Caubul

The kingdom of Caubul is bounded on the ea

st by Indostan, on the north by Toorkistaun, or Inde pendent Tartary, on the west and south by Persia. Its extent may be roughly stated at 600 miles from east to west, and 550 from north to south.

i. Among the natural features of Caubul, the most remarkable is that portion of the great mountain chain of Asia, which passes along its northern fron tier. The lefty peak of Hindoo Coosh or. Keb, com municates its name to this range, which forma evi dently a prolongation of the Hemalleh, or snowy chain, which divides India from the table land of Thibet. Hemalleh, however, extends from south: east to north-west, while Hindoo Coosh runs direct ly east and west. It is of stupendous height, and its most elevated summits clad in perpetual snow ; yet they do not seem altogether ,te equal some of those which tower above the plains of Nepaul. The ob servations made by Lieutenant Macartney, apparent ly with considerable skill and attention, fixed the elevation of some peaks at 20,492 feet ; though the operation, being performed at the distance of 100 miles, afforded too small an angle to secure rigorous accuracy. " The stupendous height of these moun tains ; the magnificence and variety of their lofty summits ; the various nations by whom they are seen, and who seem to be brought together by this common object; and the awful. and undisturbed so litude, which reigns amid their eternal snows, fill the mind with admiration and astonishment, that no language can express." This chain continues with undiminished magnitude for about 440 geographic miles west from Cashmeer, and then shoots into that elevated peak to which the name of Hindoo Coosh is peculiarly applied. West of this point, it becomes considerably lower ; and travellers from .Candahar to Bulkh cross it without meeting any perpetual snow. The Greek term of Parapomisus is here com monly applied to it. In approaching the frontier of Persia, the mountains become of still inferior eleva tion ; though branches continue to stretch west ward, which may be viewed as prolongations of the great central chain.

Next in magnitude to the Hindoo Coosh, ranks the ridge of Solimaun. It commences a little to the west of Peshawer, at a very high peak, covered with perpetual snow, called Suffaid Koh, and pro. ceeds thence, with diminishing magnitude, almost directly south, till it sinks into the plains of Sinde and Beloochistan. Only a narrow valley, through

which the Caubul river flows, is interposed between it and the central range, on the opposite side of which begins the Beloor Taugh, extending north ward as far as Cashgar, and which may probably be considered as a continuation of the Sohmaun. From these two principal ranges, a variety of others, in different directions, traverse the elevated plain of Afghaunistan. One of the most remarkable of these is the Salt range, which, beginning not far from Suffaid Koh, runs east-south-east, crosses the Indus at Karrabah, or Callabaugh, and is continued to the banks of the Jelum. It is composed in many places of solid salt, clear as crystal, and so hard that plates for the table are formed out of it. At Callabaugh, it is seen lying in large blocks, for the purpose of being conveyed to the countries situated up and down the river. In other respects, the mineralogical struc ture and composition of all these ranges is entirely unknown.

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rivers of the kingdom of Caubul, the most considerable by far is the Indus. This has been proved, by recent discoveries, to have a much longer course than had hitherto been assigned to it by Modern geography.. It seems to have been traced to a mountainous track on the eastern bor der of Little Thibet, the same which, on its oppo site side, gives the to the Bramapoutra. Here two branches arise, near to each other, which, after wide ly diverging, unite a few joarnihs to the north-east of Cashmoer. Soon after their combined streams turn to the south, and force their way across the barrier of Hindu. Coosh. Here the lodes is, for long time, confined in a narrow channel between 'rocks, and after receiving the mid river of Caubul, is broken into numerous whirlpools and eddies, which are heard to a great distance, producing a sound 'Re that of a stormy sea. After passing the salt at Callabaugh, the stream no longer meets any obstruction, and pours its waters over the plain in various channels, which successively sepa rate and reunite, till they are poured, by many mouths, into the Indian Ocean. Near A uch an im portant accession is received from the Punjnud, which bears the united waters of the five great rivers that traverse the Punjaub ; yet all these combined are considerably inthrior to the Indus before the panction. The whole courser of this noble river is estimated at 1330 miles.