1839.] Lieut. Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. 757 



and conformation of the country is thus very irregular, and the 

 natural character of the portions very various. The hills and ranges 

 (if indeed any there be) of Seestan and of all parts of Khoorasan are 

 equally irregularly disposed, and cannot in writing be brought clearly 

 before the mind. Few indeed rise to a considerable height. 



17. Having concluded our sketch of the ranges of mountains, we 

 now proceed to enumerate the various natural divisions thus formed 

 and marked out. Some have been already mentioned, Kashkar 

 lies north of the great northern range and east of the Belur ; to 

 its east is the country of little Tibet. Both are lofty and cold coun- 

 tries, and both seem to be more plain to the north and more mountainous 

 to the south. The Upper Indus is perhaps the boundary. Little 

 Tibet, or a part of it, is by some called Balteestan, from Baltee a 

 Moosulman tribe inhabiting it, but the majority of the people seem to 

 be in little Tibet of the system of religion known in the great Tibet 

 lying to the east of Kushmeer. Little Tibet and Kashkar are as 

 yet independent of the Emperor of China, who never entered them 

 or sent his troops thither, still less has he ever threatened Budukh- 

 shan ; but part at least of the Pamer is annexed to the Chinese Toor- 

 kistan. This extensive country is formed by the northern slope of the 

 great upland track already mentioned (7, 8.) and by the tracts to 

 the north as far as the Altaian chain (8,). Its eastern boundary is 

 unascertained, and probably very uncertain, or marked by desert 

 tracts. Although the whole be firmly attached to the Chinese empire, 

 of which it forms the most western province, it is not under one 

 governor, but many, who seem to be dependent only on the court 

 of Pekin. We may distinguish Kashghur and Yarkund in the south- 

 western angle, Aksoo to the NNE., Ela and Toorfan in the NE. 

 and Khootun (which is not a city, but a country containing seven, 

 towns) in the centre. The great majority of the people are of 

 the Toork race, and hence I have called it Chinese Toorkistan. To the 

 north, however, are tribes of pasturing Calmucs ; and perhaps this vast 

 province contains some part of the Kobee nation, which although its 

 chief seat be to the east, in the wastes called the desert of Kobee 

 or Sham, yet spreads west into Kashkar, and constitutes the chief 

 population on the banks of the Kashkar river. On the course of this 

 river we find four principalities, and in all, the chiefs are of this race ; 

 the highest is the most powerful, and extends his dominion to the right 

 of the Indus, and the mountains north of Swad. These particulars 

 are here the less misplaced, that the countries in question have ever 

 been among the obscurest in Asia, and even the latest inquiries have 



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