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On the Mines and Mineral Resources of Northern Afghanistan. By Capt. Drummond, %-d Light 

 Cavalry, communicated from the Political Department, Government of India. 



[Copper Mining district in the Ghilzie territory, South East of Cabool.] 



From the valley of Dobundee, which communicates with the plain of Lagur in the direction of 

 Koorrum, to the district of Moosge, about 14 miles south east of Cabool, and again from Moosge to 

 Derbund and Rojan in the direction of Fezeen, is an elevated and rugged mountain tract highly 

 metalliferous. 



Geology of the District. — The formations of this mineral district are composed principally of Horn- 

 blende rock, and Hornblende Gneiss, Primary Limestone, and Mica Slate. The hornblende rocks 

 are generally speaking of a fissile character, the limestones again are hard, compact, occasionally 

 slaty, and from their feeble effervescence when tried with nitric acid, seem to contain a portion of 

 magnesia, and may accordingly be referred to the dolomite species. The strike or direction of the 

 strata, as may be oberved from the sequel, is nearly N. East and S. West, dipping at a considerable 

 inclination to the N. West. 



Conforming with the hornblende rocks of Dobundee is a calcareous sandstone formation with 

 subordinate beds of slate clay enclosing their seams of coal. This sandstone is soft and friable, and 

 must be distinguished again from another sandstone also calcareous, and of a still softer character. 

 The latter formation is of very recent origin, and has taken place subsequent to the upheavement 

 of the primary and metalliferous rocks, as may be well observed in the vicinity of Koh i Aeenuk, 

 where it occurs in the form of sand-hill — the sandstone strata are horizontal, the primary again are 

 all highly inclined, and sometimes even vertical. 



What the upheaving rocks may be I am yet ignorant, but believe they will be found to be grani- 

 tic, and if so, they must be of a much more modern geological era than similar rocks in England, 

 from the position of the sandstone of Dobundee, which is evidently a tertiary deposit containing 

 lignite coal. A section from the passes in the mountains of the Hindoo Kosh to the Indus would 

 be extremely interesting in a scientific point of view, and convey no doubt an accurate idea of the 

 structure of the country, but this however would form a separate branch of inquiry of itself, and is 

 not of immediate importance to the present research, which has reference only to mining and 

 metallurgy. 



When I lately had occasion to bring the mineral resources of the Himalaya mountains before 

 practical men and capitalists in London, the voluminous Geological Report of the able and intelli- 

 gent officer, the late Captain Herbert, was never read by them. All that they cared about was that 

 portion of it which related to the metalliferous minerals and means of working them ; and what 

 chiefly attracted their attention was, his account of the seven localities where copper was produced 

 in the Provinces of Gurhwal and Kumaon. 



In an economical point of view, therefore, t e first thing to attend to in a district where metals are 

 known to exist, is its probable productiveness ; and for this purpose a very close and minute 

 examination of every rock, ravine, and valley is necessary to discover if metallic veins, or indica- 

 tions of veins abound. I have found these appearances in all the following localities : — 



Views and indications of Copper, old Excavations, tyc. — At Moosye in the pass of Shadkhanee in 

 the limestone range, on the right bank of the Sagur river, and to the west of the village of 

 Kuttasung, I found purple copper ore in very small quantity cropping out to the surface. 



In the pass of Silawat to the east of Kuttasung, I found copper pyrites in greater quantity 

 cropping out there. On the crest of the same pass, or rather a short distance from it to the eastward, 

 indications of the metal appear in that quarter also, and seem to point either to grey copper, or to 

 the vitreous sulphuret. The strike of the strata is about N. E. by E., and S. W. by W., dipping at 

 an angle of 65- to the N. W. by N. Beyond this also, and still further to the Eastward, specimens 

 containing purple copper ore in small quantity have been brought me lately from Kohi Chaghgye. 



Again near the base of the same range, and within a short distance of the village of Kuttasung, are 

 three old excavations, blocked up with stones and rubbish. Two of these I have been attempting to 





