Connecticut western news., 1877-06-15
THE HITMALAYAS.
The Great Mountain Range of Asia-Dr.
 Fields Visit. t

Es
 The Great Mountain Range of Asia-Dr.
 Fields Visit. t = In the Epangelist Dr. Fields describes the Himalaya Mountains, which are the highest on the globe. He ascended twice the lower range, 1000 feet high .s from which he had view at a great S distance of the snow covered peaks, which form the ftbackbone of Asia. r -s Of his first ascent he says: :- N ~ GAS yettwe saw only in part. Our final vision was to come three day later. Away to the north and east the hOri izOn was filled with mountains, whose sunl- mits the foot of man never trOd, out of which rose the snowy domes, like islands sf in sea. @z '- -FS- E %' My first impression of the Himalayas , was one of disappointment, partly be- cause sWe could not come nigh untO' S them. We saw their summits, but at }. @ such distance that they did not look zt.s so high as Mont Blanc, where we could E. , come even to his feet in the Vale of Chamouni. But the Himalayas were seventy miles off, filling theNhole hori- mighty chain, like the 4Cordilleras of Mexico, standing like a walfof rock and snow against the sky; but seemed sGgratherYa a sea of mountains, bolndless and billowy, rising range on range, one = overlapping the other and rolling away .a-7 to bl0 n6dTB OI =ASlst Or, ILO +5a4 figure, the mountains seemed an ice & : continent, like that of the Polarregions, tossed up here and there into higher ise and still higher summits, but around I-'5s 5 which, stretching away to infinity, was aaz, the wild and interminable sea.
 s.fsI 54i' tsFhus the view, though different from -,f ,f.ss what l expected, was very grand, and ' though we had not yet the full, clear vision, yet the sight was sublime and awful, perhaps even more. so-ffOm the partial obscurity as great clouds came E rolling along the snowy heights, as if the heavenly host uprose at the coming of the day, and were moving rank on rank along the shining battlements."
 "A day or tseo after he went up again
 and spent night on the mountains to 1E &get the view both at sunset and at sun rise. Hessays:-sskg
 .s The sun was sinking, and it was four miles to where we were to make
 our second attempt to see the snows.' Turning our horses we rode at full speed along the ridge of the mountain, and yi sa reached the top before sunset, but only to be again disappointed. z9Northward and eastward the clouds hung upon the great mountains Butif one part of the 2 f4 horizon was hidden on the other we iSss looked over the top of the Sewalic range, 7ss,ssdto where the red and fiery sun was sink ing in bank of clollds-not clouds full of rain,' but merely clouds of dirt rol- FsFa- a a mace from the hot plains of India. In
 the foreground was the soft green valley
 of Dehra Doom, more beautiful from the
 contrast with the burning plains beyond.
 It was peaceful landscape, as the
 shadows of evening were gathering
 over it. From this we turned to watch '1i 5ssstlle light as it erept up the sides of the mountains. The panorama was con stantly changing, and every instant took on some new feature of grandeur. As daylight faded another light flashed out behind us, for the mountains were on fire. 1t is a custom of the people, who are herdsmen, to burn of the low bush z57ss Gas thes Indians used to burn over the 4s5.g prairies), that the grass may spring up fresh and green for their flocks and
 cattle; and it was a fearful spectacle, 7.,s4 that of these great belts of fire running along the mountain side and lighting up the black gorges below" ..
 -a s.st He slept on the mountain, and rose early to see the sun rise. He says:-
 EsThe stars were shining when we s came out on the terrace, and the waning 1 moon still hung its crescent overhead. A faint light began to glimmer in the east. We were quickly untitled up (for it was cold) and climbing up the steep path, hoping yet trembling. I was - soon out of breath and had more than once to sit down on the rocks and re- -i--as cover myself. But in moment I
 
 was 1 with hope and yet so fearful of disappointment. One more pull and NA we are on the top, and behold the glory of God spread abroad upon the noun < tains! Our perseverance was rewarded at last. There were the Himalayas- 4s- -'ts the great mountains of India, Asia of s= the globe. The Snowy Range was in iE full view for more than one hundred miles. Thesu had not yet risen, but -,5 5 his golden limb now touched the east, s5s .sizand as the great round orb rose above a. the horizon it seemed as if god Himself were coming to illumine the universe IAl which he had created. One after an- other the distant peaks caught the light s..l upon their fields of snow, and sent it "a. D back as if they were the shining gates 7 soe of the heavenly city. -,' @ . But restraining our enthusiasm for the moment let us look at the contigur- ation of the Snowy Range simply as a .,l. study in geography. We are in the pre- sl ..sli sence of the highest mountains on the ss5 globe. We are on the borders of that '''- table land of Asia ('High AsiaD which the Arabs in their poetical language ii'EsSa call ''The Roof of the World.' Wonder pass leads over into Thibet. The trend 'z 7@- of the mountains is from southeast to .ssssss northwest, almost belting the continent. Indeed, physical geographers trace it much farther, fOllowingit down on one 1 z , hand through the Hindoo Koosh, or Caucasus, northwest to Mount Ararat in Armenia, and across into Europe, -rsa through Turkey and Greece to the Alps, and the Pyrenees, forming what '771a the Arabs call the Stony Girdle of the ..aYT Earth. But the centre of that girdle -s the clasp of that mighty zone, is here '' ...-.sr ..-- ---%~ fE ,,s4.-.. a.sr s&7a Chinese MaxIms. ~'5
 It is the rich who want most things