APPENDIX D.

EXTRACT FROM LIEUTENANT MACARTNEY'S MEMOIR.

AM well aware of my inability to perform a task of the present kind, but

at the particular wish of Mr. Elphinstone, I have attempted it, though I much fear it will be found very imperfect; and from the short stay of the embassy at Peshour, and my time being chiefly employed in obtaining routes and protracting them on the spot, the general accounts of countries are not so full as I could have wished.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE MAP.

In the construction of the map, particular attention was paid to obtain the correct distance of some grand points, from which more distant ones were afterwards to be settled; this was done by various routes set off from points fixed by observation in the route of the Cabul embassy, and the space contained within these great angles has been filled up as much as possible by cross routes, which gives the great bends of the road, and of course the position of these points more correct than by setting off the gross distance.

The windings of the road cannot be laid down with any degree of certainty from the direction given by the natives; I have therefore attended chiefly to cross routes forming great angles, to obtain the true bearings of the roads.

The first grand point I thought necessary to fix was Bukhur, situated on an island formed by the river Indus, in latitude 27° 30' north, and longitude 69° 20' east. The points from which I fixed the position of this were Beekaneer, Buhawulpoor, and Mooltan. This was done by taking the mean of several routes from each of these places. The distances were set off in coss, which I found to be a mile and a half each, by the run of the perambulator from Bee Kaneer to Mooltan. The distance of Buhawulpoor from Mooltan

is said to be forty coss, and the perambulator makes it sixty-one miles. I have, therefore, allowed one mile four furlongs to each coss in the routes from these places to Bukhur, and deducted one in ten for winding, agreeable to the nature of the country.

The second grand point I fixed was Cabul; I have good reasons for placing this a very little north of Peshour, first from the bearings with the theodolite from Peshour of Suffaid Koh, which is situated three coss, or four miles and a half, south of Nimla, on the high road from Peshour to Cabul, and more than half way; it appears that this village cannot be to the north of Peshour, Suffaid Koh bearing from south-west 86° to 88° 30'. This throws Nimla about due west of Peshour; thus far I think there can be no doubt regarding the direction of the road, and for the remainder I have three routes from Khugulwala, two from Dera Ismaeel Khan, two from Kohat, and many from Peshour, all of which meet at Cabul and form great angles: all these points from which routes, were taken being fixed by observation, together with the bearings of Suffaid Koh, there can be no doubt but Cabul is near the truth.

I have allowed one mile six furlongs to each coss from all these places, except Peshour, where they are found to be one mile four furlongs, or King's coss; but from Dera to Kohat I found the coss in general one mile six furlongs, and sometimes a little more. This last excess I have allowed for winding, and have set off the full distance of one mile and six furlongs, though the country is hilly; and notwithstanding this, it only throws Cabul four miles north of Peshour; had I deducted more for winding, it would have brought Cabul still further south. In the printed maps, Cabul is put northwest of Peshour, but it is evident the mistake has arisen in placing Peshour above a degree too far to the southward. Its latitude is 34° 9' 30". The coss from Peshour to Cabul is one mile four furlongs, being King's coss. The distance from Peshour to Attock, in King's coss, is thirty, and by the perambulator it was forty-five miles one furlong. From this I have calculated the distance from Peshour to Cabul, and have allowed one in eight for winding, in consequence of the road being through a very hilly country all the way. These are my chief reasons for placing Cabul as I have; and supposing it to be correct, I take it as a point from which I mean to settle the position of Kandahar.

The third point is Kandahar. This I have fixed from the following routes; four from Bukhur, which I have fixed, and take for granted is right; two from Dera Ghazee Khan, which I fixed by cross routes from Buhawulpoor,

Mooltan, and Ooch; the distances being short and the angles great, it must be nearly right; one due west from Dera Ismaeel Khan by the Gholeree pass, leaving Ghiznee to the right; six from Cabul, and two from the sea from Koracheebundre via Killate Nusseer Khan, through Bulochistan.

The distance from Cabul to Kandahar is set off at a mile and a half to each coss, being the King's road, and the coss has been found a mile and a half each. The others I have calculated by the rate of marching, not knowing the exact length of the coss in these countries; and having calculated the rate of marching through various kinds of country, I consider it a more correct mode where the length of the coss is not known, than any other: I have found camels march at the following rates, two miles and a half per hour for twelve and thirteen hours over the sandy desart; they beat the elephants: we had one hour's halt, in fifteen and sixteen miles; they march at the rate of two miles five furlongs per hour over sandy desarts; and when the road was hard, and even they have gone two miles seven furlongs, and for eight or ten miles, three miles per hour, loaded. From these observations I have calculated the march of caravans, allowing for halts and the nature of the country. The sea-coast I have taken from a printed map, supposing it to be correct. This I conceived to be necessary in fixing some distant points, for it could not be supposed that I could lay down the windings of the coast from information.

The fourth grand point is Bulkh, the position of which is well calculated for fixing the following points, viz. Herat, Bokhara, and Budukshaun. Bulkh is situated two marches from the left bank of the Ammoo or Oxus, on the great road from Peshour, Cabul, and Kandahar, to Bokhara. I have a great many excellent routes to it from the above places, and the most of them agree; those which I had reason to suppose incorrect, I rejected, but from having so many which agree in the places and distances, and the points forming great angles, besides numerous cross routes to correct the distance in the great curves of the road, I feel great confidence in placing Bulkh as I

have.

