SIMLA.

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OF TIIL GITH REG" BESGAL

ISFISTI:Y.

".1 CiOOU, 1,.1SD, A L A S D 01.'BROOKS 01.' WATER, O F FOUNTAIKS A S U DEPTI1S T H A T S P l i l S G

OUT OF VALLEYS .IND I I I L L S ; A 1,AI;D O F W H E A T , AND BARLEY, A S D VINES, AN1) I.'I(; 'TliI<F:S.

.\S11 I'OMI.:(;lIANATES ; A L.45D O F O I L OLIVE, A S l ) H O N E Y ; . . . . . -1LAXI) WHOSE STONES :\liI.:

I R O S . ;lh'll OUT 01: WIIOSE H I L L S THOU RlAYEST DIG R R A S S . " - D E ~ . ~ E I ~ ~ SC11.41'.

~ ~ L YVIII.
.

LT
&onbolt :

DICLIKSOK & Co. PUBLISHERS BY A ~ ~ O I N T $ I H N TTO THE QUEEN,

I 114, SEIV
*
B O S l ) STREErL'.
 THE COURT OF DIRECTORS

When I sought permission to dedicate this Work to you, I was impellecl

ERRATA.
mpar~yby my Father,
Page 1, for horison, reod I~orizon.
3, for flagrant, read fragrant.
4, for Humbolt, r e f d Ilumboldt. 3liildren.
,, for KSfK, read K C f K ,
,, .for 1,100 feet, r r a d 11,000 fept.
5, for a descent from, &c. rcad a descent of from two t o four feet. BC
7, for the reign in^ potentate, rrad if the reigning potentate.
,, for in transiter, rrnd in trallsitu.
S , for nuzcers, reod nuzurs.
,, for never those u~lder,rrad never to those under Sikh gourrn~nerit.
., for tlle Sikh neighbours, read our Sikh ncigl~bours.
ur-1 have to thank
,, for predicted, read predicated.
,, for census, r e d a census.
9, for good size, read -ood sized cone.
10, for Police Agent, r&l Political Agent.
ing my request, ancl
ii. fo;Governor in Chief, rrnd Commander in Cl~irl:

I have the honor to be,

Honorable Gentlemen,

Your obliged and obedient Servant,

GEORGE POWELL THOMAS,

Captain 64th Regk Bengal Inf(tnt,y.
49, Pulteney Street, Bath.

March, 1846.
 B BRIEF ALPHABETICAL ACCOUNT

THE INHABITANTS, CUSTOMS, AND PRODUCTIONS

OF

THE HIMALAYAS.

ABORIGmES. in all the horrors ojpolyarrdria. Above all is a garret in which fuel is kept;
OP mountains the Moonas, or Mooatuns, the original inhabitants ; and a balcony, either open or enclosed, encompasses the upper story. This balcony
these or "tung." as it is called, seems to be some four feet in width, and when it is
formerly almost every villago had its ThaLoor, or chief of that name,
and enclosed, square apertures Btford light on all sides to the interior. The upper
Moons Thakoore wem incmantly figbfing with and plundering e.ch
of the pr-l ~ a y ~ e s c e n d a n t
ofs those aborigines-provc a P b e n t (and each story consists of but one room, whether the house be of
the Koalas or
themselrcs imbued the pupncity md .,acquidtivenes of their two. three, or four storim) always contains a square fire place, made of slats stones,
and having attnched to it-if it be intended, es it generally is, for culinnry purposes,
ancestors
had some pce ; for when the ~ d ~ ss fori warmth-n
well ~ mud~stove with round holes for the reception of cooking
Yet Moonas appear to
of India (thiq-seven generntions eince, in company with utensils. If the roof of the dwelling be slated, a slab is removed for the pasmge
emigreted hm the
the K,mharsen Raja.8 or Rana.s family, which then came from ill^^^ of some of the smoke; or if the roof be of shingle, its egress is partially seoured
md lur& were =igned to hemrent free, and in perpetuity. The following are
by One Or plds mode to On and off.

nome of the 6 b e s of Brahmins who, in inconsiderable numbers, inhabit the bills, The stories above the ground floor are always planked, though the planks
they all still enjoy tenures:-~ours, me by no meens invariably secured with nails. Sometimes a row of houses is
though it is not to be undeAtood
Krishnas, BhPts, Seedbaa, rind Reees. Many of bunneeW dealen built in conjunction, in which case one same "lung," or balcony, embraces all.
in grain); and-stiu greater proof of degeneracy-they all eat meat; but they do not I n the houses of the few individuals whose means are considerable, balconies are
has been cut; mode of making holy-or huldW- attached to all the upper stories ; and of such tenements the interior apertments are
eat it if the animal's U

is, by the on the ,rape of the neck, of (termed jhutka) with a
sword. They eat khadrn or hill sheep, (but never if they &anCO to be black);
goats, male and female, wild hogs, wild goats, musk deer, all winged game, and all
descriptions of fish ; tame fowle, however, they will not touch. I t must be admitted
that these holy gentry do not appear to be very rigorous sectnrians; md in truth
they m in little save in name, and some remnant of
Pharisaicnl pride which belonged to their progenitors ~ ~ lt ~may hbe added
, with their utmost width, and trot their utmost thickness, subtending the roof, whose
that a connexion must have long prevailed-probably since an epocll more remote
than European can travel-between Hindooism and the religion of the
aborigines of these m. For the Mub8bherut, which is at leastas ancient as
Mosaic dispensation, we read of the Kings of Hustinapoor (now called ~ ~ l ~ ini which
going under the sanction of their Bmhmin priests, to end their days in the beautiful
recesses of the Himalayas, which indeed they regard to this day the dwelling of
the mightiest of their Gods.
ARCHITECTURE (SACRED).
THE places of worship, es well as the better sort of private dwellings in these
hills, are consmcted with gable-ended roofs, whose shape, though r e d l y represented
in a drawing, it is not easy to describe in words.
The walls are composed of hewn stone, and hames of pine planks of some
four inches thick, and very narrow; one layer of wood dividing every fifth or sixth
of stones. The wood is applied solely for the purpose of strengthening and
bitrding the stone work, with which no cement, whether of mortnr or mud, is used
even in houses of three stories high. The walls are commonly about four feet in
width (a little less in English houses), and if the wooden frames are interposed
with skill, they may be carried to any ordinsry height of a three-stoned house, and
in the towers of temples are sometimes run up to many feet higher than that,
though after a certain height it is found, as might be expected, that the frames of
wood should recur more Ereqnently than in ordinary buildings. The shingle pre-
ferred for binding W& is that obtained from either the Deodar or the Keloo pine,
which keeps a wall up for centuries.
The temples have, at one end of their gabled roofs, a tower, often round, but
sometimes squure, and standing out, immediately behind the body of the building, like
the tower of a village, church nt home. The roof is generally slated, but where
slate is scarce, stout pine shingles (in other words, deal planks) are substituted.
This roof, whatever its materials, is put on, not in one unbroken plane
inclining from the apex to the lower extremity, but in three successive Inyen, of
which the lowest describes with the horison an angle of perhaps 30, the second 45,
and the two higheat unite at an angle of probably 60 degrees.
In the front wall, supporting and embraced by the gable roof, there is generally
a window of about five feet square, elaborately carved, and subdivided into what
look very like pigeon holes. Frequently, the tower to the rear of the mnin body is
crowned (if it be a s q u a tower) by a circular turret of six or seven feet in diameter,
which in turn is covered by a pointed roof that terminates at the centre in a series of
circular knobs or bosses, each, aa it ascends, smaller than the last.
N-;--*ll the thick square pillars that often stand in front of these hill temples are
carved with snake deities, and figuresholding
ARCHITECTURE (DOMESTIC).
THE the houses about K o t ~ h plastered with a yellow ochre,
Or a bilious looking w h i ~ w ~ which hl applied inside, as well as externally. The
similar to of the places of wonbp described; and their roofs.
like the are flat, and are alwayfl constructed of deal shingles
Or of date. the houses few S ~ W S beyond 8Lnla tue r leret three
stories high. The ground floor in these is appropriated to the cattle; the
~ c o n d'3 applied as a %ositoy for grain ; and in the upper resides the family
A
of Come comparatively neat and commodious. But the common order of dwellings
are miserable and dirty, though in truth dirt in these parts is by no means
a index either Or Poverty.
The rooms in the dwellings of the chiefs or thakoors are often spacious,
and-snve in the particular of height, in which they rarely exceed six feet between
the beams--well proportioned. The beams, by the way, are invariably disposed
weight is often great to an and even dangerous The
communication between the several stories is effected by the medium of trap doors
m d ladders, which latter consist simply of a single thick plank (often triangular),
) at either side deep notchehes have been c u t The kalees and other low caste
and indigent classes dwell in miserable hovels made of rude stones, and scantily
thatched with rushes, or hay, or dry leaves. At Rampoor, the capital of Bussaher,
the houses on the bnnks of the Sutlej are slated; but in all other quartere of that
city they are roofed with shingle.
Kotgurh is the only district in wluch slate i not generally used in roofing.
I n saying this I refer to the sections more immediately in our own neighbourhood;
for in Koomharsen, and among the Tartars and Thibetians, the mode of building is
materially merent. Among these, the houses, though built of stone, consist of
but one, or at the most two stories, and have flat roofs covered with mud andgravel,
which material is ~preadupon a layer of the bark of the birch tree. The Rana's
granaries are commonly the most striking buildings in the Koomharsen quarter;
they are nearly as lofty and spacious, though not nearly as ugly, es the gola, a huge
mis-shapen granary at Patna.
I n Sindoch and Thibet the houses have generally two stories, and these flat
and gable-ended roofs alike prevail. In the lower hills, stone walls are used, but
with mud instead of wood for the binding. I n those parts the thatched roof is not
uncommon, though it is wrought with but little skill or carc. At Bilas~oorand
Unkee, however, the neatness of mnny of the thatched roofs reminds one of the style
of roofing common about Calcutta.
Again, in the hills nearer Kabool, the houses are whitewashed, or neatly
coloured with a reddish earth, in a manner that would seem to betoken a higher
amount of civilization and comfort, than is in fact enjoyed there.
ANllVlALS.
UNDERthis category I proceed $rst to describe the wild Hill Sheep. I do SO
not because of any peculiar interest or merit of that animal, but for the simple reason
that it chances to have been the first described in certain musty journals of mine,
from which these notes are extracts.
The wild HILLSHEEPthen is in shape and size and covering much more like a
species of deer than what it is. I t is found in greatest abundance--though indeed it
is not very abundant anywhere-about Mundee, to the north of Koomhqen. I t is
covered on the back and head with greyish hair, in colour very much like that on an
English squirrel, but longer; while under the belly it is perfectly white. I n short,
its only resemblance to the sheep consists in its horns, which are precisely similar in
~hupeto those of the common ram, though they are at least twice large. Then
again its physiopomy differs more widely than does sometimes "the human h e
divine" from that of the sheep, even from that of the shawl goat or sheep, which, like
itself, frequents the higher regions, while it closely resembles the conformation of
face proper to the G e m s species. Anatomists, however, are probably satisfied tllat
it is a sheep, though it is well known that numerous local or accidental causes have
a tendency to alter the horns of the deer, either as to their size or their direction,
m d even the number of their branches ; that the appearance of the deer is sinylarly
modified In some other respecte by the nature of its habitat; and that, for instance,
the same animal. I(tu quitting barren mountins to inhabit fortile valleys, soon
cxchanges ita rugged appearnnve, and ussumes forms of more elegance and colollrs
hue,
 mmes tile DEER, This animal is too harden. after it h= been reaped, and mbsWent1y. (if in qumn~fieg too c o n i d m b l e
in Order in my
well demMd rmnute desc~p(ion. Its skin is ske,&ed speck]cd. The for deposit in the dwelling of its omer,) it is stored in circulu pits about two feet
of the Himdayas is comonly caught with noose. ~t is found in the deep, and walled in and paved. I n these magaines it is laid by while atill scarcel~
"pc, to be trodden out at Ieimre. The e x p o m e to the immediabl~ .ftu it
aehhghts in h e Gujdhur q n The~ ~bags are highly
rrentesr
by tlIr natives, md if at all, are invdably presented by an inferior to been reaped, * found effectudly to absmct that moisture would othemiw
is afirmed-and is therefore probably not true !-that the m m a infdlibl~ it.
],is supe,.jor
of the musk evaporates if the bag be not cut off during the life of the animal.
Wheat, on the other hand, is always full ripe before it is reaped ; and it is,
ele E ~ a large ~ deer~ which
~ descends
, bom the higher consequently, never left as barley is, to d~ in the
now come
I t ripens about the time when the raina in, and it is generally heaped in the
,,levntions on the occurrence of R heavy fdl of snow. I t is of a dull reddish
Lung or verandah, till the close of that seeson.
and not remarkable in any respect.
~l~~ ~ K U is R another common-sized common-place deer, of a fox Colour.
For a coarse g r i n cnlled bathoo, which abounds in these hills, (and whose
leaves are deep autumnal red.) the fie1& are ploughed Once if it be in
Like the E~~~~it abmdons the p a t e r lleiglla 00 the descent of very heavy snov,
and is found, in the inclement s e w s , in considerable numbe-, about Sindoch and succession to wheat or barley ; but such is the p o v w of the land, t h t if the ~ o u n d
Rotgrrh. flavour is excellent, ond I have seen many a goo,dy haunch of this be fallow it must be ploughed t i c , however hardy or P ~ O M Cthe seed it is destined
same Tension, so well covered with marbled fat, as to be worthy to be sung by to receive.
(;oldsmith, or discussed by the Ursa Major. Rice fields, known in ~ G h a r e evernacular as Bakul &an, when not irrigated
~h~ Kakur is often run down by a dog of ordinary size, but of a peculiar breed, artificially, are ~loughedthrice, and the grain is not sown until the third ploughing.
which the Ghoorkm train for hunting, and which is so staunch that it will run down The ground is also flattened? three times, about fifteen days intervening between
any deer, or at all events chase it "from morn to noon, from noon till dewy eve." each stage of the process.
~ 1next , ~specimen of the " imbeUes C e ~"i of which I find note, is llappy in The rice crops produced in lands requiring, in all senses of the word, so much
,lle e u ~ l o ~ i oappellative
us of GOORRUL or Ghoorul-for the iis sounded or not, " tumddood," are verg inferior to those ~roducedfmm the loner grounds, where

