466 Lassen on the History traced [No. 101 . 



continuation of the Kanda range. From its north-eastern ex- 

 tremity, the Pushtigur, a river now called Kameh, gushes 

 rapidly southwards, and forces its way between the Cooner and 

 the Nurgil in the Cabul valley, almost opposite to Jelalabad. 

 This narrow and almost impervious valley rises like a long nar- 

 row gateway in a northerly direction ; on the north side of the 

 Pushtigur the streams already flow to the Oxus. The Kameh 

 valley supplies but few accommodations for trade with the 

 north, it is little accessible from the plain of the Cabul, it is 

 rather a wall of separation to the east and the west of the 

 whole country along the river. 



From Sefidkoh a valley of a more remarkable character opens 

 towards the Cabul river, through which the Soorkhrood, ("" the 

 red river, ") flows. 



Just above Jelalabad the boundaries between the warm low 

 lands of the east and the cooler highlands of the west, are 

 determined ; this little district of Jelalabad, on the river Cabul 

 and the stream formed by the junction of the Kameh, and the 

 Soorkhrood, may represent the gate, through which we enter 

 the outer boundary of India. 



Cabul lies almost in the centre of this boundary, and is at least 

 in a historical and political point of view, the centre point of the 

 country. In her neighbourhood, rivers from the south-west, the 

 west, the north-west, and north, unite and form the main river, 

 which has obtained the name of the town. At this spot open 

 the great roads, whether for peace or for war, between 

 Iran and Turan on the one hand, and India on the other. It 

 is a situation, possessed of inexhaustible importance, as the 

 whole history of southern Asia bears witness. 



Looking on the subject in detail, we find, that due west of the 

 lofty Kanda hills the valley Laghman splits in two, forming 

 those of Alishung and Alingar, and opens towards the Cabul 

 river.* More to the west the valley of Tugow is traversed by 

 a river of the same name, not far below the disemboguing 

 of the Panjhir. This river takes three united streams into 

 the Cabul, namely, itself, the Gurbend, and the Nijrow, which 



* Elphinstone, i. 160. 



