244 Limit of Perpetual Snow in the Himalaya. 
phates of lime and soda, even when partially exposed to atmo- 
spheric air. The line at which the saline waters of the ocean ; 
and the under-land flow of water meet, is the place, where obser- 3 
vations have shown that the greatest chemical action exists. 
Ordinary decompositions of sulphates by organic matter in ocean | 
water, are hardly known to take place. 'The phenomena at once 
become distinct, when land waters are allowed to mix, and the 
water from deep wells in the vicinity of the ocean has a more 
highly marked chemical action, than rain water. The decom- 
position of the sulphates proceeds under the presence of carbonic 
acid, and carbonates of the alkaline earths are products of the 
change. : 
1 Pine St., Boston, January, 1851. = 
Arr. XXXI.—On the Limit of Perpetual Snow in the Hima- 
aya; by Lieut. Srracuey.* 
“y this part of the Himalaya, it is not, on an average of years, ‘ 
till the beginning of December, that the snow line appears deci- 
dly 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 eI 
quickly, often ina few hours. The latter part of October, the . 
whole of November, and the beginning of December, are here | 
generally characterized by the beautiful serenity of the sky ; and | 
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 measurements 
of the elevation of the inferior edge of snow on spurs of the 
Treslii and Nandadevi groups of peaks, made, before the winter 
snow had begun, in November, 1848. 
g F | Height on fare 
Point. East. exposed to West. 
observed. From Almorah, { From Binsar, | Observed from 
(height, 5586 ft.)|(height, 7969 ft.)| eee | Almorah. 
No. Feet. Feet. Feet e 
1 16,599 16,767 16,683 15,872 
2 16,969 17,005 16,987 en j 
3 17,186 17,185 17,185 14,878 
4 15,293 15,361 15,327 
_ The points 1, 2 and 3 are in ridges that run in the southwest- 
erly direction. The dip of the strata being to the northeast, the 
_* Jour. Asiatic Society of Bengal, New Series, No, xxviii, p. 287; cited from 
Humboldt’s Views of Nature, Bohn’s edition, p. 14, : ; 
