Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎15r] (30/312)

J ^cjJC: 2 4- -•
TEE MILITARY OEOOBAPHY OF
AFGHANISTAN.
Even the most recent maps of Afghanistan are,
from the jealousy of foreigners which is a marked
trait in the character of the Afghans, only roughly
accurate. It is, however, possible, by collecting
the scattered morsels of information given by
various authorities to supply an approximately
correct idea of the conntry which, before long, may
be entered by a British army. Afghanistan is, on
an average, about 430 miles from east to west, and
460 miles long from south to north. On the north
it is bounded by the Oxus till a few miles below
Kilat, and thence the boundary-line dividing
it from Khivan territory runs east and by south to
a point a few miles west of Sarrakhs. On the west
it is bounded by Persia ; on the south by Khelat.
From its south-easternmost extremity the frontier
runs in a north-easterly direction along British ter
ritory as far as Swat, On the east it is bounded by
Swat, Caffristan, and Kashgar. A glance at the
map shows that there is a long narrow promontory,
as it were, of Afghan territory, which is bounded
on the south by Caffristan, on the east by
Kashgar, and on the north by some minor
khanates, more or less subject to Kokand and
Bokhara. At one point this promontory is only
200 miles distant from Cashmere. As, however, we
do not anticipate invasion from Afghanistan we
may leave out of consideration the above-mentioned
j tongue of territory. ^ The main features of Afghan-
listan are the mountain chains, the general direction
of which is oast and west, but which throw out but
tresses to the north and south. Afghanistan is
traversed across the centre from east to west by
a chain of mountains, which may be viewed as an
offshoot of the Himalayan system. This chain,
called the Hindoo-Koosh, or more properly the
Hindoo-Koh, ends in the Koh-i-Baba, a huge
mass north-west of and at no great distance from
the city of Cabul. It is covered with perpetual
snow, and its loftiest peak is nearly 18,000ft. high.
Thence run two parallel chains, one called
the fSafed Koh ; the other—the southernmost one
—the Siah Koh. The northern range terminates
just north of Herat, and the southern range, when
it reaches a point just south of that city, trends
off to the south-west and by south. These
mountains are of no great height. North of the
Koh-i-Baba and the Safed Koh is a high plateau,
intersected by minor ranges, and called the
Huzareh district. Running.in a south-west di
rection from Cabul past Kandahar to Girishk
is another chain of mountains. Practically,
almost the whole of Afghanistan is a mass of
mountains interspersed with valleys, of which |
some are of considerable size. The main water
sheds of the country are, however, the crests of the
two chains which run, one from east to west, and
the other diagonally from north-east to south-west.
The chief rivers of Afghanistan are the Murghab,
' the Hari Rood, the Balkh, the Cabul, and the
Helmund. The Murghab, rising near the north
eastern extremity of the Safed Koh, flows to Merv,
a little beyond which the stream, whose waters in
i its course have been greatly drawn off for purposes
i of irrigation, loses itself in the sandy desert of
|Khiva. The Balkh, rising in the northern slopes
of the Koh-i-Baba, is exhausted in a similar
manner soon after it reaches the town of Balkh,
and before it can effect a junction with the Oxus.
The Cabul river rises in the mountains near the city
of that name, and, passing by Jellalabad, makes its
way through the Khyber Pass into British territory,
falling into the Indus, close to Attock. The Hari
Rood, taking its rise in the north-easterly slopes of
the Siah Koh, traverses the long narrow valley
formed by the Safed Koh, and the Siah Koh runs
close to and south of Herat, a few miles past which
it turns to the north, following for some distance
the boundary of Afghanistan, then, quitting that
country, turns north-west and falls into the Tojend.
The Helmund rises in the south-eastern slopes of
the Koh-i-Baba, near Cabul, and, running in a
south-westerly direction to Girishk, about 100
miles south of that city, makes a sudden turn to
the west, and, after flowing in that direction
another 100 miles, emerges from Afghan territory.
