1849.] Remarks on the Snow line in the Himalaya. 959 



Thus we have observations made in Tartar regions north of the 

 Bissehir range, between 31° 30 ; and 32° north latitude, all of which 

 tend directly to prove that while from December to August snow was 

 always to be found on the northern aspect of every hill or range, there 

 was either little or none at all on their southern exposure. 



What, then, has Lieut. Strachey proved by his observations in 

 Kumaon, and by his strictures upon nearly every one who has written 

 on the subject of the snow line in the Himalaya ? We appear to be 

 indebted to him simply for proving what was never disputed, namely, 

 that the facts observed by Webb and others in Kumaon are true, as 

 far as regards that district ; but with respect to the only point in dis- 

 pute, namely, as to whether those facts are only locally and not gene- 

 rally true, he has left the question exactly where he found it. Indeed, 

 his assumption that my observations were confined to the Bissehir 

 range, in spite of my declaration to the contrary, proves at once that his 

 efforts have been less directed to the elucidation of the truth, than to 

 my personal discomfiture. 



But conceding even that the Bissehir or southern snowy range was 

 the locality on which my facts were observed, there still appears 

 strong reason for asserting that the phenomena there visible are direct- 

 ly opposed to the conclusions which my opponent would draw from 

 them ; for he declares that a greater quantity of snow must fall on the 

 outer southern face of the range, owing to the interception of heated 

 and moisture-bearing winds from the south, and thus he would account 

 for the prevalence of the snow on that aspect. Supposing then, for 

 the sake of argument, that thus far his views are just, when applied to 

 the southern range of Kumaon, he has still chosen to overlook the 

 fact that in Lord and Gerard's "Tours in the Himalaya," — a work too, 

 which he has himself quoted, — it is stated that " the line (of perpetual 

 snow) in the latitude 30° 30 ; in Asia is fixable at 15,000 feet on the 

 southern or Indian aspect of the Himalaya mountains, and on the 

 northern (not the Tartaric) may be concluded at 14,500 feet." — This 

 appears to me to give the northern snow line of the outer range an 

 elevation less by 500 feet, than the southern one ; while Captain Cun- 

 ningham in a recent paper, even estimates the approximate difference 

 at 3,000 feet.* — The same gentleman likewise states that — "on the 



* J. A. S. No. 205, p. 695, for 1849. 



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