1847-] Notes of an Excursion to the Pindree Glacier. 265 



season ; and that during the rest, the stream is only ankle-deep ; but 

 when the iron-mines and foundries of the province are once in opera- 

 tion under the management of the new company, let us hope the travel- 

 ler will be expedited on his way to Pinduree or Milum by one of the 

 Suspension Bridges, the glory of Kumaoon above all the rest of the 

 Himalaya taken together.* 



We breakfasted at the Dhurmsala, under a very elegant arbor of 

 Jessamine, but clouds again disappointed us of the desired view of the 

 snowy range. Noticed the Vitex negundo in various places to-day ; 

 indeed it is common in Kumaoon, as in all the outer hills, and is here 

 called Shiwalee. An intelligent brahman of Almorah assures me that 

 this is the Sephalica of Indian poetry, and brought me the Amurkosh 

 to prove his point, where it certainly was explained by " Soovuha" — 

 "Nirgsedee" and Neelika ; with niwar as the Hindee. For Nigoondee, 

 H. H. Wilson gives us " Vitex negundo," and " another plant, Neel- 

 sephalica," but does not say what this is. "Neelika" though denoting 

 " blue," he follows Sir W. Jones in explaining by Nyctanthes arbor 

 tristis, though no blue Nyctanthes was ever heard of. Sir W. Jones 

 was assured by his Bengali pundits that this tree was their Sephalica, 

 though he quotes the Amurkosh as stating " When the sephalica has 

 white flowers," &c. which the Nyctanthes always has. It grows wild 

 abundantly in Kumaoon, but Roxburgh could never find it so circum- 

 stanced in Bengal ; the original name is therefore more likely to be 

 preserved in the mountains, where so far as the brahmans are concerned, 

 Parjat is the only one extant, and this also Sir William Jones was 

 aware of in respect to other parts of India. He also gives Nibaree as 

 the vulgar (Bengal) term for the Nyctanthes ; but in Dr. Voigt's 

 catalogue, this is annexed to Cicca disticha. The Puharee " Shiwalee" 

 is an easy and regular corruption of Sephalica, and Sir William des- 

 cribes it in terms which might well attract the praises of the poets — 

 " a most elegant appearance, with rich racemes or panicles (of odorifer- 

 ous, beautifully blue flowers, Voigt,) lightly dispersed on the summit 

 of its branches." " Soovuha" 'bearing well,' may allude to these, or to 

 the aroma of the bruised leaves ; but the experimentum crucis of try- 



* These bridges are constructed of iron manufactured in Calcutta, and probably 

 smelted in England. The abutments of one over the river Khyrna near Nynee 

 Tal are absolutely built on an iron-mine [ 



