1839.] Journal of a trip through Kunawur. 901 



Art. II. — Journal of a trip through Kunawur, Hungrung, and 

 Spiti, undertaken in the year 1838, under the patronage of the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, for the purpose of determining the geo- 

 logical formation of those districts. — By Thomas Hutton, Lieut., 

 3Jth Regt. N. I. Assistant Surveyor to the Agra Division. 



PART I. 



Towards the close of the year 1837, a proposal was made to the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal, to undertake, with their patronage and 

 assistance, an expedition into the Spiti Valley, where the late Dr. 

 Gerard, some years since discovered the fossil exuviae of marine mol- 

 lusca; but which interesting discovery was never followed up by a 

 close examination of the geological formation in which they occurred. 



The proposal meeting with the approbation of the Society, I pro- 

 ceeded with as little delay as possible to Simla, whence in a few days 

 having completed my arrangements, and procured all necessaries for 

 the journey, I started on the 14th of May, 1838. 



So many travellers have at various times passed over the first four 

 stages of my journey, and the appearance and productions of the 

 country from Simla to Kotgurh have been so often described, that it 

 would be tedious to repeat the information already published ; and I 

 shall therefore pass over the four first stages of my trip and commence 

 my notes from the military post of Kotgurh, where I arrived on the 

 19th of May. 



Here previous to starting for Kunawur, I received a visit from a 

 vuzeer of the Bussaher Rajah, who, at the kind suggestion of Colonel 

 Tapp, the Political Agent, furnished me with some information re- 

 garding my route, and also sent with me one of his Churriahs or 

 Chupprassees, to accompany me as far as Spiti, in order to procure 

 provisions for my followers, and to give any assistance which his 

 knowledge of the people and their different dialects would enable him 

 to furnish. 



From Kotgurh, the road winds down a steep and somewhat sud- 

 den descent of about four thousand feet to the bank of the Sutledge, 

 along which it continues, with an occasional moderate ascent and 

 descent, to the village of Dutnuggur, which is generally the first stage 

 towards Rampore. 



To avoid as much as possible the heat of the march, which along 

 the bed of the river is little inferior to that of the provinces, I took the 



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