146 Objects of Research in Afghanistan. [Feb. 



Nakoloho on the river Hilo, which must be the Hir found on 

 D'Anville's maps. It would be of importance to determine the exact 

 situation of Nagara, and to ascertain,, whether the name both of the 

 river and the ancient town are not still traceable. I suppose the Hir 

 to be Surshud. The ruin of Nagara may be expected to yield a new 

 harvest of Greek coins, and its neighbourhood might perhaps furnish 

 us with Greek inscriptions. 



4. Sultan Baber mentions a monument in Lawghan, which the 

 Mahomedans supposed to be the grave of Lamech; the Chinese travellers 

 passed through this country, called by them Larpho, on the road 

 to Peshawer, from which it may be concluded, that they went to see 

 some Buddhist monument there. Would it not be possible to get some 

 further information of what remains still to be found in Lawghan? 



5. Pliny mentions a town Copissa, ' destroyed by Cyrus/ in the 

 country of the Paropomasidse ; by the accounts of the Chinese travellers 

 Kapisa is the valley of the Gurbad river. Are no remains to be found 

 along that river ? and is the name at present quite unknown ? It 

 would be of some interest, because it might be conjectured that 

 the name of Kapisa has some relation to the name of the king 

 Kadphises, who on his coins spells his name in the native legend 

 Kapissa. 



6. The Chinese speak of a flourishing Buddhist kingdom Udjana, 

 or Ujjana, which was situated on the western bank of the Indus and 

 on the Sewad river, the capital was not far from the last mentioned 

 one, and was called Mangala. As far as I know, this country has not 

 been explored at all, and might be expected to yield coins of the 

 dynasty ruling for several centuries there : topes might also be sought 

 for in that neighbourhood. 



7- Jan Messon, as well as Sultan Baber, speaks often of a river, 

 which he calls Baran, without giving any more definite description of 

 its course. Is this river different from the lower part of the Penjhir ? 

 or is it only the name for a part of that river ? 



8. A theory has lately been set forth respecting the topes, that they 

 are to be regarded as dehgops, and contain relics of Buddhist saints ; 

 moreover, that the coins found in them have been placed there at dif- 

 ferent times as offerings, and consequently that the date of coins found 

 in a tope, affords no clue to the period of its erection. Now, this theory 

 supposes that the topes had entrances and openings, by which the coins 

 might be inserted, and the relics taken out at certain festivals to be 

 shown to the people, as is mentioned by the Chinese travellers of 

 dehgops. Are there any traces of such entrances or openings in any of 

 the topes of Kabulistan ? 



