MARKHAM'S HIMALAYAN SYSTEM. '79
greatest elevation. »He traced a connected line of peaks, not under 2I o0o feet in height, and intersecting the watercourses, and concluded that they did not form a range of mountains because rivers broke through them. This erroneous notion of the essential character of a range of mountains explains his misconception of the Himalayan system. A cordillera, or range of mountains, is a ridge of elevated land running in one general direction, and the fact of its being cut through by one or more rivers does not alter its character and convert it into a series of spurs or ramifications. It still remains a range of mountains, and any other conception of it would give a most erroneous idea of its physical character. The theory that when a chain of mountains is cut through by rivers it becomes a series of spurs was thus originated by Captain Herbert, and may be called the Herbert theory. It was adopted by Dr. Thomson, Mr. Brian Hodgson, and Dr. Hooker.» Hooker used the rivers as guides. »He proposes to call Herbert's Indo-Gangetic the Cis-Sutlej, and the chain commencing at Kailas the Trans-Sutlej Range.» Hodgson »describes the Nepal division of the system as consisting of three river basins, those of the Karnali, Gandak, and Kosi, separated by peaked ridges parallel to each other, and at right angles with the main chain. Hooker adopted the same view.»
Then he comes over to Cunningham, whose Mid-Himalaya and Great-Himalaya would be the Cis-Sutlej and Trans-Sutlej ranges of Thomson, and the former would be the Indo-Gangetic range of Herbert.
Next comes Henry Strachey who considers the general plan of the mountain system to be a series of parallel ranges running in an oblique line to the general extension of the whole, the great peaks being generally on terminal butt-ends of the primary ranges. The chief watersheds often follow the lowest of the ridges, whereas the channels of drainage cross the highest.
Finally he comes to Saunders' view as set forth in his memoir: »The Indus, Sutlej, and Sanpu form a continuous trough in the same axial direction, and divide the Northern Himalaya from the Karakorum and Gang-dis-ri Mountains. The Kara-korum divides the Indus basin from the basin of Lake Lob, and the Gangdis-ri separates the Indus, Sutlej, and Sanpu from the elevated plateau of Tibet, which is drained by inland lakes. This general view is clear and perspicuous, and is made more so by the excellent map which accompanies Mr. Saunders' memoir.»
Markham, as in his book on Bogle's mission »treated of three main ranges, considering the Karakorum and Gang-dis-ri as the Northern ; Mr. Saunders' Northern Range as the Central Himalaya; and the other the Southern ... The Northern Range is divided into a western and an eastern section. The western is known as the Karakorum Range . . . The sources of three great rivers are on the southern slopes of the Northern Range, and force their way through the Central and Southern Ranges, namely, the Indus, Sutlej, and Brahmaputra. The eastern section of the Northern Range separates the inland system of lakes on the Tibetan plateau
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