Feb. 1848. VEGETATION OF BEHAR. 13 



it is surrounded by lesser hills of just sufficient elevation to 

 set it off. The atmosphere, too, of these regions is pecu- 

 liarly favourable for views : it is very dry at this season ; 

 but still the hills are clearly defined, without the harsh 

 outlines so characteristic of a moist air. The skies are 

 bright, the sun powerful ; and there is an almost imper- 

 ceptible haze that seems to soften the landscape, and keep 

 every object in true perspective. 



Our route led towards the picturesque hills and vallies 

 in front. The rocks were all hornblende and micaceous 

 schist, cut through by trap-dykes, while great crumbling 

 masses (or bosses) of quartz protruded through the soil. 

 The stratified rocks were often exposed, pitched up at 

 various inclinations : they were frequently white with 

 effloresced salts, which entering largely into the composition 

 tended to hasten their decomposition, and being obnoxious 

 to vegetation, rendered the sterile soil more hungry still. 

 There was little cultivation, and that little of the most 

 wretched kind; even rice-fields were few and scattered; there 

 was no corn, or gram {Ervum Lens), no Castor-oil, no Poppy, 

 Cotton, Safflower, or other crops of the richer soils that 

 flank the Ganges and Hoogly ; a very little Sugar-cane, 

 Dhal (Cajana), Mustard, Linseed, and Rape, the latter three 

 cultivated for their oil. Hardly a Palm was to be seen ; and 

 it was seldom that the cottages could boast of a Banana, 

 Tamarind, Orange, Cocoa-nut or Date. The Mahowa (Bas- 

 sia latifolid) and Mango were the commonest trees. There 

 being no Kunker in the soil here, the roads were mended 

 with angular quartz, much to the elephants' annoyance. 



We dismounted wliere some very micaceous stratified 

 rock cropped out, powdered with a saline efflorescence.* 



* An impure carbonate of soda. This earth is thrown into clay vessels with 

 water, which after dissolving the soda, is allowed to evaporate, when the remainder 

 is collected, and found to contain so much silica, as to be capable of being fused 



