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Extracts from a Report on subjects connected with Affghanistan. By 



Dr. Griffiths, communicated to the Editor ^ from the office of the 



Political Secretariat of India. 



Forests, — The nearest wooded part of the Sufaid Koh to Cabul is 

 Taizeen, a distance of three marches, including, at least by the common 

 route, a steep pass, the Huft Kothal, some 3,000 feet in height. In the 

 direction of Cabul, there does not appear to be any water-carriage 

 available for the transport of the timber of the Sufaid Koh. Cabul may 

 therefore be said to be in a considerable measure beyond the reach of 

 an efficient supply of good and durable timber. 



Candahar and Ghuzni may be said to be absolutely beyond the 

 reach of any indigenous supply, no forests occurring within any prac- 

 ticable, if within any distance. The forests of the Sufaid Koh consist 

 of various kinds of Fir, among which the Deodar is abundant ; the 

 Cheel or Pinus longifolia also I believe occurs, as well as the Chilghozehj 

 which from the abundance of the seeds, sold or exposed for sale, must 

 be common. The seeds of this appear to resemble exactly the seeds of 

 the Kunawur Pinus Gerardiana ; it will be interesting to ascertain whe- 

 ther the trees are identical ; if so, it will not be the only instance of affini- 

 ty between the Floras of the two countries. These forests likewise contain 

 the Baloot, a species of Oak ; the Zaitoon, a species of Olive ; the Sehnee, 

 and two or three others. I am not personally acquainted with the trees 

 of this range. Captain Burn, commanding the Khybur rangers, one of 

 the few who had ascended the lower ranges, informed me, that the Baloot 

 and long-leaved Fir were common. The chief tree on the Taizeen ridges 

 is the Deodar. It is very unfortunate, that from this great range, there 

 does not appear to be available water-carriage in any direction, at 

 least to the northward. The only forests, with which I am tolerably 

 acquainted, are those about Olipore, in which direction the mountains, 

 as I have more than once observed, assume the Himalayan features. 

 The principal trees of these mountains, always excepting the neighbour- 

 ing ones of Kafiristhan, are the Deodar or Nokhtur, the Zaitoon, and 

 the Baloot. There is perhaps another species of Oak, but, so far as I 

 know, there is no other Fir tree. The distribution of the forests may 

 be stated as follows : the Baloot ranges from the bed of the river 

 to an elevation of 2,000 feet above it, or 4,500 feet above the sea. It 

 commences to be mixed with Zaitoon towards its upper limits; and is 



