30 
REPORT ON A BOTANICAL TOUR IN KASHMIR* 1S93. 
I left Baltal on the morning of 20th for the Zoji L 4 , and pitched 
my camp at the entrance of the Kainpatri n 41 a, from which one of th®^ 
principal sources of the Sind river takes its rise, I ascended this 
ndla in the afternoon as far as the moraine of the central glacier and 
collected many specimens. 
On the following day (August 21st), after crossing the watershed 
which divides the Sind valley from that of the Dras, I proceeded to 
Mataiyan, and arrived at Dras on the 22nd. 
The Zoji La is remarkable for being the lowest depression in the 
great chain of mountains extending for about 300 miles from 
Khagaii on the west to the eastern sources of the Chenib. The 
height of the pass is only 11,500 feet, and by it we step* as it were, on 
to the high level country of Ladak. By whichever pass we cross to 
the north of this great chain of mountains, a very conspicuous change 
in the vegetation cannot fail to be observed. 
I baited fora few days at Dras in order to make myself acquaint- 
ed with the surrounding vegetation, which, though scanty, is very 
interesting. An expedition I made to the Lamchaii nala, a wild- 
looking rocky gorge on the opposite side of the river, fully reward- 
ed me -for all the toil and trouble which had to be undergone. 
The locality, as seen from a distance, presents « most unpromising 
appearance, but after climbing for a long time over loose boulder 
debris, which fills up the entire bed of the ravine, I was fortunate in 
securing a great many rare and interesting specimens. Some of 
these, such as Oxygraphts polypetala, Delphinium Brunonmnum^ 
Corydalis crassifolia^ Geranium polyant hes^ and Allardia iomen^ 
fosa^ were growing amongst the boulder debris, beneath which glacier 
water was trickling, though not visible. The higher we ascended, 
the more varied and interesting the vegetation became, until we 
reached an elevation of about 12,000 feet, above which no vegetable 
life was visible— nothing but rock, and the evidence of havoc 
wrought by avalanches of rock and snow. 
From Dras I travelled to Gurais via Tilail. Although this is the 
mostldirect route, it appears to be very little used as a trade thorough^' 
fare. Two passes have to be crossed, one leading over to the head 
of the Tilail valley, and the other over the ridge between Tilail 
and the Burzil valley. The former Is between 13,000 and 1,4000 feet 
high ; and, like the Zoji La and the Dorikun and Kamri passes, is a 
depression of the great mountain chain which traverses Kashmir 
from north-west to south-east. The ascent on either side is very 
gradual. The other pass leading to the Burzil valley is about 
12,000 feet only, but it is much steeper and very difficult for laden 
ponies in wet weather, especially on the Burzil valley side. By 
