The happy valley; sketches of Kashmir & the Kashmiris

Front matter

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Chapter I

Introduction— The Punjab — ^The Vale of Kashmir— Its Beauty and Celebrity— Its Antiquity — Origin of the Name — ^Wilson's Opinion — ^Vigne's Opinion — Geographical Definition of Kashmir — The Surrounding Mountains — Gap in the Ring of Mountains — The Boundaries of Kashmir — Its Ruler — Designation of his Kingdom — Importance of the Situation of the Jamoo and Kashmir Territories — Form a Bulwark on Northern Frontier — Invasion of India from the North — Probable Results of an Invasion — Passes leading to or from the Happy VaUey — Their Number — Authorized Routes from India — Country between Plains of India and Kashmir — The District of the Outer Hills — Its Vegetation — Its Inhabitants — The Dogris — ^The Region of the Middle Mountains — Its Character— ^Its Inhabitants — ^The Paharis— Concluding Remarks upon these Tracts . . ...

Chapter II

The Routes to the Valley— The Seasons for Visiting the Valley — Hints to Travellers— Supplies— Servants — Money— Conveyance — The Gujerat and Pir Panjdl Route — Called the Imperial Road — The Road to Bhimber — Bhimber — Its Former Rulers— March to Saidabad— The Aditak Range — Mogul Seraies — March to Naoshera — The Kaman Goshi — The View— Marches to Changas and Rajaori— Fording the " River— Rajaori— Thanna Mundi— Baramgalla— The Rutten viii Contents.

PAGE

Pir — Wooden Bridges — March to Poshiana— Its Houses— The Pir Panjdl Pass — View from the Summit — March to Hirpur— The Town of Shupiyan— Further Road to the Vale — Ramoo — Arrival at Srinagar — ^The Rdwal Pindi and Marri Route— Hill Carts — Marches to Daywal and Kohdla — The River Jhelam — Chatar Kalas — Marches to Rara, Tmali, Gharri, and Hatti — Chak6ti — Ooree — Road from Poonch — Ooramboo — Naoshera — Town of Bdramula— By Water to Srinagar^Srinagar . . ... 25

Chapter III

Arrival at Srinagar — The Encamping Ground for European Visitors — The BdM — Courtesy shown by the Maharajah to Visitors— The British Officials in Kashmu*— The Takt-i- Suliman — Its Legend — Stone Temple on its Summit — Panoramic View of the City and the Valley — The Dal Lake — Mountains surrounding the VaUey — ^The River Jhelam — The Land in the Centre of the Valley — The Kareewahs — European Character of the Scenery — Physical History of . the Valley — Formerly a Lake — Volcanic Agencies in its Formation — Evidences of former Lacustrine Condition of Valley — Formation of Kareewahs — ^The Desiccation of the Valley — Legend respecting its Desiccation — Vigne's Theory of its Desiccation — Early History of Kashmir — Wilson's Essay on the Hindu History of Kashmir — Its Native Kings —Its Mohammedan Rulers— The Chdkk Family— The Great Moguls — Its Afghan Rulers — Ranjit Singh — Decline of the Prosperity of Kashmir — ^England's Opportunity for its Acquisition — What might have followed — Its present Ruler— Form of Grovemment in Kashmir . . ... 54

Chapter IV

Srinagar, the Capital of Kashmir— Its Situation — The Jhelam — Srinagar the Venice of the East— Want of Clejuiliness in the Inhabitants— The City Bridges — General Aspect of the City — Houses in the City— Population of the Valley — Its Inhabitants — The JCashmiris— Beauty of the Women— Character and Habits of the Kashmiris — The Hindus — The Moham-

Contents. ix

^ PAGE

medans— The Hdnjis— The BAtal Caste— Origin of the Gipsies — Dress of the Kashmiris — Peculiar Style of Dressing Hair — Language of the Kashmiris — The Literature of Kashmir —A Visit to the City— Its Public Buildings— The Boats of the Country — Climate of the Valley — Life in Srinagar — Summer Palace of the Maharajah — The Ameeri Kadal — Scene on the Banks of the River — Transmigration of the Soul of Gulab Singh — Fish and Fishing in Kashmir . .91

