In transcribing the following paragraphs from the Internet Archive online version of The Imperial Gazetteer’s entry on British India — modern South Asia — I have expanded the divided the long entry into separate documents, expanded abbreviations for easier reading, and added paragraphing and links to material in the Victorian Web. The charts are in the original. This discussion of British India has particular importance because it immediately precedes the 1857 Mutiny and the subsequent major shift in its status as it came under the direct control of the British government rather than that of the East India Company, a private company. — George P. Landow]
The Hindoo Kush, Coosu, or the Indian Caucasus is a vast mountain system of Central Asia, generally considered a continuation of the Himalayas, but regarded by Humboldt as a prolongation, rather, of the Kuen-lun; the direction of its axis corresponding with the latter, both being east and west, while that of the Himalayas is southeast and northwest. Viewed as an extension of the Himalayas, the Hindoo Koosh may be said to commence east, at the point where the Indus intersects the former, and to terminate west indefinitely with the Ghur Mountains (anc. Paropamisus), in north Afghanistan; thus traversing the countries of Kafferistan, Koonduz, and Budukshan, and filling them with its lofty and rugged elevations. The range takes its name from one vast and lofty mountain named Hindoo-Koh, north of Cabool [Kabul]; latitude 35˚ 40" north; longitude 68˚ 50' east; crowned by a succession of lofty peaks, with sides often per pendicular, and wrapped in a perpetual covering of snow in all parts not too steep to admit of its lying. It has never been measured, but the culminating point has been conjectured to exceed 20,000 feet., being visible at a distance of 150 miles. The next highest peak is Kohibaba, 17,905 feet. Transverse valleys are more numerous in this range than in the Himalaya proper; above 20 occur within a distance of 150 miles, between the Kawak Pass and Bamian. Many of them, although treeless and shrubless, are beautiful, being traversed by meandering streams, which, in winter, dash through them with noisy and impetuous force, but, in summer, pursue their way calmly and gently.
In the vicinity of Hindoo-Koh, the geological structure of the mountains consists of a core of beautiful granite the felspar being purely white, and the horneblende glossy, black, and collected into large spheroidal masses. This granite has been ascertained to form the interior part of the range to a great extent, in some places assuming an appear ance resembling basalt. On each side of the granite are huge strata of slate, gneiss, chlorite, carbonate of lime, quartz, and, exterior to these, secondary limestone and fossiliferous sand stones. The principal minerals are silver, lead, iron, zinc, and antimony. Gold and copper are also said to exist.
The Hindoo Koosh is, in general, characterized by barrenness, and, in a remarkable degree, by want of timber. Dwarf firs, wil lows, poplars, birches, and numerous fruit-trees are grown, but these have been all introduced by man. Rhubarb, how ever, appears to be indigenous to these regions, growing wild in vast quantities, and of a quality equal to that produced in any other locality. At certain elevations on the north side of the range, vegetation is poorer in forms and Individuals than on the south side, and has, from the saline soil, a greater preponderance of curious succulent Chenopodincett. The only green spots visible are those confined to the banks of rivers; and in such places as are not under cultivation, cool, green, turfy sward occurs. The general fuel is a scrubby sort of furze bush, affording a very scanty and insufficient resource in this bitter climate.
The animals inhabiting these regions are the kiang, an equine quadruped about the size of a small horse, and which, in form, it resembles; the yak or grunting ox; the %Jto, a mule between the yak and the cow; the kutchkar or wild sheep, a large animal with huge curled horns; the rass, a species of antelope; musk-deer, ibex, goat- deer, bear, wolf, leopard, lynx, fox, ounce, marmot, hare, eagle, vulture, raven, and various kinds of partridges.
The passses over the Hindoo Koosh, though not the highest known, are very formidable. Amongst the principal are the Khawak Pass, 13,200 feet.; the Akrobat, 10,200 feet; the Kara Kotul, 10,500 feet; and the Dunduu Shiknn, 9000 feet. Various large streams have their sources in this range; the principal of which are the Oxus or Jihoon, and the Helmund. [II, 1216-17]
Bibliography
Blackie, Walker Graham. The Imperial Gazetteer: A General Dictionary of Geography, Physical, Political, Statistical and Descriptive. 4 vols. London: Blackie & Son, 1856. Internet Archive. Inline version of a copy in the University of California Library. Web. 7 November 2018.
Last modified 20 December 2018