There are other rivers besides those we have named,
but they are of no great importance. As a whole,
it may be said that Afghanistan is well watered,
and that in consequence the valleys are fertile.
Unfortunately we are able to give but scant details
of even the principal rivers. The Murghab is de
scribed as a clear and rapid mountain stream. Of the
Balkh river we can say little. Of the Cabul River
we know that from Tezeen the body of General
| Elphinstone was, at the end of April, sent down on
a raft to Jellalabad. We also know that in the same
month the Cabul river was forded by cavalry with
great difficulty opposite Lalpoora, at the Afghan
end of the Khyber Pass. It is probable, therefore,
that the river throughout the greater part of the
course from Cabul to the Indus is navigable for
' small boats even in the spring. According to
Captain Marsh, who travelled from Meshed to
Herat about five years ago in the month of April,
the Hari Rood, where he crossed it at the Afghan
frontier, had very little water in it, being ex
hausted by the irrigating canals higher up. The
stream itself was only two yards wide and 1ft.
deep, but the bed was more than 1,000 yards broad.
The plain of Herat is watered by canals from the
river, and one of these enters the city. The same
author says that during the winter, which sets in
early and lasts four months, all the streams near
Herat are frozen. Concerning the Helmund
' which would have to be crossed by an army
marching from the Bolan to Herat, Captain
Marsh, who passed it at Girishk in the begin
ning of the month of May, says that at
that season it is 100 yards broad and 3|ft. deep. I
It is then at its lowest, and split up into many !
small streams. At the end of May or beginning
of June, when the river is swollen by the melting of
the snow, its breadth is computed at about a mile.
The left, or south bank, is higher than the right, or
northern bank.
The climate and soil of Afghanistan are very
variable. In the valleys the climate is very hot in
the summer, and fruit and grain are abundant.
There is also a good deal of cultivation on terraces
on the lower slopes of the mountains. Through
out the country, however, and especially in the
north, there are frequent tracts of desert or >■
rough rock-strewn plateaus, where nothing is
cultivated. The valley of Cabul is remarkably
fertile and highly cultivated, at all events near
the city of that name. The climate is, however,
colder than that of Afghanistan generally, but is
very regular. There are three months of the i
winter, three of spring, three of summer, and three
of autumn._ During the winter, which sets in about
the beginning of December, the town is regularly
blockaded by the snow, which completely blocks up
the streets, so that business is at a standstill.
An army advancing from Quettah, at present
our advanced post in Afghanistan, would have to
accomplish a distance of about 600 miles. It would
have to cross the Kotul Mountains, between which - :
and Candahar water is sometimes scarce ; but the '
road crosses three streams. Candahar is an im
portant town in every sense, especially from a
strategical point of view, for through it passes the
bestiine of communication between Cabul and
Herat. It is also the capital of Southern Afghan
istan, and whoever holds the city in force is master
of the whole of that part of the country. The road
for the first 16 miles from Candahar is had, owing to
the numerous unbridged streams and watercourses
which it crosses. The next two days'marches to "•
Gerishk the road passes over a stony desert, in S
which water is scarcely to be procured. Gerishk is
an important point on the road for the Helmund, ;
which in the beginning of May is 100 yards broad
and 3£ft. deep and can only be forded at that town.
