1830 .] 
Letter from the Rimmalaya. 
51 
Jumna, at Padshahimahl ; but the same sortof hills rises from the plains, the north- 
eastern frontier of Bengal as far as the Satlej, and probably further to the north-west, 
its direction being nearly parallel to the great HimroaMya, or from east 25 south, 
to west 25 north, and the features of these small hills have, in most places, a 
miniature resemblance to the snowy peaks, their apices point the same way, i. e. 
about 25° to the west of south, the south western profile being steep, and the north, 
eastern less so. In going to the Dfln from the Dodb plains, we pass through broad, 
strong water-courses upon slight acclivities, more than two-thirds of the way, and 
then gaining the crest of the pass, descend to the Dfin valley, but the descent is 
shorter than the ascent. The water-courses are hounded by precipitous walls of 
soft sandy rock and large rounded stones of granite, quartz, and gravel : these com- 
ponents are arranged in strata, alternating several times; some of the layers are 
only 3 or 4 feet deep, others 30 or 40, and they point upwards in angles of from 
25 to 35, and perhaps 40 degrees. The rounded form of the stones, one is apt to 
imagine, must have been caused by the powerful and long continued action of 
water ; and the general appearance of the strata is not unlike what would, in minia- 
ture, be represented by a section cut through the sand and gravel at the liigh-water 
mark of the sea. Can these small hills have once been the boundary of the ocean, 
when, as we may suppose to have been the case, the plains of the Gangetie pro- 
vinces were yet under the waters ? These plains, you know, contain few stones, and 
are so little elevated, that SeMranjpur, though at a great distance from the sea, is 
only 800 feet above its level. Supposing such to have been the case, the Dun may 
have been a safe harbour; call it the JJowns, (Doona sigifics a valley.) The Dun 
between the Ganges and Jumna is about 44 miles in length, and in breadth 11 
generally. Though somewhat uneven, it is a very beautiful valley; the slopes are 
shaded with the saul and other forest trees ; it is well watered by the Soang and 
A san rivers, and many brooks ; and some parts of it are carefully cultivated. Its 
southern and western boundaries are the small hills above mentioned ; but on the N. 
E. side, larger mountains, as Bhadraj, Surkanda, and others, of the heights of 5000 
to 8000 feet, rise abruptly from it. During the winter months, the summits and 
parts of the sides of these are covered with snow. From the base of these com- 
mence that huge jumbled mass of mountains, which fills up the whole space to the 
feet ol' the grand HimmaMya, towards which, they, for the most part, increase in 
height, but the summits are not so sharp as those of the snowy peaks or of the 
little range which rises from the plains. From the higher elevations of Bhadraj, &c. 
we enjoy a noble view, which conimandstheadmiration, andrivets the attention of the 
most phlegmatic, of the towering pinnacles of the HimmaMya, shining with pure 
and brilliant snows, and rising far above the intermediate irregular mass of moun- 
tains, which resemble the billows of a stormy ocean ; and to the S. E., S., and S. 
W. are seen the plains of Hindustan stretching far away, and entwined by the 
shining streams of the Ganges and Jumna, and other rivers. An unrivalled Pano- 
rama ! It appeared to me that the rock at the bases of these intermediate moun- 
tains, where laid bare by the action of water, was chiefly of granite with much 
quartz and mica intermixed, under an outer coating of soil and friable sandy stone; 
and occasionally large masses of calcareous rock present themselves, both near 
the beds of the torrents below, and on the sides and summits of ranges of 5500 feet 
high. Of this nature is the Sain-ka-Dlvar, between Jaitac and the Chur: some of 
the points of 6500 and 7000 feet high, are chiefly composed of coarse slate and 
quartz, as is Bairat. Both the base and summit of the Chur, which, though only 
27 miles in direct distance from the plains, is one of the most remarkable, if not 
the highest of the mountains of what I will call the second order, (i. e. from 12000 
to 15000 feet high) is chiefly composed of coarse granite, with large nodules and 
bands of quartz and other ingredients, though in the flanks and sides there is 
much soft sandstone and shining particles, and small sheets of talc, hut little 
lime. Several of the mountains abound with iron ore ; the iron is of a good 
quality, and some is exported to the plains. Every where, I think, quartz is to be 
found. Of the nature of the rock of the Himraalaya, I have taken notice as I passed 
along, and I sent specimens of it to Calcutta : it proves to be granite, of one sort or 
other, as I_suspected. Lead is found in the hills above the Tons in tolerable 
abundance, and there is copper in some places, but it is difficult to work, and the 
population is so limited that people enough cannot he spared from the labours of 
agriculture to make that of mining advantageous. You know that the red wood used 
for black lead pencils is usually called cedar : it is really a species of juniper* 
(Cedrus Junipcrus ,) and red cedar is a small relation of the family : it is found in 
Canaur, X found it at our bivouac near the source of the Bhagiretti, at tile height of 
