1848.] and on its Coal and other Minerals. 507 



springs usually indicate the mean annual temperature of the district, and 

 hence appear to be hot in winter and cold in summer. 



Tank of Kutass. — At Choee several streams of water issuing from 

 the limestone hills unite to form a good-sized clear stream, along the 

 grassy banks of which a road leads to Kutass, famous for its tank of 

 water, a sacred resort of the Hindoos, and around which numerous 

 faqueers have taken up their abode in fine mansions built by different 

 Sirdars who have made them over to the holy men. This tank is sup- 

 plied by the stream above mentioned, and has no apparent outlet from 

 the limestone rock which surrounds it. Its depth is declared to be 

 unfathomable by the faqueers and natives of the place, who informed 

 us that Runjeet Sing, Burnes and several others had tried to ascertain 

 it, but without success. A faqueer too, it is said, was engaged for two 

 years manufacturing a rope, but in this period could not make one of 

 sufficient length to fathom its abysses. 



Being anxious to ascertain the truth of the statement, we got a 

 charpoy tightly bound on four inverted gurrahs, and having seated a 

 man on this frail craft, directed him to navigate it about the tank, tak- 

 ing soundings in our presence, at the different points, stated by the 

 Faqueers and others as those of greatest depth. To their great disgust 

 however, the deepest part was found not to exceed 23 feet, and as the 

 soundings were repeated in so many different places within the area of 

 the tank, we are inclined to believe that its depth is entirely fabulous, 

 and that the story has been invented and perpetuated by the cunning 

 faqueers, with the view of conferring greater sanctity on their pleasant 

 residence. Probably the water escapes to a lower level through some 

 crack or fissure in the limestone, and we suspect that a considerable 

 stream of water which we observed to the westward at a place called 

 Nurwa near Kuhar, is the drainage of the above tank. At the time we 

 visited it, thousands of pilgrims were bathing in its clear waters, and a 

 fair was being held in the town, giving the place quite an air of bustle 

 and importance. 



Soft Sandstone strata with Conglomerates, fyc. — All along the 

 north side of the salt range from Kutass to Noorpoor, the nummulite 

 limestone occurs full of flints, rising up by a series of rounded hills with 

 intervening valleys to the ridge of the range. To the north of Kutass 

 and extending east and west along the foot of the hills, strata of a 



3 x 



