26th.—­Distance eight miles, the road lay along the Cabul river up a gentle ascent, over undulated ground; features of country the same, villages, etc., abundant.  Heavy rain set in from the west after our arrival at the encamping ground at 4 P.M., with thunder.  Night hazy, heavy dew.

27th.—­To Sir-i-Chushme, distance ten miles, direction continues easterly up the Cabul river valley:  features the same; road generally good, here and there stony, crossed a large tributary falling into the Cabul river, from the north at Juljaily, a large village, the largest in the valley, and very pretty.  Poplars and willows in plenty along river.  Near Sir-i-Chushme the valley becomes narrow; the river passing through a gorge, on the left side of which on rugged rocky ground, are the remains of a tower.  The rocks here are mica slate, reposing at a considerable angle, occasionally nearly vertical.  The surface is thinly vegetated, Silenacea, two or three Muscoides (981), Scrophulariae sp., common, etc. (see Catal. 971, etc.) Beyond, the valley again widens, presenting similar features to those just mentioned.  To the right side of the valley there is a beautiful narrow ravine, bounded on the south with springs, to the north by a noble bleak rugged ridge, with much snow; it has the usual features, namely, a shingly inclined plane between huge hills.  The village of Sir-i-Chushme is built on a rising ground or small spur, surrounded by numerous springs which supply the source of the Cabul river; the bed of which above them is nearly dry.  The springs abound with the usual water plants, a Cinclidotoid moss in abundance, a Celtoid tree stands over one spring; Peganum continues.  A shallow circular pool occurs at the foot of the hills, on which the village is built; it is crowded with the peculiar Cyprinidae of these parts, {390a} some of which attain three pounds in weight, as also a small loach. {390b}

The cultivation throughout this valley is good.  The soil is however heavy, but in places it gives way to a brown mould:  rice is cultivated up to Julraiz, but not beyond, millet (Setaria), Indian-corn, lucerne, mustard, beet root; beans and peas are very common.

Great pains are taken with watercuts, which are led off into each ravine that debouches into the valley, at elevations of sixty to eighty feet above the river; opposite each, the river where led off is bunded across.  The watercuts or courses are in some places built up with stones.  Apricot trees continue, also mulberries near Julraiz, but they are not productive.

Timber is cut in good quantities, and is floated down in the spring to Cabul.  We continue to meet flocks of sheep and camels with Patans, Momums, and Ghilzees going to Cabul, thence to Julallabad; after selling their produce at Cabul, they return in the summer to the same pasturages.

The oxen used to tread out corn are muzzled:  grain is winnowed as in Europe by throwing it up in the wind, the corn falls nearest the wind, the coarse chaff next, then the fine chaff.  Sir-i-Chushme is about the same height as the pass into the valley of the Cabul river.