Chapter V

The Embankment of the River— The Sher Garhi Fort and Palace — ^The Kashmirian Army — Family of the Maharajah —The Sunt-i-Kul Canal— The Kut-i-Kul Canal— The Mar Canal— The Habba Kadal— The Fati Kadal— The Shah Hamadan Musjid — Story of its Founder — The Bagh-i- Dilawur Khan— The Zaina Kadal— The Badshah— The Jumma Musjid — The Mint — Coinage of Kashmir — The New Mosque — Evidences of former Hindu Temples — The Religion of Kashmir — Naga or Snake Worship — Buddhism — ^J ainism — Brahmanism — Mohammedanism — Forcible Conversion of Natives of the Valley — Its Effect on the Origin of the Gipsies— The Alii Kadal— The Bulbul Lankar— The Naya Kadal— The Suffa KacM— The Eedgah— The Noor- Bagh — Office of Executioner — Termination of Trip through City . . . . ... 117

Chapter VI

The Bazaars of Srinagar — Natural Products of the Valley — Occurrence of Famines — Shortcomings of the Government — Cheapness of Food in Kashmir — Calculation as to Value of Land in Kashmir — ^The Fruits and Vegetables of Kashmir — Wine in the Valley — Growth of Hops — ^Trees and Flowering Plants in Kashmir — Cattle in the Valley — Sacredness of the Cow — Diet of Visitors in the Valley — The Arts and Manufactures of Kashmir— The Kashmir Shawls — Antiquity of the Shawl— Varieties of Shawls— The Kashmir Goat — Pushmeena — Manufacture of the Shawls — The Weaving — The Weavers— The Washing of the Shawls— The Jewellery

X Contents.

PAGE

of Kashmir— flapier-mich^ Work — Prices of Various Articles — Trade and Commerce of Kashmir — ^The Dal Lake — Aquatic Plants— The Lotus — The Singhara Plant — Floating Gardens — Objects of Interest on the Lake— Hazratbal — A Moslem Relic — Fairs or Festivals — ^The Feast of Roses . .134

CHAPTER* VII.

The Garden of Bliss— The Silver Island— The Golden Island— The Nishat Bagh— The Shdlimar Garden — Invitation to a F^te — Launch of a Steamboat — Memorable Day in the History of Kashmir — Excitement of the Inhabitants of the Valley — Scene on the Lake — The Launch — A Mishap- Proceed to the Shdlimar Garden — The Illumination of the Shdlimar— Its Effect — A Nautch — The Dinner— Return to our Quarters — The Harri Parbat Fort — The Great and SmaU Parade Grounds — The Gun Factory — The Ram Bagh — The Game of Polo— Antiquity of the Game — Prevalence of the Game in Baltistin— A Game of Polo at Srinagar— The Play — Concluding Ceremonies of the Game . . .159

Chapter VIII

Tour of the Valley — Objects of Interest in the North-western Portion of Kashmir — Departure from Srinagar— Our Course down the River — Sunnybawan — Shadipore — Hindu Fanatics —The Sind River— Ganderbal— The Sind Valley— The Uldikh Road — Zozila Pass — Wangat — Ruins at Wangat — The Haramuk Mountain — ^The Gungabal Lake — Sonamarg, or Golden Meadow— The Noroo Canal — The Manasbal Lake — The Lakes of Kashmir — Canal leading to Manasbal Lake — A Mosquito Incident — Fleas in Kashmir — Our Anguish — Beautifid Scene on the Lake — The Lake and its Surroundings — Scene at Sunset— A Hindu Fakir digging his own Grave ^Our Remarks — His Delight — Sumbal — Continue our Way — Hajan — The Woolar Lake — Bandipoor — The Gales on the Lake— The Lanka— Hill of Shakuradin— Course of the Jhelam — Sopoor . . . . . . 177

Contents. xi

Chapter IX. Pagb

The Road to Lalpoor— The Lolab— Kashmir Villages— The Kangri — Mulberry Trees — Silk Cultivation m the Valley — Silk-producing Insects — Bears in Kashmir — Their Carnivorous Propensities — ^Varieties of Game in the Valley— Sport in Kashmir— The Tiger Cat— The Wild Dog— The Barasmg —The Musk-deer— The Markor— The Khakur— The Surrow —The Ibex— Their Habitats— Wild Fowl in the Valley- Singing Birds — Birds of Prey — Eagles — Hawks — Monkeys — Hares — No Monkeys or Hares found in the Valley — Probable Reason of their Absence — ^The Alpine Hare . . . 202

