs, 

 and here a grain -dealer's shop and extensive groves 

 denote the head-quarters of the town-ship. These 

 scattered homesteads, the pictures of sylvau 

 elegance and comfort, relieve the monotonous 



