956 Remarks on the Snow Line in the Himalaya. [Sept. 



slopes, while they are nearly altogether wanting on the northern face" 

 — it is evident that I referred to the true north and south aspects of 

 the chain ; — whereas my opponents chose to imagine that I referred 

 " to the north and south aspects of individual ridges ;" — hence Mr. 

 Batten's objections at page 384 of No. 19 of Calcutta Journal of 

 Natural History, where that gentleman says, — he is " convinced that 

 Captain Hutton confounds the singular with the plural number ! viz, 

 slope with slopes." — Had he been kind enough to imagine that it was 

 just within the bounds of possibility that the final s was a slip of 

 the pen, — he would have been much nearer the truth. — Indeed, he 

 might have seen that such was the case from the immediately subsequent 

 mention of " the northern face" in the singular, as contrasted with 

 "the southern slopes" 



But although Lt. Stracheyhas deemed it necessary to lay such stress 

 upon what he imagines to be a grave error, — it is remarkable that 

 he has studiously abstained from accepting the explanation of my 

 meaning, given at p. 380 of the same number of that Journal, in these 

 words, — " Captain Jack objects to my stating that ' dense forests and 

 vegetation occur along the southern slopes, while they are nearly al- 

 together wanting on the northern face ;' — in making this statement, I 

 referred, not to the southern slopes of secondary or minor ranges on the 

 Cis-Himalayan aspect, but to the fact, — that forests and dense vege- 

 tation are found on the south of the principal chain or true Himalaya, 

 — while on the northern aspect of that great range they are nearly al- 

 together wanting. — This assertion will, I doubt not, be borne out by 

 every one who has crossed into Tartary ; for while to the south of the 

 great chain, we find superb and stately forests, — on the north there is 

 scarcely a tree to be seen, and the few that are occasionally met with, 

 are either stunted cypresses growing in the moist soil of ravines, or 

 poplars planted round a village by the hand of man, for economical 

 purposes." 



Now, as a mathematician, my opponent should have known that 

 when a man assumes his own data, he ought to be able to prove any- 

 thing he likes ; and assuredly he is bound to establish the point for 

 which he is contending : yet acting on this principle he has somehow 

 only contrived to prove himself in error, — for, knowing nothing of the 

 western Himalaya, and assuming that I mean one thing, when I have 