I shall take this as a point from which I mean to settle the position of Herat. Kandahar shall be the second point. From the great distance of Herat, and from the Huzara country, which is generally avoided by travellers, being on the direct road from Cabul to it, the road takes a great curve, and I have found more difficulty in placing it than any of the points hitherto laid down. The routes, however, of Zemaun Shah and Mahmood Shah from Herat to Cabul, through the Huzarah country in a direct line (the former having performed it

in eleven and the latter in thirteen days), have been of great service, with the routes from Kandahar and Bulkh, in fixing its position. Had it not been for these routes, I should have placed Herat much further west, and given a less curve to the road from Kandahar. I have allowed a distance of four hundred and eighteen miles from Herat to Cabul in a direct line, which I conceive to be a full allowance; this gives, in a direct line, thirty-eight miles a day, which Zemaun Shah must have marched; and the country being excessively mountainous all the way, I cannot allow less than one in seven for winding, which gives a distance of forty-four miles he must have marched each day; this distance for a body of horse and mules, for eleven days together, I think is fully sufficient. It appears from the routes from Kandahar to Herat that the road has a very great bend. There are three roads, one by Furrah, which is west of Kandahar and south of Herat. The second by Dilaram and Gurranee, which is the centre road, and has also a considerable curve. The third is called the Sirhud road, and is the most direct one, but it passes through a hilly country of the Tymunees and other Ymaks, and is seldom travelled. All the distances given in these routes make it necessary to give a great curve to the road in order that the full distance may be given, and that Herat may be by this means brought to a reasonable distance in a direct line from Cabul, for there can be no doubt of Zemaun Shah and Mahmood Shah's having performed these marches, it having been heard from so many quarters, and all agreeing within a day. In the routes from Kandahar to Herat, via Furrah, it appears that the sun rose towards the traveller's back and set in front as far as Turcah; and from that it rose to his right and set to the left. The same appears in the routes by Gurranee, and the distance given from Cabul and Bulkh agreeing to this curve, I think Herat is near the truth. Had I not placed Furrah at the angle, the following routes would have thrown out Musheed south-west instead of north-west of Herat; the routes from Furrah to Ghain and Toon, from Ghain to Musheed, from Ghain to Deh Reza, from Deh Reza to Jellalabad and Kandahar, and from Mushud to Herat. The road also from the sea-coast from Chooabar to Herat passes through Furrah. There can be little doubt of Chooabar being south of Herat, and as the road leads by Furrah, it is another proof that Furrah is nearly south of Herat, and consequently the road has a great curve. Had I thrown Herat further north, and given a less curve to the road in order to bring it nearer Cabul, it would have brought it too near Bokhara and Bulkh, which are fixed from other points. I feel perfectly satisfied, from these and many other circumstances, that I ave got Herat correct. I shall now take

II

it as a point from which I mean to fix the position of Bokhara, as it forms a great angle with that and Bulkh. The country, however, between Herat and Bokhara being for the most part a desart, and seldom travelled, excepting by Cafilas, I have only two routes, which, however, agree; and from the very great angle it forms with Bulkh, I have every reason to suppose it correct. The routes also from Bokhara to Kokun and round by Budukshan, also assist in correcting its position. The routes from Bulkh are numerous, and most of them agree. From Bokhara and Bulkh I have settled the position of Samarcand. The position of Kokun I have fixed from Bokhara, Bulkh, and Budukshan, which form great angles; and having many cross routes within these great angles, I feel great confidence in placing it as it is. Fyzabad is another grand point of great consequence in the construction of the map, and should have been mentioned before Kokun, as it is a point from which I have fixed Kokun. I have been enabled from the following routes to fix this point with great exactness, viz. Bulkh, Cabul, and Peshour, besides numerous cross routes to correct the windings. Fyzabad is the capital of Budukshan. It is situated on the Kokcha river, latitude 36° 10', and longitude 69° 16' east, I must now fix the position of Cashmeer, which I have been enabled to do with the greatest correctness by the following routes, all of which agree, viz. Peshour, Fyzabad, Jelum, and Rotas (of which I have the bearings), Vizeerabad, and Loodeanna, which places are fixed by observation. From this point, Fyzabad and Huzrutimam, I have placed Kashghur and Yarkund. These routes form very great angles, and I have every reason to suppose these places are placed correctly. This great angle has been less filled up with cross routes than any of the others hitherto mentioned; but this is accounted for by the greater part of the country being desolate. The whole of the Punjab I conceive to be nearly as correct as if it had been surveyed, for having marched all round it and crossed the places from so many points fixed by observations in our march, I think there can be but very little error in their positions. Keech I have fixed by routes from Kandahar, Shikar poor, or Bukhur Jellalabad in Seestan, and along the sea-coast from Hyderabad.

From this point and three others I have fixed the position of Khubees, viz. Deh Soollum a hundred and sixty-eight miles, from Kykul two hundred and fifty, and from Toon three hundred and fifteen: from Keech it is ten days. journey for a Coffella at twelve hours a day, with camels: all these roads are across the great salt desart. The distance being so great, and scarcely a place occurring on the way, I did not think it worth adding another sheet