774 Lieut Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. [Se?t, 



the ordinary road from Candahar through Hirat to Persia. Except 

 in the season of rain it is very small, and much of its waters are ex- 

 pended in agriculture. The ancient Margus or modern Murghab, 

 whose sources are not far distant from those of the Ochus, is perhaps of 

 an equal size. It runs nearly due north, and after passing Muro, at 

 some distance to its left, pursues a solitary course through sands to the 

 Oxus, which it barely reaches. A considerable rivulet from the Para- 

 parnisan, waters successively the districts of Mymuna and Undkho, but 

 never gains the Oxus. Bulkh has eighteen streams, but of those some 

 are canals drawn by art from natural- ones, rising in the mountains to 

 the south. None of them can aspire to the name of a river. That 

 called the Bulkhab is the chief. Advancing eastward we come to the 

 stream of Khoollum, and after it, that of Koonduz, which is more consi- 

 derable, and composed of three principal branches draining Talikan, 

 Ishkumish, and Ghoree. This last is the most to the west or left of the 

 three. The middle one it is which is sometimes known by the name 

 of Bungee. The river composed of these three streams is equal to the 

 Swad, and pursues a north-westerly course to the Oxus. 



44. That great river, according to information received by Lieut. 

 Macartney, rises from a glacier of the Poosht-i-Khur, a lofty mountain 

 of the Belur. The natives of the country content themselves with tra- 

 cing it to Durwaz, and usually confess their ignorance of its earlier pro- 

 gress. The first considerable stream it receives is the Soorkhab, or 

 river of Keerategin, it afterwards joins the Koocha from Budukhshan, 

 and the Oxus now ceases to be fordable. From being very rapid and 

 precipitous, it now gradually assumes the character of stillness, and 

 gently glides over a sandy bed to the Aral lake, where it is lost. Be- 

 sides the tributaries already mentioned, the Zurufshan, or river of Bo- 

 khara, joins it when flooded ; it has a south-westerly course. That of 

 Keerategin runs nearly south, the Koocha north-west. The Zuruf- 

 shan is but an inconsiderable stream in quantity of water, but is indis- 

 pensible to the agriculture of Samarkand and Bokhara. The Oxus 

 is by the natives of Toorkistan called Umoo, a name which strangers 

 change to Hamoo ; but during its upper course among the mountains 

 it is called Punj. Its course is not much to the north of west. 



45. The extreme sources of the Jaxartes are not far distant from 

 those of the Oxus, but it holds a more northerly course. Towards its 

 mouth however it is said again to approach the Oxus, and according to 

 some it actually joins it before it falls into the Aral. In size it is 

 much inferior, although a considerable river. Its chief tributary is the 

 Chilchik, which falls into it from the north-east, a few miles above 



