basins of the Sutlej and the Chenab from that of the Indus.
The mountains which surround the plain of Kashmir
are very lofty. Those on the north are for the most
part bare and rugged on their southern face, while those
which lie to the south appear from the plain to be magnificently
wooded with forests of pines and deciduousleaved
trees, descending almost to their base. On both
sides of the valley the mountains rise above the level of
perpetual snow, but those on the north side are considerably
more lofty than the others. Numerous transverse
valleys penetrate into these mountains, which are well
cultivated in their lower parts, and, higher up, present
superb mountain scenery. On the south side of the
valley, many passes, varying in elevation from 10,000 to
14,000 feet, lead across the main chain to the Chenab
valley and the plains of India. To the north there are
only two frequented routes, that by the Garys pass towards
Hasora and Deotsu, and that by the valley of the
Sind river towards Dras. At the eastern end of the
valley a high pass leads across the mountains to the
valley of Wardwan, from which travellers can reach
Kargil and the Indus on the left, and Kishtwar in the
valley of the Chenab on the right.
The flat country or alluvial plain of Kashmir, which is
5300 feet above the sea, is about fifty miles in length,
and not more than ten or twelve miles wide. It commences
close to Islamabad, where the last spurs of
the mountains at the east end of the valley disappear;
and terminates at Baramula, where the ranges, branches
of the opposite mountain chains, again advance close to
the bank of the river. It is traversed in its whole length
by the river Jelam, which rises at the east end of the
valley, and winds from one side of the plain to the other,
at one time washing the base of the northern hills,
at another receding to a considerable distance from
them. The Jelam flows with a tranquil stream, and,
being navigable throughout the whole of the level
country as far up as Islamabad, for boats of considerable
burden, is the great highway for the traffic of the
country, in which, notwithstanding its being perfectly
level, wheel-carriages are unknown. At Islamabad it is
a very small stream, but it gradually enlarges, by additions
from both sides, as it descends. Near the town
of Kashmir it is from fifty to a hundred yards wide, often
very deep, and in few places fordable, even at the driest
season.
The plain of Kashmir has evidently at one time been
the bed of a lake, a deposit of fine clayey and sandy
strata, more rarely partially indurated into a soft sandstone
rock, occupying a great part of the surface. Soft
pebbly conglomerate is also occasionally met with, and an
indurated conglomerate, containing water-worn pebbles,
occurs in many places in the lower course of the Sind
river. This lacustrine formation forms elevated platforms,
which are from fifty to one hundred and fifty feet
or more above the level of the river. In many places,
both on the Jelam and along the lateral streams which
descend from the mountains to join it, the beds of clay
have been removed by aqueous action. In such places
the plain has a lower level, often very little above the
surface of the river, and is covered with rice-fields or
with marshy lands, undrained and not under cultivation.