746 Lieut. Irwin s Memoir of Afghanistan. QSkpt. 



cultural Society. We were unwilling to concede even to that most use- 

 ful public body, the honor of discharging a duty we felt to be peculiarly 

 our own ; our readers will doubtless be gratified at our thus enriching 

 our pages. 



In the next number we hope to communicate some information regard- 

 ing the accomplished author ; who, we understand is now a resident in 

 Van Dieman's Land. — Eds. 



Plan and Division of the Memoir. 

 The first 47 paragraphs compose an Introduction which treats 

 of the natural division of the countries under view, their chief 

 ranges of mountains and rivers. I here assign the extent in which 

 I understand the various names for countries, provinces, and districts ; 

 without this precaution the matter which follows would have been 

 obscure or prolix, perhaps both. This is divided into four parts. The 

 first part treats of Climate, and is divided into four sections, in which 

 are discussed in their order, the temperature, the winds, the rains, 

 and the salubrity. The second part treats of the Soil, and has no 

 division. The third part treats of Natural History, and is divided 

 into three sections; — in the first, are mentioned the mines and mine- 

 ral products of these kingdoms ; in the second, the most remarkable 

 vegetables ; in the third, the animals and carriage. In this part of 

 the memoir some matter has found a place which will scarcely be 

 reckoned interesting in a public view, but which was naturally intro- 

 duced from the desire of completing the plan originally proposed. 

 The fourth part is an attempt to give some idea of the husbandry. 

 The second, which I entitle u a review of the districts," details what 

 are the chief occupations and means of subsistence, the chief live stock 

 and kinds of grain, the plenty or scarcity of supplies, and some parti- 

 culars of a miscellaneous nature; it concludes with an estimate of 

 the population. 



The following is a briefer sketch of the contents of this memoir : 

 Introduction, 



I. Climate. — I Temperature, — 2 Winds,— 3 Rains,— -4 Salubrity. 



II. Soil. 



III. Natural History. — 1 Minerals,— 2 Vegetables,— 3 Animals. 



IV. Husbandry and Cultivation. — 1 Husbandry, — 2 Review of 



the Districts. 



