1838.] in the Himdlayan range, 315 



those of Peebleshire. Had there been heather instead of stone and 

 brown grass, it would have resembled a highland moor. Its level was 

 hardly any where lower than the pass ! ! but immediately below the pass 

 was a deep ravine which might deceive some people into the idea of a 

 descent, whereas the opposite side of the ravine was certainly within 

 300 feet as high as this side and thence the plain begun. I descended 

 into this ravine, saw the source of the Sianki river and some green ponds 

 on one side of it, thence ascended the opposite banks, keeping to the 

 northwest for two miles till I came to what was called the fossil ground, 

 ( Chakra pathar/ce makdn.) During this walk I was almost killed by 

 mere pain. The rarity of the air along this high road to Ddpa (nearly 

 1 7,000 feet) was perfectly awful. My dandi people would not go on and 

 returned to the crest of the pass. One man accompanied me and he and 

 I went groaning along, at a snail's pace ; on a level, and yet in great 

 agony. (Angina pectoris I now consider nothing in comparison). 



The Niti Bhotias regularly educate for the endurance of this air, 

 (Bish ke hawd,J and some cannot learn to bear it during their whole 

 life. At Ddpa I am told that in the morning and evening people feel it 

 most, and an universal headache prevails. I felt the pain most at my 

 chest, and suffocation seemed to threaten me at every step. There was, 

 thank God ! neither snow nor wind to add to my sufferings. I found 

 the ammonites lying about in hundreds on the top of a small ascent just 

 as the road wound through a kind of pass between two hillocks, before 

 it descended to a ravine. The distance from the Niti pass was about 

 three miles, but at this point the continuation from that pass of the crags 

 forming the first rise of the Himalayan mountains was not very distant. 

 The rocks surrounding the fossils were a kind of mottled grey limestone, 

 i. e. the white veins were more frequent than in ordinary limestone. 

 The hills seemed all to be decomposed hereabouts : and from the glen 

 of the Sianki river, I observed that the limestone was in almost per- 

 pendicular strata, dipping to the northeast where a dip was visible ; but 

 the strata seemed to be the effect of a convulsion and not to be natural- 

 ly formed. Indeed, the quartzoze masses on the south side of the 

 pass were all of a similar appearance, and some hills were composed 

 entirely of white decomposed soil ; as others, on both sides, were of a 

 black soil. I was too ill to stay long picking up ammonites, and, 

 moreover, I can always command a good supply from the Bhotias. I 

 shall send you a present of specimens. To my surprise, I found in return 

 that the whole ravine down to the Sianki river was equally full of 

 ammonites, but that being round and uncovered from their matrix, the 

 natives did not generally observe them so well as the broken ones high- 