uppnreutly, at pleasure. moisture, derived from artiflcial irrigation and comparative warmth, co-operate to
Like the thing which was not m anchovy, it seems after all to be of the caper produce luxuriant vegetation.
species, if we may judge by its shape and colour (a brownish grey), in both which There are five kinds of rice cultivated on the lugh unwatered Bakul fields;
paniculan it closely resembles the nW goat ; besides which, its habits and habitat these are the Kvlho dhm. a coarse reddish ~ a i ;n Reora or R h e ~ e ,a white rice ;
(t]le latter being the and grassy crags that overhang a mountain stream) Oojula dhan ; Zeera dhan ; and lastly, a rice which, from the circumstance of its
are of the goat, gontish. This animal is very common, and according to dame husk being black, is called g a l a dhan.
" usage in like cnses," as it is abundant, so is it worthless. The flesh is Even the chaff of rice is not wasted. It is accumulated for winter consumption
rough, dry, and-need I add?-insipid. by the cattle. The soil of rice lands subject to irrigation is rarely more than a foor
x e x t (iu my Journal) follows the WILDBOAR,"with tusks never sheathed;" and a half in depth, and the other soils average in depth not more than eight inches.
by tlle way, V C have classic authority for the juxta-position :- Irrigated rice fields are ploughed in the months of Jet11 and Sawun, (May, June,
and p m of July.) They are afterwards weeded and harrowed, and then watered.
'l Setosi caput lioc apri tibi, Delia, pawus
To tbis soft bed the tender young plants are trnnsported from the spot where they
Et ramosa Dfycon vivacis c m u a e m i . "
]lad been sown some twenty days previously, and the fields during this business of
The tusks of the wild hog of these hills are even larger than those of llis trmsplanling are covered with water a foot and a half deep.
brethren in the plains. His colour is iron grey, and he is large, and "fleet and At this season, the only one in which the men exert themselves, both men and
strong," as the so' west wind in the Ancient IvIariner. His courage also is indomit- women are employed throughout the day, knee deep in water and exposed to the
able. The Pity is that there is no ground to have a good after him; fierce heat of a sun, whose rays (so powerful in these low grounds) are reflected
however, there's no help for it, and one must shoot him, or go without; besides which
he dies game and gives good sport, and thinks nothing of charging a score of
,, from
The effect of exposure to such heat over head, and such wet and cold under
spearmen after Ire has got a bnu Or more in him. The sow has not much fight in foot-especially where the parties have descended from localities that have a cool
her any more than in the plains. The local name for the wild hog is ekkul. atmosphere--is, I regret to say, very frequently a fatal one, and almost always
The people when go Out s ~ " l i nunshackled
~ ~ by the Presence of one of serious hazard, which latter fact is evidenced by the sickly condition of the
us English, struggle as hard for the honour of the first ball, ns me do in the plains ,ulti,,ators,
for that of the first spenr ; and with them, whoever draws " first blood is entitled
"
The rice fields, except in the lowest grounds of all, where the surface is
to the boar's head. When the party is numerous and several shots have been fired, naturally level, consist simply of step or terraces of considereble width, but
the struggle for this often involves serious contention, and the chances become rather very slight depth, levelled by artificial means, and banked up to admit of the mter
in favour of the letting of a little human blood. Whenever a wild hog is Idled it lying in one sheet upon the surface. w h e n the young ,.ice is -lanted
becomes necessary to send a leg of it to the chief of the Purgnnnah,-or, in his it is about a foot and half in height, and the head of the plant is cut before
absence, to his locum tenens, whether Wuzeer, Mahta, Mookhur, or Kamdar. These the root is inserted in the ~h~ rice grounds are weeded onlyonce in the
two are the only laws I have as yet heard of up here, and they are said to be season, they are once in seven days. seed rice is always sown thickly,
as old as the lulls themselves. but the translated plants are placed four or five inches apart.
And now, pnssing over the B R ~ Gor , HILLLEOPARD, a beautiful little The matured rice, when reaped, is spread, in thin layers, in the sun, and is thus
and very destructive to cattle, the rugged and hideous ZURUKH,8s the allowed to dry for two days. On the third day it is sheaved, i t js then stacked;
Persians it* Or LUKURBIJG H*, it is commonly denominated,-a brute, even in and at the of twenty or thirty days tile stacks are broken up, and the
a Feater than the destructive to cattle, but which up here never attacks is trodden out, winnowed, and pieced in most bap, made of the
women Or ;-passing tllese, we come to the PORCUPINE, which, ns it &ins of animals, with the llair md legs on, and conveyed in these to the house.
differs but little from the common one below, need not detain us long, s d c e The rice harvest is a busy season for the women, upon whom, in these hills, at
it to that they frequent, in considerable numbers, most of the valleys, and all times, the onus of labour devolves,
that the flesh is considered a delicacy by the well-informed appetency of tile natives. Of wheat there are four sorts, two white and two b r o m ; and of either colour
BE*as pretty nutnerous even within a few miles of Simls, and I have known one is beardess, the other -a,.istce quesi cornua sunt spicarunL..
them give good sport after they were slightly wounded. But there is nothing about
The red wheats, both beorded and otherwise, are the kinds rmltivated in
them to demand particular description.
the higher locnlities; and the white, on the other hand, are those which are prin-
Next we t~ the little H r L FOX*
~ with its face half dark, half white. This cipally cultivated on tile low beside rivers, and in the exterior and lower
pretty little creature,-with large bushy tail, larger and more bushy than that of ldls.
the fox of the plains, and its semi-white face and hind qumters,-ie met with only The red sort is sown in June and November; the white in November, and
near the region of perennial snow. until January.
comes the flying fox, which is to be seen in any furrierss shop in Wheat is succeeded at certain heights by phupham and oghul-two descrip-
Regent Street--so that needs description. And of monkeys and squirrels there tions of coarse grain that are largely consumed by the
are an endless number, but no varieties that are not common the plains. On lands whose last crop has been barley, the poppy is cultivated next.
of a good are found in abundance throughout these districts ; Of barley there are three kin&oows, jo-, peentoo; of these, oona is
and Pony, sbong, active, and sure-footed, is also procurable at easy prices. beardless, like wheat, and bears a thick short ear ~ t h mm of grain, has a
remarkable appearance, and will attract, from its &Eerence from all grain,
the attention of the stranger, be he never so unobsemnnt. ~t ss the
AGRICULTURAL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. is, excellent bread, and is nearly as highly priced as good wheat.
Jowree barley is long eared, nud rejoices in a fine beard ; and peentoo is short.
WHEAT,
RICE,BARLEY,OPIUM, GINGER.&C.
ITi~ worthy of remark, that at these elevations wheat cultivations require at thick-set, and hirsute also. The best of all is oowa, only it does not tluive in IOW
least two ploughings, one as a preparative for the reception of the grain, and grounds. Peenloo is next in quality, and Los but l i d e chaff; and jowree is not
a second dter the seed has been deposited. produced at a greater height than four or five thousand feet nbove tho sea.
The ground is then beaten m d Battened down with a wide and heavy board called Cotton is grown in inconsiderable quantities, and in the low lands only.
a thal. The lands about Kotgurh are both ploughed and flattened twice. Moong-del (a kind of pulse similar in q-ce to the pea) is c u l t i d ill
In December, January, and February the manuring process goes on. I t is limited quantities about the banks of the Sntlej. and in other low grounds. I t is
essential that the young plant. when only a few inches hi&, allould be copiously sown in June and reaped in November, and it is not unfrequendy grown in amall
manured; and the long stubble which is loft after every reaping acts likewiso They have a prnctice in the interior of mpmg very high, in !&t, clme to the m, ao to
beneficially u compost. Barley is left in the sun for seven or eight days to ~ I - J and leave a long stubble, which tllcy suffer b rot h -we.
t Rolled would seen1 to be tl~cfitter term, but the implement employed is nut a mller.

