Snow on the Himalayas, 



corresponding with 4,000 feet in perpendicular descent. But the 

 Himalaya and the Hindoo Koosh have the same aspect ; the same ge- 

 neral direction ; lie nearly in the same latitude, and in fact are little 

 other than integral parts of the same chain. The local circumstances, 

 however, connected with each are precisely reversed. The Himalaya 

 has to the north the elevated Steppes of Central Asia, and to the 

 south, the long low plains of Hindustan. Hindoo Koosh on the other 

 hand, has to the south the elevated plains of Cabul and Koh-i-damun, 

 between five and six thousand feet above the level of the sea, while 

 to the north stretch away the depressed, sunken, and swampy flats 

 of Turkistan." 



Now it will readily be seen, that no just parallel can be drawn 

 between the plains of Tui'kistan and those of the Bengal Presidency, 

 for the latter are not " sunken and swampy flats ;" nor will the ele- 

 vated Steppes of Central Asia, to the north of the Himalaya, bear 

 a moment's comparison with " the elevated plains of Cabul and 

 Koh-i-damun." 



Against the long received opinion, that the snow lies deepest 

 on the southern face, I shall merely oppose the few facts which 

 fell under my observation during my journey into Tartary, and 

 now fully corroborated and confirmed by the testimony of Captain 

 J. D. Cunningham. First then, it must be observed, that in the 

 month of June when I crossed the Roonung Pass, the snow lay 

 deepest and farthest down on the northern exposure. On the 

 southern face of the mountains it was first met with at about 

 12,500 feet of elevation lying in large fields or patches, and uniting 

 at about 13,000 feet into one broad unbroken sheet, from whence 

 to the summit of the Pass, or 1,500 feet more, (the height of the 

 Pass being 1 4,500,) it continued so, with the exception of about 50 

 feet at the crest, where on the southern face there was none at all. On 

 the northern slope, on the contrary, it commenced at the very crest of 

 the Pass, and continued in an unbroken sheet for fully two miles and 

 a half, while beyond this for half a mile more, it was broken and lying 

 in patches. The facts observable here are, therefore, greatly in 

 favour of the northern face, for while the extent of snow is there 

 estimated at three miles, that of the opposite exposure is but two 

 thousand feet. 



