Leave Jamu to return to Tibet -- Lake of Sirohi Sar --
Vegetation of lower hills -- _Dodonæa_ -- Ramnagar -- Garta --
Dadu, on a tributary of the Chenab -- Camp at 10,000 feet --
Badarwar -- Padri pass -- Descend a tributary of the Ravi --
and ascend another towards the north -- Sach _Joth_, or pass --
Snow-beds -- Camp in Chenab valley.
On my arrival in Kashmir, I had forwarded an application to the Indian
Government, requesting permission to return to Tibet, for the purpose
of visiting the mountains north of Nubra, which, from the advanced
state of the season, I had been unable to do the previous year. Soon
after reaching Jamu, I received intimation that the Governor-General,
Lord Dalhousie, had been pleased to accede to my request. I had
already determined, if permitted to return to Le, to take the route by
Zanskar, which, though much frequented by the natives of the country,
was quite unknown to European travellers; but as the season was far
advanced, I chose a road through the higher hills, instead of taking
that leading directly to Chamba, which would have obliged me to travel
for at least a week through the hot valleys of the outer ranges.
[Sidenote: LAKE OF SIROHI SAR.
_May, 1848._]
I left Jamu on the morning of the 23rd of May. After crossing the
Tawi by a ferry immediately below the town, my road lay for three
miles up the left bank of that river, along an open sandy plain, only
very partially cultivated. I then turned to the right, and entered the
low hills which skirted the plain on that side. The road generally
followed the course of the ravines, which have been excavated out of
the soft sandstone by the numerous tributaries which descend to join
the Tawi. These streams are all of small size, with gravelly or sandy
beds, and are separated by low ridges of some breadth, faced generally
by perpendicular cliffs. An undulating country of this nature occupies
the whole of the space which intervenes between the outer range of
hills and that next to it, a distance, by the road along which I
travelled, of about twelve miles. This second range is a branch given
off by an axis, whose direction is nearly east and west. The road
ascended to it by a very steep rocky path, after surmounting which I
found myself on a considerable tract of nearly level ground, partly
occupied by a pretty little lake, with grassy banks. On the banks of
this lake, which is called Sirohi Sar, and is rather less than half a
mile in length, I encamped on the 24th of May, in a grove of very fine
mango-trees. The depth of the lake did not appear great, its margins
being for a considerable distance very shallow, and producing an
abundance of reeds and water-plants, among which the sacred
_Nelumbium_, with its gay flowers, was conspicuous. The elevation of
the lake, as deduced from the boiling-point of water, I found to be
2200 feet. It occupies a depression in the top of the ridge, being
surmounted on both sides by low ranges of hills, rising only to the
height of a few hundred feet. At the east end, a low flat plain,
interrupted only by a few regular rocky knolls, seemed to indicate
that the size of the lake had formerly been more considerable than at
present.
[Sidenote: VEGETATION OF SANDSTONE HILLS.
_May, 1848._]
The vegetation of the country between Jamu and Sirohi Sar was entirely
of a tropical character. The rocky hills were in many places covered
with thinly scattered pines, all of small size, and generally with
much-contorted trunks, but apparently healthy and vigorous. In the
cultivated grounds the plants were identical with those of the plains,
but, as is usual in all hilly countries, the barren tracts produced a
flora of a different character. _Nerium odorum_ was abundant on the
banks of streams, and I met with _Cassia fistula_, _Punica_, species
of _Rhus_ and _Casearia_, as well as the curious _Euphorbia
pentagona_, and now and then the beautiful _Bauhinia Vahlii_. _Acacia
modesta_ and a _Zizyphus_ were the most common trees. The lake
produced a great variety of water-plants, but except an _Alisma_ and
_Dysophylla_, both of which were new to me, the species seemed all
natives of the plains.
On the 25th of May, I proceeded along the side of the ridge in an
easterly direction, passing several small flat-bottomed depressions,
apparently the sites at a former period of small lakes, similar to
that from which I had commenced my march. The road was rocky and
rugged, and gradually rose several hundred feet to the crest of the
ridge. Pine-trees were generally plentiful. On reaching the top,
shortly after daybreak, a fine wide undulating valley was seen below,
bounded on the north at the distance of about ten miles by a third
range of mountains, and traversed by several streams, which had
excavated for themselves deep perpendicular-sided ravines in the
sandstone strata. All these streams had a westerly course to join the
Tawi, which, issuing from a deep valley behind the third range,
crossed the open plain in a south-west direction.
[Sidenote: SANDSTONE RANGES.
