ii Report of the Mineralogical Survey [No. 126.* 



ciety, Mr. J. H. Batten of the Civil Service ; next, by that of the report now 

 published (to which Captain Herbert's paper on the Mineral Resources of 

 the Himalaya in the Physical Transactions, Vol. XVI II. is a sequel,) and 

 through the report, by the knowledge that his geological map, and plans 

 of the river basins of that part of the Himalaya, exist in the records of the 

 India House. It is needless to add, that no time has been lost in request- 

 ing copies of these valuable documents from home. 



It remains but to add a word on the lacunse which it will be perceived 

 occur so frequently in the first pages of the MSS. These are owing to 

 some corrosive liquid having so far destroyed the manuscript that it 

 has been sometimes necessary to fill it up altogether conjecturally, but at 

 other places there are enough of words or letters left to assure us, that we 

 were not far from the very words used by Captain Herbert. It will be 

 noted, that all our emendations are distinguished both by italics and by 

 brackets. 



INTRODUCTION. 



1 . It has been my intention to give, in the accompanying paper, such 

 a general sketch of the geological features of the mountain tract between 

 the Kalee and the Sutlej Rivers, as the series of partial and scattered 

 observations which I have yet been able to make will allow. In the 

 absence of every thing like information, such a sketch, though necessa- 

 rily imperfect, and even premature, will not be perhaps without interest. 

 It will at least serve to exhibit to the Government, who have so favorably 

 distinguished me, the nature and extent of my labours since entering on 

 this duty, and also to mark out the train of investigation which they 

 have suggested to me. 



As such I offer it, but with diffidence. Geology, as a science, has not 

 yet attracted in India that attention which its importance merits, and 

 it would be futile in me to deny that, till selected for this duty, I had 

 but a slender acquaintance with the subject. While exploring the local 

 phenomena of this tract I have been in reality studying the principles 

 of the science ; an advantage in so far as I may hope to have escaped 

 the trammels of system. But on this account I have also laboured 

 under some disadvantages, inasmuch as a premature account like the 

 present, of an unfinished survey, may be expected to lie under some im- 

 perfections, which a little more technical knowledge on my part might 

 perhaps have removed. " But a survey that shall accomplish every thing, 

 must be a work of time, nor will any thing be contributed towards it by 



