Himaztava Mounrarmse, | 191 
from the hills, which bound it to the north and south, to the two rivers 
Soang and Asan, which have their courses from its centre in different direc- 
tions, to the Ganges and Jumna: much of the sloping ground of the valley 
is covered by forests: the central part, near the rivers, is more open, but i 
marshy, and overgrown at the season, when I examined it, by high grass 
and reeds, which cannot be destroyed by burning, before the commence- 
ment of the warm weather, untill which time it is detrimental to health te 
remain in such places, and the tigers and wild elephants which then 
abound in the thick cover are troublesome: at a later season I might have 
been more successful in finding clearer ground, but [began to re-consider 
whether a plan which I had long before had under consideration, might 
not nearly or wholly obviate the necessity of measurmg a base, an opera- 
tion well known to be very tedious,.and with limited means exceedingly 
difficult: to execute it in the precise manner, which is requisite when 
the object is to measure an arc of the meridian, a number of coffers, tri- 
pods and elevating screws. would be necessary, and even if I could have 
pracured workmen to make them, they must have been cut out of unséa- 
soned timber, which would warp and cause much uncertainty. How some 
of these difficulties were afterwards obviated by Lieutenant Hergezrr, will 
appear in the account of his measurement of a base. 
- Tue method by which I hoped I should be able to avoid the trouble 
and loss of time incident to the actual measurement of a base, was this: 
to determine as accurately as I could the difference of latitude of two places 
in sight of each other, but as far distant as possible: this difference of lati- 
tude with the observed Azimuths, I considered, would shew! the number of 
VOL. XIV. Sie 
