THE SOURCES OF THE GANGES. 435 



« taiiie, passent audela de ce rocher merveilleux, dans Tidee de penetrer 

 " jusqu' aux montagnes de Kelasch (Gail^s/) ou on pretend que Mahadeo 

 " a sa demeure, et de se frayer par la une voye a la felicite eternelle ; 

 " m-d'is ces gens perissent, soit par les .devalemens des oeiges, soit par le 

 " froid ou par la faim." 



At the period of tlie publication -of a second edition of his memoir, in 

 1792, Major Rennell was possessed of correcter information, concern- 

 ing the position of Srinagar, (visited in 1789, by Capt. Guthrie and Mr, 

 pANjEL;) which enabled him to detect the gross error committed by 

 TiEFFENTHALLER, who placed Si'inagar, J^ . 'N. W . instead of E. N. E, 

 from Haridwdr, He was thence led to entertain a very just distrust of other 

 information, resting on the same authority ; and to expect, from future 

 researches, the acquisition of more correct knowledge. Reviewing the 

 information then before him, Major Rennell concluded, that the Bhdgi- 

 rat'hi and AUcanandd, the one from the N. the other from the N. E. join 

 their streams at De'vapraydga, and then form the proper Ganges of Hiri" 

 dustan , ,\w\\\c\\ afterwards issues through mownt Sew alick dil Haridwdr, 

 That the Alacanandd is the largest of the two streams, and has its source 

 in the snowy mountains of Tibet, and is traceable to Bkadrindth, nine 

 journies above Srinagar. That the Alacanandd is probably the same 

 river which appears in Du Halde, under the name of Menchou. That the 

 Bhdgira t' hi ha^s R somcQidT more remote than the Alacan'andd. Major 

 Rennell adds, • as to the head of XhQ Ganges itself, we cannot forget the 



* particulars communicated by the Lamas, sent by Carihi ; whose report, 

 ' although defective in geometrical exactness, has not fallen under any 



* suspicions of error or misrepresentation, in plain matters of fact; and 



* their report was, that the Ganges issues from the lake Mapama, and 