_May, 1848._]
Leaving the ridge, the road descended gradually to the plain, and
after crossing a deep ravine, with precipitous walls, continued
through a fine level country to the village of Thalaura, about a mile
from the third range of hills. The sandstone frequently contained a
few waterworn pebbles scattered through it; and a bed of coarse
conglomerate, with an indurated matrix, capped the cliff above this
ravine. Some strata of indurated clay and soft slate also alternated,
but rarely, with the sandstone. The plain was well cultivated, being
chiefly laid out in rice-fields; and the people were all busy
ploughing, sowing rice, and harrowing with a log of wood, drawn by
bullocks and kept down by the weight of a man.
On the earlier rocky part of the road, the vegetation was much the
same as the day before. _Dodonæa_ was common, as it is in most parts
of this hilly tract, never, however, rising out of the tropical belt.
I do not know how far to the eastward of Jamu this plant extends; but
as it does not seem to occur to the east of the Sutlej, and probably
stops much sooner[18], it appears to prefer a rather dry climate, and
will, I think, be found limited to the drier portion of the Peninsula,
from which it probably extends through Central India, and along the
hilly country west of Sind. On the open plain the pines entirely
disappeared, and the aspect of the vegetation was entirely that of the
plains of India.
From Thalaura I marched, on the 26th of May, to Ramnagar, crossing the
third range of hills, the ascent of which was at first very steep and
rocky, over a made road, paved with large stones, in many places much
out of repair. This range was also sandstone, dipping to the north at
a gentle angle; some strata of indurated clay occurred between the
beds of sandstone. These hills were precipitous to the south, and
sloped gently towards the north, in the direction of the dip. The tree
_Euphorbia_, which, with its stiff fleshy branches springing in
verticils of five from the stem, forms a striking feature in the
vegetation of the lower hills, was common on the ascent, and the
yellow spinous _Astragalus_, which I had observed between the Chenab
and Jamu a fortnight before, was frequent on both sides of this ridge;
but even at the top, except one species of _Indigofera_, no plants
indicating elevation were met with: on this account I omitted to
determine the height of the range by the boiling-point of water, but
comparing its elevation with that of Ramnagar, which was in sight, I
estimated that it might be about 3600 feet. To the north lay another
valley, considerably more rugged than that crossed the day before, and
evidently much more highly inclined, as its eastern termination was
not far distant. This valley was traversed by the principal branch of
the Tawi, the source of which is in the mountains east of Ramnagar.
[Sidenote: RAMNAGAR.
_May, 1848._]
The descent from this range was very gradual, the road running
obliquely to the eastward, among scattered pine-trees, over bare
sandstone rocks, till it reached the bank of a small stream separated
from the Tawi by a low range of hills. During the descent, a number of
plants of Himalayan forms made their appearance, which had not
occurred before: these were a berberry, _Rubus flavus_, and _Myrsine
bifaria_. _Olea cuspidata_ was seen lower down, and a species of alder
grew in shady ravines along the edge of the stream. In the bottom of
the valley, the mixture of the forms of the middle and lower zones was
curious and interesting. _Pinus longifolia_ occurred with _Phoenix
sylvestris_, alder with _Rondeletia_ and _Rottlera_, pear with
_Sissoo_, and _Fragaria Indica_ and _Micromeria_ with _Trichodesma_
and _Solanum Jacquini_. At the same time, it was evident that in this
dry stony valley the tropical species, which formed the majority, were
more at home than the stragglers which had descended from above.
After ascending for a short distance along the banks of the little
stream, the road crossed it, and after a short steep ascent from the
right bank, the remainder of the day's journey was nearly level, along
the sides of hills, or over a high table-land to Ramnagar, a small
town and fort, formerly the residence of Rajah Suchet Sing, since
whose death the place has been rapidly falling to decay, most of the
shops of its well-built bazaar being now empty. There were in the
neighbourhood one or two large gardens, in which the trees and plants
were nearly all Indian, _Sissoo_ and _Melia Azedarach_ being the most
common. A single plane-tree was scarcely an exception; for though
undoubtedly more at home at greater elevations, the plane (like the
poplar and many of the fruit-trees of temperate climes) does not
refuse to grow even in the plains, as is proved by the occurrence of a
number of trees of it of considerable size and apparently healthy in
gardens at Lahore.
[Sidenote: GARTA.
_May, 1848._]
Leaving Ramnagar on the morning of the 27th, I continued to ascend the
valley of the Tawi for about three miles, the road running along the
sides of the hills among rich cultivation at a considerable height
above the stream. It then descended somewhat abruptly to the river,
and soon crossed to the right bank, from which a steep ascent
commenced at once, and continued, with one or two interruptions of
level cultivated ground, to the end of the day's journey. The ascent
had throughout a southern exposure, and was in consequence generally
bare of trees, and dry and grassy. Much cultivated land was met with,
wherever the ground was sufficiently level to admit of it. I encamped
at a small village, or rather cluster of farmhouses, called Garta, at
a height of about 5800 feet. From the bare grassy nature of the ascent
and its hot sunny exposure, the number of species of plants which
occurred was very limited, and the change of vegetation much less
marked than in better-wooded regions of these mountains. A few oaks
(_Q. lanata_) made their appearance about half-way up, or perhaps at
4500 feet.
