Grass abundant along the cuts and streamlets, mixed with a pretty new Astragalus, and the Astragalus of Mookhloor, Composita depressa, etc.

The valley narrowing, we halted at the foot of low hills, which we are yet to traverse; the ground about our camp stony and barren, producing Astragalus, thorny Staticoides, Centaurea spinosa, Verbascum, and Thapsus.

The soil of the plain good and deep, as instanced by ravines, and the deep beds of streamlets.  Cultivation is abundant, villages numerous, and, as usual, all walled; their form generally square, with a bastion at each corner, and often two at each face, in which there is a gate.  The people are very confident of their own security in these parts, crowding to our camp with merchandise.  The country continues bare of trees, except about some of the villages; northern boundary hills lofty; a curious snow-like appearance is occasionally produced from denudation of land slips, like a long wall running along one of the ridges:  southern hills distant, presenting limestone characters.

The articles sold in camp yesterday, were atta (wheat) eight seers, barley sixteen chenna, sugar three to four seers.  Lucerne abundant, at one rupee four annas a bullock load, soorais, kismiss, three to four seers, zurd-aloo twelve seers, dried toot or mulberry one and a half seers for a rupee, but these are insipid, very sweet, but also very dirty, pistacio nuts one seer:  crops not yet cut, but ripe.

Kupra, cloth of common quality, as well as a black kind called soosee.

Barometer, mean of three observations (12 P.M., 1 P.M., 2 P.M.) 23.433, thermometer 85 degrees 6’.  Wooll. new therm. bar. mean of two observations, 699.1, old, 597.5.  Lichens abundant on black limestone? rocks.  On hills about camp, Labiata nova, and a curious tomentose plant were the only novelties.

19th.—­Proceeded to Argutto, distance nine miles, direction easterly, the country continues unchanged until we ascended gradually the end of the low ridge between us and Ghuznee.  The slope was very gradual:  the road towards the foot generally sandy, and in some places very bouldery:  on surmounting the ridge, which was not 300 feet above the plain, we descended a trifle, and encamped in an open space with hills to the north; this place slopes to the south into the valley up which we have come for some marches.  The valley in this upper portion is not so fertile as the lower parts we have seen lately, still there are a good many forts, and some cultivation:  one or two cuts were passed, and water is abundant at our halting place in cuts, or Kahrezes, as well as in a small torrent with a shallow bed.  Several forts were seen on the north side, situated in the small ravines of the hills, they are however, mostly ruined.  No change in the vegetation.  Jerboas not uncommon.  An Accipitrine bird, the same as that obtained at Shair-i-Suffer.