Chapter X

Road to Gulmarg — Barra Kountra — Babamirishi — The Gulmirg, or * Mountain of Flowers * — European Visitors to Gulmarg — Log-houses — Their Construction — Their Advantages — Their Disadvantages — ^View of the Valley from Gulmarg — The Wet Season — Its Discomfort — ^Apathy of Hindu Servants — Life on the Marg — Our Church — Flowers and Ferns — Insect Life on the Marg — ^The Killan Marg — The Guluwans, or * Horsekeepers ' — Descendants of the Chdkk Family — Their Habits and Mode of Life — Snakes in Kashmir — Effects of the Rarefied Air — Departure from Gulmarg — Road to Srinagar —The Zearat of a Rishi— The Rishis of Kashmir— Pattan— Conclusion of Tour in Western Part of Kashmir . .218

Chapter XI

The Eastern Portion of Kashmir — Objects of Interest — ^Journey by Doongah — Pandritan— Temple at Pandritan — Town of Pdmpoor — The Saffron-grounds at Pimpoor — Cultivation of the Crocus sativus — Saffron — Its Uses — Quantity grown in Valley — Mineral Springs — Shar — Ironworks in Kashmir — Ruins at Ladoo — Temple at Payech — Avantipore — Bijbehdra — ^Junction of the Veshau River— Kanbal — Town of Islamabad — Its former Greatness — The Anat Ndg — Sacred Trout — The Spring of Bdwan — Its Legend — Caves xii Contents.

PAGE of Bhomjoo — The Liddar Valley^Sacred Cave of Ambernath— Legend of the Cave — Road to the Cave — ^The Sheesha Ndg — Description of the Cave — Pilgrimage to Ambemath — Hindu Ceremony at the Cave — Vigne's Description and Remarks . . . . ... 234

Chapter XII

The Ruins of Martand— Temple of the Sun — Its Antiquity — The Pandus — ^Vigne's Description of the Architecture of the Temple — Its Exterior— Its Interior— Effects of Earthquakes ^-Peculiarities observed in the Architecture of old Ruins in Kashmir — Vigne's Opinion — The Wardwan Valley — The Springs of Kashmir — The Atchibal Spring — The Bringh River—Identity of River and Spring — Bemier's Description of Atchibal — The Water of the Spring— The Vemag Spring — Road to Vemag— Shdngus — Dancing Girls of Shdngus — The Nowboog Valley— The Tansan Bridge— The Kookar Ndg— The Shahabad Valley— The Spring of Vemag— Source of the Jhelam — The Garden of the Spring— The Mogul Emperor Jehangir— Nur Mehal, the Light of the Palace — Her Parentage— The Rozloo Valley— The Veshau River— Its Source — The Konsa Ndg — Cataract of Haribal — Road to Shupiyan — Conclusion of Tour— Concluding Remarks . . 253

THE HAPPY VALLEY.

Chapter I

Introduction — The Punjab — The Vale of Kashmir— Its Beauty and Celebrity — Its Antiquity — Origin of the Name — Wilson's Opinion — Vigne's Opinion — Geographical Definition of Kashmir — The Surrounding Mountains — Gap in the Ring of Mountains — The Boundaries of Kashmir — Its Ruler — Designation of his Kingdom — Importance of the Situation of the Jamoo and Kashmir Territories — Form a Bulwark on Northern Frontier — Invasion of India from the North — Probable Results of an Invasion — Passes leading to or from the Happy Valley — Their Number — ^Authorized Routes from India — Country between Plains of 'India and Kashmir — The District of the Outer Hills — Its Vegetation — Its Inhabitants — The Dogris — The Region of the Middle Mountains — Its Character — Its Inhabitants — The Pahiris — Concluding Remarks upon these Tracts.

N glancing at the map of the great continent of Asia, we find in the north-west of Hindustan that division of our Empire in the East termed the Punjab, **the country of the five rivers;" an extensive territory watered by the Indus and its great affluents — the Jhelam, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — the widest expanse of the great plains of India, and a British possession since the year 1849, nhich saw the final downfall of the Sikh power. This extensive territory is bounded on the west by the Suliman mountains ; on the east and south-east by the river Sutlej ; and on the north by the Himalayas, the most elevated and stupendous mountain system in the world. Their ranges of snowy and rugged peaks, towering above the high table-land of Tibet — a giant mountain chain of an average width of 150 miles, and extending in length for over i 2CK) miles along the flat and fertile plains of our Eastern empire — form a natural and formidable boundary to these territories on their northern side. It is however to the northernmost portion of this immense mountain range that I wish more particularly to draw the attention of my readers ; for here, beyond the rugged ridges that skirt the Punjab, whose snow-clad peaks are discernible by the traveller long before his arrival at their base, lies the country we are about to visit — the far-famed Vale of Kashmir, the ' Happy Valley,' the scene of the poet Moore's inimitable Lalla Rookh.