During this day's journey, I believe that I passed the point of
contact of the tertiary sandstone with the more ancient rock, for on
the ascent after crossing the river, the strata were very highly
inclined, and often bent into large curves. The rock was also more
indurated, and different in colour and appearance from that of the
outer hills. I did not, however, observe the place where the change
took place.
[Sidenote: PATA.
_May, 1848._]
Next day, the ascent continued equally steep and bare as the day
before, and there was still much cultivation, wherever the surface was
sufficiently level for the purpose, or could be made so by means of
terracing. During the preceding day's march, the fields of wheat and
barley had been for some time cut, but here, though generally ripe,
they were still standing. On attaining an elevation of about 7000
feet, the steep spur which I had been ascending joined the main ridge,
and the road, turning to the east, entered a thick forest of small
oak-trees (_Q. lanata_) through which it continued, alternately
descending and ascending a little, as it entered the recesses or
advanced along the projecting ridges. The greatest height attained may
have been about 8000 feet, and the summit of the range, which was
frequently visible, did not seem to be above 1000 feet higher. After
about three miles of forest, the hills again became bare, and
continued so till the end of the march, which terminated by an abrupt
descent of 600 or 700 feet to a ravine, and an equally steep ascent to
the village of Pata, which was elevated about 7500 feet. Throughout
the day, the vegetation, both in the forest and on the open tracts,
was identical with that of the Simla hills. The forest consisted of
oak, _Rhododendron_, and _Andromeda_. Pines were visible at the very
top of the ridge, but did not cross to the southern exposure: they
appeared to be _Picea Webbiana_ (_Pindrow_). The village at which I
encamped was of considerable size, with extensive wheat cultivation,
very luxuriant and in full ear, but still quite green. Many trees of
the glabrous holly-leaved oak were scattered among the fields, which,
from the lateral branches having been lopped off by the villagers,
rose to a great height with an erect poplar-like trunk, bearing only a
small tuft of branches at the top, in a manner very foreign to the
usual habit of the tree.
On the 29th of May I crossed the range along which I had travelled the
previous day, and descended into a valley watered by a tributary of
the Chenab, running towards the north-west. The ascent, which was bare
and grassy, amounted only to about 1000 feet in perpendicular height.
Close to the top, a few trees of _Picea_ made their appearance, while
I was still on the south face of the ridge, and on gaining the crest
of the pass, I found that the northern slope was occupied by a fine
forest of the same tree. As the range was not sufficiently elevated to
produce any really alpine plants, the vegetation presented little
worthy of note. _Viburnum nervosum_ was the commonest shrub, and an
_Anemone_, a _Ranunculus_, the common _Gypsophila_ and _Trifolium
repens_ were the herbs which predominated at the top.
[Sidenote: VALLEY OF DADU.
_May, 1848._]
The road descended rapidly through fine forest. The sombre silver fir
was, after a short descent, mixed with plenty of horse-chesnut and
sycamore, and of the glabrous-leaved oak. Lower down, deodar and
_Abies Smithiana_ also appeared, and on arriving in the valley, the
forest gave place to cultivated fields, with only a few oak-trees
scattered among them. The road now ascended the valley, which was
tolerably open and well cultivated. The stream ran through a deep
ravine, with steep, well-wooded, often rocky banks, far below the
level of the cultivation. I encamped at an elevation of about 6800
feet, at a village called Dadu, or Doda, situated on the edge of a
small open plain, covered with luxuriant crops of wheat.
Near the village, and along the edges of the cultivation, were
numerous apricot-trees of large size; and a willow, apparently the
same which occurs in Kashmir (_S. alba_) was commonly planted. The
general appearance of the place was very much that of the villages in
lower Kunawar; and I was much interested to find that although the
greater part of the vegetation was the same as is common in the outer
ranges of the mountains, a few plants indicative of a drier climate
were to be seen. I was particularly surprised to find that _Quercus
lanata_, _Rhododendron arboreum_, and _Andromeda ovalifolia_, three
trees which are everywhere most abundant in the outer ranges of the
Himalaya in the temperate zone, had entirely disappeared. The Kashmir
_Fothergilla_ was not uncommon, and I noted at least four or five
herbaceous plants, which I had first met with in that valley or in
Kunawar.
On the northern face of this range, between Pata and Dadu, the
sandstone, which had continued since I left the valley of the Tawi,
was replaced by a succession of metamorphic slates, sometimes very
micaceous. In the valley of Dadu, boulders of gneiss, with crystals of
felspar from one to three inches in length, were common, but the rock
did not occur _in situ_.
