perature was during the first half of the month of May. This state of the atmosphere is far below that of Simla; but, as there are no periodical rains, the summer heat increases till August; and, notwithstanding that, Baber talks of sleeping throughout the year with a pustin: in the dog-days, the air is warm enough to make the tops of the houses a comfortable place of rest. Kábúl, like Kanáwar, is indebted for its fine climate and luxuriant gardens to the aridity of its atmosphere and to irrigation. The snowy range, that lies on the north-west, contains within its ramifications many thousand orchards, from which all the dried fruits that fill the bazars of India are supplied. The majestic rhubarb grows there wild, and its succulent stem is one of the luxuries of every house; it has a grateful acidity. Fresh snow fell frequently upon the neighbouring mountains, but none of the peaks appeared to attain a greater height than 16,000 feet. The summits of the true Hindu Kush were visible on the north, like heaps of pure snow. Macartney is out at least twenty miles in his latitude of Kabúl, which is too low. Rennel's position of it, and also of Kashmir and Kandahár, will be found most correct. Burnes took the elevation of the pole, and it is close upon 34°. The barometer showed a little above twenty-four inches, and water boiled at 202°.

"The Russian Church is held in high estimation at Kabúl, and the Kabúlis meet with much attention from the subjects of the Autocrat, while they are scarcely noticed beyond the Sutlej; these opposite receptions, of course, leave strong impressions on the feelings of individuals.

"Dost Muhammed gave us six introductory letters (one to the king of Bokhara); and on the 18th of May we took leave of Kabúl, under the protecting guarantee of a nazir, a man of high connexions and repute, who however proved himself anything but agreeable. The opportunity was too favourable to require consideration; the man's character was to be our passport, and as we anticipated difficulties in Morad Beg's territory, we thought ourselves fortunate, although we afterwards repented. Our ill-favoured guide was proceeding to Russia, to recover the property of his brother who died there. On this occasion, Dost Muhammed Khan wrote a letter to the Emperor ! "The passage of the Hindú Kúsh presents no difficulties,* and viewed in any way shrinks to insignificance, compared with those portions of the snowy chain which you and I have seen. Even as a barrier to an invading army, the difficulties are far from formidable by this route. The great pass, which is alone named Hindú Kúsh, is even more accessible, though more lofty: we would have taken that route, but for the dread of encountering Morad Beg. The pass is worth seeing, especially as we heard some strange stories about flights of birds being so much baffled by the strong wind, that they no longer could fly against it, and actually took to walking for a change, when vast numbers were killed by the natives. The Emperor Baber mentions the same thing, and the fact would seem to argue great elevation. The Hindu Kush has no longer the configuration of the Himalaya; the steep cliffs of hard compact rock, which characterize that ridge, scarce appear here at all, and few of the peaks attain any remarkable altitude. The most prominent point was Kohi Baba, and I do not believe it rises to 19,000 feet; all the neighbouring heights appeared in bluff masses, resembling the contour of the mountains upon the Chinese frontier and the interior of Kanáwar, which is evidently the effect of a different structure; and as far as I could judge from the nature of the road, wherever the bare rock was exposed, the elements of the whole range are of

Licut. Burnes, however, describes the journey as a "fearful undertaking." See Asiat. Journ. vol. x. y. 160. Dr. Gerard speaks by comparison with the Himalaya.

