264 OBSERVATIONS ON THE 



of limestone, even down to the transition structure that displays itself 

 in caverns, stalactites, &c. &c. and contains animal remains and traces 

 of plants, being often entirely composed of vegetable matter. The soil 

 itself appears in argillaceous earth, beds of gravel, clay, and marie, 

 deposits of gypsum, and a cineritious looking rubble, indicating coal or 

 plumbago. Though no traces of ore are visible upon the surface, those 

 mountains may only differ from the American chain in containing it in 

 the loftiest zone, untrodden by man ; but the mineral state of the interior 

 has not yet been examined, and neither the scenes of savage beauty 

 in some places, nor the grandeur of their barrenness in others, have urged 

 adventure to explore scientifically their lofty strata. The fossils of the 

 Himalaya in respect to variety, extent, and elevation, are amongst the most 

 curious objects to the naturalist, who sees here tlie great mass of secondary 

 formations, and even portions of the table land itself, rising higher than 

 the primeval peaks. This is sufficiently remarkable in the lofty level of 

 Rupslm between Laddk and SpHi, and the still higher belt of country 

 intersected by the Satlej between the Chinese frontier at Shipke and lake 

 Mansarovara, supported by the Himalaya on the south, and flanked by the 

 great Kylas or Laochi chain washed on its nortward base by the Indus, 

 beyond which all our knowledge ceases ; but information, and conclusions 

 together vague and unprecise as they are, hold out the ground and idea 

 of still loftier ranges, the nature and limits of which we cannot even 

 conjecture. The eternal snows are there repelled to an incredible height, 

 resting partially or entirely vanishing, from the face of the country, very 

 little being here precipitated from skies almost bare of clouds. The 

 rounder and more lumpy configuration of the mountains and gentler 

 undulations of the soil would seem to indicate their structure to be analo- 

 gous to that of the regions which have come under observation, and the 

 accounts of the Lamas confirm the report of calcareous deposits, gravel, 

 clayish, or kanlcar, rubble, and alluvial formations, wherein shells and 

 various organic remains, with petrified bones, are found intermixed with 