The range of mountains bounding the valley on the south, did not
appear to rise anywhere to a greater height than between 9000 and
10,000 feet, and where I crossed it, was not, I should think, higher
than 8500. Immediately to the east of this low pass, however, it began
to rise rapidly, and at the head of the valley lay a high snowy
mountain, evidently a projecting peak of a long range descending from
the north-east, and forming the boundary between the basins of the
Chenab and the Ravi. This range, which in most places must be upwards
of 11,000 feet, and which in some probably rises to 14,000, must, I
think, to some extent check the progress of the masses of clouds
during the monsoon, and therefore tend to diminish the quantity of
rain, particularly as the rain-clouds come from the eastward, on which
account the lower altitude of the ridge to the south-west is of less
importance.
Halting at Dadu on the 30th of May, my road on the 31st lay up the
valley towards the snowy range to the eastward. Cultivation did not
continue beyond the village; and after a steep, somewhat rocky ascent
and descent over a bare spur, I followed the course of the stream as
nearly as the precipitous nature of its banks would permit, through a
forest of sycamore, walnut, alder, horse-chesnut, and holly-leaved
oak. Pines also were abundant, of the four common species: namely,
deodar, spruce, silver fir, and _Pinus excelsa_. After following the
course of the river for about a mile, the road crossed a large lateral
tributary descending from the right, and ascended a steep bare spur
between it and the main stream for perhaps 500 feet, after which it
ran for some distance through fields of wheat still green, at first at
a considerable distance above the stream, the bed of which, however,
rose so rapidly that a very short descent brought me again to its
banks. I then re-entered a beautiful forest, principally pine, in
which the _Pindrow_ was now the most common tree, bearing in abundance
its erect purple cones. As the road rose rapidly, the vegetation soon
began to change: _Syringa Emodi_, a currant, and other plants of the
sub-alpine zone, making their appearance. The most common shrubby
plants were _Viburnum nervosum_ and _Spiræa Lindleyana_, both of which
occurred in vast quantity. For perhaps a mile and a half, the valley
was extremely beautiful; the torrent being rocky and rapid, and the
forest very fine. The road then crossed the stream by a good wooden
bridge, and a steep ascent commenced. As the forest was confined to
the bottom of the valley, I soon emerged on dry grassy slopes. The
precipitous nature of the banks rendered it necessary to ascend nearly
1000 feet, after which the road was again level along the dry mountain
slope facing the south. The bed of the stream rose very rapidly, so
that the road soon re-approached it; and when nearly on a level with
it, I again entered forest, in which _Quercus semecarpifolia_, the
alpine oak of Himalaya, was the prevailing tree. After about a mile,
having attained an elevation of 10,000 feet, I encamped on an open
grassy spot in the forest. The ravines facing the north had for some
time been full of snow, but I had got close to camp before any
appeared in those on the right bank, along which the road lay. A
snowy peak, the upper part of which was high above the level of trees,
lay to the south-east.
[Sidenote: ASCENT TOWARDS PASS.
_May, 1848._]
In the lower part of the ascent, the rock was clay-slate; but near my
camp it was succeeded by the same gneiss, with large crystals of
felspar, which I had found (in boulders) around Dadu. In general
appearance, this gneiss was very similar to that observed on the
mountains north of Nasmon, on the Chenab; and as these two places have
nearly the same relative position as the usual line of strike in the
north-western Himalaya, it is very probable that the rock is the same
in both.
On the morning of the 1st of June, I continued to follow the course of
the stream, ascending now very gently. The valley was open, and the
road lay over undulating grassy ground, the forest having receded to
some distance on both sides. Round my camp I had noticed very little
in the vegetation different from what was common one or two thousand
feet lower; but almost immediately after starting, I found myself
among numerous bushes of _Rhododendron campanulatum_ in full flower,
and many other alpine plants appeared very shortly afterwards: of
these, perhaps the most lovely was the elegant _Primula rosea_, which
was extremely plentiful in hollow marshy spots from which snow had
recently melted.
[Sidenote: PASS SOUTH OF BADARWAR
_June, 1848._]
The ascent continued exceedingly gentle till close to the end, when,
turning suddenly to the left into a pine-clad ravine, a few steps
brought me to the crest of the ridge over which my road ran,--a
lateral spur from the great snowy mass, which (as is often the case)
was a good deal lower where it branched off than at a greater
distance from the main range. After gaining the crest of the ridge, I
followed it for a few hundred yards previous to commencing the
descent. I had unfortunately somewhat rashly concluded, the day
before, that the ascent during the day would be very trifling, and
therefore did not carry with me the means of ascertaining the
elevation of the pass; I believe, however, that it a little exceeded
11,000 feet. It was still in the forest zone. The trees were mostly
the alpine oak, with a few scattered individuals of _Pinus excelsa_.
