HYDERKHET AND SHEKHABAD — LOGUll RIVER. 



381 



left this on its turning abruptly through a narrow ravine to the 

 south : towards this, the valley narrows much ; we then ascended a 

 rising ground, and descended as much or perhaps less until we reached 

 the Logur, a river as large almost as the Arghandab, this we crossed 

 by a bridge composed of stout timbers, laid on two piers composed 

 of stones and bushes, and tied together by beams : the cavalry and 

 artillery forded below, and above the bridge. Crossing the bed which 

 is low and well cultivated, chiefly with rice, we ascended perhaps 

 100 feet, and encamped on undulating shingly ground ; we then 

 passed much cultivation on the road : villages are plentiful, and often 

 placed in very narrow gorges unusually picturesque for AfFghanis- 

 tan ; one scene was especially pretty, enclosed by the high barren 

 mountains of the southern boundary, in the distance a village or 

 two, and the Schneesh, with banks well wooded, and willows in 

 the foreground. 



The aspect of the hills, except some of the distant ranges, is how- 

 ever changed ; quartz has become very common among the shingle, 

 with reddish, generally micaceous, slate : the mountains are rounded, 

 and easy of access : very poorly clothed with vegetation. The course 

 of the Logur is nearly north and south. 



There are some villages about this place, with lucerne, clover and 

 bearded rice of small stature. 



The elevation of the country is here about 100 feet below our 

 camp, which is about half a mile from the river. Barometer 182, 

 23*362 ; thermometer 95° ; latitude 34° 5' 30". 



3rd. — Halted : the Logur river discharges much water ; the whole 

 of the tillable portions of adjacent banks are not under cultivation, the 

 rocky sides to the south composed of micaceous slate, are very precipi- 

 tous ; these mountains were originally rounded, but are now formed 

 into cliffs ; willows and poplars are abundant along the river. But the 

 vegetation of the cliffy sides scarcely presents any change, except in 

 a Salvia, a Ruta, a small withered Leguminosa ; the other plants are 

 Polygonacea frutex uncommon, Senecionoides, Salvia Horminum 

 common, Artemisia two : the usual one very common, Asphodelus, 

 Mesembryanthoides, and luteus, several Composite, two or three 

 Cnicoidei, a Pulicaria, etc, of the same section, Cuscuta, Linaria 

 angustifolia, Stipa, several withered grasses, Dianthoides, Scrophu- 

 laria, Allium, Cerasus canus, pygmseus uncommon, Sedoides, Bora- 

 gineae, Boraginis facie common, Leucades, Astragali, three or four, 

 Onosmse 2, angustifolia and majus, Scutellaria, Equisetoides, Ephedra, 



