MR. H. F. BLANFORD ON THE WINDS OF NORTHERN INDIA. 
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mometric, hygrometric, wind, and rainfall data, and some of these are less complete and 
satisfactory than I could have wished. Dr. Murray Thomson’s Reports for the North- 
western Provinces, and Dr. Townshend’s for the Central Provinces, have, however, 
furnished very ample and excellent materials; and these gentlemen, and Mr. Elliott of 
Roorkee, have taken much pains to ascertain with accuracy the constants to be applied 
to the observations of atmospheric pressure in their provinces, in order to render them 
comparable with those of Bengal. But for the cordial cooperation of these gentlemen, 
it would have been impracticable to collate materials from so large an area for compre- 
hensive discussion. 
The leading geographical features of the country are too well known to necessitate 
any detailed description. In describing the winds, I have adopted the following divi- 
sions, most of which correspond to natural orographical divisions : — 1st, the Punjab, 
formed by the lower plain of the five rivers and the smaller plateau above the Salt 
range that lies along the foot of the Hazarah hills ; 2nd, the Gangetic plain, which 
extends along the foot of the Himalaya from the Indo-Gangetic watershed to the com- 
mencement of the delta at Rajmahal ; 3rd, the plateau of Rajpootana and Bundelkund, 
lying to the south of the Gangetic plain and drained by its river ; 4th, Central India, 
which term I have, for the present purpose, restricted to that portion of the flanks of 
the Satpoora range which is drained by the upper waters of the Wynegunga and the 
Nerbudda; 5th, Western Bengal and Orissa — this consists of two distinct parts, viz. the 
plateau west of the Gangetic delta and the alluvial plain of the Orissa coast; 7th, the 
Gangetic delta ; 8th, the Assam valley ; and 9th, the coast of Arakan as far south as 
Akyab. Some further details of each tract, and the positions of the several stations, 
the wind-registers of which have furnished the materials of the discussion, will be given 
in the text. 
Part I.— DESCRIPTION OF THE WINDS. 
The Punjab . — For illustrating the winds of this region, I have the four stations 
Rawul Pindee, Lahore, Mooltan, and Dera Ishmail Khan. The first is situated in the 
north-east corner of the plateau north of the Salt range, and near the foot of the 
Hazarah hills, at an elevation of 1700 feet. An open plain extends to the south and 
west, but on the north and east it abuts against the hills of Hazarah and the sub- 
Himalaya ; the latter not very lofty. The second (Lahore) is on the lower plain of the 
Punjab, about 160 miles south-east of Rawul Pindee and 240 miles west-north-west of 
Roorkee, at about 700 feet above the sea. The outer range of the sub-Himalaya lies 
80 miles off to the north-east, and running from north-west to south-east. The third 
(Mooltan) is likewise on the lower plain, near the Jhelum river, 190 miles south-west 
of Lahore, and is about 400 feet above sea-level ; and the last (Dera Ishmail Khan) is 
situated on the main stream of the Indus, 120 miles north by west of Mooltan, and 200 
miles west of Lahore. The Sulaiman range, which lies to the west of the Indus, 
running parallel with the river, is about 50 miles distant from Dera Ishmail Khan ; 
but nearly opposite to the station the valley of the Gomal debouches from the uplands 
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