126 -^Ir. CoLEBRooKE on the Valley of the Suiluj River. 



in other hands. Night overtook them, and they lost their road. Most of their 

 servants passed the night at a great elevation without fire ; and next day few 

 of them could move, owing to soreness of their feet. These circumstances, he 

 goes on to say, will account for the few varieties of rock and the smallness of 

 the pieces collected at different places. 



In another letter he remarks, that, owing to the length of the daily marches, 

 and the requisite attention to the trigonometrical survey of the valley, the baro- 

 metrical altitudes and geometrical measurement of peaks of the Himalaya, ob- 

 servations of the limit of snow and congelation, and of the nature of the rocks, — 

 they found it impracticable to devote more attention to the riches of the vegeta- 

 ble and mineral kin«jdoms. In saying that they noticed the texture and dispo- 

 sition of the rocks, he implies only the general appearance of what constituted 

 the base of the line of route, picking up fragments that lay upon the way, with- 

 out the application of a hammer, — which unfortunately was lost. 



The primary object of the journey was, to approximate towards the extreme 

 height of Manasarover by barometrical measurement of the bed of the Sutluj, 

 at the furthest limit of their advance ; observing in their progress the gradi^al 

 rise, direction, and diminution of the bed ; taking latitudes and longitudes of 

 places, and determining positions of villages and line of route. These objects 

 occupied their foremost thoughts, and, without the expense of that time which 

 was due to those prominent objects, they could not well have obtained more 

 success in their geological collections. 



Wearied by a daily march of eight or ten and sometimes twelve hours with 

 only a single halt during a month and a half, having no conveyance but their 

 own feet, travelling by rugged roads over stupendous mountains, they were 

 compelled to leave many things undone. The survey of the route and mea- 

 surement of heights occupied generally their whole time from sunrise to sun- 

 set ; after which tiiey were employed till midnight, taking astronomical obser- 

 vations and gathering information respecting neighbouring countries. 



I quote these apologies on account of the interesting picture drawn of diffi- 

 culties encountered: but an excuse was unnecessary; for, notwithstanding the 

 loss of many specimens, and the confusion which unfortunately has crept 

 among not a few of those preserved, a great number remains ; which having- 

 received safely, I have now the gratification of presenting to the Geological 

 Society. 



The specimens to which I shall first draw the attention of the Society are 

 from the lower valley of the Sutluj ; taken from the banks of that river, between 

 Kangal and Simiya, at the elevation of 2000 feet above the level of the sea. 

 The banks of the Sutluj are there composed of limestone, apparently primitive. 



