344 Narrative of the Travels of Khwajah Ahmud Shah. [No. 4, 



scoriae lying about, shews the extent of the smelting in former days, 

 but whether from this ore, or from other sources along the line of 

 the river, I cannot say ; my opinion is that these ores would answer 

 well, smelting them on the English plan, but I think the smelting 

 of clay iron ores like these could not be attended with either good 

 or profitable results on the native plan. 



41 and 42. Iron. — Smelted from the two descriptions of metallic 

 sands in which gold is found in the Brahmaputra and in the hills 

 inland from Jeypore. The difficulty of fusion without addition is a 

 great drawback to the smelting of these ores, for they afford excel- 

 lent iron, easily converted into steel. The magnetic black sand will 

 not fuse without the addition of glass, and cannot be managed in 

 native furnaces. The magnetic iron fuses, and no doubt, with 

 sufficient blast heat, would furnish a good proportion of pure iron, I 

 have not, however, completed my trials of smelting these ores so as 

 to give a correct opinion as to their usefulness. 



43 and4>4<. Washed gravel. — From the Degaroo and Tedding rivers, 

 Upper Brahmaputra. These are no doubt metallic, but in all pro- 

 bability contain iron only. 



Narrative of the Travels of Khwajah Ahmud Shah Nukshbundee Syud 

 who started from Cashmere on the 28th October, 1852, and went 

 through YarJcund, Kokan, Bokhara and Cabul, in search of Mr. 

 Wyburd. — Communicated by the Government oe India. 



At the request of Major Macgregor and Colonel Mackeson, I on 

 the 28th October, 1852, taking with me six horses and six servants 

 started for Ladakh, which it took me twenty days to reach owing 

 to the quantity of snow (it being now winter) on the Ijogicbal 

 mountain. 



In the Ladakh valley the climate is very cold and only produces 

 "jorve" and wheat, which can be obtained at every stage. Eice is 

 brought from Cashmere and Manoo (I do not know where the latter 

 place is.) It is sold at 4 or 5 seers for the "Rupee. Travellers and 

 strangers are hospitably received by the people. It is under the 



