1849.] Kohistan of the Jullundhur. 403 



procured from a stagnant pool near the gateway. Sinking wells in the 

 hard conglomerate rock would be fruitless, so the evil cannot be reme- 

 died. In the details given of the place I may possibly err a little, as I 

 did not like to pull out my note book and make notes on the spot, I 

 preferred trusting to my memory and committing the result to paper on 

 my arrival in camp.* Leaving Kumleh-gurh we descended by the 

 western path into the stony bed of a ravine, which we followed for a 

 short distance, and having ascended some rising ground entered a fertile 

 and picturesque valley. After the cheerless and desolate hills we had 

 just traversed, such a sight was indeed delightful* the pleasure moreover 

 was greatly enhanced from its not having been anticipated. We were 

 ignorant of the existence of such a lovely spot until we met with it. 

 We viewed it moreover under very favorable circumstances. All the 

 fields were sown with grain, and the wheat was just springing up under 

 the influence of some seasonable showers and a genial sun. On the 

 left bank of the Beas the terraced slopes, gradually decreasing in height, 

 are blended with the fields which skirt the river. On the opposite side 

 are the fertile pergunnahs of Raj-ghirri and Jeysingpoor, separated by 

 low wooded hills from the elevated plains which slope up to the Chumba 

 range. Throughout its whole extent the valley is studded with populous 

 villages and wooded hamlets, and its fields with picturesque groups of 

 bamboo, mango, or silk-cotton trees. Here and there also a solitary 

 palm rears its graceful crest regardless of the chilling blasts which de- 

 scend from the adjacent snows. Through this charming vale the Beas 

 also winds its way and presents a glassy surface, broken every now and 

 then by gentle falls, down which its waters roll in mimic cataracts. It 

 must be confessed however that the wide sandy bed of the river detracts 

 somewhat from the general beauty of the scenery. Unfortunately all 

 Indian river scenery lies under the same disadvantage, excepting those 

 in the Province of Bengal. In the hills the river beds are usually 

 covered with boulders, bleached by the sun, and in the plains (at least 

 in the North- Western Provinces) with fine white sand. This must 

 always be the case wherever rivers periodically extend the limits of their 

 beds. Having performed a march of 15 miles or more, and moreover, 

 having been on our legs from sunrise until sunset, we were glad to reach 



* Mr. Moorcroft's description of the place is quite unaccountable ; he must have 

 received it from interested parties. 