At a short distance, on the more shady slope, and still higher than
the pass, _Picea_ was plentiful. The highest level of trees only rose
a few hundred feet above me, and the lofty snowy peak which lay to the
southward, attaining a height of probably little under 14,000 feet,
was quite bare.
[Sidenote: BADARWAR.
_June, 1848._]
I reached the summit of the ridge between nine and ten A.M., at which
time a dense mass of heavy clouds filled the whole of the valley
below, while the sky above was perfectly clear. Vivid flashes of
lightning were seen, accompanied by loud thunder, and the clouds were
in violent commotion, being driven about by violent gusts of wind; but
in less than half an hour they had entirely disappeared, disclosing a
most magnificent view, bounded only by the grand snowy range beyond
the Chenab, stretching in both directions as far as the eye could
reach. Much nearer lay a second range of snowy mountains, evidently
that which runs parallel to the Chenab on the south. Still nearer were
other ranges of mountains, which, from the elevation at which I
stood, looked like gently undulating hills. Immediately below, lay
the rich and fertile valley of Badarwar, to which the descent was
extremely rapid, down the face of a projecting spur, densely covered
for the upper half of the way with forest. At the top of the pass,
there were here and there, on slopes facing the north, large patches
of snow, especially under the shade of trees, but on the descent it
appeared only in the most shady ravines. As the elevation diminished,
the same change in the forest was observed as during the ascent. The
alpine oak and spruce gave place to horse-chesnut, sycamore, and
holly-leaved oak, with deodar and spruce. Lower down, cultivation
appeared, and the road, lying on the southern slope of the spin, was
generally bare and grassy, with only a few scattered deodar-trees of
small size. At the base of the descent, clay-slate rocks replaced the
gneiss.
The town of Badarwar is of considerable size, containing, I should
think, not less than from three to four hundred houses, all, however,
small and without any indication of wealth. It lies at the elevation
of 5800 feet, in the upper part of a valley watered by a tributary of
the Chenab, from which it is distant, according to Vigne, twelve or
fourteen miles. Round the town the valley is two or three miles in
width, and completely covered with fields, rising in terraces one
above another. Some rice is cultivated, but millet and Indian corn,
neither of which were yet sown, are, I was informed, the principal
produce.
The vegetation of the valley of Badarwar was hardly at all different
from that of the one which I had just left, and the few new forms
which occurred were for the most part Kashmir species. _Quercus
lanata_, and the trees usually associated with it, did not occur; but
_Fothergilla_ was plentiful in the woods on the hill-sides, and in
open exposed sunny places a Kashmir _Daphne_ and _Zizyphus_ were
common: both of these species, however, are natives of the Sutlej
valley. In the shady ravines a species of _Philadelphus_, and the
_Nima_ of Hamilton, were met with. Vines were cultivated near the
town, as well as a few trees of _Populus nigra_, and a rough
small-leaved elm, which grew to a gigantic size.
From Badarwar two roads were open to me, by either of which I could
reach Chatargarh on the Chenab, from which place there is a road into
Zanskar. One of these follows the course of the Badarwar valley to its
junction with the Chenab, and ascends that river by Kishtwar; the
other crosses the mountains to the eastward, so as to get into the
valley of the Ravi, and to join the road which leads from Chamba to
Zanskar. Of these I selected the latter, which appeared to present the
advantages of being less known, of leading through a more elevated
country, and also (as I was led to believe) of saving several days.
[Sidenote: PADRI PASS.
_June, 1848._]
I started from Badarwar on the morning of the 3rd of June, and
proceeded up the valley in a south-easterly direction, towards the
Padri pass, a depression in the range which separates the districts
drained by the Chenab from those whose waters run towards the Ravi. At
first the road lay through cultivation. The fields of barley were
ripe, those of wheat still green, and considerably more backward than
at the same height in valleys more distant from the snow. The
elevation of the valley increased gently but steadily, and its
breadth gradually diminished as I advanced, the fields becoming
reduced to a narrow strip along the bank of the stream, and then
ceasing altogether. The road lay on the right bank, and was generally
open, but the opposite slopes and ravines were often prettily wooded.
After three miles the road began to ascend the hill-sides on the north
of the valley, for about a mile gently, but afterwards more steeply.
The hill-sides were bare, but on the opposite side of the valley there
was a fine forest; and as soon as the road had attained the crest of
the ridge or spur, the same dense forest was observed to cover the
whole of its steep northern face, stopping abruptly at the top. As the
elevation increased, the trees and herbaceous vegetation exhibited the
same gradual change which I had noted on the ascent two days before,
and I met with very few species which I had not collected at that
time. In the shady woods on the northern slope of the ridge, I found
the little Kashmir _Hepatica_, another instance of the extension to
the eastward of plants characteristic of that valley. Near the top
_Thermopsis barbata_ was plentiful, in full flower, on open stony
banks. The ascent continued steep to the top of the pass, the height
of which was 10,000 feet. The top was nearly level for some distance,
and was covered with large patches of snow. The continuation of the
range to the north was undulating and grassy, and the hills of very
moderate elevation above the level of the pass. To the southward they
rose abruptly to a considerable height, and the ravines were filled
with forest. I encamped on a grassy plain close to the top. The
morning had been cloudy, and after eleven A.M. it rained smartly till
evening; the temperature at sunset was 47½°.
