1848.] The Turaee and Outer Maintains of Kumaoon. 593 



there confined to a very narrow width between limestone cliffs. Dr. 

 McClelland found precious serpentine at Goorat village, on the way 

 down from Pithora. 



The people of Shor have a general impression that the prevalence of 

 goitre in their valley is owing to the presence of so much limestone ; 

 and one may occasionally hear a hill man object to Nynee Tal on the 

 score of the water there being impregnated with lime. Dr. McClel- 

 land has adopted this opinion (apparently first broached by Mr. Coxe, 

 in reference to Switzerland) and endeavours to prove by an induction 

 of particulars, that where the springs are in limestone, the disease 

 prevails : where in slate, that it is unknown. The evidence adduced 

 is certainly startling, but when familiar with a whole country such as 

 Ireland, three-fourths of which are limestone, and where goitre is 

 unheard of, one cannot but suspect a fallacy, especially as the disease 

 is exceedingly prevalent in some of the gneiss and mica-slate districts 

 of Busehur. It was the fashion at one time to ascribe goitre to the 

 use of snow water ; a theory which was overthrown by the discovery 

 that the disease was known where snow and snow-water were equally 

 unheard of ; by parity of reasoning the theory of lime-water must be 

 relinquished, if it be proved, as I think it may, positively, that goitre 

 affects many slate districts, and, negatively, that it is unknown in lime 

 ones ! There is not a trace of lime at Almorah, yet the malady has 

 shown itself there in several Sepoys, natives of the plains, as well as in 

 European children, none of whom could have had any hereditary pre- 

 disposition ; Dr. Dollard found the case the same at Lohooghat. 



March 20th.— From Pithoraghur to the N. E. peak of Thakil 

 mountain, which took nearly four hours. The route strikes off from 

 the Eichoola Pass, and, crossing a range of little height by a gap with 

 several old Sillung trees, enters the large, level, and beautifully culti- 

 vated valley of Deodar, which appears to join that of Pithora towards 

 Choupukhya. The vista down this valley and across the Kalee far 

 amongst the Dotee mountains, is exceedingly beautiful. One of these 

 last, with a double head and very lofty, is called Bhaga-ling ; near it is 

 the Sheonath Quarry, affording a very hard, black- stone, in much re- 

 quest for millstones. 



The Deodar valley crossed, the ascent commences in earnest up the 

 N. W. side of the mountain, at first steep, rocky, and inaccessible to a 