And Kashmir is a theme well worthy of a poet. Nowhere in Asia, nor even perhaps in the remaining quarters of the globe, can the parallel be found of such an earthly paradise; a paradise in itself as

Situation of Kashmir. 3

formed by Nature, but made doubly beautiful by its surroundings. For these are bare, rugged, and frowning rocks, a wilderness of crags and mountains, whose lofty summits tower to the sky in their cold and barren grandeur — ^a solitary and uninhabitable waste. Yet in the midst of this scene of unutterable desoIati9n there lies spread out a wide expanse of verdant plain, a smiling valley, a veritable jewel in Natures own setting of frightful precipices, everlasting snows, vast glaciers, which, while adding to its beauty by the contrast, serve also as its protection. Shielded from the cold and piercing blasts of the higher regions that surround it on the north, it is equally protected by the girdling mountains on its other sides, whilst its elevation places it beyond the reach of the fiery heat of India s sunny plains ; and thus it exhibits, in the midst of a wide waste of desolation, a scene of almost constant verdure and perpetual spring. It is little surprising therefore that this terrestrial paradise, as it is often called, should enjoy the celebrity to which it has attained in all civilized countries, and its name have become associated with a high degree of picturesque beauty, something distinctive, if not unique in character. For, as Vigne justly remarks, "Softness mantling over the sublime, snugness generally, elsewhere

B 2 incompatible with extent, are the prevailing characteristics of the scenery of Kashmir, and verdure and the forest appear to have deserted the countries on the northward in order to embellish the slopes from its snowy mountains, give additional richness to its plains, and combine w,ith its delightful climate to render it not unworthy of the rhyming epithets applied to it in the East of

" * Kashmir-bi-nuzir — ^without an equal ; Kashmir- Junat-puzir — equal to Paradise/ "

Apart however from its acknowledged claims to picturesque beauty, Kashmir has others no less important, and equally interesting alike to the scholar, the antiquary, and the prospect-hunter ; for its recorded claim to be considered a place of the highest antiquity will, I am sure, be conceded by any who have studied its history, and have seen or heard of the noble ruins, relics of past days, standing yet in various parts of the Valley, testifying alike to its former greatness and prosperity. With traditions coeval with the flood, its history is probably as ancient as any other extant, excepting always that of the Old Testament. And while mention is made of Kashmir in the Maha-Barat and other early Sanscrit works of the Hindus, as a country of eminent kings and learned men, it possesses its own historical

Origin of Name. 5

records in a work entitled the Rajataringini, or Raj Tarung, as the natives call it, the history of its earlier dynasties, probably written by different authors and at different periods, but generally acknowledged by Oriental scholars to be the only Eastern history of any antiquity, and the only early Sanscrit composition extant to which such a title can be properly applied. Again, its very situation with regard to the neighbouring countries is sufficient to convince any one, if further proof were needed, that it must have been a notable place at a very early period in the world's history. The fame of its beauty, of its fruitfulness, of its wine, and of the loveliness of its women, must, at a very distant period, have spread among the inhabitants of Central Asia and other regions further north. And, on its other border, the people dwelling on the arid plains of Hindustan, descendants of the great Aryan race, the same original stock also of the Kashmiris, must soon, with their superstitious regard for places in any way remarkable as sacred to one or other of their gods, have learned to look upon Kashmir as a holy place, or paradise, a feeling that still holds good amongst India's teeming millions, being shared at the present day alike by Mohammedans and Hindus. The very origin of the name of this noble province is wrapped in mystery, and the derivation of the word Kashmir, or Cashmere, as it is indiflferendy spelt, has been the subject of much speculation, carrying us back to the very earliest days in the history of the world. Those familiar with the geography of the East must have remarked that the words Kush and Kash are of frequent occurrence in the names of places, and that not only in one locality, but in the various countries that together form the Eastern hemisphere. We find Kush in Arabia and Mesopotamia; and the Biblical term Kush was undoubtedly applied to that country known to the ancients as Ethiopia, 'the land of dark men,' the present Nubia, Abyssinia, and adjacent parts.

