OF KAMAON. 5 



deprived of much of its apparent exaggeration, on inspection of the country 

 in that quarter. During the rainy season, to insecurity under foot, must 

 be added insecurity over head. Fragments of rock, " Gull" and ava- 

 lanches, " Hum Gull" are continually detached from the impending 

 cliffs, and annually occasion fatal accidents in each of the Ghats. 



The Bhot Mehals present only fifty-nine villages, within the Ghats,, 

 distributed as under-mentioned ; comparatively speaking, these are of 

 good size, the village of Melim, alone (in the Juivar pass,) contains near 

 two hundred houses, a number greater than is to be found in any other 

 village in the province. 



Mana, 



Nili, 



Juwar, 



Darma, 



JByanse, 



No. of Villages. 



3 

 10 

 13 

 24 



9- 



-59 



No. of Houses. 

 125 

 219 

 455 

 342 

 184 



1325 



The houses are commonly large, consisting of two or more stories, 

 substantially built of stone, with sloping roofs of slate, planks, or gravel 

 beat smooth ; where this last material is made use of, a previous layer of 

 birch-bark, is requisite to render the roof water-proof. In the choice 

 of a site for building, security from avalanches forms the primary con- 

 sideration ; but even the greatest foresight sometimes proves vain. In 

 1822, more than twenty houses were swept away by an avalanche in 

 the village of Mana ; although it is, at least, two miles distant from the 

 peak, whence the destructive mass must have proceeded. This catastro- 

 phe took place, fortunately, during the periodical absence of the inha- 

 bitants. 



c No 



