896 Lieut. Irwin '$ Memoir of Afghanistan. [Nov. 



The rich Cabulees chiefly burn the wood of four trees — the mulberry, 

 mastich, oak, and bulhuk, a tree so called in Cabul, and by the Persi- 

 ans kurghuna. The poor content themselves with a fuel of shrubs 

 or dung, and the dung of horses is eagerly carried away from the streets. 

 The pasturing tribes bring the dung of sheep for sale, which in the 

 city is used as fuel, but in the villages as manure for grapes. The 

 capital was a good deal distressed in the winter of 1801, when the 

 Ghiljies of the neighbourhood interrupted the usual supplies of fuel. 



132. In the Indian desert there is abundance of the plant which, after 

 the Arabians, we call Kali, and the same is found in some other 

 quarters. By the Persians it is called Ishkar, but I apprehend this name 

 is given to some other alkaline plants, particularly to that known to the 

 Hindoostanees under the name of Lance, and which is plentifully found 

 in the Indian desert, and also in the wastes of Khoorasan, Bulochistan, 

 and Toorkistan. In these quarters are at least two other plants of an 

 alkaline nature; the pasturing tribes wash by means of the leaves 

 and flowers of these plants. The Lance is thus used in Jellalabad. A 

 common practice is to burn them and use their ashes. Near the 

 Indian desert great use is made of the ashes of Kali, and many in 

 Toorkistan and Khoorasan use those of the Lance. By the addition of 

 fat a true soap is formed, and this is preferred by the more civilized 

 part of the population. The soap of Hindoostan is superior to that 

 of all those countries, but Toorkistan and Bokhara are noted for 

 this manufacture. In Kushmeer and Bajour meal of the Oord 

 is substituted for an alkali, but in all cases a proportion of lime 

 is added. 



3rd. Of Trees. 



133. The trees best known in India, for example — bamboo, mangoe, 

 tamarind, neem, bukaen, seesum, sal, the banyan tree, peepul, firs, 

 peeloo, kudum, lusora, bel, jamun, khinnee, kuchnar, umlats, tota, 

 semur, pakur, moursuree, senjhna, jand, dhak, babool, kyr, burhur, 

 kuthur, aoonla, gondee, kumrukh, toon — are quite unknown in Cabul 

 or the countries beyond it, and very few of them are to be seen 

 in Kushmeer or Peshawur. The bamboo is not known beyond 

 Khanpoor of the Gukhurs, nor is it found in any part of Sindh, 

 or even of the Sooba of Ajmeer. The mangoe is cultivated in Sindh, 

 but Tymoor Shah unsuccessfully attempted to introduce it at 

 Peshawur. The mangoe is cultivated at Keech, in Bulochistan. The 

 plantain does not bear fruit beyond the 33rd degree of latitude; it is 

 unknown in the cold countries, and does not extend far into Bulochis- 



