The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-18 00:00:00

CLANS or APPGWANXSTAN.

It would be difficult to enumerate the variety of clans
into which the Affghan nation is divided ; nor does it
appear necessary, as a list of names would throw no
light on the different tribes. One important distinction
however divides the community into two great classes--
namely, the pastoral tribes, who live in tents; and who
migrate with the season in quest of subsistence for their
flocks and herds ; and those, again, who follow agricul-
ture, and have fixed habitations. The country of Aff-
ghanistan which is near the hills, consists of flat and low-
lying plains, or of strongly-marked ranges of mountains.
Western Affg-hanistan has an entirely opposite character,
consisting of extensive and'open plains, inhabited chiefly
by pastoral tribes. The wandering hordes select the
grassy valleys among the mountains for their summer
habitation ; but the approach of winter warns them to
pin quest of more genial regions ; and they accord-
ingly migrate, some to the lower valleys at the foot of
the Paropamisan mountains, some to the low countries in
the south, and others of the'rnore purely pastoral tribes,
wandering from the mountain-valleys of Khorassan,
along the course of the Gomul, and across the Soliman
hills, fix their winter habitations in the plains of
Damattn, along the western .shores of the Indus.
THE DOonAtncEES.—The Dooraunees, who occupy a
tract in the plain of • Khorassan, 400 miles in length by
about 148 in breadth, form one of the greatest pastoral
tribes. It consists of many subordinate tribes, all of
whom are more or less addicted to the wandering life ;
though a considerable proportion combine agriculture
with pasturage, and have fixed residences. The pastoral
part of the Dooraunee people are mostly to be found in
the eastern hilly tracts near the frontiers of Persia,
between Herat and Seestan, and in the waste-lands to
the south.

TRIBES IN THE VICINITY OF CANDAHAR.—TO the
south-east of Candahar the inhabitants are shepherds ;
in other parts of the country the husbandman and shep-
herds are intermixed. North of Candahar, the mi-
grating tribes seek the plains in winter, and die hills in
summer. Those to the south retire from the summer •
heat to the northern hills. The numerous tribes still
farther south beyond the Helmand, also quit the plains,
which are thus left without a single inhabitant before
the middle of spring.
Tue NAUSSERS.—These people, in especial, with some
others, are purely pastoral in their habits,•living in tents,
having no fixed dwelling-place, and regularly wandering
with the change of season from their winter to their sum-
mer habitation. At the appointed time they assemble and
march in a body, amounting to 30,000 people, with their
numerous flocks and camels, and their whole possessions,
and are encamped in about 200 tents. These shepherds
are all plunderers,' and no single travellers, if they are
rich, are safe in. any part of the country. They are
fierce and warlike in their actions, and enterprising in
their habits. Their camps usually consist of from 10
to 50 tents : 100 is an unusually large number ; their
tent is generally formed of coarse black camlet, imper-
, vious to rain.