74 



VIEWS OF NATURE. 



My results for the mean height of 

 the snow line as given in Asie 

 centrale, t. iii., p. 326. 



Feet. 



Northern declivity 16,626 



Southern 12,981 



Difference 3,645 



Extremes according to Dr. Hooker's 



Letter. 



Feet. 



Northern declivity 20,000 



Southern 15,000 



Difference 5,000 



The local differences vary still more, as may be seen 

 from the series of extremes given in Asie centrale, t. iii., 

 p. 295. Alexander Gerard saw the snow-limit ascend to 

 20,463 feet on the Thibetian declivity of the Himalaya; 

 and Jacquemont found it as low as 11.500 feet on the 

 south- Indian declivity, north of Cursali on the Jumnautri. 



[The recent investigations of Lieutenant Strachey show that 

 M. Humboldt has been led astray, when treating of the 

 Himalaya, by the very authorities on whom he placed the 

 most reliance. The results of his inquiries on this point 

 are given in the first volume of the COSMOS (Bonn's Ed.), 

 pp. 9 and 338. As the subject is one of considerable interest 

 we give a brief sketch of Lieutenant Strachey's* recent 

 labours, confining ourselves to his own views, and omitting 

 (for want of space) his somewhat lengthy exposition of the 

 errors committed by the authorities quoted by Humboldt. 

 The following are his personal observations regarding the 

 southern limit of the belt of perpetual snow. 



" In this part of the Himalaya it is not, on an average of 

 years, till the beginning of December, that the snow line 

 appears decidedly to descend for the winter. After the end 

 of September, indeed, when the rains are quite over, light 

 falls of snow are not of very uncommon occurrence on the 

 higher mountains, even down to 12,000 feet; but their effects 

 usually disappear very quickly, often in a few hours. The 

 latter part of October, the whole of November, and the begin- 

 ning of December, are here generally characterised by the 

 beautiful serenity of the sky ; and it is at this season, on the 

 southern edge of the belt, that the line of perpetual snow is 

 seen to attain its greatest elevation. 



" The following are the results of trigonometrical measure- 



* Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal New Series. No. 

 xxviii, p. 287. 



