884 Lieut. Irwin s Memoir of 'Afghanistan. [Nov. 



40 miles south of Toorbut, and another in the road between Toon and 

 Yezd, but none of these are of any use. Near Ubasabad, which is ten 

 days from Mushhud, on the road to Tuhiran, is a hill which gives out 

 two feeble salt springs, which make two bogs, and to procure salt 

 pits are dug at the edges and filled with the brine; this gradually 

 evaporates, and is covered with a saline crust. 



It is probable, many lesser ponds and bogs of this nature exist espe- 

 cially in the level countries. Bokhara and Nooruta chiefly consume 

 salt brought from places in the Kurakol (see paragraph 105.) Jizzukh 

 has a mine of rock salt, and also salt from the plain. Samarkand 

 is said to have one mine, Oratepa another. All the three are under 

 Bokhara. Oorgung, Mura, andMymuna chiefly use salt found in their 

 own plains, sometimes artificially prepared, sometimes not. The king- 

 dom of Kokur is not destitute of soil salt, but has besides at least 

 four mines of rock salt. Tashkund has one, probably more, and also 

 receives salt from the plains to the west towards the Kuzzaks. We 

 know of two mines in Keerategin, one in Buljeewan, two in the greater 

 Kolab, and the valley of Wakhan has rock salt, but the southern part 

 of Budukhshan in which is situated Fyzabad, seems to have but one 

 mine, and its produce is very bad. The eastern part of Bactria, on the 

 other hand, is abundantly supplied, having at least five mines, and 

 Duroona beyond the Oxus has one. One mine of Shuhisubz yields 

 salt of a very fine quality, which is carried as far as Bulkh and Bok- 

 hara for the use of the rich. Hisar has a salt spring, and two mines 

 very little worked exist in its dominion. Bulkh and Bokhara are 

 partly supplied from springs found between them, partly from a place 

 under the hills, where a crust of salt is produced. Shibirghan has a 

 mine of very good quality, and exports to Bulkh, Undkho, and other 

 places. I have not learnt that any salt is found within the Parapar- 

 nisan mountains, and such is the scarcity of this article among the 

 Huzaras of the interior, th^t they do not use it dry but dip their 

 morsels in a brine of it. At one time of the year the poor have none 

 to consume. 



1 13. Saltpetre is no where found in these countries but is made by 

 natives, from the soil in innumerable places. It is a curious fact that the 

 same earth which yields common salt often yields saltpetre also, although 

 both ingredients be different ; but dry situations are more favorable 

 to it, and moist to the generation of salt. To complete the list of ingre- . 

 dients used for making gunpowder, it may be observed that no place 

 is much famed for its charcoal. The best is made from the willow, 

 and very good from the plant called uk or mudar (see paragraph 130.) 



