312 Visit to the Niti Pass [April, 



with similar trees and birch, which latter as well as the sycamores have 

 at this season the true autumnal tints contrasting finely with the dark 

 branches of the deodar. The bridges now become very frequent ; and 

 the river, though still urtfordable, becomes a torrent falling over rapids. 

 Mahiri is next entered, a very large village in every respect similar to 

 those seen in Kanaur. The crops when I arrived had just been cut, and 

 it was somewhat strange at 10,250 feet above the sea to see the fields in 

 the valley covered with harvest-sheaves, while the eternal snows were 

 not more than 3000 feet distant overhead : and heavy frost was whiten" 

 ing the ground. Between Maldri and Melam in the Juwdhirvnss is a 

 route practicable in August for about a fortnight every year, but like all 

 the other routes within the Himalaya very high, snowy, and dangerous. 

 It is in this intermediate range between the Dhauli and the Gori that 

 silver 1 is said to exist*. Lead mines are now worked on a high range 

 not far above Mulari ; but the situation renders all hopes of increased 

 produce or new discoveries of this metal, almost vain in this direction. 

 After leaving Mulari, we march up a glen of the most beautiful kind, 

 the deodar trees (all of the spreading shape) coming down to the 

 waters' edge, and now beginning to be mingled with chilapinesf (pinus 

 excelsa, not unlike the chir at a distance), and Ragha firs (abies iveb- 

 hiana) : a set of large villages is then entered. JBampa, Gumsdli, &c. 

 all varying in elevation from the sea from 10,200 to 1 1,000 feet and up- 

 wards, the highest of which is Niti. At Bampa the deodar pines end, 

 and no other tree is seen save birch and pinus excelsa, but the ground is 

 covered as well as the surrounding heights, with beds of ground cypress, 

 gooseberries, currants, furze, ( astralagus, Royle,) webb rose, sweet- 

 briar and juniper. The furze is especially plentiful, but there is no 

 heath as at Badrindth. By heath I mean the andromeda fastigiata 

 depicted in Royle. Up to Gumsdli the rocks have been quartz, mica, 

 schist and gneiss, with granite blocks, in the river beds, fallen from the 

 peaks, except in the neighbourhood of Muldri where argillaceous and 



* N. B. All our snowy range galena ores have a good proportion of silver in 

 them ? Would this be worth extracting by chemical process ? Could not you 

 come and visit all our mines ? [Capt. Drummond and an experienced miner 

 have since been deputed to the district. — Ed.] 



f N. B. The Chila pine grows up very near to the upper limit of birch. At 

 Niti it is found at 11,800 feet; the birch only goes to 12,200 feet. At Badrindth, 

 the limit of wood is lower, as the snow comes down lower. Both Badrindth and 

 Jtfitl are within the Himalaya, and have snowy peaks to their south : Keddrndth, is 

 on the contrary on the south base of the peaks and snow is met with at 10,000 

 feet. Gavgavtt i and Badrindth are in the north of the peaks. Jamnaittrl and 

 Keddrndth, on their south. 



