438 



DIFFICULTIES OF OBTAINING INFORMATION. 



I am not certain whether these fragments are derived from the moun- 

 tains or not, they seem to be too varied, and too widely spread for that, 

 although the course of the occasional torrents must vary very much. 



Another puzzling thing is, that in the section afforded by the ditch 

 of the fort, and which is seventeen feet deep, the shingle underlies 

 the tillable soil. 



The vegetation of the slopes here partakes of the nature of the 

 Khyber pass, the prevailing feature consists in coarse tufts of Andro- 

 pogonous grasses, Lycioides occurs, also Periplocea, also Cryptandoid, 

 Euonymus, these are on the cliffy ridge of limestone alluded to, 2 sp. 

 of Astragalus, Solanum jacquini ? Schsenanthus, Sedoides pictum very 

 common, a small fern, apparently a Cryptogramma, Grimonia, Tortu- 

 la, a Bryum, three or four lichens, one Marchantiacea found under 

 boulders or in crevices of rocks, one Salsola, Fagonia, Dianthoid, 

 Statice common, Onosma, Artemisia? one or two, a large Cnicoid. 



The only new feature is a shrubby dwarf fragrant Composita, foliis 

 albis subobovatis, dentatis grossiusculi margine revolutis. 



24th. — A break after a very wet night, cloudy throughout the day. 

 25th. — A fine day, particularly towards evening, beautifully clear. 

 26th. — No rain, but very cloudy, cold north-east wind. 

 27th. — Rain very threatening, a disgusting country in which it is 

 impossible to take exercise without a strong guard : no means of access 

 to the beautiful forests visible in several directions, and the natives are 

 so intractable that it is impossible to induce them to bring in speci- 

 mens of their various trees, the only things about which I am anxious. 



In the meantime I have begun to use the theodolite, and getting 

 approximations to the height of those peaks remarkable for their 

 features of vegetation. 



It is curious that no pines are visible on any range south of the 

 Kooner river, until we reach those heights on the opposite side of a 

 very conspicuous ravine, up which the Bajore road runs. To the 

 north, on all the ranges of sufficient height, fine forests are visible, 

 especially of firs, other large-crowned trees exist, forming the bulk 

 of the forests, below the limit of the pines, but never grouped as 

 those are, but occurring isolatedly, these I call generally, Baloot 

 woods, i. e. Quercus Baloot. 



The only means I have of gaining any idea of the composition of 

 these forests, are derived from the twigs and branches, which are used 

 by the natives as pads for the loads of wood which they bring into 

 for sale, and which almost consequently are from the lowermost limits 



