464 Lassen on the History traced [No. 101. 



South-westward from Cabul there lie, says Sultan Baber,* " high 

 snow-clad mountains, and the Bamian chain (Kohi-Baba) is of 

 an extreme height. The Hirmand, the Sind,f the Doghabeh, 

 Kunduz, and the Balkh rivers all rise at their culminating 

 point, and one may, it is said, drink on the same day out of the 

 sources of all these rivers ." 



These are the natural boundaries of the countries of Cabul 

 towards the west. 



From the mountain tract, where Ghuznee lies southward from 

 Cabul, to the Sefidkoh, already mentioned (which may be con- 

 sidered as the most northern branch of the Soliman mountains, 

 running from the north towards south) the valley of the Cabul 

 river is bordered by hills of less height and regularity. They have 

 not received any general name, and but small bodies of water 

 descend from them, as they are not high enough to be continually 

 covered with snow. 



Looking again from the Sefidkoh to the point projected 

 from the south of the Kanda mountains, we have the confines 

 of the western half of the Cabul countries. The valley of the 

 river, narrowed by the Sefidkoh and Kooner, appears like a rocky 

 gate between the west and the east of the countries through 

 which the river forces its way, over cliffs and down rapids, while 

 from Sefidkoh the Tira chain of hills with its ramifications ex- 

 tend eastward to the Indus. The Salt range, so called, commen- 

 cing from the same point, runs south-easterly to the same river, 

 which it reaches at Karabag ; the Tira chain rises from the south 

 over the plains of the Cabul river. 



Thus once more gaining the Indus, we have compassed the 

 whole extent of the Cabul countries, the natural boundary of 

 which towards the east is that river. 



The eastern half of these lands may be called the inner, 

 as may the western half, the outer boundary of India. 



To understand the articulation of each of these boundaries, 

 we must look closely to the rivers. 



The Cabul river, which rises at the foot of the Kohi-Baba, 



* Memoir, p. 282, German translation, 

 f A mistake, it must be the Cabul or Gurbund, 



