338 Topographical Remarks regarding Afghanistan. 



The Affghans are a strong powerful athletic race, many- 

 possess handsome features, some as fair as Europeans, but the 

 generality are of a brown sunburnt hue, with healthy ruddv 

 colour in their cheeks, dark hair, dark irides, occasionally 

 reddish -brown hair, with blue eyes, long oval faces, high 

 cheek bones, high noses, copious unshaven beards. They 

 belong to the Caucasian variety of man, and present a strong 

 contrast to the Hazaras, who are a decided Mongolian tribe, 

 with their round heads, and flattened face, straight hair, 

 scanty beard, small and oblique eyes, thin and scarcely curved 

 eyebrows, small flat nose, low forehead, thick lips, and short 

 chin. They are a thickset, square built, strong race, and ge- 

 nerally employed as porters and labourers ; the female domes- 

 tics or slaves, for they are purchased by money or procured 

 by barter, are of this race. 



The Affghans in general are a social sort of people, fond of 

 entertainments, and spend the greater part of their time 

 in the open air, for their shops and houses, as I have before 

 stated, are open ; they are fond of sight-seeing, and pay fre- 

 quent visits to the gardens in the vicinity of Cabul ; it may 

 safely be stated that once a week at least, generally on their 

 Sunday, they enjoy a holyday in the gardens. 



They are fond of gambling, fighting quail and game cocks, 

 and those that can afford it are addicted to hawking, and 

 such field sports as the country affords, but game is very 

 scarce. 



Although contrary to the precepts of the Koran they are 

 rather fond of indulging in strong drinks ; in almost every 

 house they prepare spirit from fermented raisins, and winter 

 is the season for their drinking parties ; they sit round the 

 sandali and sleep off the effects of the debauch at their 

 friends* houses; they are never seen drunk in the streets, 

 many indulge in opium eating, and also in the use of chur- 

 ries and bang. 



Their moral character is bad, being addicted to unnatural 



