122 OA Surveyor tygss) ¢ 
faces we' had a fair view onward, and: there: was no sign of the river, 
and I am-firmly convinced that its first appearance ta day. is ‘at the de 
bouche Wihave described; perhaps indeed, gore of those various chasms 
and rents inthe snow bed, which intersect it im all sort of trrerular direce 
tions, may occasionally let in the light on some. part! of the bed of the 
stream, but the general line and direction of dt'could only be guessed at, 
as: it 49° altowether “here far below: the broken snowy surface.—The 
breadth:of'the snow valley or bed is about a mile and a half, and its 
length may be64 or 7 miles from the debouche:of the river, to the summit 
of:the slope, which terminated our views as to the depth:of the’ snow, it 
is impossible to form a correct judgement, but it must be very great—lIt 
may easily be imagined, that a large supply.of water is furnished at this 
season, by the melting of this vast mass in the valley, ‘as well as by th~ 
melting of that of the ‘gfeat peaks which bound it, Brom their ‘bases, 
torrents rush, which cutting their way under: snew, tend to the centre 
of the valley, and form the young Ganges, which is further augmented | 
by ‘the waters which filter through the rents, of the snow bed itself—In 
this manner, all the Himalaya rivers, whose heads I have. visited, and ' 
passed: over,:are formed; they all issuein a full stream fram under thick - 
beds ofssnow, and differ from the Gangés, inasmuch as their streams . 
are less, aad go-are their parent snows.-On our return down the snow ’ 
valley;:we passed nearer to its North side than in going up, and saw. 
a very censiderable terrent cutting under it from the peaks; this was . 
making its way 4 the centres at times, we saw:il through rents in the snow, . 
and atothers,;:only heard iis noise; as there must be several more such > 
fseders, they will be fully sufficient to furm such a stream.as. we observe - 