It was, when Captain Marsh crossed it, split up into
many small streams. When the river floods at the
beginning of June it is computed to be about a mile
broad. The left or southern is higher than the
right or northern bank. The country in the neigh
bourhood is fertile. The road then crosses a sterile
plain, or rather plateau. The next day's march
water is to be obtained. At Delaram water, forage,
and food are scarce. The road then passes through
a stony valley, but is level and good^ with the
drawback, however, that little water is to be ob
tained. Furrah on the Furrah road or river, is
but a heap of ruins, with little cultivation in the
neighbourhood. The river is dry three-quarters of
the year ; but at the beginning of summer it is
about 200 yards wide. Between Furrah and
Subzemar there are no villages, the country passed
through being a jumble of valleys and hills, with
small plains inhabited by nomads. It is almost
needless to say that provisions are scarce. On
leaving Subzemar the road traverses a valley well
cultivated and cove red b y larg§ flocks and her ds,,
i The road itself Is ^ood. Through the chain of
mountains intervening between Subzemar and
Herat the road is very rough, and between the
mouth of the pass and Herat the country is a per
fect desert of hills and ruins, and water is scarcely
to be obtained. Of Herat we need only say that it
is situated in a valley which is fertile and abound
ing in water and in food for man and beast. Let
us now go back and speak of the road from Canda
har vid Ghuznee to Cabul. It is sufficient to state
that it is about 300 miles long and passes over some
mountainous districts, in which it is extremely
difficult to obtain provisions. The road is quite
practicable, however, and was traversed both by Sir
John Keane and General Nott with very little
opposition.
It may be considered as certain that a column
would enter Afghanistan by the Khyber Pass.
The road is quite practicable for all arms, and
provisions are to be obtained almost everywhere
along the route. Water also is abundant. The
mouth of the pass is about 20 miles from Pesha-
wur. There are two entrances within a short dis
tance of each other ; one, the main entrance, is
called the Shadee Bhagiaree, the other the Jubo- I
gee. The former is the shorter, being only five
presiq sasimojd eg •ain^m'pjoof ^pi.i^g ^ou qSnotf}
'(jUQUTwed iCjeA t? jo uoi ^uonpe uo e^eui pip
-eq 'aeAeAvoq 'ejfjtjinoj oniog Meqjogo^p? uot;«ooa
eiq uojp^siui gtjq aq '^BpjniBg uo perdnooo ^utuod
J iejJC: 7. 4- ••
TEE MILITARY OEOORAPEY OF
AFGHANISTAN.
Even the most recent maps of Afghanistan are,
from the jealousy of foreigners which is a marked
trait in the character of the Afghans, only roughly
accurate. It is, however, possible, by collecting ^
the scattered morsels of information given by
various authorities to supply an approximately
correct idea of the conntry which, before long, may
be entered by a British army. Afghanistan is, on
an average, about 430 miles from east to west, and
; 460 miles long from south to north. On the north
it is bounded by the Oxus till a few miles below
Kilat, and thence the boundary-line dividing
it from Khivan territory runs east and by south to
a point a few miles west of Sarrakhs. On the west
it is bounded by Persia ; on the south by Khelat. I
From its south-easternmost extremity the frontier si
runs in a north-easterly direction along British ter
ritory as far as Swat, On the east it is bounded by
Swat, Caffristan, and Kashgar. A glance at the
map shows that there is a long narrow promontory,
as it were, of Afghan territory, which is bounded *
on the south by Caffristan, on the east by
■Kashgar, and on the north by some minor |
khanates, more or less subject to Kokand and
Bokhara. At one point this promontory is only
200 miles distant from Cashmere. As, however, we ■"
do not anticipate invasion from Afghanistan we
may leave out of consideration the above-mentioned i ,
■ tongue of territory. The main features of Afghan- |
j istan are the mountain chains, the general direction I
of which is east and west, but which throw out but- !|
tresses to the north and south. Afghanistan is 1
traversed across the centre from east to west by
a chain of mountains, which may be viewed as an i
offshoot of the Himalayan system. This chain,
called r the Hindoo-Koosh, or more properly the
Hindoo-Koh, ends in the Koh-i-Baba, a huge 1
mass north-west of and at no great distance from I
the city of Cabul. It is covered with perpetual |
snow, and its loftiest peak is nearly 18,000ft. high. |
Thence run two parallel chains, one called -
the Safed Koh ; the other—the southernmost one
. —the Siah Koh. The northern range terminates
just north of Herat, and the southern range, when
it reaches a point just south of that city, trends -
off to the south-west and by south. These
mountains are of no great height. North of the
Koh-i-Baba and the Safed Koh is a high plateau,
intersected by minor ranges, and called the s
Huzareh district. Running -in a south-west di-
rection from Cabul past Kandahar to Girishk |
is another chain of mountains. Practically, i
almost the whole of Afghanistan is a mass of |
mountains interspersed with valleys, of which ,
some are of considerable size. The main water- ■
sheds of the country are, however, the crests of the I
two chains which run, one from east to west, and
the other diagonally from north-east to south-west.