qutmtitim in the bathoo m d koda fields. I t is cultivated, however, to its greatest
extent, d a n g oither side of that burning valley, wbich is tlie hot bed of the Girree river.
I t is followed by w h a t or rice. Iiilao. n s m d field pea, benring a pretty little
purplc flower, is s o n in June. I t is hquently sown on patches of the barley fields.
If In wpnmte fields, i t ie succeeded by bathoo, and in the low grounds by gram and
Indinn corn.
There are other and inferior descriptions of grain, but base are scarcely
deaeming of minuw description. Sufice it to apecify the names of a few, and but
a few of them.
Among these are phuphurn. of which there are three kinds; to wit, the mola,
which is very bitter; kunuroo, or black phuphura, which is originally from K u n r m r ;
and ogul or sweet phuphm.
Then there is n small c o m e gwin called kungree, of which there are two
varieties-white cmd fine, und c o m e and black ; they are chiefly sown as lug11 ns
Kutgurh, or higher thnn that.
Ghalle, solmk, tohlr and soluli, are euphonious names nttnchcd to otl~t'r
hill grains of but slight value.
M u s d seed is cultivated only on the low grounds, but it g o n s spontnneously
in corn fields, at almost every height.
Indian corn grows in straggling patches, and but scmtilj- at the lower villages;
hut, in like manner with mangoes and other vegetable productions of the plnins, it is
largely carried to the Simla markets from the &strict5 thnt base the I~ills; nay,
even from points ns remote as Snharunpoor, Nuraeengurh, Raeepoor, and &lunecmnjrn.
AGRICULTURAL AND SPONTANEOUS VEGETATION.
OURh t experiments in the cultivation of the Ten plant on the low hills and
in the valleys of the Sub Himalayas, were made as recently as 183G. Yet, nlready,
there are eight flourishing nurseries in Gurhwd, m d four in Pumaon, nll of wllich
produce Tea of a good and constantly improving quality; and in Kumaon alone,
the number of plants sdiciently matured to yield Tea (though for tlie fint three
years the leaves are unfit for use) was last year 3,008,122. The quantity of Tea
produced in all the nurseries under notice is steadily increasing, and it would be
difficult to define the limits of its future extension and improvcmcnt. With regard
to the area of production-without including our recently acquired territory between
the Sutlej and Reeas, wbich is said to be applicable to the cultivation of both Tea
and Coffee-it appears that the extension of these Tea nurseries in the Sub-
Himalayas may proceed in any qunrter at an elevation of from 3,000 to 5,000 feet
above the level of the sea. I n fine, such are the capabilities of the country, so
cheap is human labour, so accessible is river caniage, (not to speak of railroads in
prospect,) and lastly, so decided hns been the success of these experiments, that
the belief has become general, and seems to be well founded, that in a few years
Tea will constitute by far the most important of all the exports from Upper India
The Teas thus produced will probably be equal ere long, both in strength and
flnvor, to the best Tess of China, and they will certainly be procurable at one half
the cost of those.
I t may not be out of place here to subjoin from a very interesting report on
the cultivation and manufacture of Tea in Kumaon nnd Gurhwall, which was lately
published under the sanction of the Government of India, a brief estimate of the
outlay and profit of a Tea plantation of 185 acres. From this report i t appears
that the average amount of produce is a maund (or 40 seers, or 80 lbs.) per acre;
and that supposing the Tea to realize but 3 rupees or 6 shillings per seer (i. e. but
3 shillings per lb.), the said estate of 185 acres would give a clear balance of
10,000 rupees, or &1,000.
Tea CULTIVATIOX.
Overseer.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. 100 p. men. = RE. 1,200
Mallees, or Gardeners . . . . ,, 247 2, - ,t 2,964
Contingencies . . . . . . . . . . r , 60 7, - ,,
- 720
4,884 0 0
TXAM A K I ~ ~AGN D PACKINQ.
10 Chinese Tea-makers . . ,, 331 4 ,, - Saeeree and Mahaseoo for the Simla markets; and all these thrive W well here as in
2 Ditto Tea box-makers . . ,, 64 4
0
0 ,, - ,,
-
,,,
3,975
771
4 Sawyers .............. ,, 24 0 0 ,, 288
LANDRENT.
-- 5,034 0 0
Present Rent per annum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Re. 247 5 8
Rent of additional 50 ncree, at RE.3 per acre . . . . ,, 150 0 0
397 5 8
Total Expenditure.. 10,513 5 8
Omitted repaim, &c. per annum.. 280 0 0
Total lb... 10,695 5 8
Amount realized by the sale of Tea.. 21,600 0 0
Balance RE.. . 11,004 10 0
OPIUM.
From a journal written in the hills in 1839-40, I extract entire the following
memoranda on Hill Opium.
When the poppy plant is only an inch or two in height, it is thinned ; and, in
its then tender state, when its inebriating properties are as yet not potcnt, eaten
3s a vegetable; though even in that stgge it produces a tendcncy to drowsiness.
Goosseens, or Suoeeasees, or Tupussees, hold it no degradation to the sacerdotal
office to conjoin its functions with those of a speculator in opium. They are in
fact the principal opium merchants in the hills, though bbunneeee fiom the protected
Sikh states likewise tr&c in it largely. I t is often neceaaq (as is the case with
uur Indigo Planten in the plains) [or the opium trnder to make pecunisry advances
to the cultivator. Such advances are provided in September, October, and Novem-
ber, and a u~uriousrate of interest is generally charged upon them.
The market season for tho drug is the middle of the rains. The incisions in
thc pods and the extract of the fluid are made in the months of June and July, and
August; the pnce of the drug varies from eight to fourteen Rs. I t is principally
exported to Kutoch, Riunulsacc, Umritsur, and Lahore. I t is rnrely obt.uined from
the cultivator unadulterated by commixture with flour, or honey. ncsidcs being
thus debased, its nppnrent weight is not unfrcquently increased by the insertion of
pebbles into masses of it.
The poppy, to attain perfection, as respects alike the quantity and qunlity of its
secretions, dcmnnds a soil either nnturally rich or richly mnnured. The lands in
the vicinity of villages are generally, on account o l the redundance of vegetable
matter that surrounds them during tlie rains, richer than those at a distance; and
from the circumstanco of such proximity, they arc moro easily supplied with manure.
They are consequently found to bo best adapted to the production of the pnppy.
The process of incising the pod is a very tedious one, and occupies, during t l ~ e
sensou, the whole time of both men and women ; and by inhaling the fulncs of the
juice, drowsiness is indaccd, which not n little retards the co~npletionof that task.
That the hill opium is superior to that of nny other part of IJpper India is
demonstrable by tlie fact of its higher price among thc purchnsers in thc protected
Sikh states nnd t l ~ cPunjab, where in fuct it is held to bc more valuable even than
Turkey opium, which is, iu its turn, more highly estimated than that produced in
the plains of India.
A stimulus to thc cultivation of the poppy, l ~ s dsuch becn applied, might
haveled to its production, nt a certain elevation, throu~qhouttlie hill states; but notc,
I suppose wc have had enough of opium, tdl Lin is 'Nil.'
Thc hill opium was, until lito years, a contruband article, if convoyed to the
plains of British India, ar~dit is still llenvily tnxed.
The poppy thrives at an elevation of from four to eight thousand feet, and
being hardy, and thriving rather in a low than n high degree of temperature, it
n.ould probably he grown with succcss in England; for it requires considerable
moisture, and severe frosts or heavy falls of snow do not injure it. The description
in use is invariably the " papnver candidurn," to which the Romans gave the
preference. The purple or dark red poppy is very scarce, only two or three plants
being obsemable among the numerous pntches of poppy ground (of cndless varieties
of shape and size) that surround the slopes about every village.
The seed of the white poppy is itself also white. That of the coloured poppy
is spotted, and of a darker ground. About Simla and at Kotgurh it is sown in
October and the early part of the ensuing month. I t is earlier at a lesser elevation.
The plant is weeded thrice during the season.
Lands, other thin in the valleys, are sometimes allowed to lie fullow for two
yem-a measure that is enforced by the poverty of the high grounds, where the soil
is frequently not deeper than six inches. Indeed, its greatest depth in high arable
lands is from twelve to eighteen inches.
The lands on the hither side of the perennial snows are tilled by means
of bullocks ; but in Kunawur, which lies partly within, but mainly beyond the
Himalayas, the Zho, a cross between the "Yak," or Thibetian, or Tartar Bull, and
the little hill cow, is preferred to the bullock.
The foregoing notes are followed by some upon the other vegetable productions
-uAether cultivated or qjonlaneous; and these I proceed to Gve as they stand.
(The trees of the hills will be enumerated in their proper place.)
GINGERis grown to a considerable extent in the lower Himalayas, and is nu
article of commerce with the plains. I t is somewhat less pungent than the West
India ginger, but it is probably from thnt very circumstance better fitted for
preseming. I have never tasted as fine even from China or the West Indies as is
presemed here; but then, on the other hand, I have never tasted any half so
abominable OS some of the concoctions that certain of my fair friends l~aveseen fit
to compare with the bright and nmber-coloured produce of the West.
Potatoes we have as "red and thumping" as any in or out of Limerick. The
finest are grown at Mahaseoo, where (the demand as usual regulating the supply)
the natives cultivate the vegetable for the Simla market nnd for export to the plains;
sdlnds, cauliflowers, and all other English vegetables, are likewise produced at
Europe. There is also an indigenous potatoe, larger nnd coarser than our own.
called gnjtee, or kuchaloo ; it is never, that I am aware, brought to tnble.
The hills produce, moreover, a species of wild Aspamgus, and another c ~ ~ p i l l a ~
plant, not dissimilar in flavor to asparagus, which is, however, a variety of " she fern"
or the lypteries, known by the natives under the name " koobree," which they dress
as e vegetable. There is, however, a poisonous plant, found in all filicious grounds,
which closely resembles it, and which is sometimes gathered by mist&.
The Salop mimee-no whit inferior to the salop misree of commerce--grows
abundantly at Simla throughout the rains. I t is a beautiful bulbous plant closely
resembling the hyacinth, and its flower, which is very flagrant, holds a prominent
place among the bouquets of wild flowers that, d u r i n ~the rains. adorn even table.
The Barberry is found as low as Kotgurh, but not at Simla. I t s roots are
used in dyeing.
We have all sorts of fungi (except the eatable boletus, or ceps), good, bad, and
indifferent, during the rains.
You generally discover the mushroom under the shade of the oak, where also
are found both the morel and the truffle; the latter is rare, but as fine 8s any
in Angoulbme or Perigueux; the former (the morel) is abundant, and eagerly
consumed by the natives. I t does not grow at an elevation below that of Kotgurh
(0,783 fect above sea level); and the trufae is generdy found in t l ~ ewoods about
Muhwoo and in Kotkhaee, where the cracking of the ground (it is invariably buried
under it) commonly indicates its habitat.
Hemp is grown around all villages in the more elevated districts between the
rivers Jumna and Sutlej, though not, in this section of the hills, in sufficient
 arc many beautiful Ones> (with 'prigs tl'nn Of the
yumlti.irs lor cxl,onnl,inll~ but ill ~ ~and other
~ p dl s of (iurhaal,
~ ~ d o n~ ~LIIC l
but rather some of the specimens of .dder's-tongue* p e p p e r - ~ w eand
~ ame
bnae ol tllc snn,vy i t is estenGvely cultivated for eskllld t r d C I bare,
notr somewhere to the effect, that the commercial superintendent at of
,rloreo,.er, Of Wild Flowers the Himalayas present an endless variety. They are always
Jinslleepoor used formerly to procure, m~nually,from Gurhwal and Kumnon~large
of the Compally's sllipping, but this rCfClY to an those of R o ~ b in
J fivesvcimm Of
inwstments of on
The late Mons. Jnquemont added largely to our botanical storm by hi researches in
epoch long before my time.
Tire nnlivcs apl,ly it cxtens~velyto purposes of a domestic ndure, such as
the H i m d g - ; and more than one *
this ".ged in prq-
penning up cattle, administering for publication the rcsulfs of more r-t labovn in the field. It may be
llanging g e i r supe.,lumemry female
to November the bills
rs, end ,, tlrCir wives, md a sort of netted or nitled or notted slloes, sufficient in this place say Ih*
and newly low as Simla~are covered with the purple the violet~both
to wllicl, of untauned leatller is sometimes, but by no means generally, ~ffixed.
the seed ; whence ]ikeaise a capitol subsdute for linseed white and purple, purple c O w s l i the
~ ~ crim80n pokntiua~ md the buttercup1 and
~l~~~ parcl, rind
white rnd crimson dnisy, " the Danae of flowers with gold heap'd in her lap." This
oil is estracted.
lower hi]b ; and the higher you p the better you last, and the primrose is sometimes seen the to
does not tllrive in
the ~nglishman. For him* indeed, even Ihe nettle has ib Taking of
find it. In the llighest (not covered ~.iLhperennial snows) there is
h u n d a wild, indigenous hemp, producing a very coarse fibre. This is apparently 1 boiled
nettles reminds me
nettles as a vegetable.
Ihat the people have for eating
cr species of cannabis spuria.
The natives produce from the cultivated plant a considerable quantity of the And tea also is sometimes used as a succedaneum for other "lenten fare."
ToYarkund (as well as to Budukshan* for conveyed by
resinous extract, (Churus,) which is scarce]y different in appearance, whnlever it may
be in strength, from that prepared by European chemists. the Chinese caravans. This is what is called brick ten; i t derives its name from the
A wild variety of the closs of plants siliquosce, which may be either a wild pea shape and size of the portable little parcels into which it is packed, and in which it
or tme, is found among corn, just as it is in England; and a pretty wild tulip is conveyed from Yarkund to the great Fair at Rampoor. The people of Kunamu
(not poppy) likewise abounds in all corn fields. English oats thrive at Muhaseoo, m d Loodak drink tea, but always without milk, and generally without W. I t is a
and at Simla, perfectly ns well as in England; and the Buneeas of late have betaken coarse black tea-though Burnes afErms that the tea used by the ~ o o r 0rToorkoman
b
to exporting these, as well as the potatoes, to the plains. of Trnns Oxiana and the neighbouring countries, i s all green, and a great deel of it
A species of mild liquorice grows in the dense forests lower down, but I have of a very fine quality.
never lrenrd of its application or applicability to any beneficial purposc. The Kunawurees have a strange practice of mixing suttoo nnd ghee with it, and
Indim Corn is cultivated in the lower rmges, but only hig]] as boiling all together into a thick soup or 6th-about. When they drink their ten like
tlre valleys about Saeeree, and even there it will not flourish save on the exposed men, they put the pot three parts full of tea and water on the fire in the evening, and
slopes of the southern and south Western aspects. ~~t if, as often occurs, the let. it simmer all night. The liquid, not very sedulously strained, is drank next
rainy season be the plant dies, or vows up lnnk and skinny like step children. morning.
The seed of a plant cnlled Kamilla, which is found about Simla, is "the
sovereign'st thing on earth to cure a dog of the distemper. I t is always successful
. BIRDS.
"

if given immediately on tlre appearance of the disease.

Mosses, lichens, ferns-I should like to say a good deal nbout them all, and EAGLESme very numerous in the Himalayas. I have shot many a one that
heaths too, if I had space. The heaths, in light peaty soils, where there is neither measured upwards of nine feet from wing to wing ;-and even while I write I see
too much water, to rot these hair-rooted plants, nor too little, so as to wither more than one magnificent golden eagle hovering over head, " to weather his broad
them, ore found in great variety and beauty, alike of form and colour, and probably vans." Both k i d s , the brown and golden, are numerous low as S*, thongh
many valuable additions might be obtained from them, to the most complete Ericeturn not at any lesser elevation.
nt home. And I may add, that mosses, with most brilliant tints, deep emerald, We have also, besides hawks, kites, vultures, jackdaws, ravens, carrion crows,
golden, and pallid grey, (most of them perenniah, and as hardy when covered with and such co?railk ;the misletoe thrush and some other thrushes; linnets, that during
snow as in the mildest weather,) hang in clusters from the branches of the pines and winter frequent in flocks the lower gtounds of Simla ; the gold finch, bull h c h ,
onks and rhododendrons. yellow finch, green finch, tomtit, humming bird, some pretty wood-peckers, the gross
There is an indigenous grass, called by the natives " kash," tall, coarse, and beak (a yellow bird with dark wings), the kokila, and an interminable v h e t 7 of
hardy. This, towards the close of the rains, is cut d o n and suffered to become llay doves, ~igeons,and owls,-as well 8s sparrows, those little sinners that BR found
at the pleasure of Dan Phcebus. I t is stacked in emall conical heaps, shaped like everywhere,-and swallows and martins,-and last, but the first in our with
tire English haystack-a pine stake, by way of nucleus, being fixed perpcndiculnrly its precious memories of spring, and boyhood, and fatherland, the cuckoo, with ib
in the ground-and around this the hay, in small sheaves, is laid. when a sweet twin notes;-"the hollow cuckoo," as Thomson calls it;-but what says
sufficiency for the winter consumption has been stored, the residuary hay-and there Wordsworth under his loftier inspiration ?
is dways a residue-is burnt with a view to enrich the soil for the ensuing ycm. ! blithe new I heard, C D C . W

