241 
Head of the Ganges. 
front, over the debouche 9 the mass of snow is perfectly perpendi- 
cular ; and from the bed of the stream to the summit, we esti- 
mate the thickness at little less than 300 feet of solid frozen 
snow, probably the accumulation of ages. It is in layers of 
some feet thick, each seemingly the remains of a fall of a sepa- 
rate year. From the brow of this curious wall of snow, and 
immediately above the outlet of the stream, large and hoary 
icicles depend : they are formed by the freezing of the melted 
snow-water of the top of the bed, for in the middle of the day 
the sun is powerful, and the water produced by its action falls 
over this place in cascade, but is frozen at night. The Gango- 
tri Brahmin who came with us, and who is only an illiterate 
mountaineer, observed, that he thought these icicles must be 
Mahadeva 's Hair 9 from whence, as he understood, it is written 
in the Shdstra , the Ganges flows. I mention this, thinking it a 
good idea ; but the man had never heard of such a place ac- 
tually existing, nor had he or any other person, to his know- 
ledge, even been here. In modern times they may not, but 
Hindus of research may formerly have been here ; and if so, I 
cannot think of any place to which they might more aptly give 
the name of a Cow’s Mouth,, than to this extraordinary de- 
bouch e. The height of the arch of snow is only sufficient to let 
a stream flow under it. Blocks of snow were failing about us, 
so there was little time to do more here than to measure the 
size of the stream. Measured by a chain, the mean breadth was 
27 feet ; the greatest depth at that place being knee deep, or 
18 inches, but more generally a foot deep, and rather less just 
at the edges, say 9 or 10 inches ; however, call the mean depth 
15 inches. Believing this to be (as I have every reason to sup- 
pose it is) the first appearance of the famous and true Ganges 
in daylight, we saluted her with a bugle-march, and proceeded 
(having to turn a little back to gain an oblique path) to the top 
of the snow-bed, having ascended it to the left. 
“ Ascent of the same kind, general acclivity 7°, but we 
pass over small hollows in the snow, caused by its irregular sub- 
siding. A very dangerous place : the snow stuck full of rub- 
bish, and rocks imbedded in it. Many rents in the snow ap- 
pear to have been recently made ; their sides shrinking and fall- 
VOL, VIIT. NO. 16. APRIL 1823. Q 
