INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 167 



but at last both turn abruptly south, to discharge their waters 

 into the Indian Ocean. The chain between these rivers and 

 the plains of India is the Himalaya, which is connected with 

 the still loftier chain of the Kouenlun behind at the common 

 source of these two rivers by mountains of comparatively mo- 

 derate elevation, which are perhaps portions of a chain run- 

 ning from south-west to north-east, and forming the water- 

 shed of Asia as far as the Sea of Japan. Nothing can be 

 more simple than this definition, which is that given by Mr. 

 Hodgson, and we think it is tlie only one which will suffice. 

 The Himalaya thus includes the whole extent of country be- 

 tween the Indus at Attok and the great bend of the Brahma- 

 putra, but nothing to the west of the Indus or to the east of 

 the Brahmaputra. The axis of the main chain of the Hima- 

 laya lies in general far back, much nearer to the two great 

 rivers which run behind it than to the plains of India ; hence 

 the secondary chains on the south face are much more im- 

 portant than those on the north. 



The Himalaya may be regarded as consisting of two por- 

 tions, one on each side of the point of origin of the meri- 

 dional ridge, by which it is connected with the Kouenlun 

 behind. Of these the Western Himalaya is rather shorter 

 than the Eastern, and it is better known throughout a great 

 part of its course from its lying within British territory, while 

 the Eastern Himalaya is for the most part Tibetan. The 

 elevation of the chain is probably everywhere very great, no 

 known pass across the watershed being of lower elevation 

 than 16,500 feet, except close to the extremities of the chain. 

 The most remarkable depressions in the inner Himalaya are 

 the Rotang Pass between Kulu and Lahul, which is 13,000 

 feet, and the Zoji Pass between Kashmir and Dras, which is 

 only 11,300 feet. 



Prom the central axis of the chain of the Himalaya a suc- 

 cession of secondary ranges take their origin, which descend 

 on the one hand towards the plains of India, and on the other 

 towards the northern rivers. These secondary chains, on the 