[Sidenote: LANGERA.
_June, 1848._]
Next morning, before commencing the descent, I ascended a ridge on the
mountains to the south, to the height of about 1000 feet above the
pass. The snow had evidently only just melted from the greater part of
the surface; it still lay in large patches under the trees, and the
spring plants were just bursting into flower. The forest, as is
usually the case at that height, was principally the alpine oak. A
rose, willow, currant, cherry, _Lonicera_, and _Viburnum nervosum_
were bursting into leaf, and _Rhododendron campanulatum_ was abundant
and in full flower. The greater part of the herbaceous vegetation
consisted of _Primula denticulata_, a yellow _Corydalis_, and species
of _Thermopsis_, _Anemone_, _Caltha_, _Onosma_, _Potentilla_,
_Valeriana_, _Trillium_, and _Gentiana_. I continued to ascend to the
limit of herbaceous vegetation, stopping only where the ground was
uninterruptedly covered with snow. The uppermost level of trees was
still at least 500 feet above me. In descending I followed the course
of a ravine full of snow, the sides of which were covered by a dense
forest of silver fir.
After reaching the direct road from the pass, which I had quitted to
ascend the hills in the morning, there was a short ascent over a low
spur, and then a long and very steep descent, to the bottom of a deep
rocky ravine, so narrow and sheltered from the sun's rays, that the
stream was still covered with a great thickness of snow. Over this I
crossed to the north side of the valley, down which the road ran for
the remainder of the march, descending at first with great rapidity,
but on the latter half much more gently. There was plenty of fine
forest, but, as usual, it was for the most part confined to the south
side of the valley. The road lay along grassy slopes, sometimes steep
and rocky, at other times, where there was any extent of tolerably
level ground, covered knee-deep with a rank herbage of dock,
_Polygona_, thistles, and a variety of other plants not yet in flower.
It was in general at a considerable height above the bottom of the
valley, which was deep and gloomy, and filled with snow during a great
part of the way. I encamped at a village called Langera, at the height
of about 7600 feet, and was surprised to observe large patches of snow
still lying on the banks of the stream, at least three hundred feet
below me.
[Sidenote: DEGHI.
_June, 1848._]
On the 5th of June, my road again lay on the left side of the valley,
and usually along the hill-sides at some height above the stream, to
which it descended only once or twice. The valley was very pretty,
being generally deep and more or less rocky, and on the south side
well wooded. For the first three miles, large patches of snow were
seen now and then in the most shady parts, more than once covering
over the stream. The forest presented a good deal of variety. Except
_Picea_, all the common pines occurred, as well as horse-chesnut,
cherry, elm, _Celtis_, _Populus ciliata_, and holly-leaved oak.
_Fothergilla_ was very common all along, and on the latter half of the
march _Quercus lanata_ and _Andromeda ovalifolia_ made their
appearance. The occurrence of these trees I regarded as a sure
indication that the rains were somewhat more heavy than on the west
side of the pass, and as a confirmation of the view I had taken when
in Badarwar, that the climate of that valley was considerably
modified by the occurrence of a high and partially snowy range to the
eastward. Throughout the day's journey there was a good deal of
cultivation, always considerably above the stream; and at the village
of Deghi, at which I encamped, at about 5800 feet, the fields of wheat
were being cut, clearly showing that the climate was much milder on
the east side of the pass than at the same elevation in Badarwar,
where they had been still quite green two days before.
On the 6th of June, I again followed the course of the valley, at a
considerable height on the steep but well-cultivated hill-sides
overlooking a deep and pretty glen. The slopes along which the road
ran were bare, or covered with scattered brushwood, trees only
occurring in ravines, but the opposite bank was usually well wooded. I
encamped at a small village called Buju (just below 5000 feet),
considerably higher than the bottom of the valley. The vegetation was
in most respects (except the occurrence of _Fothergilla_, which was
plentiful) what is usual in the neighbourhood of Simla, at similar
elevations. Several species of the sub-tropical belt occurred, mixed
with the ordinary plants of the middle zone, such as _Marlea_,
_Albizzia mollis_, _Olea cuspidata_, _Xanthoxylon_, and others, and in
the neighbourhood of Buju _Pinus longifolia_ was common on the south
side of the valley.
From Badarwar to the summit of the Padri pass, and throughout the
descent, clay-slate had been the prevailing rock. It varied much in
appearance, and latterly it alternated with a conglomerate, and was
often very fragile, splitting into thin shaly layers. Near the
village of Dewar, a hard bluish limestone occurred in considerable
quantity, close to the river.