Kash, as the initial syllable of Kashgar, occurs in Central Asia ; and the Hindu Kush, or Koosh, is the name of the range of mountains, the westward continuation of the Himalayas, separating Afghanistan on the south from Turkestan on the north ; while Kushi again was the ancient name of that holy city in Hindustan now known as Benares. The repetition of the term in so many different places naturally leads to the inference that these various names have some common origin ; and numerous and varied are the arguments set forth by the different Oriental scholars who have interested themselves on the

Vigne's Theory. 7

subject, as to the source of its derivation. Confining ourselves to the country more immediately under our notice, Professor H. H. Wilson is of opinion that the word Kashmir is derived from Kashuf-mir, the country of Kashuf, the Mohammedan term for Kusyapa of Hindu history, the reputed grandson of Brahma, through whose instrumentality, at the command of Solomon, the Valley, then existing as a large lake, was drained of its waters. This is one of the earliest Kashmirian legends, and will be more fully noticed when treating of the geology of the Vale. Another derivation given is that from the Hindu word Kasyapa-pur — *pur' or *poor' being a common ending to Indian names of places, signifying 'town' or *city' and which, pronounced Kashup-pur, might have become in course of time converted into Kashamur and Kashmir.

The Emperor Baber in his Memoirs mentions the subject, and says, " The hill country along the upper course of the Sind or Indus was formerly inhabited by a race of men called Kas," and he conjectures that the country of Kashmir was so called as being the country of a people of that name. The natives of the Valley itself pronounce its name as Kushmir rather than Kashmir, and I have remarked the same fact amongst the inhabitants of India; and Vigne, probably led by this peculiarity, propounds an ingenious theory, which he states to be a not improbable origin of the name, if it came from the West at all, and which I imagine is equally applicable to other places in the East with the same or a similar prefix. It is as follows : " Cush was the son of Ham, and grandson of Noah (Genesis x.) — Cush begat Nimrod ; he began to be mighty upon the earth." Nimrod is supposed to be identical with Belus, the beginning of whose kingdom was Babel, i.e., Babylon, whence his name and power, and probably his descendants, must have spread over different countries to the eastward.

The general reader, however, I am sure will not care to pursue such an abstruse subject any further ; as authorities differ, and enough has been said to prove on all hands the antiquity of the name, and therefore to certify the same fact for the country itself. We will, consequently, proceed to consider more particularly the Happy Valley and its inhabitants in their present condition, commencing with a brief outline sketch of the country itself — its geographical situation and surroundings, and the passes or routes by which ingress or egress are obtained.

Kashmir may be defined as a country consisting for the most part of a comparatively level tract of

The Mountain Barrier. 9

land, a wide vale or plain, embedded and set high in that portion of the mountain mass of the great Himalayan chain which skirts the north-western border of Hindustan, stretching between lat. 33° 15' and 34° 35' N., and long. 74° 10' and 75° 40' E. It is entirely surrounded by ranges of this stupendous chain ; forming one large enclosed valley, divided into two unequal portions by the river Jhelam, which traverses its entire length, and having numerous glens or minor valleys, opening into it on every side from the lower portion of the lofty rocky wall by which it is environed. In form it is irregularly oblong, lying north-west and south-east ; ' about ninety miles in length, with a width of twenty miles or even less at its narrowest, to twenty-five miles at its broadest part ; with an area of 4,500 square miles, and an average height of 5,200 feet above the sea level. An irregular oval ring of mountains — as will be seen on reference to the map accompanying this volume — entirely surrounds and encloses this secluded region. Their ridges vary in height, and also in appearance. On the southern side we find that portion of the range known as the Pir PanjAl, separating the Valley from the Punjab, with peaks varying in height from 8,000 to 15,000 feet, the sides of which are covered with lo The Happy Valley.

dense forests, and their summits crowned in winter with pure and glistening snow. On the northern side the mountains are still higher, approaching in some cases even 18,000 feet; bare and rugged in appearance ; their loftiest peaks being covered with a perpetual snow-cap. To all appearance, when surveyed from any eminence, the rocky walls of this prisoned valley appear to be unbroken and undivided. But such is not the case. There is one gap, and one only, in the rocky barrier. This is at the north-west end, where the river Jhelam, the Hydaspes of the Greeks, after collecting the drainage waters of the hills that surround the Valley, flows out by a narrow opening near the town of Baramula, and proceeds on its troubled course to become finally a deep and placid stream, as one of the five great tributaries of the Indus in the Punjab.

