1840.] Lieut. Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. 57 



sometimes shelter themselves in caves. Within the country there 

 is no traffic, but they exchange their ghee, cheese, goats, and 

 vinegar for rice, cloths of various kinds, axes, but chiefly salt. 

 Every thing is carried by men, and there is no camel, buffalo, 

 mule, or ass in the country. They make wines and vinegars, 

 both much esteemed, from the grapes of their own country, 

 which are partly wild and partly cultivated ; and uncultivated 

 walnuts are abundant. This country can neither furnish sup- 

 plies, nor be crossed by troops, except with the utmost hazard. 



Punjkora. 

 192. The people subsist by tillage ; their chief crop is the 

 rubbee, and the greatest product, wheat ; after which, barley. A 

 small quantity of grain is imported from the valley of Buroul, 

 which is in the northern part of the country of Bajour, but has 

 its own chief, who is a Turkulanee. In Punjkora the Mm and 

 irrigated lands are perhaps equal. The latter depends on 

 springs and streams. But little wheat and barley are sown in the 

 spring. Cows are the chief stock, but according to others, buffa- 

 loes ; goats too are numerous, but sheep very few. The chief 

 carriage is by bullocks and asses. The trade between Peshawur 

 and Yarkund for the most part passes through this country, and 

 Kasin Khan, the chief of Deer, which is the capital of it, and 

 may have 500 houses, levies taxes on the merchants. The other 

 villages are generally small, and some hamlets among the moun- 

 tains have but five houses, or less. The mountains yield pines, 

 which serve for timber and fuel, and also for torches. The 

 mountainous parts are very thinly peopled, but that part of 

 Punjkora towards the Ootman Khel and lower Swad is very 

 populous. Tents are not used in any season of the year. 

 Fodder is plentiful. There are few horses in the country. 



Upper Mihmunds. 

 193. This is a hilly country, and its hills though not high, 

 are often very rugged. Some of them yield pines, but more 

 commonly they are covered with shrubs. The houses are some- 

 times thatched. The natives in general live in houses, but 

 some tribes have black tents, and the same use is made of 