The chief rivers of Afghanistan are the Murghab,
the Hari Rood, the Balkh, the Cabul, and the
i Helmund. The Murghab, rising near the north
eastern extremity of the Safed Koh, flows to Merv,
a little beyond which the stream, whose waters in j
its course have been greatly drawn off for purposes j
of irrigation, loses itself in the sandy desert of
Khiva. The Balkh, rising in the northern slopes j
of the Koh-i-Baba, is exhausted in a similar
manner soon after it reaches the town of Balkh,
and before it can effect a junction with the Oxus.
The Cabul river rises in the mountains near the city
of that name, and, passing by Jellalabad, makes its ;i
way through the Khyber Pass into British territory, 4
falling into the Indus, close to Attock. The Hari
Rood, taking its rise in the north-easterly slopes of p
the Siah Koh, traverses the long narrow valley
formed by the Safed Koh, and the Siah Koh runs
close to and south of Herat, a few miles past which j
it turns to the north, following for some distance j
the boundary of Afghanistan, then, quitting that j
country, turns north-west and falls into the Tojend.
The Helmund rises in the south-eastern slopes of
the Koh-i-Baba, near Cabul, and, running in a
south-westerly direction to Girishk, about 100
miles south of that city, makes a sudden turn to
the west, and, after flowing in that direction
another 100 miles, emerges from Afghan territory.
There are other rivers besides those we have named,
but they are of no great importance. As a whole,
it may be said that Afghanistan is well watered,
and that in consequence the valleys are fertile. ;
Unfortunately we are able to give but scant details
of even the principal rivers. The Murghab is de
scribed as a clear and rapid mountain stream. Of the
Balkh river we can say little. Of the Cabul River
we know that from Tezeen the body of General
Elphinstone was, at the end of April, sent down on
a raft to Jellalabad. We also know that in the same
month the Cabul river was forded by cavalry with
great difficulty opposite Lalpoora, at the Afghan
end of the Khyber Pass. It is probable, therefore,
that the river throughout the greater part of the
course from Cabul to the Indus is navigable for
small boats even in the spring. According to
Captain Marsh, who travelled from Meshecl to
Herat about five years ago in the month of April,
the Hari Rood, where he crossed it at the Afghan
frontier, had very little water in it, being ex
hausted by the irrigating canals higher up. The
stream itself was only two yards wide and 1ft.
deep, but the bed was more than 1,000 yards broad, j
The plain of Herat is watered by canals from the
river, and one of these enters the city. The same
author says that during the winter, which sets in
early and lasts four months, all the streams near
Herat are frozen. Concerning the Helmund,
' which would have to be crossed by an army
marching from the Bolan to Herat, Captain
Marsh, who passed it at Girishk in the begin
ning of the month of May, says that at:
that season it is 100 yards broad and 3|ft. deep.
It is then at its lowest, and split up into many
small streams. At the end of May or beginning i
of June, when the river is swollen by the melting oi
the snow, its breadth is computed at about a mile.
The left, or south bank, is higher than the right, or
northern bank.
The climate and soil of Afghanistan are very
variable. In the valleys the climate is very hot in
the summer, and fruit and grain are abundant.
