curs and one large walled village, Dera Abdoollah Khan, lay to our
left. Not much change in the vegetation: Xanthoxylon is almost entirely
confined to ravines, Cerasus common, and one or two other prickly shrubs,
and a Ruta, Onosma, Linarea, coming into flower, are among the novelties.

We encamped where the pass becomes narrow, and the ascent steep, and
where water is plentiful, but the stream being soon absorbed does not
appear to run down the main ravine at this season.

_12th_.--Halted, to make the road where the main ascent commences about
400 yards from our camp, and which is about 300 feet high; thence there
is a descent, and afterwards an ascent to about 600 feet above the camp,
whence the _low_ plains of Candahar are visible, as well as the range to
the north of which Candahar stands. The road is good compared with
places elsewhere to be seen, and for common traffic on camels may be easy
enough; but for guns, it is steep and difficult. The way it has been
made by the Engineers is admirable and rapid; three other passes without
roads, and in their rude natural state are as yet to be crossed. The
pass here is narrow, none of the hills rise more than 1,000 feet above
it, they are easily accessible, and are composed chiefly of clay slate.
Chikores are frequent. The cuckoo was heard to-day, as well as a
beautifully melodious titmouse, with a black crown: a fine eagle, or
falcon was seen.

The hills are as usual barren, all the shrubs are thorny, and all the
plants unsocial, never coalescing into any thing like groups. The
Xanthoxylon is found throughout in ravines up to nearly 7,000 feet, the
utmost height of the pass. Fraxmus of Chiltera also occurs, Cerasus
primus, in abundance, Cerasus alius, tertius, not uncommon, Berberis!
here and there in ravines, Equisetoides, Caraganoides altera; the most
common shrubs of any size are Cerasus primus. The other shrubs consist
of the low customary Compositae, and Astragaleae, Umbelliferae are
common, among which last the Nari, a species of Assafoetida occurs? A
beautiful Iris is common, as well as tufts of Berberideae, Asphodelus
major, and which is much eaten when cooked as a _turkaree_ by our hungry
followers, Eryngioides, Aconitoides, a Valeriana, three new small
Veronicae, small Cruciferae, Silenaceae, Boragineae, and Labiatae, form
the bulk of the herbaceous vegetation. An Arenarioid, Muscoid,
Cruciferae, common at the head of the pass. A large Acanthoid leav