[Sidenote: DISTRICT OF CHAMBA.
_June, 1848._]
The general direction of my journey, while descending this valley, had
been south-east, the elevation of the mountains on my left hand having
been too great to permit me to turn to the north. On this march,
however, about three miles from its termination, at a village called
Dewar, I left the road to Chamba, which there crosses the stream and
proceeds direct over low hills to the Ravi, while the valley (and my
road) turned suddenly to the north-east. A little below my camp at
Buju, the river resumed its former direction, and, uniting itself with
a large stream descending from the northward, took a southerly course,
to join the Ravi.
[Sidenote: VALLEY NORTH OF CHAMBA.
_June, 1848._]
Along the valley, which descended from the north, ran the road from
Chamba to Chatargarh on the Chenab, and on the 7th I proceeded in that
direction. The two streams, at their junction, flowed through an
extremely deep rocky ravine, so that I had several fatiguing ascents
and descents before I succeeded in passing into the valley which I
wished to ascend. I was, however, gratified, at the highest part of
the road, where I turned for the first time fairly towards the north,
by a superb view of the snowy range, towards which I was now
travelling. On the 8th and 10th of June (having halted on the 9th) I
continued to ascend the valley, encamping on the latter day at 8000
feet. During both days, many parts of the road were very rocky and
difficult, with frequent steep ascents. At other times, when it was
more level, very long detours were necessary, to pass deep lateral
ravines. The valley was in general open, and the hill-sides only
sparingly wooded, though at intervals along the stream there was a
fine and dense forest of oaks, horse-chesnut, laurels, and _Celtis_.
The ranges of mountains on both sides were tipped with snow, and from
my camp of the 10th the snowy range in front appeared so close, that I
could scarcely give credence to the assurances of my guides that I was
still a good day's journey from its base.
Since I had left Jamu, the weather had been very uniform. The mornings
were generally fine, with a cloudless sky and little or no wind;
towards the afternoon, or if not then, certainly in the evening or
during the night, clouds collected, and it rained heavily. This was of
daily occurrence; sometimes the rain lasted for several hours, but
before morning the sky was always serene. The atmosphere was hazy, as
is usually the case in the Himalaya during the dry season, before the
accession of the rains.
[Sidenote: ALPINE VEGETATION.
_June, 1848._]
On the 11th, I continued to ascend the valley. At the commencement of
the march, the hills were bare and open, and the vegetation was still
entirely that of the middle zone. There was a good deal of
cultivation, and the wheat was still green. After crossing several
ravines, the road began to ascend rapidly through a wood of small
trees of holly-leaved oak, interspersed with numerous small patches of
cultivation. Among the corn, _Adonis æstivalis_, and a number of other
common Kashmir weeds, were abundant, and apricot-trees were commonly
planted. By degrees, other trees were mingled with the oaks, and the
forest became very dense, with luxuriant undergrowth of _Indigoferæ_,
_Spiræa Lindleyana_, and _Philadelphus_, and a vine was common,
climbing up the trunks of the trees. Numerous open glades, covered
with a luxuriant herbaceous vegetation of dock and other rank plants,
were met with in the forest, which, though not so beautiful, a good
deal resembled that of Mahasu, near Simla. On the opposite and shady
side of the valley, the forest seemed to be chiefly composed of pines.
As the elevation increased, silver fir and alpine oak began to appear,
and soon became the only trees in the forest. The ravines were now all
full of snow, the oaks were still in flower, and there was little or
no vegetation under their shade, except in swampy places, where a
bright yellow _Caltha_ and a pink _Dentaria_ were in full flower. I
encamped at 10,600 feet, on an open grassy spot overlooking a deep
ravine full of snow, which lay between me and the snowy range in
front.
On emerging from the forest, which extended close to my camp, I found
myself surrounded by a truly alpine vegetation. _Rhododendron
campanulatum_, which is certainly, when _en masse_ and in full flower,
the pride of our northern Indian mountains in early spring, was in
vast abundance and great beauty. The hills around were covered with
birch; _Rhododendron lepidotum_, _Gaultheria trichocarpa_, _Deutzia
corymbosa_, willows, and many other alpine shrubs, covered the rocks,
and the moist grassy sward of the open spots was adorned with the
brilliant flowers of _Primula denticulata_, _Corydalis Govaniana_,
_Gagea_, _Caltha_, and other plants. The sky was brilliantly clear,
the very heavy rain of the preceding day having, for the time, quite
removed the usual haze, and the view from my tent was superb. The last
village in the valley was many miles behind, and no cultivation was
anywhere in sight. The opposite spurs, which rose, like that on which
my tent was pitched, abruptly from the snowy ravine, were beautifully
wooded, up to the limit of forest, while all above was covered with
snow.
