Topographical Remarks regarding Afghanistan. 329 



ber, January, and February, are the coldest. The greatest 

 cold was experienced in February, the thermometer falling 

 several degrees below zero, but this winter was considered 

 a severe one ; altogether about b\ feet of snow fell during 

 the winter. The sun at noon-day possessed sufficient power 

 to melt the surface of the snow, rendering it disagreeable and 

 wet, and the instant the sun went down, the surface became 

 hard and frozen. 



The seasons are very regular ; from May till November 

 the air is dry and clear, a bright blue unclouded sky, with 

 scarcely even any rain, except only a few drops, not sufficient 

 to wet the ground and lay the dust. In November a few 

 showers of rain are soon followed by snow ; in December, 

 January, and February, there is snow and frost ; from the 

 middle of March till the J st May, there is almost incessant 

 rain, the snow melts with the greatest rapidity, and the tran- 

 sition is sudden from winter to summer, there being little 

 spring. Thunder and hail storms occur at this period ; earth- 

 quakes are by no means unfrequent during winter. It is 

 said, that they are never experienced at Candahar. If I 

 remember rightly, Humboldt remarks, that in South America 

 earthquakes are most severely felt in towns situated at the 

 foot of gneiss mountains, which is the case with Cabul. 



The prevailing winds are from the North, N. W. and West, 

 easterly winds occur but seldom. The mornings are generally 

 calm and still, towards the forenoon a breeze springs up, and 

 often blows fresh from the Hindoo-Koosh. The winter is ge- 

 nerally calm and still, with little wind : at the breaking up of 

 the winter, the winds are variable. 



Vegetable and Animal Productions. — As my knowledge of 

 the subject is very limited, I shall merely observe, that in 

 the comparatively cold climate of Cabul, the vegetation con- 

 sists chiefly of the European forms. 



There are few indigenous trees, as during the marching 

 in this country, with the exception of the wild almond and 



