1 PUNCHSHIR. 113
2 Tchaomok,? describes it as a torrent so rapid and powerful, that 7 Voyese v. 165.
3 there is much danger in fording it, insomuch that a horse which
4 loses its footing is swept down the stream, and irretrievably
5 perishes. Holding a south-westerly course of about fifty miles,
6 it, near Koteli, receives a considerable feeder, called the river of
7 Rajour,3 and is supposed ultimately to fall into the Chenaub. > Verae, Kashmir,
8 There is much obscurity, however, concerning the lower part of"
9 its course.
10 PUNCHSHIR,! or PUNJSHIR (five lions), in Afghanistan, ! E-LC. Ms. Doc.;
11 an extensive valley furrowing the southern side of Hindoo Koosh. Baer, Mem. 14
12 It extends for about sixty miles in a south-westerly direction,
13 from the Khawak Pass, in Jat. 35° 42’, long. 69° 53,’ to the dasht
14 of Begram. The upper extremity has an elevation of 13,200
15 feet,’ the lower of about 7,000. The general breadth is about a co
16 mile and a half, and it nowhere exceeds three miles. Numerous
17 streams flow down from the inclosing ridges, and discharge
18 themselves intothe main river of Punchshir. The inhabitants are
19 careful cultivators, and make the most of their sterile soil, which,
20 scarcely producing a tree of spontaneous growth, is covered with
21 orchards and groves of mulberry and other fruit trees, furnishing
22 the principal means of subsistence to the population. The staple
23 article of food is bread made of mulberries, dried and ground
24 into flour.2 Every spot capable of producing grain is carefully ae ut supra,
25 and successfully cultivated. According to the statement of
26 Wood,‘ who traversed this valley, ‘ though limited in range, the *4183 Fiph. Ace.
27 scenery of Punchshir is soft and beautiful. Its rugged red- of Cub $18
28 tinged surface is dotted over with castellated dwellings, whose
29 square-corner towers and solid walls, rising on every knoll, are
30 relieved by the smiling foliage of fruit trees, and the lively green
31 of the garden-like fields which surround thém.”
32 The people are Tajiks, considered to be of Persian descent,
33 and their dispositions and habits are little in harmony with the
34 fair scene described by Wood. Industry seems almost their only
35 virtue. They are infamous for their rapacious and sanguinary
36 crimes, and the valley is a scene of unceasing intestine wars.
37 Notwithstanding this, the population is dense, and on an occasion
38 calling forth public feeling, and suppressing for a time internal
39 hostility, the valley could furnish ten thousand armed men. The
40 inhabitants fight with firelocks and swords, and have the reputa.-
41 VOL. 1. I