490 Journal of a trip through Kunawur, fyc. [No. 101. 



While on the subject of rivers, it may not be amiss to notice an 

 error which Dr. Gordon has inadvertently fallen into. In his account 

 of a voyage down the Indus to Bombay, he attributes the small 

 quantity of water observable in the Sutledge and Garra, during the 

 winter months, to have been occasioned by the failure of the rains in 

 the hills, during the preceding season. 



The fact is, that these rivers are not at all dependent on the rains for 

 their supplies, but like all those which have their sources in the hills, 

 are fed, during winter, from the snows alone ; and the small quantity of 

 water remarked by Dr. Gordon, was occasioned by the severity of the 

 frosts in the upper hills, which had bound up their sources in ice. 



The rivers of the plains are most swollen during the months of June, 

 July, August, and September, because at that season the frosts on the 

 snowy ranges are less severe, and the snow melts away beneath the 

 influence of the summer heats from all the inferior elevations, supply- 

 ing the rivers with abundance of water, which again gradually decrease 

 in violence as fresh autumnal frosts and falls of snow occur. 



This too is annually proved to be the fact by the rapid rise in 

 all these rivers during the hot months, before the rainy season has 

 commenced. 



As the rivers are most swollen during the prevalence of the monsoon, 

 it may appear to the inhabitants of the plains that the rise of the waters 

 is to be wholly attributed to the rainy season, and that the volume 

 of their waters diminishes as the rains gradually die away. This, 

 however, would prove a very erroneous idea, for although undoubtedly 

 rivers after coming within the influence of the monsoon, receive 

 immense additions from the drainage of the surrounding country, yet 

 it must be remembered that they are not at all affected by the rains 

 through a great portion of their passage through the mountains, and 

 especially in those regions where they take their rise. 



Thus they could merely receive those additions during the prevalence 

 of the monsoon, and whether the rainy season had been heavy, or the 

 reverse, it would exercise no influence over the rivers during the 

 winter months, or in any way affect the quantity of water at that 

 season. 



The sources of all the larger rivers from these hills are situated far 

 beyond the influence of the periodical rains, and consequently the total 

 failure of the monsoon could but affect them during that particular 