I have not Humbolt at band, but I remember that he makes mention of the con- I hear thee, and rejoice : To see thee did I often rove
flagrations nightly visible among the forests of the Cordillerns, which he attributes 0 cuckoo, shall I call thee bird, Through woods and on the gnxn ;
to the agency of three several causes ; fist, the spontaneous ignition produced by
the friction (under the impulsion of the wind) of one branch of bamboo agaillst
Or bt a wanderiy voice?
0 * .
Thrice wclcome, darling of tJte spring !
And thou wert still a hope, a love,
Still long'd for, never seen.
And I can listen to thee yet ;
another; secondly, to t l ~ eignition, by the Indians, of the grass and brush-wood, Ev'n yet thou nrt to me Can lie upon the plain
with a view to clear the ground and to enrich it for the purposes of cultivation, or
No bird, but m invisible tlling, And listen, till I & beget
for the production in the following gear or a richer crop of grass ; nnd lastly, to its A voice, a mystery. That go& time again."
nccidental ipition through the carelessness of the Indians, in leaving unextinguished
By the way, is it not remarkable thatvirgd, with all hie seeming love of nature,
the fires with which, in travelling, they h d dressed their meals. Probably these
and all his unquestionable knowledge of her, never once mentions this darling of the
three c:Lust.s tcnd to the production of a like effect in these mountins;
spring ?
nlmost niglltly confla&rations climbing thc surface (at that time invisible) of the
distan~hills, are mngnificerrt beyond conception. I had almost forgotten the peacock. We have U tolerable sprinkling of this
said " pavonum formosus grex," as Phaedrus calls it.
" &' $7' i v o C p a v G @ ~ C I V ~ Bp@>
V C E A ~ V Y V@&~7' iplXyEX/a-s* h.,&C,* The varieties of the game birds up here (and for that matter game birds of any
I h r r B o ~ ,9, v. 551. description) me not very numerous. They are in fact limited to the Ghalij, Chehir,
Both Senna leaves and sursoon mustard, which grow spontaneously in Pakla or Pakra, and Plas, (all phemants,) the munal or golden phesant, and the
are given to cattle. The young leaves of each are dS0eaten by the Argus, which is only found in the interior ; the chukor, or red-eyed partridge, 6 t h
natives. T h y do not express oil from the seed of the latter, save only in the low pale brenst and slate-coloured wings, the black partridge, the jungle fowl, and the
hills immediately adjoining the plains, where Apricot oil (which lWrCsupersedes the quail-the latter being found only at certain seasons. I n the low gmunds, about the
other) is not abllndant, and consequently not sufficiently cheap to be accessible to banks of the Sutlej, a few wild ducks, and divers teal, are to be found.
the majority of the people. Of the Pheasants, the munal (which is nearly of the bulk of a pea-hen) is the
Of the almost k~n~merable varieties of our Ferns, I have only spnce to say a very largcst. The plumnge of its wings and neck closely resembles that of the peacock,
few I have myself nearly ninety &Rerent specimens, of which, llowever,the to whose " knia," or top-knot also, its own is precisely similar. The centre of the
back is white, but the plumage is again of the rich greenish purple of the peacock.
bTenter number are not to be found lower than l , 100 feet nbove sea level, H~~~~~
is most o ~ v z c *in ~ Lllem, some of them attaining to tllrcc or four feet in height, for some six inches above the tail, which is nearly " b r o d se it's long," and of
thouglr I a f i m tllat I have ever seen them dtogctlrer ns lnrge ns tllcy are R dnrk rich almond colour. Its Iega are dark, nrmed with a sharp spur, and not

said to be in where, 03 1 hnvc either read or henrd, orle unlikc in shape to that of the game cock. I t is indifferent eating. Its fnvourib
with
Of them, in the dips or recesses of the l~ills,most of tile sepmate trees
lrnr~ntswe the elevations in the immediate vicinity of snow. and it never flies ns low
twenty Or twent~-five feet highh. The pretticst specimens produced in tile H ~ ~ ~ ,RS, Simla. J ~ ~Tho~ hen ~ mnnal, which is smaller, is clad in plumage. of nu humbler hue,
are not perhaps those of the winged or hand-shaped genera, though of these to wit, a very game-looking .ppeckkd browtr, which is nnrelieved save by one chin
* ----P
--P-.-- streak of wlrite thnt defines the lino of junction of the tail with the b d y . Her I*-
thus translated for the ladies, if they will accept tnnlp and l i d a -qln- sl~ip1 1 ~nos spur to speak of.
t'on :-l'
m when the star. around the fair clear moon apl,ear rt-plendent, is The Chclrir, Khnlij, nnd P u l i i s , tl~oughgnme-looking birds enough, are inferior
cloudl*l' wa(Ehtnwer m'Y highnt mountain tap 0 U . d . out ill bold in size lluc to the mnnd ; fllcir flavour, howma, is idnilrly mphr h : but
''le ](lwrut valleys .re not hidden, lrnll in ,hc firmament tile vast
'* studdud rind broken u~'-fur cllcb and every star is flern-and the BhCpherd,B
even so killdled by tllc Trujans glow before the ,.,,]ls of ~ l i , , ~ , "
Rther
heart rrioicpa;
* Word-worth
----
apppws to
- -p--

hnvc obtained this phrase from Ben Jonson, who h

Nightinplc "The of tllc *pring;'? I farget whereaboute.
 of all the Pllhqinnre nves of Ilills, me to tile Ayus. T l ~ cpuhnrrcs I The costume of t.llr women is 11rctt.y similar to tlrnt of tile m m ; in somc part*
dollominac tllis, llud llot the wle. tll,b King of birds. I t is clliefly fuoud in or the ~ O I I I I ~~~owcvcr,
I'~, they wtwr n pcalictl linen Ilcud dress; in o l l ~ r rpurts lhey
~ l l n a a l l r , 'rho plllmnp is,sl,ccklctl Id] over with \\*Ilitcrycs, about twico W I
llavc ndoptcd the W O O ~ ~ C ISoolhun
I of the mnlcs-in short, wcnr thc hreccl~cs: and
I t is tllc! most benlltiful bird I llnve ever beheld. lliglrer up still, 1 ~ I I V Usccn the111 ( I ~ u thcrc
t tI11:y are so llgly imd ( ! l ~ i ~ ~ elooking.
se
lap thOSC of the blwk p d d p .
that it l i ~ d clnnttcn wlll~tL11cy wcnr) wit11 1l1eround Bussurce tilp * of tlle ~ n e n .
J ~ fowl~BM ~ ~ but ~ not llcrllnps
I ~ as f i ~ l cns tllcy are in Bengal, and
woodcock mmctilncs mct Kitl~ enrl!. in t l ~ cwinter. Ten1 nnd widpon a* to be
fouud in d l riveru,-tlo I hear,-but I 1111vcncvcr sought for p u r e 80 low that,-
and--and-let me em. I don't think 1 have anytlling NorC to say. The ArlJutnnt
has never v i e i d ~ i m l n cven
, under sick ccrti6cate. The p l u c r i d g ~ on , a~~romh FEafALE INFANTICIDE.
of descend, nnd we no more seeu till next ycnr : ~lnd when thc snow is very THISis D crime which U S I :to~ prevail to a terrible extent throaghout the higher
Ilws p,lcnsnuts come dorm lawer than their usonl Irnr~rlb, Himalnyns. I t s esistcnce \ v s coeval with that of polyundria, and it i~ to llc r ~ ~ s u ~ n e d .
daep,
blackbird lue conslmtly Ilcnrd, 8s n nntllrnl couscqucnt:e, tlmt fc1nd13infnnticide lloving nlmost censcd to be n nntio11111
possdbl!. even low ns simll1, ~h~ thrush
whietling " most clolucut music." crirno nn~onget hose ontcr I~nrbnri~~ns, since the cstrtblishment of British supremacy
in thcsu I~ills,the otlrcr. revolting prtlcticc hns, p a r i p a s s u , decrenscd.

CLIMATE. p
. -- - --
F R OMarch, ~ ~ \Tl1cn the ~ ] ~and e t snow mny be ~ ~ l to i dhnvc pnssed nwny, to the
n l i ~ of ~ ,l,,ly,
c tile climate is henvenly. Thcrc is notl~inglilie it on cnrtl~. Notlling ! GIPSEYS.
xotlling in ltuly ! Nothing in F m c e ! Nothing n t ~ ~ w h e rthnt e I know or. Rt!cnl F E R F I A ~gcntle
, reader, you do not know tllnt thcte nrc Gipscys in tllcsc I~ills-
tllc fnirest dnv, hour, of sunshine you hnvc ever k n o f f ~ in
l nn Xnglish spring. m d to reniind us still lnorc ,of I~ome. Not that they are very like the b o ~ t ~gipscys
r
conceive be beant? and gladness of t l ~ a sunshine.
t b r i g l ~ t e ~ ~by
e dcontinuing wilhont cithcr ; I~owever,such ns they ore, you shall havc them. I find them described h o n ~
g almost without 6 shower, dnily f o r swnfln togrthrr; nnd deck the fruit life in ono of the journals I kept on my various trips into tllc interior.
and bushcs in a thoussnd Errgll;sh ~IOSSOLUS; and s p r c ~ ~violetsd and dnisies, " W C posscd a Gipsey camp this morning. Some of the wornen-I could not
and smwberr)' b l o s s o ~ ,and wild roscs, nud nnemones, thickly, tlliokly, over the sec n pretty one nmong tl~em-were combing l ~ u dplaiting their elf locks, otllcrs were
brigllt close emernld turf; over crags amid the pine roots, nud fur nway down cr~nid malung rude wicker-briskets, and one or two were cooking, but with no cnuldron
the ferns beside the "runnels," ~ n dYOU may fancy something of what our Sirnla hanging from a tripod, such as gipseys and witches are in duty bound to "sport."
spring and brief summer are. Othcru were wenving a rude and conrse thread from cotton, which they held in such
~ n then,
d alas, w m e the ruins! From the middle of July to the middle of wiclter-bnskets as the others were constructing; but I snw no spinning whcels,
September you have l~ealthyweather still, but no end to ruin ; in short, a climate I know not how they contrived to mlrnufncture cven the wretched mnterinl I huve
perfectly English as Eugland is, nenrly three parts of the year. mentioned. The women wore their hair in four or five long straighl plaits, on either
From early in September to the end of December you have dry clear frosty side, from the templo towards the back of t l ~ chead, and hanging down sometimes
very delicious, and very bracing; and from that time till spring agnin, you nlmost to the knees. I n these plaits were interwoven turquoiscv and other stones,
may count upon living like the ancient mariner, in " a land of mist m d snow,"- probably fnlse, for they were of an unusual size. And cven the girls, children of six
very healthy, but certainly not agreeable. B u t the hills arc nlmost deserted i r ~the or seven years old, wore their hnir thus, though generally without thegenzs, reminding
winter. one of the Misses Kenwick in Nicholas Nickleby ; und such of thc ladies ns hnd
infants, ( I cannot sny children i n arms) wore them at their bncks, regular gipsey
COSTUME. fashion. However, one looked in vain for a pretty young gipsey girl to tell your
Tnilr 'S a finely built fellow yonder, tugging up with his huge burthen-a kilta fortune, and bid you cross her hand with gold.
full of walnuts. A Irilta-what's a kilta ? do you ask. That huge strawberry pottle "The men were doing penance in goat or horse-hair shirts, nnd drawers and
withollt a handle, that reaches from below his loins to midway up tile back of his small scull caps of the same mnterinl, with deep plaid borders. They were n hirsute,

head,-that's bltn. fike the round cram of the twigs of the arbutns, in
whichu in l t d y , mcording to Walkr Savage Landor, "loads of stone, manure,
$c. are carried on the backs of men and women." youmay stow awayMtill thatBs
full, and, no matter what the weight is, your puharee,* if he happen not to be sulky,
will walk away with it. On his head he could not carry five pounds-unless perhaps
in paper currency. Look at his muscle-what calves! what n neat little knee,
fin+. moulded and close knit 8s the hock of race horse ; and, piled above it,
a mw of sinews md nerves in that thigh ! out of every thousand of his
rdes, you s]lnll find, James bath it, five hundred as good as lie some
even better. H e seats himself under that rock, and leaves his kiltn standing
it. Now, as he stretches himself, poor devil, mark what a. chest, what slender loins,
and s h n t Atlnntean shoulders! And see how jauntily he wears the flower in his hair
under his picturesque hill cnp :-what is it ? Apparently an enrly rhododendron ; I
noticed several of them with blossoms of the wild c h e m , and ripple in tlleir h&. ~~t
I must \ram you h a t tl~esesimple puhnrees hold it an insult, if you lay hold of or
pull out the flowers, whicl~they wear i n the cnp or huir, ond of which, as you llnve
already scen, they appcnr so fond. The girls and young mntrons (mnny of \rIiom
are fnir, and very beautiful) likewise fix flowers and leaves, or young rice, in their
head dresses ; but, save on occasions of religious ceremony, fcmting, and so forth,
they do this less h q u e n t l y than the men.
As you perceive, the lower orders of the mnles do not wear over much clo~lling.
I n the higher and colder regions, all the inhabitants w e attired in coarse \roollen
garments. Cotton dresses are never worn, unless by the o5cers of the state nnd
their sons. The women have generally a waistbnnd of conrse clotll, md tile
+W
slovenly, sleepy set-lying about in the sun on conrse rugs of the same mnterial na
their raiment; dozing or whistling, or smoking rudo hookahs made out of a piece
of I I O ~ ~ Obnmboo
W closed at t l ~ ebottom, (in other words cut off just below a knot)
with a wooden tube stuck midway at the usual nngle, and n cl~illnrnat the top.
"They were proceeding to Simla with those slow and lnzy steps, by those short
and easy stages) in whicll such delight. They already halted where
they werc two dnys ; idling away their time, and bnsking and lolling beside the pine
forest, and hard by n bright and dnncing rivulet-luxurious sinnen-making one
almost envy them their hnppiness in horse-hair ! As fitr as they had made up their
minds about the route, they were in progress to Simln, where, if they don't turn off
in some other direction, they will sing wild songs by the hour for money, and make
collections qf ulms, and of every thing else they can 10). hands on.
"Their only shelter from I~ent,or rain, or cold, consists of layers of reeds, or
bnnches of brushwood Lour~dtogether, nnd erected as a sort of cut. This t h y
curry with tllcm, mllencvcr they again betake to 'wander, at their own snrcct will.' "
INFANTS.
PRACTICE OF PUTTING THEM TO SLEEP WITH THEIR HEADS UNDER RUNNING
WATER.
THIS is a strange costom, and yet a very common one! nnd the traveller to
Simla from the plains may see, any day about sunrise, or from that till noon, llnlf a
score of children-i!h*s of a &!P old, some of tl~em-l~ing nsleep under

