THE AFGHAN DELIMITATION COMMISSION. 13 
and the sameness of the sterile treeless plains made them uninteresting. This monotony 
was, however, occasionally relieved by views of the distant hills, with their picturesque, 
irregular outlines, and by the great beauty of the sunrises and sunsets. We eagerly looked 
forward to the first sight we should have of Mount Do-shakh, the most prominent peak, 
with two points, of a range of hills that divided the watershed of the south from the 
north, and in turning the eastern flank of which at Pahir we should begin to enter the 
Hari-rud valley, and probably see Herat in the distance. On the 12th of November we 
had the most superb view of the Do-shakh range at sunrise from Gaz-i-cha; and near our 
camp there I saw the first cultivated ash, and with it several willows and Populus euphratica. 
The camp-sutlers brought in for sale some fine specimens of the celebrated Sarda 
melons, besides grapes, pistacio nuts, and raisins ; showing that we had at last reached a 
land overflowing with fruit. On the 13th of November we arrived at Pahir, and there 
beneath us, at a distance of some 25 miles, lay the city of Herat, its position being chiefly 
distinguishable by the deep shadows of its numerous orchards and some buildings with 
tall minarets. From Pahir, a small village at the eastern extremity of the Do-shakh 
range, and fully 300 feet above the bed of the Hari-rud river, we had a most excellent 
view of the general aspect of the valley. 
THE VALLEY oF THE HARI-RUD. 
The portion of the valley of that part of the Hari-rud river with which I am acquainted 
lies between the village of Shekewan in the south-east, to a little further north than 
Kumani-besht in the west. This portion of the valley is bounded to the north and east 
by the Paropamisus range, to the south by the Do-shakh range, and to the west by low 
ranges of hills, offshoots of the Koh-Bakharaz on the Persian frontier. Its altitude 
above the sea-level at Shekewan is about 2300 feet, and at Kumani-besht about 2000 feet. 
Тһе general appearance of the valley in winter, when we first saw it, totally devoid of 
trees, shrubs, and bushes, led one to speculate as to the probability or otherwise of ver- 
dure ever being present. Great was my surprise therefore, when passing over the same 
ground in summer, to find that a vegetation of marvellous luxuriance had sprung up, 
constituting a flora distinct from anything I had before seen. Along the banks of the 
river stretch immense rich alluvial plateaus, which are only partially cultivated by irri- 
gation from the river. The Hari-rud is only fordable from midsummer to the end of 
December; during the rest of the year all the traffic is conveyed across it over two bridges, 
one at Herat and the other at lirphul. I have heard that there are ferry-boats, but I 
never saw any. The general course of the river, as far as Tirphul, is from east to west; 
but from this point it makes a wide detour in a north-westerly direction, until it reaches 
Toman-agha, whence it proceeds almost due north. Тһе chief towns in the valley are 
Shekewan, Zindijan, Ghorian, Roznak, and Khusan. During early summer, owing to 
the extent of land under cultivation, as well as to the general fertility of the soil and the 
presence of the moisture of the spring rains, the valley appears one vast green meadow. 
The towns just mentioned are not solely inhabited by cultivators of the soil ; fully one 
half of the population are owners of immense flocks of sheep and goats. During summer 
