1839.] Lieut. Irwin s Memoir of Afghanistan. 881 



are whole rocks of lapis lazuli. Nishaboor is still famous for its 

 turquoises, which are found in a hill in its neighbourhood, that yields 

 no other mineral product. Major Welford has mentioned lapis 

 lazuli, hyacinths, crystal, bajor, stones of a superior quality, and 

 marbles of various colours, being found not far from the banks of 

 the Indus, before its junction with the Cabul river, (see his paper on 

 mount Caucasus in the sixth volume of the Asiatic Researches) I scarce- 

 ly remember to have heard of these things, but as that author's in- 

 formation is generally very correct on points of geography and statistics, 

 I presume there is much truth in the account. 



109. Aboolfuzl has mentioned an iron mine at Khiroo in Kush- 

 meer, and it is still wrought, being perhaps the only mineral 

 of any note to be found in the valley. There are numerous mines of 

 iron near Kanee Goorm of the Wuzeerees, which lies to the north of 

 the range of 32|°, towards its termination to the eastward. Iron is found 

 near Burawul, and Burwa of the Turkoolnees, and also above Deer of 

 the Yoosufzyes, lying in Punjkora. In all it is gathered in the state 

 of coarse sand or gravel. An iron mine was formerly wrought near 

 Dhukha of the upper Mihmunds. Near Cimnan, a city of Khoorasan, 

 on the frontiers of Irak, iron is produced, and also in a hill four days 

 south of Ghaeen. The existence of iron in the territory of Nishaboor 

 is disputed; an ore of this metal is found in a hill of Chhuchh or Huzara, 

 six miles west of Hussun Abdal. In Toorkistan there are very numer- 

 ous mines of iron. In the territory of Kokum may be two, in that of 

 Bokhara one, in that of Hisar two. Shuhursubz has one mine, the 

 territory of Tashkuntl one, perhaps more. It is said Keerategin and 

 Durwaz have none. In the territory of Fyzabad there are four mines ; 

 and in the small principality of Kolab, the greater part of which lies 

 on this side the Oxus, between Keerategin and Fyzabad, there is one. 

 Bulkh has one mine in its hill to the south, and Tolekan another. 

 Notwithstanding the number of iron mines in Toorkistan, that metal 

 is imported from Russia, and is of a superior quality. 



1 10. Lead is very abundant in many parts of these countries. Not 

 unfrequently it is found in the same matrix with soorma, which is an 

 ore of antimony ;* sometimes it is found alone, as soorma also is. I 

 have heard of the following mines of joint lead and soorma, viz. two 

 in the country of the Afreedus, one at Khakshista of the Huzaras, 

 south of Bameean, one or two near the source of the Urghundal, two 



* I am now (January 1811) assured there is also sold under the name of soorma a 

 certain sulphate of lead, and it is natural to suppose, this is the substance hero meant. 