the poorer ones, a few folds of llemp or goat hllk rope round loins, instead of
olgth. Almost d the latter wenr either the Kashmeeree t6pee, or the " Bussaree "
Cep or " p i g ;" the latter you see before !.ou, and its round wadded border and black
cram are not, methinks, unbecoming to the rnde race who have it. ~ h
coat, or kilt, (ungoo or chola is the n~ltivename for it,) is often mado of double
blanket. In the interior they are made to come below the knee, and they nlwnys
cover the body and m% fastening at the breast m d on one of the slloulders with
a piece of ~ o o l l e nthread. A pair of pantaloons, called " sootl~un,"fllsteuing round
the waist, hang loose and in ample folds to about the knee--wllence they are worn
so tight, and involved in nuoh innumerable circular layers, that i t would be dificolt
to get them off without tearing them. This apparel-and its concomitnnt the gent-
hair-rope-@e (there's a compound, worthy of G e m a n y !)-is common in the interior
~ m v e n i e n tbrook the roadside ;-under m y convenient brook of which the
tempernture even in the summer is but a few degrees below freezing point, for even
when its waters are not produced by the melting of the snows on the second
~thirdi ~ and even by the partial fusion of the perenninl snows of tile lligllest
chains, it flows from shady fissures in the rocks, which are but little accessible to the
tenlpercd heat, even of our warmest wcnther.
Where the brook, flowing over some bank or stone, mnltes a descent fYom two to
four feet, the water is cnused to run through n narrow tube or spout, consisting
simply of a long strnight piece of the bnrk of n pine tree.-Beneath tllis its bwe
scull immedintely below the conlractcd body of water, (whose circumference may
n~ensuresome four inches, and of whose current the force is of course considerably
increased by its compression,) the infnnt while still "wide awake is laid upon "

the h%her elevations. I n low spots, such as the valleys m d ~e banlis of he
Sutlej, the in tens^ heat induce9 those--and they are unhappily but fe,v-wl,o c,m
afford it, to 8ubstitnte for the woollen, cotton r a h e n t , during m*Y months of tllo
yeur.
* pdaree, a m o u t . n m , fm.puImr, a mnntain. The vowel, which is here r e ~ r ~ ~ ~ d
by ow letter U, ia alwayn pronouncrd like the same Ietter in the Enghlr words run, huUo,
k t h , &c. and urver lib ool U hpuny, or our 0 t h ~ u in pule. In fuct, the power of each
i n ~ v i d dlcttcr im, in all ~niaticr ~ b u W 5 , it ‘"%lit ta b. in cvoy language, single
immutable.
blnnkct, which if the mother be over cureful, may be secured from t]lorongtl sntuMtion
by the b e n i p inkl-position of a few whisps of the lank, coarje pss, tllat commonly
Sringcs either bnnk. The somnific effects of this chilly npplicotion are ,.enlly
incredible. I have seen a child cry at being placed upon its watery bed, and vet ere
i t had been there mnny seconds i t was asleep. Nay oncc when I had come down
for the purpose of t&jng a sketch of such a gmup. I ww late rnd die womeu were
--
Tip, a hat. This word is to bc pronounced, not like our Englisll word top, b ~ aa ~ t
rhyning r n y ~; in fact, the driaic o ia aItvays loDE,like awn ill ,llc

