2849.] On the Physical Geography of the Himalaya. 787 



I will conclude this paper with the following amended comparative 

 table of Andean and Himalayan peaks, Baron Humboldt having apprised 

 me that Pentland's measurements, as formerly given by me, have been 

 proved to be quite erroneous, and Col. Waugh having recently fixed 

 Kangchang and Chumalari with unrivalled precision and accuracy. 



Chief Peaks of Andes. Feet. Chief Peaks of Himalaya. Feet. 



Aconcagua, 23,000 Jamnoutri, „ 25,669 



Chimbarazo, 21,424 Nanda-devi, 25,598 



Sorato, 21,286 Dhoula-giri, 27,600 



Illimani, 21,149 Gosain-than, 24,700 



Descabasado, 21,100 Kangchang, 28,176 



Desya-cassada, 19 5 570 Chumalari, 23,929 



Postscript. 



That sensible and agreeable writer, Major Madden, in a letter just 

 received by Dr. Hooker, notices " the disgraceful state of our maps of the 

 Himalaya, which insert ridges where none exist, and omit them where 

 they do exist ; and, moreover, in regard to all names, show an utter 

 ignorance of the meaning of Indian words." It is the express object of 

 the above Essay to contribute towards the removal of the weightier of 

 those blemishes of our maps without neglecting the lesser, by exhibiting, 

 in their true and causal connexion, the great elevations and the river 

 basins of the Himalaya. Major Madden supposes that the term Hyiin 

 des, which he applies to Tibet, points to that region as the pristine abode 

 of the Huns. But this is a mistake. Hyiin des is a term unknown to the 

 language of Tibet. It is the equivalent in the Khas or Parbatia language 

 for the Sanscrit Himya des, or land of snow. Its correlative term in the 

 Parbatia tongue is Khas des, or land of the Khas. The Khas race 

 were till lately (1816) dominant from the Satlege to the Tishta : they 

 are so still from the Kali to the Mechi. Hence the general prevalence 

 of geographic terms derived from their language. By Hyiin des the 

 Parbatias mean all the tracts covered ordinarily with snow on both 

 sides of the crest or spine of Hemachal, or the ghat line ; and by Khas 

 des, all the unsnowed regions south of the former, as far as the sand- 

 stone range. 



The brahmans and those who use Sanscrit call the Hyiin des, Bhii- 

 tant or appendage of Bhot ; and hence our maps exhibit a Bhiitant in 



5i2 