[Sidenote: ASCENT TOWARDS
SACH PASS.
_June, 1848._]
On the 12th of June, I crossed the snowy range into the valley of the
Chenab. At starting, the road lay through forest, which covered the
precipitous face of the rocky hill overhanging the deep ravine above
which I had encamped. After crossing the ravine, which was full of
snow, the road ascended a bare steep slope, which was swampy and
covered with _Caltha_ and _Primulæ_. Every other part of the face of
the hill was occupied by a dense jungle of shrubs, almost impenetrable
from the prostrate position which their branches had taken from the
pressure of the winter's snow. Very stunted bushes of _Quercus
semecarpifolia_ constituted the greater part of this shrubby jungle.
With it grew _Rhododendron campanulatum_, a cherry, and a birch, whose
silvery trunks rose conspicuous above all the others. This dense
covering of shrubs being confined to the lower part of the slope, the
road soon rose above its level, and continued obliquely along the face
of the bare grassy hill, rising very gently, and by degrees
approaching the line of snow. I observed that the line of the highest
level of trees varied much according to the exposure, being more
elevated on the shady side than on slopes exposed to the sun. The snow
level, as might have been expected, was extremely indefinite, varying
with the degree of inclination of the surface, with the absence or
presence of trees, and especially with the exposure. On the slope
facing the south, it was about 12,000 feet, while on that opposite it
descended among the trees several hundred feet lower. Close to the
snow, among rocks and in swampy places, the alpine vegetation was
extremely luxuriant and beautiful.
After skirting the snow for perhaps half a mile, I descended a little
to cross a ravine, and immediately after began to ascend rapidly over
snow, which was hard and firm, so that it was traversed without
difficulty. Throughout the whole ascent, there were at intervals steep
slopes and masses of rock bare of snow, and even on the smallest of
these spots vegetation was making rapid progress, under the
encouragement of a powerful sun and abundant moisture. The plants
observed were all alpine: among the number were several _Primulæ_, and
species of _Draba_, _Potentilla_, _Sibbaldia_, _Ranunculus_, and
_Pedicularis_. The ascent continued steady to the top of the pass,
which was a mass of bare rock, quite free of snow, and elevated 14,800
feet. The pass (the name of which is _Sach Joth_) was a deep
depression in the crest of the range, which rose on both sides to a
considerable height. The ridge was a mass of black slate rock, in
highly inclined strata, on which no snow lay, and which absorbed so
much heat from the sun, that a number of minute plants were not only
vegetating but in full flower. _Primula minutissima_ and a yellow
_Draba_ were common, and a little _Ranunculus_ and _Potentilla_, with
one moss and a species of lichen, also occurred more sparingly. The
view from the pass was extensive to the southward, but to the north
entirely intercepted by lofty precipitous ridges, distant not more
than a mile. The morning had been beautiful, but before I reached the
summit, a high wind had sprung up from the south, drifting heavy
watery clouds over the crest, from which there were slight showers of
hail.
[Sidenote: DESCENT INTO THE
VALLEY OF THE CHENAB.
_June, 1848._]
The descent on the north side was over snow, commencing a few feet
from the rocky crest of the pass. After the first few hundred yards,
the snow-bed was very steep, and perhaps covered a small glacier.
Further on, the mountains on both sides closed in so as to form a
narrow valley, the course of which I followed for many miles, before I
could find a bare spot upon which to encamp. The valley was bounded on
both sides by exceedingly steep rocky mountains, sometimes quite
precipitous, which soon became bare of snow. After descending rapidly
for a considerable time, patches of juniper appeared on the
hill-sides, succeeded by birch, and soon after by a few pines, which,
from their shape, were, I believe, silver fir. A little lower, pines
became frequent wherever the mountain-sides were not absolutely
precipitous; _Picea_ and _Pinus_ excelsa were first recognized, and a
little lower down _Abies Smithiana_; deodar did not appear till I had
nearly reached the end of the day's journey. I encamped at 8500 feet,
on the first available bare spot, among a few pine-trees.
From the summit of the pass till within a few hundred yards of my
encampment, snow was continuous in the valley along which I descended,
covering the stream and the whole of the level portion of the valley
for many miles after it had melted from the steep sloping hills on
both sides, on which vegetation was already making rapid progress.
This snow-bed was not in the least icy, but consisted of pure snow,
much compressed and often dirty. Its slope followed that of the
valley, and its surface was quite smooth till close to its
termination, where it was broken up into fragments by the fall of
portions into the stream below. The greater permanence of snow in
valleys and ravines than on mountain slopes seems to be due to its
accumulation there during the winter to a great depth by avalanches
from both sides.
FOOTNOTES:
[18] I have been told by Dr. Jameson that he has met with it in the
Kangra hills, but that he has never seen it in Mandi.