gUillgn w a ) But tllej arc good.te~nperedcrentureg. and " by p n r ~ i c ~ l arequest
" *
r n positive necessity.
tlle yIn!. bills l ~ ~ it,
r erl~cyput one of their little girls v110 had nlreudy
'Ldrunkmdeep
Of all the blesedness of sleep,"
again beuenth the wnter.
I made my syce, who wns near, give the little monkey some copper8 to keep
her quiet and we were kiends immediately.
But while she was yet Inuglliug her lids fell; thc beautiful long fiinges lay
upon the glowing and ruddy cheek, nnd she slept ; reminding one of those lines of
thnt voluminous writer MSS.-
"The maid seem'd very Arab; yet the blood
Shone mantling tlvough her bronzed but downy cheek,
As tl~roughsonle dark-l~ued,luscious fruit, the flood
Of Autumn's j u i c ~revel .till they streak
I b sunny side with blushes ; or as break
Morn's first dim tints above some westelm isle,
Son~cgreeu savannah,-while in every creek
Dawn and night blend, ere aokes Aurora's snlilp,
'Il~oughsoft, quick sigl~ingZephyr watchet11 tllc east the wl~ilc,."
hlISSIONARY ESTABLISHMENT AT KOTGURH,
A N D TIIOUGHTS O N TRE PROSI'ECTS O F CONVERTING THE PEOPLE O F THE HILLS.
THEREis a very interesting Rfissionary Establishment at K o t p r h , and it is
gratifying to state that its labours hnve already rcceivcd a very encouraging degree
of success. I t is true indeed that education must bc the bnsis of all e.~lensiucly
snccessfi~loperations for converting the nntives of these hills, or of any part of India.
The sclroolmt~s~er's must be the initial duty. Let him instruct the lower and middle
clnsses in the lnnpngcs and sciences of Europe, and r l ~ e ntliese have bcen acquired
our pure and holy creed m11 be readily adopted. Still tlie Missionnry's cliauces of
success nre greater in these hills than in ruly otl~erpnrt of India; because here the
barrier of c u t e (so well nigh insurmouutnble in the plains) scarcely exists, except
in name. I hare said that Brnlrruins are nmong the inhabitnuts ; but their numbers
ere not great, nor are their tenets by nny means rigid.
METALS AND OTHER MINERALS.
OF all the metals produced in these bills, none are so abundant, none constitute
so important a staple of commerce, as its iron. I t is extensively produced in the
district of Jinsnr or Jnonsnr, now under Bli tish jurisdiction, but formerly comprehended
in the principality, or Rnjship of Sirmhor or Sirmowr, stretching along the left
bank of the T i n s : the site of the mine being tlie gorge of a hill named Loha-
Kundee. The villages of Melut and Sheel in the Kotlaha ulaquh, where iron ore
is found ns a superficial stratum, are likewise celebrated for tlie qoality of the metal
so produced.
The only other iron mines with which I am ncquninted are the following :-
those in the Kotgnrh ulaquh, nt the village of Tahoo or Trala; at Kunaithoo or
Kuneeaothee, nud at DirkBtee; lastly in the purgunnas of Nawur, or Sare-Nawur,
in Bussahir, the district of which Rampoor is the capital.
The mines at Nawur and (to name at the same time two perfectly distinct
places) at T r d a or Tahoo near Kotgurh, me each inexhauslible; indeed, at the
latter spot you could hardly dig in any direction to a depth sufficient to reach it in
any mine without coming to iron: and the mines of Nawur in Bussahir, spread to
the extent of a mile, from the base upwards over the site of a hill. The entrance is
by a holc about three feet in diameter, which gives ingress to the main gallery,
from whence brmches diverge in various directions. The chief emporium for its
sale is the tom of Seesoo, in the protected Sikh states, whither, after smelting-a
process which it undergoes at one of the villages adjacent to the site of its produc-
tion-it is conreyed in Kiltns, by the means of coolies, whose hire of course ndds
materially to its cost on arrival at the mnrt.
Borax (another staple of traffic in these hills), as well as wood, being abundant
nround most of the iron mines, the smelting of the ore (or diee, as it is cnlled in
hill dialcct) is generally an d u i r of no difficulty. The kyl, or denl, is preferred,
for conversion into the charcoul used in smelting; but the other descriptions of
pine will serve, in the absence of kyl. Immense quantities of these trees are cut
down annually nnd burnt, with however mucl1 difficulty, while still green-charcoal
thus obtined being esteemed the best, wllile thnt produced from dry timber is
found to be useless for the purpose of the smelter. I t is almost suped~lonsto ndd
that where mood-and consecjuently charcoal-is not procurnble, the miners barter
a prtion of their commodity for a supply of this essential article. Where wood is
r~bundnntin the vicinity of the mine, the parties who prepare the charconl are paid
by an immutnble per centnge on the pro$te, be theae wlrat they may, accruing from
the sale of he iron-a per centage which iu of course sufficiently remuucruting to
make it worth their wllile to supply any quantity of fuel (the proportion linving
been critically ascertained) that may be necessury, fur the liqllifnction of the largest
possible quantity of ore ; nncl n7hen thc price of iron falls, thcy hnve of course no
right to complnin, not only becnusc their profits ns mcll ns their losses fluctuate with
thoee of the iron vcndor, but because, even if their corupnct were other than it is.
their only customers being the iron vendon, they must n e c b accept whatever price
the others may bo able to pay.
The m~rjorportion of the trncts thnt produce iron prod~lcebut scnnty cmps of
g r i n : a wise dqensntion wlrich secures, what under othcr cir~um~tunces wo~~ld
not be of certain occurrence, the circulatiorr of thc metal over districts where there
is a demand for it-in other words, n nnturnl deficiency of it-nod where tllcso
primitive people (so devoted to their I~ills)would assuredly not transport it, save from
I do not assert that, if tlieir OITTI dietricta W= mddenly to
become as fertile in grain as they ore productive of iron, the lust of gain which has
been excited would with equal suddenness decline: all 1 mean to say is, that
however clifficult it might now be to lay that devil, cupidity, the demon was
o r i ~ n a l l y~ a i ~ among
ed these simple people by necessity done.
The benefit of interchange of commodities in the existing condition of thinp
is at events considerable ; and the sale of their iron renders d the necessaries,
and some of the comforts of life accessible to the more thriving, because the more
energetic dealers in it. After stating that Sirnla has of late yeam become mother
important mnrt for its disposal, I will briefly describe the prooeee of preparation, and
dismiss the subject.
I n its crude state, the ore is so associated, nnd indeed so commixed with sand,
ns to wear the appearance rnther of a dnrk red cinnabar, bright and shining, (such
ns thnt from which mercury is obtained), than of what it is ; though here and there
it is found interspersed with fine specimens of iron pyrites, both in cubes and
octohedrons.
No difficulty occurs in the separation of the ore from the sand in which, I
hnve said, it is disseminated-which is effected simply by the application of water
through a channel which is conveyed to it from some udjacent spring; the sand,
impregnated with the ore, being rubbed by manunl npplicntion in the water, the
former (the sand) flows off with the c m e n t , leaviug a deposit of pure and glittering
iron dust at the bottom of the lnrge wooden vessel, nlrich is commonly employed
upon the process. Hence, it is conveyed to the fi~mnce,where, placed in a deep
curtlren vcssel, it readily undergoes fusion.
When one considers the difficulty that in Englnnd nttends the reduction of this
ore, and bears in mind thnt more nrt nnd labour are there requisite to conduct a
small iron furunce thun mould be necessary to melt all the gold produced in Brazil,
it is impossible to overate the benificence that has so facilitated (by tlre distribution
of the metal into minute nnd therefore readily fusible particles) tlre smelting of the
iron of tliese primitial regions.
At home it is, I believe, nlmost always found near conl; but though it is not
uncommon in these hills to meet with a stratum of what closely resembles a coarse
description of conl, yet as (the cost of boring for i t being heavy, and having never I
believe been attempted) its existence has never been established, and m, in fact,
mountains rising to a great height nnd steep on the sides are commonly composed of
strntn much harder and of different kinds from those wherein coal is found to lie,
we mny assume, if we please, that here coal is inaccessible to the iron smelter ; we
must therefore agnin admire tlie arrangement by which wood in mch abundance ia
afforded, 8s a succednneum for other fuel.
Of the several iron mines I hnve mentioned, tlie produce, of course, &Tern in
qunlity. That produced almost ns a superficial stratum, on the sidea of the hills at
Melut and Sheel is, in comparison with that of the mines, collectively, of thejirst
quality. That of Jnonsar ranks next; and the most inferior ore is that of Nawnr,
of which scarcely one-fourth is pure metal, though the little thus produced is good.
I will briefly add that lead is produced nnd worked in Jounsar, at the mountain
of " Sohar-Kimded" (new the iron mine aforementioned) ; and that another mine
is still worked on the further side of yonder lofty mountnin of " Shali in the
Thakooraee of Bhuggee ; that there are the neglected remains of a lead mine in the
district of Keeoontbul, near the village of Hurreepore, about three miles from
Soobatl~oo,which has been abmdoned ever since the time of the Goorkha invasion
of this section of the hills; and finnlly, that inconsiderable veins of it are to be
found iu Joobul, nenr the Choer or Chor mountain.
There is a copper mine, which is still worked, at Neilung, (or Chunga, as it is
likewisc called,) on the banks of the Janubbee river; another which is also in wtive
and productive operntion in the extensive district of Jaonsur in S k o u r ; and a third
wlrich however hns of lnte years been abandoned, in consequence of the gaeping
interference of the Bussahir Rana and his myrmidons, near the villages of Soongram
m d Roopn.
T l ~ eprccious metuls have not hitherto been found in any of thc hill districts, at
lenst not in those under British jnrisdiction.
Rut as deposits of gold dust are found in nll the hill s t r e m s in s u f f i c i a
quantities to attrnct gold finders, or daolas, not only from Kslsee and other
of the lower Ilills, but even from the plains, it is not improbable that gold mib~s,
thongh undiscovered, cxist in various quarters of the higher hills.
Certain it is that gold mines are extant in Chinese T,- near H&,
beyond the lake Mnnsuraor ; though it is affirmed thnt the cautious, if not t i m o r o ~
policy of the Chinese h n ~occnsioned, within these last few years, a pmhibitjon m
their being further worked, even on account of that government: the objwtion to
their continuance ~LI usc appearing to consist in a desk to prevent j&ousr .ad
intrusion.
MARRIAGE.
AMONGthe Iriglier clnvses of the natives of these hills marriqe is, ar wea till
lately, drnost cxplodcd, like " a crtscd outworn." IIence, it may be w e r e d in bow
slight rslimnt~onwedlock is held by the lowrr orders, who, M m d , take their taae
from t h c ~ rsuperiors iu rwk. We might st.111 howevsr h content, in c o G d s d o n
of them present uncnliglltenod stnte, to lenm that they an, faithful to the oom&oa
(be that cver so informal) into wlrlch they may have entered. Rut thia u d ~ -
tunately they arc not. The Ran= nnd Thakoom, inetead of murrying, keep mh-
trcsses ; but thcy do not and cannot keep them to themselves : indeed they do not
care to do so ! All tllis, I~omuvcr,would m a t m nothing ! it would only prove b a t
here, ns ~n some p:lrts oC coutmcntnl Europe (of coulsc in E n m d we are " aU
l~onour~~ble ~ n m , "nnd nolncn too) the highcr cl- we not remarkable for v i d .
n u t what will bc tlioaght wllcn it is known in moral England thnt n p l u d t v ,
not of wives, but of husbands, pmvails tliroughout the higher Ilimnlnyns :' nay. tllnt
~ I I Ioethsome
H brutes of mdea do nut hesitate to say that this is a ~ g h t good y
custom of theirs. Now comely, nay beautiful, though many of tlieir women are, is
it possible thnt so abhomnt an usage cnu pmvul, ttnd not reduce them to the
lowest state of moral degradation ?
For the women, nevcrthelerrs, one l o n g for a better order of t h i n g : they
what circumstances have made them. More freo in manner thnn the natives of the
plains, they are at the same time far less indolent; and I am thnt, how-
evw lightly they m y weigh the crime and shame of tlie forfeitare of chhstity, their
nnhrd tandenciea are compmtively pure; and the indi5ermw wit11 which the
pmeaaion or tbe absence of virtue on their part is regarded by the men, and more
clspecdly the revolting system of a of husbmds--arc causes aluch produce
~II effect which would be merged in their restomtion (or rather that of their
denphtew) to virtue, under a happier order of things. I hnve seen some beautiful
and sinless little hill girls of gram and air so innocent, so pure, so cherub-like,
thnt it seemed impossible that they should become sensual-impossible thnt they
should have within them the seeds of lasciviousness and guilt-further, I mean, thnn
M we d1 have them in us ; and sure I am, that if in any pnrt of India t l ~ edoctrincs
of our pure religion would be received more rcudily than in another, if in nny pnrt
there is a predisposition to receive them, that part is these hilh, where the com-
parative indifference existent on questions of caste bids fair to prepare the way for
Christinnity.
REVENUE OF THE HILL STATES.
R E V E X ~?E " NOUSn'en avons point," as the cherubs said to St. Cecilin, when
she begged tllem to take a seat. I t is scnrcely knowu here even by name. As to
knowing it by sight, the extent to which tlris is to be done may be illustrated by tlic
filct that the collections in a number of villages ln Malown nre effected by the sole
agency of - , the widow of a Sergeant Major, who some years back died at the
fort of that name. A rupee a head per m u m is about the average amount of land
revenue accruing in the native states, and i t is of these that I shall mainly bent, for
our own purgunnahs are still numerically too inconsiderable to c d for prolonged
or particular notice.
I n the native principalities such is the languor-I had almost said the torpor-
attendant upon commerce, that the revenue is, to what must be termed by com-
parison a coilsiderabb amount, realized in kind.
Such collections are regulated by an immutable standard; thus, one joon (or
sixtern puttahs of seven kucha seem each) is levied upon every kyn of land, and on
each successive crop, whether barley, phupphura, chubenoo, bathoo, or other grain,
and whether the crop be abundant or scanty. Sometimes an equivalent in oil is
received in lieu of grain. On the W l m e n t of the conditions of payment in kind,
one rupee per ennnm is further exacted from each zimendnr-by way, no doubt, of
greasing the wheels of the grand state machine--upon the Byronic principle that
" ready money is Aladdin's lamp."
I t is by no means unusual for an impoverished landholder to mortgage a
portion either of his ground, or of its produce, during a stated number of future
seasons. Such tmnsactions, as they are rarely set forth in writing, frequently
involve dissention.
And in times of but partial scarcity, such as hnve been to a more t h m ordinary
extent unsuccessful, will borrow grain from their more fortunate neighbours at the
high rate of interest of 8 5 per cent. Thus if one joon or sixteen puttahs of grnin
be borrowed, the negocintion is coupled with an ageement that twenty puttnhs be
repaid at the ensuing harvest. Tlie interest charged is sometimes ns high as 50
per cent, or eight puttahs per joon; in other words, a return of twenty-four for
sixteen. Of course, resort to such temporary comfort is, as it wcre, a sort of suicide,
a throning oneself upon the very spear of fortune ; and nothing short of an impera-
tive, nay an unnvoidable necessity, could ever tempt men to such an utter self-
sacrifice. I t is found that he who resorts to this pmilous device for putting off the
evil day, but rarely indeed restores his broken fortunes; but then, on the other hand,
it is only fair to state that no m m ever has recourse to tlus expedient who hns
a substantial hope left I t is as though a dying man should h~u.1himself Sroni a
preoipice to end his sufferings.
I have stated that every zumeednr pays the Rana of his-must I call it
"principality ?"-one rupee per m u m in addition to the sixteen thathees or puttus
of groin (a thathee or putta consisting of seven kucha seers) levyable on every joon
of land in cultivation. But I have to add that, whatever the extent of arable land
in hie charge, each zumeedar is required, moreover, to present annually to the Rana
three seers of ghee and one of oil.
I t is o n h fair to add, that the reigning potentate should be a prince of an
enlarged capacity and epicurean habits ; 11is pnlace (rich in cattle and cow-dung) is
illumined on the night of tlie dies faustus on which those lantitiae may have been
amassed, with ten or men a dozen chiraghs; and all the pillars of the state nre
~0nvokedto enjoy their monarch's hospitality, of venerable goats burnt till they be
drier than they mere in 1x8, of putresc&t ill-dried fish, and of gajtees, kuchaloos
and other (so called) edible roots, duly saturated in the apricot oil or the ghee,
which are delicacies of the season.
But to proceed. The Ranas have further their privatt: demesne8 in various
parts of the purgunnalls, and of these the proceeds are collected by an officer
by the title of Bunaree or Runduree. Further-duties, in transiter, were till recently
levied On all articles of export or import. These are now collected only at
Hurrepoor, ut Rampoor, and ut one or two other places; and tile proceeds of such
imposts, in the district of KotJtl~reefor example, amounted, up to ,I late date, to no
more than from 200 to 250 rupecs pcr nnnum on all articles, whether imported or
exported.
The annual revenue of Kotklluec 11a.3 never exceeded 7,500 rupees, or a little
morc than n rupee per 11cntl on its very scnntp populntion, up to the ~ e r i o d\vllcn
tra~lsitduties were more gener~rllycollected. Since their abolition the revenue llns
bvcn quadrupled.
I may here briefly remark that Kotlchaee is the capital of that section of this
district (Kotgurh) which, up to the periodof his demise, when it fell into the hands
of the hungry company, wns in possession of the late Rana ; and here, by the way.
it may not be irrclevant to give a brief outline of the revenues yielded, whether as
tribute or othorwisc, by the scvernl hill principalities, while these wcre exclusively
under native jurisdiction.
To begin with Gurhwal. About n moicty of this little state is now compre-
l~endedin Kumaon. The other hnlf was allotted to the Hoja. The rcvenuc of the
British half mm, up to u late period, trbout 64,000 rupecs ; that in the possession of
the Raja of Kurnaon amounted in 1824 and 1825 to upwards of 70,000 rupees, but
i t is understood to have of late years deteriorated.
Exclusive of Gurl~wal,or of thut portion of it which wns allotted 11s above
indicated, the amount of revenue nccruing to the Kumaon Rcjsliip was not above
9,000 rupees per ~mnum.
The revenues of Sirmoor have been estimated at only 6,000 rupees.
Of Hindoor, the mountainous portion of Sirmoor, the revenue is about 35,000
lupecs. Part of Simpoor is situate in the plains towards I'laaseea and Roopur, and
of this section, thouglr its extent is considerably smaller than that of the moun-
tainous tracts, the fiscal proceeds are at least equal to those just quoted.
Of the principality of Kuhloor (attached to the Bilaspoor ulaquh) the annunl
nmoont of revenue is about 80,000 rupees. Btit only that section of it which lies
on the hither side of the Sutlej is under British protectioa (!) The parts of this
state lying on the further sl~oreare " obnoxious" to the extortions of Sheer Sing11;
wbch side is the hnppier no one need doubt, though it is currently attirmed that of
citl~erprotection bad is the best. Probnbly, to use a right classic phrase, it is "six
of one and half a dozen of the other." Let us examine this by the light of such
scanty data as nre procurable.
The Cis Sutlej portion paid to the 13ritish Government, in the year 1820, n
tribute of 15,000 rupees, the first that h d been exacted hom them sincc the cession
of the province to British India.
I n the same year Sindor Desn Singh, a Commandant of 12,000 of the troops
of the then reigning potentnte Runjeet Singh, wns located at Kotgangm, for the
purpose of curbing and keepiug down the numerous tributnry hill chiefs trms-Sutlej,
who were dependant on the Maharajah of the Punjab.
The Sindor Desa Singli ( I cannot venture to crirtail his appellatives !) exacted
from the Bilnspoor Rann, for thnt portion of his territories which lie beyond the
Sutlej, no less a sum of tribute than 50,000 rupees, although the entire nnnual
revenue proceeding from that moiety of his dominions does not exceed the amount
just stated. On the other hand, of the portion lying on our side of the Sutlej, the
annunl revenue amounted to 75,000 rupees; so that it is clear we are (or were) the
less i~nconscionable extortioners of the two. Next comes Bupahir, whose yearly
revenue was, up to a late date, not more, nor yet much less, than from fifty to
60,000 rupees.
Knmaon, including the reserved portion of Gurliwal, is now in the hands of
the British Government, and its revenue has already been quoted.
The Rajah of Gurhsal pnys no tribute in money, but he is obliged to furnish
beegarees, and there is a stipulation whicli requires that he should supply a quota of
troops. But we h a ~ not e yet culled on him to fulfil this latter condition, though, ns
recently as the year 1839, you might have seen, so I am assured, the population of
whole villages belonging to his territory, flocking into Simla, to convey Lord
Ancliland's myrinds of chests and camel trunks from thence to Barh. I mny here
remark, by the way, thnt iu like manner with this chief, nll the other dependent
Rnjusbips and Thnkooraees are liable to be culled on in time of mar to furnish, in
proportion to the extent of their tenitory, or rather of its population, their several
contingents of armed men. With the exception of Bussahir, which, from the
earliest date of British supremacy (in these parts) hns continued to pay a yearly
tribute of 15,000 rupees (in three equal kists) in lieu of supplying beegarees. With
this isolated exception all the dependent states have been wont to furnish their
