26th.—­I went to see Mahmoud of Ghuznee’s tomb, which is situated in a largish and better than ordinarily built village, about two miles from the Cabul gate, on the road to Cabul, at a portion of the valley densely occupied with gardens.  The situation is bad, and the building which appears irregular, quite unworthy of notice; it is situated among the crowded houses of the village, and to be found, must be enquired for.

At the entrance of the obscure court-yard which leads to it, there is a fine rivulet that comes gushing from under some houses, shaded by fine mulberry trees; in this court are some remains of Hindoo sculpture in marble; the way there leads past an ordinary room under some narrow cloisters to the right, then turning to the left one enters another court, on the north side of which is the entrance to the tomb; there is no architectural ornament at all about it, either inside or out.  The room is an ordinary one, occupied towards the centre by a common old looking tomb of white marble, overhung by lettered tapestry, and decorated with a tiger skin:  over the entrance, hang three eggs of the ostrich, for which the natives have the very appropriate name of camel bird, and two shells, like the Hindoo conches, but smaller.  The roof is in bad order, and appears to have been carved.  The doors appear old; they are much carved, but the carvings are effaced; they are not remarkable for size, beauty, or mass; and appear to be cut from some fir wood, although the people say they are sandal wood.  The tomb strikingly confirms the idea that the Putans became improved through their connection with Hindoostanees, rather than the reverse; the tomb is unworthy of a great conqueror.

I then ascended the ridge, and descended along it to the picquets on the flank of our camp.  This ridge, like all the low ones from Mookhloor to this place, is rounded, very shingly, and generally on the northern face, is partly covered with rocks, apparently limestone.  The vegetation presents nothing unusual, with the exception of a very large Cnicus, Cnicoideus zamiafolius, capitulis parvis, an Umbellifera, a Scutellaria, Dipsacus; otherwise they are thinly scattered with two or three Astragali, two or three Artemisiae, among which A. gossypifera is the most common, Labiata fragrans of Karabagh, Senecio glaucescens, Compositae, Eryngioides, Centaurea alia, magnispinae affinis, Santalacea, Leucades, Onosma major, et alia, foliis angustis, Echinops prima, Sedoides, Cerasus, Canus pygmaeus, Dianthoides alia.

The view from this ridge is beautiful, it shows that three valleys enter the Karabagh one about Ghuznee, the largest to the eastward; then the Cabul one, then that of the Ghuznee river.  The slope of this valley from the mountains to the river, presents a very undulated appearance.  The cultivation is confined to the immediate banks of the river, which is thickly inhabited, and to most of the ravines of the mountains, shewing that water is generally plentiful.  The river is to be traced a long way by means of the line of villages and orchards which follow its banks.