1841.] Sources of the Punjab Rivers, 113 



attack them openly ; and they were at last killed, while asleep, and their 

 heads carried to Goolab Singh, who ordered them to be suspended on the 

 crest of the Bheembur pass. The next day 1 crossed the ' Kumaon 

 Gosha' mountains, or ' sharp ridged bow,' the range being narrow at the 

 top and bent at each end like a bow. Thence passing through 

 the Serais of Noshehra, Inayutpoora, Chungez, and Muradpoor, I 

 reached Rajaoree on the 8th of September. The Rajah was very atten- 

 tive and communicative, and I received much interesting information 

 from him. I also procured a history of the country, and some orders 

 by Aurungzebe, and Nadir Shah ; besides a copy of a grant of the 

 Rajaoree territory, by Bahadoor Shah ; since then the territory has been 

 seized bit by bit by the Jummoo family, until only a small circle of 20 

 miles diameter now remains to the present Rajah. 



In the grant given by Bahadoor Shah, the revenue of Rajasore is 

 stated to be 77,77)960 dams, equivalent to 27,799 Rupees, which with 

 the Customs collected, must have been increased to 50,000 rupees. The 

 territory now is about one fourth of what it was at that time, A. D. 1708, 

 and the Customs have nearly ceased, as the Sikhs give free passes for 

 all their own merchandize ; the present revenue cannot therefore be 

 more than 10,000 rupees, which was the sum stated to me by many res- 

 pectable natives. 



The chief crops in Rajaoree were rice and maize; the maize invari- 

 ably occupies the higher grounds, and the rice fields the level alluvial 

 formations along the river; these were kept constantly flooded by streams 

 conducted along the hill sides from the neighbouring torrents. Height 

 of the city, 2,800 feet. 



The hills betw T een Bheembur and Rutun Punjall are all of a coarse 

 greyish sandstone, alternating with loose gravelly conglomerates near 

 Bheembur, and gradually changing into a siliceous state in the Rutun 

 Punjall range, — at the foot of which there are large blocks of conglo- 

 merate in compact masses cemented firmly together. 



I left Rajaoree on the 10th of September, and after an easy march of 

 eight miles over a stony road, I reached Thunna ; — from whence to the 

 crest of the Rutun Punjall the road was good, but steep. The crest 

 of the pass, 1 found to be 7,350 feet in height ; from whence there was 

 a noble and extensive view, over the low hills of Rajaoree, of the distant 

 plains of the Punjab. From thence the descent was through a thickly 

 wooded forest of walnut, elm, horse chesnut, and pine trees to the bank 

 of the Bahramgulla river, which I crossed by a bridge, and proceeding 

 up one of its tributaries, I halted at Chundee-murg. Rain had fallen 

 heavily for some days previously, and the small stream had swept away 



