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



whence they come. The mountains on this side have flat declivities, 

 without any rock visible, and are covered with fine forests ; on the 

 opposite side, it is true they are precipitous, and appear to consist 

 of this very rock, but as the river forms a deep chasm between, and 

 not a very narrow one, it is not immediately understood how they 

 should have fallen on this side : perhaps they had occupied their present 

 place before this chasm was formed. 



137. The valley widens considerably at its upper extremity, but 

 constantly presents the easy grassy declivities, or patches of forest, 

 which so entirely cut off all access to the rock. The ascent is easy 

 to the Dharma pass, which separates this valley from that of the 

 Koomoolda, commonly known as the Ramasera, (note, Serais always ap- 

 plied to those vallies where rice may be cultivated.) The latter is a valley 

 of some note, and is thought by the mountaineers, of these otherwise, 

 rugged districts to be a smaller kind of des* but their praises and descrip- 

 tion of it are greatly exaggerated ; there are several vallies in Kumaon and 

 to the westward of greater extent. Its extreme width cannot be taken 

 I think at more than a mile, and the length of the wide part, — miles ; 

 towards its mouth it narrows considerably, and the Koomoolda, the 

 stream which waters it, finally joins the Jumna by cutting its way 

 through a narrow ridge which lies transversely to the valley, and which 

 has all the appearance of having once formed a barrier to its waters. 



138. On the Pass were found fragments of quartz rock occasionally 

 containing talc, and of chloritic schist. The latter rock with bent 

 laminse and oscillating towards talcose schist, was found in situ 

 half way down the Pass. In the valley again gneiss once more makes 

 its appearance in very thin laminse, and dipping to north. This 

 gneiss is very probably connected with the mass which rises up into 

 the lofty peak Kedar Kanta, in the sides of which both the Gurogar, 

 and Rama vallies have their origin ; on crossing the valley quartz 

 rock and chloritic schist are the only rocks to be observed, and of 

 these even very little, owing to the arrangement of the surface and 

 the deep deposits, either of debris or peat, which every where conceal 

 the rock. One very large mass was observed consisting half of quartz 

 rock, half of chloritic approaching to talcose schist, there was no- 

 thing like transition observable between the two substances, the line 



• The term applied by the mountaineers to the plain. 



