1839.] Lieut. Irwin's Memoir of Afghanistan. 775 



Tashkund. The Jaxartes is now called Sir or Seer, but the Arabian 

 geographers name it Syhoon, and the Oxus, Jyhoon. In the winter it 

 is to be crossed in some places on the ice, but in summer rafts are 

 used. In the Oxus both rafts and boats are used. The practice with 

 respect to both, and on both rivers, is to yoke to them the passenger's 

 horses and cause them to transport them across by swimming. Of 

 the Neelum we know only that it falls into the lake of Aral, and comes 

 from an easterly point. 



46. Nor is our knowledge much more detailed of the streams of 

 Chinese Toorkistan. All of them seem to be collected in one river, ulti- 

 mately lost in a lake beyond Toorfan. Even this river is not reported 

 to be of very great magnitude : this is another reason to disbelieve 

 the existence of a very high and snowy range in this quarter, for such 

 is ever found to give source to great streams (see para. 7) The 

 Tukkus is laid down in the latest maps as running north into the Rus- 

 sian territory, but according to the information received by us, runs 

 south into the Chinese. The geography of this country seems destined 

 to remain long obscure. It is no longer the scene of important events, nor 

 does it lie in the line of traveller's routes. The cities of Kashghur and 

 Yarkund are indeed visited by merchants of Kushmeer, Pushwar, 

 Budukhshan, and Toorkistan, and from them tea, silver, and some 

 other Chinese commodities are diffused over the neighbouring coun- 

 tries. Few however proceed further, and inquiry is scarcely safe 

 under the jealous and vigilant government of China. 



Lakes. 



47- Most of the lakes of note have been already alluded to. The 

 greatest is the Aral, which receives all the rivers of Toorkistan. Its 

 waters are salt. Those of the lake of Seestan are slightly brackish. 

 The whole of this last can be seen in one view by a spectator from the 

 shore. It is encompassed by a tract of marshy land overgrown 

 with reeds and aquatics, and a day's journey in breadth. In the 

 middle is a little high island and on it a fort, this island is called 

 Koh-i-zoor, and is in north latitude 31° 35' and east longitude 63° 25'. 

 The well known Dul and Oollur are situated in Kushmeer. The 

 latter is formed by the Uidusta; the former is unconnected with 

 it, except that when raised by rains it discharges its superfluous 

 waters into that river. No particulars are yet known of the lake 

 of Toorfan (see para. 46) which is perhaps fabulous. Neither the 



