964 Remarks on the Snow line in the Himalaya. [Sept. 



them, and we merely in return claim the right of believing the evi- 

 dence of our own senses, when wandering over other tracts of the 

 Himalaya. 



I repeat then, that as far as the evidence yet goes, the phenomena 

 observable in Kumaon are opposed to those which have been observed 

 to the westward, — and in rejecting Lieut. Strachey's theory as insuffici- 

 ent, I much prefer adhering to Humboldt's until a better is offered. 

 Lieut. Strachey denies that the radiation of heat from the plains of 

 Tibet exercises any but a trifling influence on the snows of the northern 

 aspect ; still his denial rests on no better basis than that of an as- 

 sumption, for no proof whatever is produced in support of the opinion, 

 save that there is snow on the Tibetan face of the black range, when 

 there is none on the southern face. — But this is really nothing to the 

 purpose, for it merely shows that the direct rays of the southern sun, 

 united to the greater humidity of the atmosphere, and the effects of 

 the violent southerly winds, have a far more powerful effect in un- 

 covering the southern aspect, than the heat from the plains of Tibet 

 has upon the snow of the north. The true question however does not 

 relate to the north and south aspect of the black range, but to the 

 aspects of the water-shed ; and in regard to it we are told that while 

 on the south the snow line is about 15,000 or 15,500 feet, on the 

 north it is 18,000 to 19,000 feet. Now the height of the northern 

 ranges above the plains of Tibet does not appear, on an average, to be 

 more than 3,000 to 8,000 feet, if so much ; while on the south, the 

 peaks rise to 16,000 and 18,000 feet above the plains of India, from 

 which moreover they are separated by a broad intervening belt of 

 wooded mountains, averaging from 6,000 to 8,000 feet above those 

 plains. Consequently it does not appear very difficult to perceive that 

 radiation from the northern plains, must affect the snow more power- 

 fully than from the southern plains, and will drive the snow line to a 

 greater elevation above the sea on the northern, than on the southern 

 aspect. Thus Humboldt's theory when applied to the Kumaon and 

 other similar districts, appears to be perfectly correct. But that the 

 physical features of the Kumaon and western tracts are at the antipodes 

 of each other, has been plainly stated by Mr. Batten, who says — " our 

 passes at once take us into Tibet, and do not conduct us like those 

 beyond Simlah, into an intermediate and peculiar track, like Kuna- 