quotas of beegwees for gratuitous attendance when required for public purposes,
instead of paying pecuniary tributes; and the neglect of the crops, the oppression of
the peasantry, which were the natural growth of this pernicious system, have induced
the British Government to propose a commutation of the provision of bcegarees*
into a trifling monthly pnyment at so much per head on the number of beegarees
heretofore provided ;--a proposition which was readily accepted by all the chiefs,
save those of Kotlihaee, Kootar, Dirkothee, and Kooneeyan. The Kootnr ClLief
has, however, at length agreed to the proffered commutation; and the handful of
beegarees that were levyable from the Dirkothee Rana have been &pensed with,
in consideration of the poverty of this Pote)ilate. H e has been required to supply,
in lieu of either men or money, two musk bu.7~p<r atctrutn; but doubb are enter-
tnined as to the extent of l h ability to provide even this slight offering! The
Government of Sirmoor, like that of Gorhwal, has never yet been called upon for
either beegarees or pecuniary acknowledgment. But the divisions of Jaonsar,
Bhamnr, and Deogwb, dependencies of this state, which have been annexed by the
Blitish Government, are, no doubt, equivalent to the amount of what might else
have been f ~ i r l ylevyable tribute.
The states of Kul~loorand Hindoor have been cxempted alike from pnyment of
tribute and provision of beegarees, in consideration of " some semiceW(asOthello
says) which it cppews they did to our utate, during the Nepal war.
Tlie principality of Bughat formerly provided one hundred beegtvees a rnolltl1.
I t now pnys in lieu of these three rupees per head, per mensem, for that number of
" humnns."
- -
- Coolies or porters who ure seized, and \vbo rcceive no "Lire for their labour." -~
-.. -- - . .. -. .. . -
-
.
 The nnuunl revenue of Bugl~ntis estimntcd at 12.000 rupccs ; thnt of Bhogul
at 18,000 ; of Keeoontl~ulat 34,000 : of Koornhnrsen at 8,000 ; of Kotgurh Kot-
gooroo or Kotkhaee at G,500; of Joobul a t 14,000; of Bhujee at 9,000; arid of
Bulsun at 5,000.
I t mny be proper here to stnte, that Keeoonthul has been deprived by us of
half of its purgunnahs ; Bughat of two-thirds ; Keyaree Muder of one purgunnah ;
Beja of one half of its purgunnahs ; and that this shearing off of the originally fair
proportions of these states wns effected under the plea that they had not afforded us
thnt assistance which we had a right to expect h o m them (proh pudor!) in the
subjugation of their country in 1814 and 1815 ; so true is it, alas, that our policy is
ever under the veil o f " glossing profcssions," to shove by right with might.
The M~eckof these states (colleclicely constituting a still noble possession) are
now tbe property of the Puteealah Rnja.
The Puteealah purgunnuhs of Keeoonthul are farmed for 18,000 rupees per
annum, tlie ijaruhclar clenring, it is said, 9,000 rupees, after "booking up" for the
year.
They llove, nevertheless, nnnudly risen in value for lust ten years, rind
a few years since they were annunlly worked for 9,000 rupees, as the mi'ximum price
which they were then capable of producing; and as, at tl1e close of the Ivnr9 they
were sold for 150,000 rupees, they must since that period have reproduced for the
very much more than his original outlay.
~t must, however, be added that the people of these states complain vehemently
of the extortion to whicli they are-or a t least to which they allege that they a r c
subjected, and it may be doubted whether ever yet a people has unjustly complained.
Ill truth i t would be no easy task to determine the amount of revenue fairly
levynble Bom any one of the hill states; and this, for the simple renson thnt the
are but too prone to exercise upon their subjects the most unpityiug estor-
tion ; and because, yet more especially, the wuzeers and other subordinate officers of
those chiefs nre wont to " wring from the hard hands of pensants their vile trash by
ecery indirection." The practice of extracting heavy "nuzeers" is among their
least exceptionable means of extortion ; and wllen the season is unfavourable, and
when fulmers-as an inevitable result (under such contingency) of their perverse
neglect to cultivate more ground than would, under most favorable ~ircumstnnces,
suffice to meet their wants-are reduced to at least a temporary destitution, the
Runa or Iris my-midons, will supply them with a temporary escape from starvation,
nt a rnte of loan so usurious as to involve the ruin of the borrower; and this is a
condition wl~ichrenders it di5cult to define whether the indolence of the peasantry
or the oppression of them by the Inndlord, be that which mainly conduces to
~ r o d u c eclistress. Prob~blyeither circumstance is pnrt cause and part effect. Be
tlus how it mny, the zumeeudnr constantly receives back in the ciurent year, with
heavy interest, the p i n which he lent in the pcst one, and which he will too
probably agnin advance on the same oppressive terms.
Were the principle of loan but based on equitable grounds; were the chief
content to personate the ennobling character of a guardian and protector, mindful of
11is people's rights, and constantly devising schemes to counteract their indolence
and their improvidence, this system of loan would, perhaps, be found to conduce to
the interests of all parties, and the results of such nrrangements honestly negocinted
in sensons of scnrcity, might rrltimutely prove to be more advnntageous even to the
lender than the h i t s of the present system can be to either. B u t indolence nnd
improvidence must necessarily increase precisely in the proportion thnt hope of
benefit from labour and from prudencc is diminished; and, unfortunately, each
small Rnna, ench petty potetrtate, in turn, would seem to regard himself as but little
better than a farming extortioner, possessing no sort of interest in the prosperity of
his l~lnds,snve such as may inhere in the pursuit of his own momentary It
mattcrs little thnt he is killing his goose ; its produce is goldcn, and Ile is content to
haznrd the experiment as to whether, after the fowl has ceased to exercise any oflrw
animal function, the process of ovation will proceed with its accustomed vigour.
What mnrvel if the consequence of all that oppression, rcspectively inflicted and
experienced, is Bequently the desertion of whole villnges. Soch, in fact, is not rwely
the result; and their inhabitants, in such event, always flock to purgunnnhs that are
undcr Rritislr jurisdiction, and nevcr those under Sikh government. A fact which,
wl~ilcil gives only a true index of tbe mildness and justice of our m a y , affords also
nhundnnt proof (if proof were ~ w n t e d )that the Sikh neighbours do not by ollr
exnmple, or CO-operntewith our pltm-tbc improvement and happiness of the people.
Incredible as it may appear, the Chiefs regud such desertions with apparent
unconcern.
The system of contribution in kind is an abuse (or at least a system pregnant
with abuse) which is found to diminish spontaneously in a direct ratio, as cultivation
advances, or, in other words, as barbarism recedes : and thnt this u ~ o t ~ be
l d a result
of such a cause, appears to be the conclusion at which any reflective mind would
arrive. The amount of "tyranny nnd wrong" exercised by thc Goorkhns ww fearful,
not to say incredible ; the exactions which they enforced upon tho people c m hardly
be conceived or even credited. On the occasion of a former visit to these llills,
I b~came posseseed of statements on this subject from many intelligent m d
respechble nutivcs, who had been in the responsible exercise of “$seal funcfione "
under that Government. These stntements sometimes vnried, but they were never
contrnactory, and their tendency was always to prove that t l ~ ospirit of their least
oppressive rule was analogous to that which prevails (if it cwr prevails) in Europe,
only where un invading army is truversing a hostile country. Such, it would seem,
wns the principle, or rather the passion, that clillmcterized the Goorklla d c . Nay,
to such Rn extreme was the parallel extended, that the wl~oleof the country that had
been
by the Goorkhas was apportioned out to detachments (called
Puttees) of the Goorhhu force. The diahbution wus regulated by the very imperfect
lmd innccurate iuformntion which done could be obtnind of the resources of given
tract of c'JuntrY : tllc nllotmcnt WILY cssontiall~a lottery ; tho larger body or troops
wcrc not unfrcqucntly billcttcd in thc morc irnpovrrishcd scction of territov, t-md
one certain evcnt of such mischtince would be, thnt the pansantry would bc yl~bject
to nn cxtortion yet more than orllinuily ruinous, though i t by no means followed
that the smaller party, located in the richer country, Nns wont to exhibit any vcry
remarknble abstinence. T o exemplify--suppose a subadar and his party to reccive,
on tlie revenue of R given purgunnnh, a tegh bundee, or sword bond (most apposite
of title!) for the pnyment of himself and of his party; suppose that on tnking
possession of the lands thus e u ~ r e n d e r e dto him to work his will upon, he finds that
the fair, the unextortioned revenue exceeds the sum which i t was originally p a n t e d
to cover, he would, in thnt event, not merely retain the surplus as his own legitimate
pofit, but he would proceed to mulct the ryots and zumeedars to any further practical
extent; a procedure in which he is zealously emulnted by the jemadar (his second i n
command), from him downwards, through "pioneers and all," even unto the impure
and low-casted trumpeter or " peepmda." Again : assume the occurrence of the less
frequent event; to wit, that he draws a blank ; thnt the equitable amount of revenue
be less than commensurate with the arrears of pay due to himself and his troops.
Under such conditions he does not commit (not he !) the solecism of applying to
his government to make up the deficiency. H e is, practically, too well versed in
political economy, to have yet to l e m that n blunder is less venial than a
crime; so he just proceeds to extort, by the infiction of torture, and the infliction
of fine, eked out by plunder and confiscntion, about doublc the sum of his residunry
dues.
Such was the economy that prevailed immediately prior to our conquests of
these hills. Such wns the fatal cause which (in conjunction with the prevalence
of female infanticide) but just stopped short of utterly depopulating these beautiful
and health-teeming mountains.
The Goorkba conquest was moreover ruinous, though this was a minor evil, to
the nbo~iginal Ranas. These were in mnny cases compelled to fly the countq, at
lcnst if they prefencd perpetual exile to death. They were yet more frequently
driven from their homes and their territories, with the nllotnlent of some petty
~ i l l a g ennd its dependent i m d s for the support of themsclves and their immediate
followers.
Even such paltry grant was rarely secure from the rapecity of the Goorliha
soldiery, and all the private demesnes and household lands pertaining to these native
princes, were appropriated bp the Goorkha Chieftnins; in a word, justice nns
"dwindled to a shadow," and these unpitying conquerors unhesitatingly appropriated
grain, cattle, implements of husbandry, nnd even ally fair member of au aboriginal
family, whenever nnd wherever opportunity presented.
Wherever no extortion is esercised in the collection of the revenne, it may be
correctly predicted that the same cyphers would supply a true index of this and of
the population ; i n other words, thnt the revenue througliout the hills amounts, on
an average, to one rupee per head, inclusive of all ages nnd of either sex. The
correctness of this estimate has been tested i n Jounsar, Bhnwur, and D e o , ~ , of
Sirmoor, (wlliclr are now under the supervision of Colonel Young, of Dernh) by the
comparative results of census of the population, and of the annual proceeds of the
territorial assessments, which shew that both are as yet proceedingpan'pasac. And
it is, at least, fair to assume thnt i n more mountainous and savage regions the
compmison would be other thtm calculated to exhibit a large proportionate revenue.
Such being the condition of &airs induced by Goorliha mismle, it is scarcely
a subject for wonder that upon o u r invasion of these hills, e spirit fricndly to our
advance was evinced by the aborigines; or thnt these displnyed on all occasions
a decided eagerness to supply us with speedy and authentic information as to the
movements of our common enemy.
I n truth, i t mny be doubted whether the Goorkl~adynasty, eveu if it had
remained unmolested by foreign hostility, could ht~veendiued for mnny yenrs longer
witbout depopulnting the country, or else without ~ n people t be1116 reduced to a
condition as deplorable ns that of the wretched inhabitnnts whom their tyrnnny had
destroyed or debased. I f for no other reason (and abundmt other rcnson might be
given), tlicir rigour and their tyranny contnined the seeds of no rcmote ruin to them-
selves ns well as to the country, for the simple nnd sutlicient rcnson Q ~ uthcret sources
of wealth, nny, evcn of subsistence, being comprised in the nntnrnl procluctionu of
the country, wllen thi.9 (through the absence of /ubottrc,,r, if not inhnbitnnts) ccnsed
to be productive, flroae werc dried up at tlle fountnin hend.
P.S.-Thc foregoing remarks were written before thc reception of the glad
tidings, t l ~ a tllc
t highly proclacti\.e lrill ground, lying botwccn tllo Sutluj and the
Bunas, llnd been npproprintcll by thc British Government.
SHEEP EMPLOYED AS BEBSTS OF BITRDEN.
INthe iotcrior, nothing is niorc common thnr~to sce clro~csof Slreq), journeying
from dny to day, lnden with grain. The grain is stowcd " 111 little s n d s , similar in
"
shnpe to thosc iu wl~ich,in t l ~ eplai~is,it is transported by bullocks; and these s m d l
crenturcs walk nwny with astonishir~gly henvy bmdcns. I f they hare not niuch
spced, no racehorse carrying wcight ever sl~ewedmore bottom & m they.
SNAKE TITORSHIP.
TIIEPullnree is by no mcnns rrrunrknble for dwation. Indcvd, tl~onfihit w n l d
g wife with m
be un,iust to rnll llim a bnd mnn, in spite of his habit of s l ~ ~ u i nhis
other men, N I his ~ ~ t l l c rlrnbit cif killing her d a g l ~ t c l shut one, it would still be
B O S S flnttery to cnll him n pious ouc. If he dom sorsllip al~ytl~ing, it is 8 ~ o or d
crocodile, but t?specially the snnkc.
 I nln! remark, that wllerens it is now pretty nearly not meet the traveller till after he has ~ a s s c dmany a grove of ~ i n e s . There is no
b d upon this
to these m, the aorsldp of snakes at one time diffused througl~out occasion, however, to describe the walnut, for it is ~ r e c i s c similar
l~ to that of Englmd.
tile of ~ ~; dbssides
i ~the numerous fables and tro&tions to the I t is to be met with as low the valley of Annudale, and OS high as ~ a g k a n d a h ,Or
nagPS gods, scattered through the poornns, vestiges of it still remain in the
eCtnd obsrrvance of the Hindoos even of the plains ; and more especially among Those that are produced in Kunawur, (the walnut I mean, not the tree,) u e
the p h i t i r e , tllough in wmc respec& dl.snu,,~, Hindoos of these hills. I t seems. equal to the finest cob walnuts of E n d a n d ; and svcn ubout Simla they are ~ m d u c e d
in fact. not improbable that the destruction of tlla rllole serpent race by of a very good description, thougll SO cheap that you get three tlroussnd for u rupee.
in the pooransa6 a historical fact, For beauty and sizc the walnut tree of these hills is quite equal to that of any part
Junumejwjuh, the of pureeks~lit.
may ,,i wnlit). imply the subversion of the local and original superstition. At of Europe.
events. M ~ R. . P. Knight, in his inquiry into the symbolical language ancient art Besides the walnut and the varieties of pine, we have the sycamore, the horse
of, Mnxilnin chesnut, the cldcr, the rhododendron, the mountain ash, the "birch, the lady of the
lrnd mytholofl ( ~ l ~~ ~ ~ ~,.,l,i ~ ~~ J lI stntes, I ~) upon~t ~ e l
woods," the oak, a kind of ppplar, and the lane tree;+ besides may, christmas.
of T!re, that allerander entered h a a , " ~ d ~ a s powerful
, Prince of tlre
size, which he nourished with grcnt holly and wild myrtle, and laurel, white and yellow jasmine, both most fragrant.
couney, showed him serpent of an
~ o rohona
d the Greek writers, frotll */be The fruit trees are the grape, the apricot, the cheny, thc pcacl~,the greengage,
care. and rc.r.rrrd the inlage of
and the currant, the filbert, the apple, the pear, the mulberry, and t l ~ efig. B u t we
*jnli/it,lt/r OS his a//ribrrtm. called Dionysius. or Bacchtls."
will proceed in the first place with the timber trees.
The Sycnmore is found in great quantities in the Irigh grounds beyond Kotgurh.
I t is usually met with, nccompnnied by the filbcrt, and grows to about the same size
m d height os in Europe.
TREES. The horse chesnut is not found at Simla, with the isolated exception of two
OF the trees indigenous to the Himala~as, the Pine appears to be the most thriving young trees in Cuptnin Gerard's gnrden, whither they were trnnspltmted
b p o r t m t . Of Pines there are at least nine varieties, between the highest and l ~ \ ~ e s t from Kotgurll dlree years since. I n a few years it may probably be commorl nt
elerations at which they are produced. flourish orer the whole extent of tile Simla, where it thrives (as Captain Gernrd's experiment demonstrates) under
higher mountHins, till they reach an ele\'ntion be!.ond \vhich the ~ n o ~~ a~ rYr ; e ~ constant exposure to the sun, and certainly without tlre enjoyment of any tender
prohibit h e i r further advance. nurture.
The most common et elevated situntions arc the Kyl or real denl, nssimilnting to At great altitudes, say l l or 12,000 feet, along the skirts of the snowy range,
the ~ e ~ m o u Pine, t h the Keloo, the Deodar or Debdar, the Hee or Neuzzn Pine, it is a most noble tree, rising to upwards of seventy feet, and with branches thnt
three kinds of yew-leaved, the Cheel or Cheer, a long broad fir, and the common sprend in proportion to its stature.
Scotch h; which latter is the first to greet you on your ascent from Barh tonrards I t is fouud of an enormous size as high up as Junglig, near the Boorenda or
Sabathoo. I t in fact grows as low as 3,500feet above sea-level. Boorung Pass.
The lieloo is a noble tree. I t is distinguishable by its spiral top; for all the The Elder is found in abundance all round Simln. I first noticed it at Deotee,
other varities of Pine havefit tops. I n b g h e r elevations i t attains to the enormous and 1 alarmed my servants, who persisted in calling the berries poison, by
circumference of thirty-six feet, with a proportionable height, which, however, as eating a few, as did also all the pretty Eves who graced our party. 1 afterwards
I have never had the means of ezactly determining, I should hesitate to specify. nlarmed them in another may, by doing a bit of school-boy, and peppering them wit11
The Fke or Neuzza Pine is cbefly found in Kunawur. I t is a comparatively from a pop-gun made out of a piece of the wood. I wonder nobody up here
small pine, producing, however, a cone considerably lllrger than that of the Pinus h, ever yet attempted elder wine; but the fact is, no one knows anything about the
longifolia, (or Cheel, or Cheer,) although the latter tree grows to a larger size. hills till they have been here a senson, and then tllcy are usually compelled to go
The nuts, which are as 10% as, and s ~ m e w h anarrower, t than the kernel of an down again. So for the benefit of those whom it may concern, and who delight in
almond, are in flavour not unlike the fresh filbert ; and these, the seed, are old English customs, 1beg to notify thnt elder berries ripen about Silnla tomards
produced within the cone, each layer of which contains two nuts besides some seeds. he end of september.
The sceds are attnched to equilaternl lziangular leaves, (each of the texture o f a bee's I n the interior and on the higher hills, the mountain ash is seen beautifying
or rather of a &gon 'Wi7bL79 md about an inch and quarter 10% on 1111 sides*) every dell within a little distance of water. I lravc sougl~tfor it i n vain about this
lelit). are and under the of the mind neighbourhood. The American species ( ~ 4 t hleaves like the walnut), a magnificent
a s&cient distance from the parent stem to secure the dispersion of the saplings tree, is met with at elevations but slightly greater than that of Simla. The praise
they are destined to produce. bestowed upon i t by Virgil wns indeed well meritcd. Fraxiuus in sylvis pulcherrima.
The nut, or "neuzza," as the puharees call it, is a staple of commerce from The Birch is found upon the outskirts of limited forest, in the higher elevations,
hence with Hindostan; but i t is conveyed thither i n larger quantities from Cabool, but rarely or never in the midae of a wood. is an article of commerce with the
mhere it is known under the denomination of Chilgoozuh. The Keloo pine produces plnins, the bark and fibres being used (the former under tlre name of boojputta) in
aPm, a Process is jnto an a ?lutdioe Property, the construction of hooka snakes. The only other use to which I remember the
(say those who like i t !) and excellent as a specific against the foot-rot in sheep, and app]ication of the birch peel (we all wot of the application of its twigs) is laughably
mange in dogs. different, let us Rope, from the one that e~zclsi r s sntoke! You will find it in the
I may here observe that it is extraordinary to what extent the Keloo and Deodar sibylline leaf; that the beautiful I llaVe alluded to,
have been confounded, even by persons of some pretension to science, who, however, OS addressed to tllis tree by coleridge :-
are apparently ignorant of the distinctive attributes of either. The Keloo bears "And hark, the noise of a nenr waterfall !
a good size cone; while the shell of the latter, perfectly round, with seeds about the I p w forth into light, 1 find myself
size of the wild hill pear (or half an inch in diameter), is produced in pendant Beneath a weeping buch, (most beautiful
clusters or bunchea-as on the cypress, of which in fuct the Deodar is a species,- Of forest trees, the Lady of the Woods)
five or six together, and all often respectively dissimilar in size. The dark green of Hard by the brink of a tall weedy rock,
That overbrows the cntaract."
the leaf is peculiar, and very different from that of the Keloo, or of other pines.
There is a noble forest of Deodars at Kotkhiee, the residence of the late Rnja of I do not remember very exactly the lines that describe tlre
Kotgurh; and a few inferior trees of this class may be seen about a mile beyond " Picture with a master's haste

