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.

The mountains are very barren, much varied in the sculpture of their
outlines, and are by no means so rugged as those of limestone in the
Turnuk valley. The lofty one which presents the appearance of a wall
near its ridge, and of snow, alluded to during the march hither on the
18th ultimo, is still visible. Considerable as is the cultivation, it
bears a very small proportion to the great extent of waste, and probably
untillable land, untillable from the extreme thinness of the soil and its
superabundant stones. Cratoegus occurred near Mahmoud's tomb, also
Centaurea cyanea.

_29th_.--Halted: nothing new; botany very poor; poorer than ordinary.

_30th_.--Moved to Shusgao, distance thirteen and three-quarter miles,
direction still the same, or, to the north of the star Capella. The road
extends over undulating ground, is cut up by ravines, but easily
traversed, ascending and descending; then crossing a small valley, at the
north-east corner of which the ghat is visible: the ascent to the mouth
of this gorge equals apparently the height attained before descending
into the valley. The pass is narrow, the sides steep but not
precipitous; the hills are not very rugged, and they are generally thinly
clothed with scattered tufted plants; the pass gradually widens, and has
a ruin or remains of a small fort-like building as at the entrance. This
ruin, or fort, looks down into a poorly inhabited, poorly cultivated,
Khorassan valley: road good, with a gradual ascent for one and a half
mile from the exit of the pass, where we encamped, about five miles on
t