There is also a good deal of cultivation on terraces
on the lower slopes of the mountains. Through
out the country, however, and especially in the
north, there are frequent tracts of desert or ►
rough rock-strewn plateaus, where nothing is
cultivated. The valley of Cabul is remarkably
fertile and highly cultivated, at all events near
the city of that name. The climate is, however,
colder than that of Afghanistan generally, but is
very regular. There are three months of the
winte^ three of spring, three of summer, and three
of autumn. During the winter, which sets in about
the beginning of December, the town is regularly
blockaded by the snow, which completely blocks up
the streets, so that business is at a standstill.
An army advancing from Quettah, at present
our advanced post in Afghanistan, would have to
accomplish a distance of about 600 miles. It would
have to cross the Kotul Mountains, between which
and Candahar water is sometimes scarce ; but the
road crosses three streams. Candahar is an im
portant town in every sense, especially from a
strategical point of view, for through it passes the
best"line of communication between Cabul and
Herat. It is also the capital of Southern Afghan
istan, and whoever holds the city in force is master
of the whole of that part of the country. The road
for the first 16 miles from Candahar is bad,owing to
the numerous unbridged streams and watercourses
which it crosses. The next two days' marches to
Gerishk the road passes over a stony desert, in
which water is scarcely to be procured. Gerishk ig
an important point on the road for the Helmund,
which in the beginning of May is 100 yards broad
and 3|ft. deep and can only be forded at that town.
It was, when Captain Marsh crossed it, split up into
many small streams. When the river floods at the
beginning of June it is computed to be about a mile
broad. The left or southern is higher than the
right or northern bank. The country in the neigh
bourhood is fertile. The road then crosses a sterile
plain, or rather plateau. The next day's march
water is to be obtained. At Delarara water, forage,
and food are scarce. The road then passes through
a stony valley, but is level and good ; with the
drawback, however, that little water is to be ob
tained. Furrah on the Furrah road or river, is
but a heap of ruins, with little cultivation in the
neighbourhood. The river is dry three-quarters of
the year ; but at the beginning of summer it is
about 200 yards wide. Between Furrah and
Subzemar there are no villages, the country passed
through being a jumble of valleys and hills, with
small plains inhabited by nomads. It is almost
needless to say that provisions are scarce. On
leaving Subzemar the road traverses a valley well
cultiva te d and covered by largs flygks and herdfii
The road itself ia good. Through the chain of
mountains intervening between Subzemar and
Herat the road is very rough, and between the l
mouth of the pass and Herat the country is a per
fect desert of hills and ruins, and water is scarcely
to be obtained. Of Herat we need only say that it
ia situated in a valley which is fertile and abound
ing in water and in food for man and beast. Let
us now go back and speak of the road from Canda
har vid Ghuznee to Cabul. It is sufficient to state
that it is about 300 miles long and passes over some
mountainous districts, in which it is extremely
difficult to obtain provisions. The road is quite
practicable, however, and was traversed both by Sir
John Keane and General Nott with very little
opposition.
It may be considered as certain that a column
would enter Afghanistan by the Khyber Pass.
The road is quite practicable for all arms, and
provisions are to be obtained almost everywhere
along the route. Water also is abundant. The
mouth of the pass is about 20 miles from Pesha-
wur. There are two entrances within a short dis-
i tance of each other ; one, the main entrance, is ,
i called the Shadee Bhagiaree, the other the Jubo-
gee. The former is the shorter, being only five
! miles from the fort of Ali Musjid; the latter, which .
! joins the main pass near that fort, is twice as long.
From the mouth of the pass by the main road to
its end at Dhaka is about 26 miles. From Dhaka
to Jellalabad is about four marches, or about 40 ,
miles. The Khoord Cabul Pass, where General ^
Elphin«tone 's army was destroyed in 1841, is only m
about ten miles from Cabul, and is the most formid
able physical obstacle to a force marching from
Jellalabad on the capital. There is, however,
another pass a short distance to the south, so the
defenders' attention might easily be distracted.