PREFACE. 



small parcels of seeds, &c., were conveyed to England, free 

 of cost ; and I have to record my great obligations and 

 sincere thanks to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam 

 Navigation Company, for conveying, without charge, all 

 small parcels of books, instruments and specimens, 

 addressed to or by myself. 



It remains to say something of the illustrations of this 

 work. The maps are from surveys of my own, made 

 chiefly with my own instruments, but partly with some 

 valuable ones for the use of which I am indebted to 

 my friend Captain H. Thuillier, Deputy Surveyor- Gene- 

 ral of India, who placed at my disposal the resources of 

 the magnificent establishment under his control, and to 

 whose innumerable good offices I am very greatly 

 beholden. 



The landscapes, &c. have been prepared chiefly from 

 my own drawings, and will, I hope, be found to be 

 tolerably faithful representations of the scenes. I have 

 always endeavoured to overcome that tendency to exag- 

 gerate heights, and increase the angle of slopes, which is 

 I believe the besetting sin, not of amateurs only, but of 

 our most accomplished artists. As, however, I did not 

 use instruments in projecting the outlines, I do not pre- 

 tend to have wholly avoided this snare ; nor, I regret to 

 say, has the lithographer, in all cases, been content to 

 abide by his copy. My drawings will be considered 

 tame compared with most mountain landscapes, though 

 the subjects comprise some of the grandest scenes 

 in nature. Considering how conventional the treatment 