the class of formations termed secondary; and as we penetrated into the country, the hills changed into slate, gravel, and even mud, which last, mixed with loam and calcareous rubble, all indurated by alternations of weather into a rugged hardness, composes the formation of the Bamean buts, or idols, which most people believe, and the natives themselves represent, to be cut out of the solid rock. But to return to the Hindú Kúsh :—we rode up to the pass, which is scarcely 11,000 feet in height; the snow lay deep upon the summit, but was fast retiring before the ardent sun, and the slopes were only speckled at that limit. The descent was quaggy and tedious, but there was not much of it, and villages appeared at a general level of 10,500 feet. The second pass was nearly 12,000 feet, the adjoining villages, hampered by the snow, projected their grey turrets through the uniform field of whiteness. The third pass was inaccessible by horse, and we descended by the hollow of a gorge into a dell that drained off towards Kúndúz and the Oxus. When I beheld the opposite course of the streams, I began to ask, is this the only range that separates Khorasan from Turkistán and the valley of the Oxus? and when, soon after, I found our level to be close upon 5,000 feet, I conceived that other and loftier ridges crossed our route; but a few more days, and the thirteenth from Kabúl brought us upon the plains of Tartary, for that name is specifically apposite in the region of Asia, adjoining Bokhara and Samarkhund. My understanding was now enlightened, for I had but vague and ill-defined ideas of the geographical nature of this tract; but in one respect I was not wrong-I never believed there could be any flat expanse, similar to the plains of India; and the fact is so, and could not have been otherwise; and long after we had entered the open country and crossed the Oxus, a range of snowy mountains on our right hand (our face being then towards Bokhara) confirmed my conjectures. We were both much surprised at such a sight, particularly as it was of so transitory a nature as nearly to elude our comprehension: it was almost sunset, and the outline just lighted up, gleamed for a few minutes and faded into a dim mass. The spectacle was full of grandeur, and left us wondering; for we never saw another trace of the range or its desolate snows.

"The map gives us very imperfect notions, I should say none at all, on the subject; for the mountains, marked there as snowy, could not have been in sight, and those that seem to indicate their position are not only black, but occupy a very limited space. New heights, bearing perennial snow, and far exceeding that marginal boundary, do not often start up abruptly in patches or isolated ridges from a flat expanse of plain; as the routes to Yárkund are free of snow at this season of the year, they may not be so elevated as they appear. When in the open plains of Turkistan, the thought (which had often amused us) occurred, is the Hindú Kúsh the true limit of the great snowy chain that forms the northern frontier of British India? In seeking for the continuity of the Himalaya, we must go north of Ladák and the sources of the Oxus, where a vast tract of lofty summits will be found to tend towards the skirts of Yarkund, and somewhere near the heads of the Oxus and Jaxartes, to define the scope of the country to the north-west; this will bring the high plateaux, north of the Indus, within more precise limits. All this tract, which is by no means very remote, is still unseen by the eye of civilized man. "The Buts of Bamean represent a man and woman, of colossal magnitude, carved in the cliff of the ridge that bounds the valley on the east. On approaching them, I saw from the very look of the hills, that they could only be moulded in some soft calcareous substance; yet a very intelligent man, a

Haji Baba, who was with Moorcroft at the spot, insisted that the figures were in the solid rock, which would indeed have been an anomaly, as the whole of the neighbouring hills and the dell itself is a diluvial, perhaps an alluvial, deposit of mud, clay, and conglomerate. I was certain that they were mud, and so they proved to be. Though it is rather a disappointment to find mud instead of granite, still these idols are very curious objects, both with regard to antiquity and as memorials of an epoch, the history of which eludes our research. The written accounts, if they are not vitiated by mythological figures, assign their formation (creation) to the year 56 B.C., which is far from extravagant, considering the nature of the record (Mahábhárat) which gives that date; but without attending to these, it is almost certain that they existed before the time of Muhammed, and when the country was possessed by the kafirs under the dominion of Zohák, whose reign was antecedent to Christianity. A question readily occurs-is the material of which the idols are constructed calculated to resist the impression of hundreds of years, not to think of a period approaching to thousands? Had I not myself been fully aware of the preservative nature of the climate in the Trans-Himalayan regions, and seen antiquity represented in mud walls, books, and other works, which we consider perishable, I should have been staggered at the idea of the Bamean idols' claim to so remote an origin. The aridity of the atmosphere here is pretty similar to that of Upper Kanáwar and Tibet, where a thing neither rots or decomposes, but falls to dust in long ages; and the substance of the figures is of that kind which becomes indurated by exposure to the air, and like the mud upon the roofs of the houses, acquires the hardness of the surrounding kankar.

