All the low hills here, and indeed between us and the boundary ranges of the valley, are of sandstone, generally very slightly held together, here and there more firm, and distinctly stratified towards the upper surface.  The surface consists of conglomerate, formed of boulders imbedded in the same kind of sandstone as that below; often very friable, occasionally it is as hard as flint.  In the sandstone below, a few stones occur here and there; but I saw no fossils.  The upper surface of these hills is remarkably stony, all the stones being more or less rounded.

Several new plants were found in these ravines, a Lythrum, a very aromatic species of Compositae, Samolus in some of the swamps with Typha, which swarms in every ravine and ravinelet, Rubus, Clematis, Bergia, Ammannia, Lythraria, Chara, Xanthium.

The plants of tropical forms are, Celosia of Digera!  Polanisia, Andropogons, two or three.

The tropical cultivation consists of cotton, the usual annual sort; Indian-corn, Pennisetum, and rice.

The fish are, four kinds of Cyprinidae, including one Oreinus, and one loach.

16th.—­Proceeded to Futtehabad, eleven and a half miles.  The road leaves the valley after crossing a stream with a ruined bridge, like that at Soorkhab, but of two arches, and ascending a little way, then winding along over undulating very stony ground; this continues until we descend steeply and along the Neemla valley, a mere ravine, historically interesting, as the field on which Shah Soojah lost his kingdom in 1809, and for a fine tope of trees:  then crossing a streamlet, we ascend a little way over sandstone, then another stream, which we follow for 500 yards, and ascending a little, we proceed thence to camp, along a slight slope of very stony, generally very level ground, where we halted on a rivulet with a wide grassy bed, Lythrum growing around.

[Gundamuck to Futtehabad:  m417.jpg]

No change appears in the vegetation:  the surface very barren in stony parts, chiefly Artemisia, Saccharum, Andropogon albus, in ravines, Capparis common, also AErua and Lycionoides.

The northern boundary of the valley is comparatively low, and from Sofaid-Koh to this is an uniform slope, broken by ravines; here and there by small hills; ravines occasionally dilating into small valleys, the only parts in which cultivation is to be seen.  This is so far different from the usual formation where the valleys occupy the level tract between the slopes from either boundary range.  Neemla is a very confined space for any thing like the battle said to have taken place here, the rising grounds inclosing the small space being too much broken for cavalry.

The rocks consist of conglomerate at top, below sandstone, layers of both alternating near the surface:  a break occurs (nearly opposite) in the hills, this break is minutely undulated. {417} Rock pigeons were seen on the march by Thomson, and small partridges.  I find that though to our senses there was comparatively but little descent, that the barometer and thermometer indicate one of 1,500 feet.  The Neemla river must be the boundary between the hot and cold countries alluded to by Burnes.