Water-supply
Diet.
194
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Physical
geography.
Crops.
Fruit.
Fodder.
Water.
Quetta.
Cantonments.
Meteorology
and climate.
Rain.
Winter.
Lines and
banacks.
Drainage.
Conservancy.
the opposite direction the valley by another contracted piece slopes to the north-west into the
Peshin valley, and in this direction lies the route to Candahar and Cabul. The Shawl valley
possesses a rich, though tenacious and clayey, soil, with a substratum of kunkur; and there
being numerous springs throughout the greater portion of its extent, large crops of corn are
easily produced, and around the numerous villages flourish large gardens of fruit trees requir
ing but little attention, and yielding abundance of apricots, grapes, figs, plums, apples and
melons, and several other fruits, but to a less extent. Other than in these gardens, but few trees,
principally mulberry, grow in the valley. Lucerne grass (ushpusht) is extensively cultivated,
grass existing in but small quantities, and only in the water-courses or on almost swampy ground,
and in the winter it is unprocurable; cattle and horses having to be fed on bhnsa. Most of the
springs of the. valley are superficial, but in several cases water is procured and conducted to its
destination by a series of wells situated some 15 to 30 yards apart connected by tunnels, along
Which the water flows, the wells decreasing in depth as they get on lower ground, till eventually
water is brought into shallow channels for purposes of irrigation, &c. Quetta itself, situated
in latitude 30°12' north and longitude 66°55' east, and at an elevation of 5,768 feet, is the
principal town of the valley, and is surrounded by a mud wall, about 25 feet high and 1,500
yards in length, pierced with two gateways, the city itself being about 500 yards long by
250 broad. Within the enclosure is the miri (keep) on an artificial mound, about 80 feet high,
with a command of the whole of the surrounding country. All the houses of the city are
built of mud, and are in a very dilapidated state. The streets are narrow and filthy, and after
heavy rain are ankle-deep in mud, no attempt ever being made to drain, clean, or repair them.
The cantonments, commenced during the summer, are situated about three-quarters of a mile to
the east of the city, on not very high ground, which previously had been under cultivation, but
which, when the lines are completed and the ground well drained, may prove a fairly dry position.
About two miles to the north of the city, on high uncultivated gravelly soil, the remains of
walls of huts built in formation, and the quantity of pieces of black bottles, indicate the site of
the encampment of the army of 1839.
IV.
Meteorology and climate.— The battery possesses no meteorological instruments. In
May and June the climate was everything that could be desired, but after that in the midday
the sun became very powerful, the maximum temperature for about two months in tents
varying between 90° and 100°, and in houses, such as were built, between76° and 84°; though the
nights throughout the summer remained cool. With the exception of two or three insignifi-
cant showers, no rain fell during the whole of the summer, and in consequence dust filled the air
whenever there was any little breeze, and small whirlwinds were always to be seen in the valley
raising columns of dust. October, too, was a dry month. The sun continued to be very powerful,
but the nights were cold, and most of the men being in tents, they were thus exposed to great
extremes of temperature. Heavy rain first fell in the beginning of November, and continued
to fall more or less abundantly almost every day for a fortnight. During this time snow was
first seen on the neighbouring hills, and since then it has never disappeared. This all ushered
in the winter rather suddenly. The last two months of the year were composed of alternate
periods, each of a few days, of wet (rain or snow) and dry weather. The heaviest fall of snow
was about 1½ inches, which remained on the ground for two days. The cold at night during
the last half of December was very great, and 18 inches of frost have since been registered. All
collections of water receive a thick covering of ice nightly, but, in all places exposed to the sun,
only to disappear during the day. In one or two limited spaces with some shade skating has
been obtained, and were a spot guarded from the sun, and so prepared that the water would not
soak away, ice many inches thick would be formed in a few nights. The cold occasionally is
accompanied by a cutting north-west wind, which renders it extremely trying, and has in some
cases proved fatal.
V. Lines and barracks.—While at Abbottabad the battery occupied the same barracks as
they did last year. At Quetta most of the men have lived in tents; the others in small huts. It
was anticipated that the lines would be completed by the middle of November; but as no indivi-
dual efforts were made by the different corps to hut themselves, the rains, setting in before the lines
were completed, did great injury to the mud walls, &c., so that the work had to be suspended for
the winter; then each corps commenced butting themselves. Sheds built by the men for cook-
ing purposes were improved, and many of them rendered habitable. Large huts, too, were built,
but frequent rain and nightly frost rendered it impossible to give them good roofs, where the
only procurable material for the purpose was mud.
Drainage.—Natural and good, but owing to the clayey nature of the soil, rain readily
soaks in and makes locomotion very difficult.
VII.
Conseruancy.—Formerly all men retired into the fields about 700 or 800 yards from
the camp, but latterly trenches have been dug nearer camp and screened by mats; the
vicinity of the cantonment is far from clean.
VIII. Water-supply.— From springs, the water of which is clear, odourless and colourless,
also agreeable to the taste. From the nature of the hills and soil, it probably contains lime in
a rather large quantity
IX.
Diet.—Much the same as in the plains. In the summer atta was fairly cheap, and
meat at a reasonable price was consumed by the men; vegetables at that period were
scarce, and during the winter have been unprocurable. With the cold, dearness of provisions
increased, but the men, being in receipt of Rs. 3-8 per month from Government for free diet,
can afford themselves a liberal scale.