xxxiv BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, 



Braldoh valley, he returned to Cashmeer by the Valley of 

 Astore, where he discovered the Assafcetida plant of commerce, 

 which he was the first to describe. On October 10th he 

 reached Cashmeer, from which he set out again on the 22nd, 

 on his return journey thi'ough the Punjab to Suharunpoor. 

 During this second visit to Cashmeer and part of the journey 

 through the Piuijab he was again severely ill. It was during 

 this return journey that he discoverd the Sewalik formation 

 with the remains of Mastodon, &c., in the hills between the 

 Punjab and Cashmeer. During his stay in Cashmeer, Dr. 

 Falconer transmitted to the Botanic Gardens at Suhanmpoor 

 650 grafted plants, comprising all the more valuable fruit- 

 trees of Cashmeer, with plants of the Prangos Grass ; and on 

 his arrival at Suharunpoor, early in December 1838, his col- 

 lections in Botany, Zoology, and Geology amotmted to nine 

 cart-loads. Besides the plants yielding Assafcetida and koost, 

 articles of considerable commercial value, they included nu- 

 merous new species of plants, 587 sorts of seeds, 234 skuas of 

 birds, and 30 specimens of Mammalia, including one new 

 species of Cervus, two of Copra, and one of Moschus — the 

 details of which will be found in Dr. Falconer's ofiicial account 

 of the exj)edition, and in the notes and appendices.^ 



In 1841, Dr. Falconer addressed a letter to the Secretary 

 of the Asiatic Society on the then recent Cataclysm of the 

 Indus, and while advocating a careful Government investiga- 

 tion of its causes, suggested as an explanation a temporary 

 obstruction of the river with snow or ice above Iskardoh. 

 This he supposed had dammed up the water and caused the 

 river to be so low, that at Attock, in place of being as usually, 

 many fathoms, it was fordable. All at once the obstacle had 

 given way, and a mighty flood coming down had swept every- 

 thing before it.'^ 



In 1840, Dr. Falconer's health, shattered by previous 

 attacks of severe tropical diseases — the results of incessant 

 exposure — gave way ; and alarming symptoms setting in, he 

 was compelled in 1842 to seek for recovery by returning to 

 Europe on sick leave. He brought with him the ISTatural 

 History collections amassed during ten years of exploration. 

 They amounted to seventy large chests of dried plants from 



' See vol. i. p. 557. 



' Journ. As. Bengal, vol. x. p. 615. July 1841. 



