2nd.—­Shekhabad, nine miles and six furlongs, direction north-east by east.  The road throughout is rather bad, particularly in places near the Schneesh river, which has a very rapid current.  We left this on its turning abruptly through a narrow ravine to the south:  towards this, the valley narrows much; we then ascended a rising ground, and descended as much or perhaps less until we reached the Logur, a river as large almost as the Arghandab, this we crossed by a bridge composed of stout timbers, laid on two piers composed of stones and bushes, and tied together by beams:  the cavalry and artillery forded below, and above the bridge.  Crossing the bed which is low and well cultivated, chiefly with rice, we ascended perhaps 100 feet, and encamped on undulating shingly ground; we then passed much cultivation on the road:  villages are plentiful, and often placed in very narrow gorges unusually picturesque for Affghanistan; one scene was especially pretty, enclosed by the high barren mountains of the southern boundary, in the distance a village or two, and the Schneesh, with banks well wooded, and willows in the foreground.

The aspect of the hills, except some of the distant ranges, is however changed; quartz has become very common among the shingle, with reddish, generally micaceous, slate:  the mountains are rounded, and easy of access:  very poorly clothed with vegetation.  The course of the Logur is nearly north and south.

There are some villages about this place, with lucerne, clover and bearded rice of small stature.

The elevation of the country is here about 100 feet below our camp, which is about half a mile from the river.  Barometer 182, 23.362; thermometer 95 degrees; latitude 34 degrees 5’ 30”.

3rd.—­Halted:  the Logur river discharges much water; the whole of the tillable portions of adjacent banks are not under cultivation, the rocky sides to the south composed of micaceous slate, are very precipitous; these mountains were originally rounded, but are now formed into cliffs; willows and poplars are abundant along the river.  But the vegetation of the cliffy sides scarcely presents any change, except in a Salvia, a Ruta, a small withered Leguminosa; the other plants are Polygonacea frutex uncommon, Senecionoides, Salvia Horminum common, Artemisia two:  the usual one very common, Asphodelus, Mesembryanthoides, and luteus, several Compositae, two or three Cnicoidei, a Pulicaria, etc. of the same section, Cuscuta, Linaria angustifolia, Stipa, several withered grasses, Dianthoides, Scrophularia, Allium, Cerasus canus, pygmaeus uncommon, Sedoides, Boragineae, Boraginis facie common, Leucades, Astragali, three or four, Onosmae 2, angustifolia and majus, Scutellaria, Equisetoides, Ephedra.

Anthylloides, Plectranthus common, Peganum uncommon, Staticoides major, Compositae dislocata common.

In the swardy and wet spots along river, the usual plants occur; the novelty being a Hippuris out of flower, Plantago, Glaux, Chara, Alisma, Tamarisk, Salix, Trifolium fragiferum, Thermopsis, Cyperacea, Triglochim, Equisetum.  The Nuthatch found in the cliffs, cultivation occurs.