"Without thinking of the idols, upon which superstition and undeterminate antiquity have bestowed a false character, there never was a spot better appropriated for fabling the extravagancies of nature, or raising ideas of bhúts and spectres. As to the káfirs, their domiciles yet remain : desolation is not the word for this place, the surface of the hills is actually dead; no vegetable trace is to be seen, all is parched up and as it were baked white, and scoriated by the sun's rays such is the horrid aspect of this part of the country, to which the caves of the káfirs have added a savage impression. These are still inhabited, but their first possessors have long since disappeared; the sides of the mountains are full of excavations, presenting to the approaching traveller something like a honey-comb; whole families occupy these recesses, living in smoke and darkness, of which they seem to form a part, in their black figures. One of the idols is actually tenanted, and high upon the acclivity are seen isolated nitches and black heads peeping forth. At night, the moving lights and yells of unseen people have a singularly wild effect, and one dwells in the contemplation of the scene, till it actually appears one of an infernal kind, fit only for such companions as bhúts and demons.

"The idols appear to my eyes more like designs of Budha than any other; their physiognomy at least resembles that of images I have seen in Kanáwar and Tibet. They are mentioned in several old books, and it is strange that any mystery should prevail about the age or events of which they are symbo lical. Bamean has its site upon the northern declivity of Hindú Kúsh, and within its lofty ramifications, in a dell or valley, which throws its waters into a tributary of the Oxus, that passes through Kúndúz. It forms the extremity of the Kábúl dominions, and is elevated a little above 8,000 feet. An idea has prevailed that Bamean is a pass in the Kúsh, or in a more southernly ridge; but it is quite across the chain, although environed by snowy heights.

On the north, at the head of the dell, the mountains are depressed to a hollow or pass, between 10,000 and 11,000 feet, and beyond that the country subsides in undulations to the Oxus.

"Hitherto we had adopted no particular precautions to maintain our disguise, except evading the gaze of people, passing either unobserved or as Armenians; but on entering Morad Beg's territory, we rolled our heads within our turbans, and this saved our faces from the scorching sunshine.

"At Dwap or Doab, where Mr. Wolff was robbed, we apprehended danger, and provided an escort from a neighbouring brigand chief. In the hollow of a pass we met a káfila of very fine horses: they were all safe, and quite unaware of their escape, as afterwards appeared. We had no idea of any alarm, but as we were descending the slope of the pass, a body of robbers appeared -they had lost their aim in the horses, and were now coming up to a couple of camels, the last remains of the káfila. I was behind as usual, and although I saw, I could not understand, the manœuvres of our party, and kept linger. ing on, till met by one of our servants, sent back to bid me gallop my horse. The robbers were very fair and candid, as I thought, suspecting who we were; they sent one of their party to communicate with us, who, on our side, was met by a young lad the leader of our escort, and son of a neighbouring chief, who in his turn becomes freebooter, and to these mutual interests in plunder, and partly to our force, we owed our escape. They immediately declared themselves, and their disappointment in the horse-káfila, intimating, with a good deal of honesty, that they ought to have had a recompense in us. Notwithstanding this result, our káfila-bashi was very assiduous in his exertions to send the baggage-mules and foot-travellers out of the way. Our friends, the robbers, kept within our sight, moving slowly along the top of a ridge, and occasionally reminding us of our good fortune.

"We were now fast descending towards the basin of the Oxus, though the country continued rugged, and now and then betrayed its altitude in hoary peaks. At last, a mild wind from the north and a haze in the horizon, announced our proximity to the plains of Tartary. One morning we found ourselves in juxta-position to the chief of the place, a man of disrepute and a deputy of Morad Beg's; he came to dine with our káfila-báshi. We were lying amongst the long grass and stole away a few yards, where we reposed with confident security and listened to his conversation. At midnight, on the 29th of May, our káfila.báshi warned us to be off; we scrambled awkwardly through a marsh, and the day broke while we were yet in the deep hollow of a torrent. We hoped still to reach Khulin (which was to terminate all onr doubt of safety) before the bazars were crowded, and finally, soon after sunrise, we emerged upon the plains of Turkistan. The pass through the mountains was between mural precipices of tremendous grandeur. On opening upon the new world, the first objects as usual were mountains, at the base of which rolled the Oxus; the river itself was not in sight, but a regularly defined haze indicated its course, a phenomenon I had before remarked in the Sutlej and the Indus, which arises from the difference of temperature between the stream and superincumbent stratum of air. We regaled ourselves with the regions of Transoxiana. We entered a caravanserai in Khulm, full of people, and lodged ourselves amongst tea-merchants and traders in Russian furs, and people of all nations and descriptions, as if nothing had happened. Suffice it, that we found ourselves in the safe custody of Morad Beg, and after ten days rather anxious suspense, escaped from all apprehensions, and departed under his aid and protection !*

