lower part with oak and pine. A few trees of a very
handsome poplar (P. ciliata), a tall widely-branching
large-leaved tree, occurred in its lower part, as did also
Benthamia fragifera, and a yew, apparently undistin-
guishable from the common European species. The upper
part of the ascent was bare and grassy. The spur
is a steep one, descending rapidly from the main range,
and the road winding round its shoulder does not ascend
beyond 7000 feet, but as soon as it has gained the eastern
face continues nearly level, gradually approaching
the centre of the valley, and winding along the hill-sides
among numerous villages. The slopes are generally
bare; here and there in the hollows or recesses along
the lateral streamlets there is some very fine forest.
The appearance of this valley is considerably different
from that of any of those nearer to the plains. The population
is considerable, and collected into villages, some
of which occupy the lower part of the valley, and are
surrounded by a good deal of cultivation and numerous
walnut and apricot trees, the latter of which are said,
in autumn, frequently to tempt the bears from the forest,
to indulge in what to them is a grateful feast. The ripening
of the apricot in a valley, among forest, at an elevation
of 7000 feet, indicates an undoubted diminution
of the rain-fall. Very little change, however, is observable
in the wild vegetation till the upper part of the last
steep ascent, when a number of species make their
appearance which are strangers to the more external
ranges. A species of hazel, as a tree, and Lappa,
Achillea, Leonutus, Cheiranthus, and Bv/nnex acetosa, as
herbaceous plants, may be mentioned as instances, as
also a lax-paniculate Bolygonum, with elegant panicles of
white honey-scented flowers.
Nagkanda bungalow, elevated 9300 feet above the
level of the sea, is situated on a depression of the main
range, where it has a direction from west to east. The
ridge to the west, towards Mattiana, is elevated little
more than 10,000 feet, while to the east rises the peak
of Hattu to a height of 10,674 feet, by the determination
of the trigonometrical survey. Here the range has
approached nearer to the Sutlej, now distant only about
twelve miles, than at any point since leaving Simla. The
valley of the Sutlej being only 3000 feet above the level
of the sea, while the mountains directly opposite rise to
12,000 feet, the scenery is of the grandest description.
The river itself is nowhere visible, the descent being so
abrupt at the bottom that the intervening spurs entirely
conceal it.
The northern slope of the ridge on which Nagkanda
stands, is occupied by a very deep valley, bounded by
two long spurs, which run towards the Sutlej. The
whole of this valley is occupied by dense forest, a great
part of which is pine, especially on the upper part of the
deep receding bay which runs up nearly to the top of
Hattu, the sides of which are covered with a dense sombre
forest of Picea Webliana (Pindrow).
On the 5th of August, a portion of our baggage, which
had been left at Eagu two days before, from a deficiency
of porters, not having arrived at Nagkanda, it became
necessary to halt, in order to give it a chance of reaching
us. The day was fortunately fine, and we availed
ourselves of the opportunity to ascend Hattu, Captain