1848.] Journal of a trip through Kulu and Ldhul, fyc. 205 



stand as long as the materials will last. Beyond the bridge the pre- 

 sent road continued up the right bank of the Ohl river for half a mile, 

 to a spot where the stream is rather smooth — and there we crossed upon 

 skins — the clumsy but useful Dhres. The Ohl rises in the snowy 

 range, about three days' journey distant, and close to the source of the 

 Serbrie river, which joins the Byas below Sultanpiir, in Kulu. From the 

 Ohl the road ascends to the alluvial flat and then descends to the Utr- 

 sal nullah, which we forded with difficulty. By repairing the broken 

 bridge across the Ohl this ford would be avoided. From the ford the 

 road continues up the left bank of the Utr-sal rivulet to Kuman, where 

 are the iron mines, about 200 yards to the right of the Bunya's house. 

 The ore lies in thin layers and streaks in a dark micaceous sandstone. 

 The stone is so soft that it is pounded by hand with small round 

 boulder stones. It is then washed in small wooden platters and the 

 sand is poured off with the water, leaving the ore in the shape of a 

 coarse black heavy sand at the bottom. One seer of this ore yields 

 half a seer of iron. The metal is considered good, and is sold on the 

 spot at 1\ rupees per pukka maund, or 1 rupee per kucha maund, of 

 12 seers, which is cheaper than it was in Moorcroft's time, when the 

 price was 3^ rupees per pukka maund. 



From Kuman the road descends to the Utr-sal nullah, which was 

 again forded with less difficulty than before. We halted at Utr-sal in 

 the Dharmsala, which was 4,255 feet above the sea. 



Monday 1 7th August. To Bajaora, 9 miles. The road from Utr- 

 sal to the foot of the Ghat was but little injured by the heavy rains of 

 this year, but the ascent of the Bajaora Ghat, which is commonly call- 

 ed Kandi, was very much cut up. The ascent lies through a thick 

 forest of large trees, and the ground is literally enamelled with flowers, 

 among which the wild sweet-scented pea is very luxuriant. In June, 

 when I crossed this Pass before, asters were the commonest flowers, but 

 they had now disappeared. On the eastern face the road was complete- 

 ly obliterated, excepting in a few isolated spots. The heavy rains of 

 this year have swept away all the alluvial soil from the bed of the 

 Bajaora nullah, and left behind only a wreck of enormous boulders and 

 fragments of trees. It appears to me that it would now be very diffi- 

 cult to make a road down the course of the nullah, on account of the 

 steepness of the hills on both sides. As this was the high road 



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