As regards its relation to surrounding countries, Kashmir is bounded north by Astor, Iskardo, and other districts of Little Tibet ; east by Drds, Sooroo, Zanskar, and Laddk; south by Poonch, Naoshera, KishtawAr, BadrawAr, and Jamoo — mountain states lying on the borders of the British districts of Jhelam, Gujerat, and Sidlkote, in the Punjab ; and west by K high An, and the districts under our rule of HazAra and RAwal Pindi. All these districts, excepting of

Jamoo and Kashmir. 1 1

course those mentioned as belonging to the British power, form together a kingdom either directly or indirectly under the rule of one ruler, known by the title of the Maharajah of Jamoo and Kashmir, one of our feudatories, and bound to us, if not from affection, undoubtedly by the ties of self-interest. He is a veritable ' king of the mountains ;' for of such does his kingdom for the most part consist ; and its several parts, inhabited by peoples of different races, and even of different faiths, possess no bond of cohesion other than the fact of his rule, and no simple name to embrace the whole dominion. On older maps it is usually designated by the term Golab Singh's Dominions ; while the more modern group the various parts into one, and apply to it the title of Kashmir, a name derived from the far-famed country of which we are more directly treating, and which lies in its midst This is a fact apt to be misleading to any one not thoroughly conversant with the geography and history of this part of the world ; for Golab Singh has passed over to the great majority, and his son rules in his stead ; while the designation of Kashmir should strictly be applied only to the Valley ; but as yet no more fitting designation has been employed, although a recent author has suggested and adopted in his description of these countries the more comprehensive term, considered in relation to the ruler's title, of the Jamoo and Kashmir Territories.

In its relations to our rule in India the position of this kingdom, its physical and other characters, have an importance which its extent and general barrenness would scarcely warrant ; for it constitutes a formidable defence, a rocky bulwark to our empire on its northern frontier, a natural obstacle against any foe proceeding from that quarter, and one which is said to be strengthened still further at the present time by the acquisition to the Maharajah, with the consent of our government, of the territory lying a little to the north-west, on the very borders of Turkestan. The passes of this territory the Maharajah has been instructed to guard during the course of our present hostilities with Afghanistan,* not so much against this enemy to our peace as to meet any eventuality which may arise, even at the most distant points on our frontier, in connection with the efFacement of the Khanates of Central Asia by that grasping, unscrupulous, and halfcivilized European power, our hereditary foe in the East, whose hitherto costly and barren conquests in the direction of our Indian empire, to the borders of

* Now satisfactorily concluded.

Strength as a Frontier. 13

which they are rapidly approaching, can bear but one interpretation — the fulfilment of the dream of an ambition cherished for ages past. Were these designs once carried out, it would mean for us a surrender of the brightest jewel of our Imperial diadem of state ; for the victors, its possession and enjoyment ; and for the mild Hindu and the other inhabitants of Hindustan, who are no less directly concerned, the substitution of the just and impartial rule of their Empress-Queen for the so-called benign and fatherly rule of the White Czar, aided and enforced by Cossack whips and other Tartar devices. But the frontier of these territories is satisfactory for defensive purposes, and the river Indus supplements the great ranges of mountains, whose passes are long and difficult to traverse, few in number, covered with snow for the greater part of the year, and whose ruler, the Maharajah of Jamoo and Kashmir, is our friend and faithful ally. Hence I opine that to invade India on this side would be a wild and profitless undertaking; and granted even that a hostile force advanced through these mountains, and occupied the fertile Valley of Kashmir itself, which would afford them supplies, it would prove a precarious situation, unless they immediately passed out thence in sufficient strength to ensure a decisive victory over our troops on the adjacent plains of the Punjab. This would be difficult ; for it would be only feasible for a lightly -equipped force to traverse these rough mountain parts. The paths to the Vale are few in number, and instead of glorious victory, more probably complete defeat would be their portion. Snow would in all likelihood cut off their retreat by the way they had come ; while over the less lofty ridges of the ranges that skirt our border could the offended British legions cross, and in their might and power overwhelm and crush them before aid or succour could arrive from the North.