100 Correspondence of the Commissioners [Feb. 



Bergindiij that is of the people inhabiting the rich Hazara valley of Ver- 

 gnnd. The Soanus river had its rise in the mountainous parts of Sabis- 

 sa (or Abisara), or using the modern names, the Swan (or Sohan) 

 river has its rise in the hilly parts of the Hazara country. Lastly, the 

 people to the northward of Peshawar fled across the Indus into Bari- 

 sacles (or Abisares) for security ; that is they took refuge in the Hazara 

 country. 



Second. The present Dhamtawar district, called Kash by the people 

 of the country, is the Va? , sa-regio of Ptolemy, which he places in the 

 hilly part of the Doab, between the Indus and the Jehlam. This dis- 

 trict is mentioned at a later date, in A. D, 640, by the Chinese Pilgrim 

 Hwan Thsang, as U-la-shi ; and at a still later period, in A, D. 900, 

 the Raja Taringini records that Sankara Vermma was killed by an ar- 

 row on his return from an expedition in the Urasa country. 



4. These successful identifications, together with those reported to 

 you in my last letter No. 9 of 1st December, have given me some hope 

 that I shall be able to discover the situation of Aornos, for which pur- 

 pose I am now about to proceed towards the Indus. As however the 

 Yusafzai country is at the present time unsafe for a traveller, I must be 

 content with such information as can be procured from the people in 

 the neighbourhood. From the Indus I shall proceed to the Doab, be- 

 tween the Chenab and Ravi, to inspect the ruins of a place called San- 

 gala, which may possibly be the Sangala of Alexander's historians, after 

 which I shall continue my march via Lahore to the British territory. 



5. For the construction of a Map of the countries which I have visi- 

 ted, and for the preparation of a detailed report upon all the points 

 which have been the objects of my research, I shall require the unin- 

 terrupted leisure of three or four months or perhaps even a longer time, 

 and if Chinese Commissioners are expected on the frontier at the begin- 

 ning of the next season, my Map will be ready for the use of the Brit- 

 ish Commissioners by the beginning of June. I trust therefore, that 

 there will be no objection to my residing at Simla during the time that 

 I am engaged upon the Map and report. Any other place would no 

 doubt answer equally well for the construction of the map ; but for the 

 proper preparation of the antiquarian and archeological portion of a 

 report, such as I wish to make to Government, I must have access to 

 luy own Library, which is now lying partly at Simla and partly at Kal. 



