IN THE WUlimVAN. s : ' 



accumulated snows, becoming detached, are precipitated 

 into the valleys, carrying with them countless stones 

 which, gathering as they descend, are scattered below in 

 all directions. The small patches of arable are, therefore, 

 cleared with great labour, the stones being collected in 

 heaps : and some idea may be formed of their quantity 

 by the fact that spaces of only a yard in width, inter- 

 vening between these heaps, are ploughed and sown. The 

 cultivated lands, viewed from the heights above, may be 

 likened to a piece of cloth on which a child, having spilt 

 ink, has amused itself by tracing it all over, in charming 

 varieties of lineal figures, with its fingers. 



Barley is principally, if not altogether, the produce, 

 and its farina, with curds, the staple food of the people. 

 Though agricultural efforts are thus necessarily restricted, 

 ample scope is given for the depasturing of flocks and 

 herds, the mountains up to a great height being well 

 covered with a rich earth yielding an abundant vegeta- 

 tion, suitable in its varieties to all animals, and offering 

 not a few edible productions to man ; such for example, as 

 leeks, garlic, carrots, and other roots, and several sorts of 

 substitutes for greens, whose species and names I am 

 ignorant of, but which I daily devour. 



The cattle are small, and by the laws of the ruler of 

 these realms, a Hindoo, are strictly forbidden to be killed. 

 The penalty for disobedience was, until recently, death ; 

 and many instances of its fulfilment have been related to 

 me, Mussulmen being the victims of this iniquitous 

 system. But since British influence has been brought to 

 bear upon the Prince of this territory, and a wholesome 

 respect for our government, and dread of its displeasure, 

 established, "nous avons change toute cela." It is not 

 now a life for a life, but the punishment is the next in 

 severity in the penal code. 



