18390 Lieut. Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. 759 



foreign dependencies have passed into other hands; the blowing of 

 the sands have submerged part of its territory, and the productiveness 

 of the remainder been lessened by the change artificially made in 

 the course of the river Oxus. Mr. Pinkerton has expressed his 

 scepticism in regard to the fact, and it may well be questioned 

 whether the whole of this river was on that occasion turned ; but the 

 learned in the history of Toorkistan assure us that in the — century, 

 the Calmucs did divert a great stream which passed west through the 

 kingdom of Khwaruzm, and made it to run where now runs the 

 Oxus into the lake of Aral. Khwaruzm still has its stream artificially 

 drawn from the Oxus, and which is indispensable to its cultivation and 

 existence. At no great distance from the river commence deserts, 

 which extend to the Caspian, and are traversed by the pasturing tribes 

 of Toorkmans (who moreover possess the sandy banks of the Oxus 

 from Kelif downwards) and some other tribes. The chief city of 

 Khwaruzm is Oorgunj. 



19. Bactria, the only remaining part of Toorkistan, lies on the left 

 of the Oxus during its middle course. It is now distinguished into 

 several sub-divisions according to the remarkable cities and the exist- 

 ing distribution of dominion. v Beginning from the quarter of Khoora- 

 san, first occurs on this side the Murghab Kuburmach of the Jum- 

 sheedees, which tribe however living chiefly on the left of the Murghab 

 for this and other reasons (4) we must assign it to Khoorasan. From 

 Kuburmach proceeding in a direction not much different from 

 ENE. we come at the distance of 30, 56, 20, 24, miles to My- 

 muna, Undkho, Shibirghan, and Bulkh, capitals of little states now 

 independent. The traveller has to his right branches of the Parapar- 

 nisan, which are generally visible ; he pursues his journey in a cul- 

 tivated or cultivatable country, but beyond it to his left begin sands 

 which continue to the Oxus. That river here holding a course to the 

 north of west while his course is to the north of east, and the culti- 

 vatable country being usually of an equal breadth, the tract of sands 

 beyond it is necessarily widest to the west. With Bulkh begins a 

 country of a different character ; the Paraparnisan still lies to the south, 

 but the Gavee Paraparnisan, moreover, to the south-east, intervenes 

 between this country and Cabul; and to the east, towards Budukhshan, 

 are branches from the Hindookoosh. Hence is this tract very diversified, 

 and while the south and east are generally hilly or mountainous, the 

 north and west are generally level. Bulkh is itself level, but has depen- 

 dencies among the valleys of the Paraparnisan to the south. From Bulkh, 

 one very long day's journey of that quarter to the east or south-east, 