⚫ See the particulars of their escape from the fangs of Morad Beg related in our 10th vol. p. 159.

"The journey to Mazár was rather trying, over a bare baked soil, without shade or water; the temperature of the air was 100°, and that of the sun's rays much greater: my face at least was completely burnt. Our escort left us at what appeared the most dreary point of the road, and it was actually the most dangerous; our horses were wearied, and that which I rode, stood still in a place where our káfila-báshi said it was imprudent even to look around us. We entered Mazár unknown and unsuspected, and it was perhaps fortunate, as the people are intolerant bigots, and disreputable in every way. Piles of snow, and the most delicious apricots, were in abundance. It was here that Moorcroft's property was seized and plundered. We felt extremely anxious to ascertain if any papers or memorials still remained, and the fate of his books, which we heard were in the possession of the chief; but prudence constrained us to pass over the scene in silence.

"On the road to Balkh, we turned aside to see poor Trebeck's grave. Muhammedan bigotry had yielded so far as to permit his remains to be deposited within an enclosure or garden: a mulberry-tree sheds its fruit over the spot. We had heard this young man spoken of every where with the highest eulogies, and it was a satisfaction to us to have visited his lone sepulchre. We wished to leave some record of the spot: but although it is possible to get a slab-stone here for his and Moorcroft's graves, it is doubtful how such a memorial would be respected, unless we ourselves had witnessed its erection.

"On entering Balkh, we were met by two custom-house officers, jolly fellows, and one of them a Túrkoman, but from the nature of their employment rather boisterous and abrupt: they stopped our horses, bade us dismount and said we must be searched. A little surprised, we kept our seats, and assured them we were not merchants. We must see what is in those saddle-bags,' said they. Burnes then dismounted, and the Túrkoman began an examination of his person. Passing his hand over his watch, What have we got here? Ah, Saat, that is an useful article to travellers-very well, have you got nothing else-no tillas (gold coin)?' Before Burnes could reply, he, with much good-humour, said, 'Come, come, you know as well as I do, that peo ple cannot travel without money; now how many have you?' 'Twenty,' said Burnes, offering to untie them from his waist. 'Don't trouble yourself; there is no occasion; your word is every thing; I am satisfied;' and pointing to me (I had not dismounted, and was thinking what to say), 'what has your companion?' 'The same.' 'Thank you,' replied the Túrkoman; 'you are gentlemen; I wish every one was as ready to their answers, they would save themselves and me much unnecessary and awkward trouble. Your names,' said he; Sikandar Armeni and Gerard' (with the French pronunciation). The tax upon our money was a tenth Hindus pay a twentieth, and Mahomedans a fortieth. We had no tillas except those tied about us; but the Túrkoman said, ' make yourselves easy, I'll call upon you at the caravanserai.' Such civil treatment, in such a country and by monstrous Túrkomans, deserves to be mentioned.

"We were now in the most ancient and renowned city in the world; and when we looked at the ruin and recalled to mind the dynasty of Bactria, and in later ages the thrones of Jenghiz and Timur, with the neighbouring scenes of Bokhara and Samarkhand,-the present and the past,-it give us a lively idea of the countless revolutions which had rolled away. There was nothing here by which we could recognize these memorable epochs, and judging from the aspect of the few inhabitants left, the spot seemed more suited to the dead, than as a place of abode for the living. The ruins, which are mostly