50 Dr. VercMre on the Geology of Kashmir. [No. 1, 



On the other side of the chain we find, between it and the next 

 parallel, viz. the Kuen-Luen Chain, the valley of the Yarkandkash 

 (river), which extends from the Korakoram or Yarkand pass to 

 Tashgurkhan, and the Akzai Chin or White Desert, which is con- 

 tinued towards the S. E., nobody knows how far. The valley of 

 the Yarkand river and the Akzai Chin are separated one from the 

 other by a low ridge of mountains similar to the masses of monntains 

 found between the other great chains of the Himalaya. All we know 

 of the valley of the Yarkandkash is that some mines of rock-salt 

 occur there, and that both in the beds of the Yarkandkash and Kara- 

 kash and in the the ravines of the neighbourhood, some pebbles are 

 collected and used for cheap jewellery ; and these pebbles are either 

 cmartzy stones or rocks decidedly volcanic. There is apparently 

 some analogy between these mountains and those of the centre of 

 Rupshu and of Ladak. The Akzai plain is also very similar to the 

 countries just mentioned, in at least the one character of being an 

 elevated, rainless desert, spotted with small lakes, some fresh, and 

 others salt. 



It is superfluous to say that I know nothing of the Geology of the 

 Yarkandkash and Karakash valleys and of the Aksai Chin ; neither 

 is there anything known of the formation of the Kuen Luen or 

 Piryukh Chain, except that it is reported to contain valuable copper 

 and gold mines. Another small chain or range, half way between 

 the Kuen Luen and Yarkand seems to be the last parallel of the 

 Himalaya. Yarkand is supposed to be in latitude N. 38° and about 

 5000 feet above the sea. From the top of the Korakoram pass to 

 the foot of the hills, the distance is approximately 110 miles, and the 

 descent 13,000 feet or about 118 feet per mile, a mild slope for a 

 mountainous country. 



(To be continued.) 