Jako, on the right of the road towards Kotgurh. [The wood of the Deodnr is burnt Sketched on a strip of pinkyailver skin
Peel'd from the buclien bark,"
at festivds as incense.] I have also seen specimens near Kotkhiee, of what I am
persuaded must be the Thyoides, or evergreen American cypress, or white cedar, but i t ~ 8 89love-sketch, or something of that sort.
with an upright stem, branching out horizontally into numerous two-edged boughs, What comes next? The Onk ; but not, ales! our own dear British oak ; not the
with imbricated leaves. I t rises to only thirty or five-and-thi*y feet, and produces quercus robur, that warlike beauty, so useful and so ornamental.
small alate-coloured or grey cones, the size of juniper berries. The wood of this The ' l puharee" or hill names for the English trees, shrubs, &C., spontaneously produced
white cedar is said to resist worms, moths, and pubefaction, and to last many in these hills, are as follow, ao far as I have Leen able to uscertain them; and the native,
centuria ; Thucydides tells US that the c o b s in which the Athenians were wont generally, seem strangely ignorant of their names, even when a tree is pointed out to them.
their her- were made of t l i i wood; as also the chests containing the S eamore (uncertain, BUbol. Grape-Dank ; down at Simla, un oor.
Egyptian ~ ~ ~ m The i a doom
~ . of St. Peter's at ,Rome were originally of the d aKhrot.
~ n u t - l ~ ~ h a ,a' ~L dkbnt, n vulgo
Mushroom-Koohit, or Khooit, or k o o ~ u t .
Murel-Cbeeaoon.
Thew, h lasting upwards of 600 years, a t the end of which Home ChenudKurela. Cnssia-Chma.
Elder SamGucm, not the A2nu.s a Alder) Armp-Sun, also Shun.
Period they did not discover the s m d e s t tendency to comption, were removed by Bheila. Indigenous come grass--Kasb.
Oder E u 6 e n i ~the IVlb., and gates of brnss substituted in their place;
though his holiness ought to have been satisfied that they were almost " m e
~ ~ ~ & ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ; ; ~
Oak-Ban', or Ban.
Syncha.
Poppy-Donda, also pheem, a corruption
of ufeeoon.
Oats-Chuhooyn.
perennius." ~o~lar-du.s$oota. Potatoes-Aroo, loo.
I Plane &+Go01 Barley-Jow.
more to say about pines, except that the Puharees * extract tar Wild Rose r e d ) J k @ e e golab. Wheat-Kunuk.
hm them, by the process of peeling the bark and boiling Ditto
seotee.
ditto [whte)-Roojn, also swctee or Prickly Pew-Somoo.
&ttle+ChoonRoo, also bichhoo, also
down the gum that exudes from the bare trunk. And I omitted mention that Rhododendron-Braas, or bums. Khoonk, or Koonk.
'One of the Keloo* and more e s ~ e c i d ~of the May-Tnkoo. White Jasmine-Soone, and dooro.
which is full of a terebinthine ~ ~ ~ l l or~ ~ - ~ ~~ l ~ ~l ~ h~~ ,Yellow ~~ Jssmine--
~~ ~,
urmasuu. ~ ~ .
resin (grm I cnU it* but the learned c em ~ i t resin.)
~ is used as torches. Wild Larkspur-aorna.
They emit a vivid flame, and one more enduring than might perhaps be expected.
~u unknown
$ by the~Persian
~name ofthe&
Phegomi huit ~
unjeer.
~ ~
dso h,oos. h
willow ( w e e p i n g ) - ~ ~ j ~ ~ ~ ~ .
Of the other trees, the walnut is probably next to the pine the one that is most A ~ p - P a r o o ; WO, or seb, is used among Withcy-beeoos, not L la
t e Engl~sh. A!!ricot-zurd aroo, vur$iter jild :woo.
- English recollections. I t might take p r o d e u c e of it, but that it does Pew-Kynth, never nashpatee, which is its \\.~ldStmwbeny-Kaybroo.
*
--p
- Persian nume. Wild yellow Rwpberry-heenr.
a mou&eer ; 6om Puhar, a mountain. Nbert-Rujynt. (*reengage-Luocba.
 T l ~ o~ i l dp p e ialwnp p q l e ) hns n Rnc Bavor, m d vows ns low as Muhasoo.
Its size and hue are not unlike those of the finest Europoau specimens of the black
currant. The leaf of the wild grape is frequently found to resemble that of the
cultivated grape; in others it is trisected, nnd not unlike in shnpe to the horse-
chestnut led.
The only gnpm in the hills redly worth eating, nrc those that are brought from
Kunamur, &an which I have never tasted finer in Affglmnisten, or in the South of
Frnnce.
The wild pomegranate is a hnrrly mountaineer ; nnd the fruit, which in the
plains of Hindoo~ltmis so utterly worthless-unless perhaps for the purposes of Lhe
dyer or (nntiro) druggist-hcre grows to the size of the Kibool pomegranate, to
wluch it is soamely, if at nll, inferior in flnvour. These large pomegranates, during
July and August, sell in the Simla baznm M ohoap M two pice, or a half-penny
each.
The j~uca of this same mdum granaturn (or punicum, Pliny calls it) is
extracted by the people, and sold in the baznars ; 1 never tasted it, but they say it
is very refreshing when mixed with sugar and water, especially if you 'v0 been rather
comfortnble over-night.
The rind of the pomegranate is lergoly exported to the plains ; it is a powe~ful
n s t r i n ~ n t ,and it is also used in dying. Our orangcs WO not r ~ superb.
y There
nre, however, some fine ones in the gudcn of the Rmn of Mylog. Fla~~tains grow
about the lower ranges, but at no point lligllcr lhan S;tecrec.
The black currant is very comnlon and very inferior. T l ~ eyellow mspberry
grows wild over the whole extent of t l ~ ehills, from Saoereo to the Iligl~erlooditie~.
The wild red raspbel-ry is scarcely, if at all, infcrior to thc cultivated one at
Ilome. I t is, however, somcwllnt scnroe.
The Filbert is found t u low ns Nngkandha; nay, tllere is or was n bonutiful
hedgerow of them round a paddock in Cnptnii~Gerard's estate at Kotgurl~; and
rrheu last I bobeld it, the field \ V ~ B oosered with sl~ortgreen gmss and white nnd
purple clover, reminding ono (with its lawny slopes, beautifully wooded ay tho
choicest plantation, with all the regularity of an avenue) of part of some noble pnrk
at home.
In truth, n lovelier spot, or one enriched with finer or more ancient trees, is
not, I suppose, in the hills.
This paddock-surrounded, as I have said, by n hazel hedge, whose slight
boughs were weighed down by light green tufts of the nuts-looks up imlnediately
upon the precipitous, rugged, and silent recesses of the eternal snows.
And often thither would we stroll, and have, in more senses than oue, what my
esteemed friend nnd host would cnll " n twa-handed cmck;" and sometimes whilo
young morning blushed, or high noon slept, or gentle dewy evening made naturo
think and pause, would I ramble there alone, and forget the world of strjfe and pnin,
till I lapsed into a citizen of an ideal world ! ZniL