McClelland’S tabular arrangement of mountain rocks. 201 
The valleys of these rivers sink to the depth 
of five or six thousand feet below many of 
the adjoining summits ; but the general height 
of the mountains above the valleys throughout 
the district, is from two to five thousand feet. 
The mountains are generally massive; and 
differ in their more minute outlines, according 
to the nature of the rocks of which they are 
composed. Hornblende-slate forms moun- 
tains, whose acclivities rise abruptly, at 
angles of from 65^ to 35« with the horizon. 
Mica-slate and gneiss, as well as clay-slate, 
present acclivities that vary from 60® to 30®. 
The'*' mountains composed of these rocks are 
usually wooded ; and their summits are round- 
backed, undulating, or conical. 
Limestone mountains are here characterised 
on the great scale ; by abrupt rugged accli- 
vities, mural precipices, lofty, varied, and 
picturesque summits, cascades, and subter- 
raneous streams, deep ravines, and narrow 
inaccessible valleys, transition clay-slate 
forms barren , round-backed mountains ; 
which are uniform in their appearance, and 
intersected by few ravines. 
There is also a genus of rocks related to 
the Dolomite family, which deserves to be 
mentioned ; as stamping a peculiar character, 
upon numerous mountains of the district : 
they form lofty caps, and shields ; usually 
disposed in saddle-shaped strata, presenting 
smooth, and often inaccessible declivities ; 
which are too abrupt to afford, even vegetable 
existence, except to grass and lichen : while 
ravines and low places, situated at the base of 
such mountains, are strewed with rounded 
masses, which have been, precipitated from 
above. 
The district which is to form the subject of 
the following pages, is embraced by the lati- 
tudes 29 ^ and 29® 45' N. Long. 79® 55' and 80® 
20' E. ; and lies on the western side, of the 
river district of the Gogra. Having thus defined 
the geographical limits, to which only it is 
intended, that the following pages shall refer ; 
it may be proper to recapitulate such of the 
foregoing remarks as apply only to this 
limited space, and to add such further obser- 
vations, on the general characters of the dis- 
trict, as may lead the way to the more minute 
details respecting the rocks and minerals of 
which it is composed, and of the relative con- 
nexion of these to each other. 
It has been said, that the mountains of 
certain rocks, as gneiss, hornblende-slate, 
&c. derive peculiar outlines from the nature 
of their composition. These distinctive cha- 
racters may even be traced to more minute 
particulars. Hornblende -slate, for instance, 
appears to have much more effect, in resisting 
the destroying power of the atmosphere, than 
either gneiss or mica-slate : the latter rocks 
may therefore be distinguished from the 
former one, by the numerous white patches 
of naked surface, whose active state of 
decomposition prevents the growth of vege- 
table matter. The mountains of gneiss may 
again be distinguished from those of mica- 
slate, by the overlying masses of granite ; 
which have been denuded by the decay of the 
softer rock, in which they once existed as 
beds, or central nuclei : enormous masses of 
this kind are found throughout the gneiss 
district, which extends from the ruins of the 
ancient city of Chompawut, in a north-wes- 
terly direction, probably for a hundred miles ; 
I have traced them myself for forty miles. 
The valleys, formed bv the different tribu- 
tary branches of the Gogra, divide the district 
into sections. The first is that deserted tract 
that lies between Burmdeo pass and Belket. 
The second is a more important section ; and 
extends from the river Ludhoo, at Belket, to 
the Ramessa, and is chiefly composed of pri- 
mitive rocks. A ridge of granite composes the 
centre of this section ; and forms occasional 
elevations of nearly eight thousand feet. 
Gneiss, hornblende-slate, mica-slate, and 
clay-slate, are the other principal formations, 
which occur in this section. 
The third natural division is that which lies 
on the north of the Ramessa river, and be- 
tween the rivers called Mahi Kali and Surjee ; 
embracing some fine, though small valleys, 
the principal one of which is the valley of 
ShoVe ; and to avoid the confusion of names, 
it may be proper to use this term to distin- 
guish the adjoining portion of the district. 
Of the mountain rocks that occur in the 
Shore section, primitive clay-slate is the 
oldest, and forms the basis of this part of the 
district, and ascends to elevations which are 
occasionally above8,000 feet : primitive, tran- 
sition, and floetz limestone also occur in 
succession, and bestow their peculiar stamp 
on the aspect of the neighbourhood. The 
mountains are here more majestic than in 
either of the other sections ; each individual, 
standing almost detached from the group to 
which it belongs, and bearing some well- 
marked character, which leaves on the mind, 
an impression not easily effaced. Thus we 
find, in the Shore district, every mountain 
distinguished by some traditional name, 
derived from a sacred rock, or ancient temple, 
which usually caps the summit. At certain 
festivals, crowds of the superstitious popu- 
lation resort to these romantic caves and 
temples ; and on more private occasions, the 
solitary devotee often ends his life, in the 
attempt to gain an almost inaccessible sum- 
mit, in order to invoke the protection of 
some grotesque representation of the deity, 
to which the mountain is dedicated. How 
forcibly the selection of such localities, for 
religious purposes, attests the influence of 
what is awful in nature, over the mind of man, 
even in his rude and nearly savage state. 
Our author next proceeds to give a table 
exhibiting the mountain rocks of the district 
in the order which they occur. We shall 
quote this, as a proof of his systematic 
arrangement. 
