The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-04-26
KaboOl and AHghanistan.

on the eastern side oil q range of two united hills
describing generally the figure of a semicircle
The fortification, which is Of a simple %construc
ton, with scarcely a ditch, and the houses built Of
rough stones, clay and unburned bricks, exhibit
mean appearance, and are i'll suited 10 the gran
deur in the capital of a great empire. But the IN.
ghans are a rude uulettered people, and their chief
have little propensity to the rsfnements OF life,
which indeed their country is Unqualified to
crafty.
The districts of Kabul abound in excellent pro.
visions, and its market is arranged in a neater
manner and more like that OF an European town,
than any in Asia. The fruits are of a good kind
and in great plenty, as apples. pears, peaches.
pomegranates and a variety of grapes.
This quarter of Afganistan, possessing but few
Indian productions, receive sugars and cotton
cloths, chiefly from Peshour, whittier it sends
iron, leather and to bacco. To Kandahar it exports
iron, leather and lamp oil, whence there trims are
made in sundry manufactures Of Persia and Europe,
with a large supply of melons Of an excellent sort.
The Tartars Of Bochara, bring to Kabul the horses
those in Europe, called Bulgar, the amount Of
which is applied 10 the purchase Of indigo, and
other commodities of India.
The adjacent parts Of Usbeck Tartary Of which
Balk is the capital, hold a species OF dependency
on Timur Shah and maintain a common intercourse
with kabul. The fenvirons u kabal are chiefly
occupied by garden grounds. and watered by nu.
merous streams tho largest running through the
city, over which is a small bridge, affords a plenti-
ful supply Of salubrioas wafer.
kabul II as has been before noticed, stands ~neartthe
foot oftwo conjoined hills, whose length has mt Early
an east and west direction. Towards the base OF
the eastern stands, on a flat projection, q fortified
palace, which was formerly the habi!ation of the
governors of the city but it was converted by
Timur Shah into a state prison, where The brothers
ofthis prince and other branches OF his family were
kept In confinement. Above this building is seen
q small tower on a peak, whence the ground rises
to a considerable height, and is united by a neck OF
lower land to the other hill. From the peak, a
stone wall extends over the submits Of the two
hills. and ia Terminated at the bottOur nj the west.
ernmost by an ordinary redoubt.
The Anghans are the indigenous possessors of
tract of country, which stretches from the noun
tains of Tartary to certain parts Of the gulf of Cam.
bay and Persia; and from the Indus to The confines
Of Persia. The inhabitants OF this wide domain,
have no written character and speak a language
peculiar to themselves. They are a robust, hardy
race Of men, and being generally addicted too state
Of predatory warfare, their manners largely par.
take Of . bArbarous insolence, and they avow a
fixed contempt for the occupations of civil lie.
Though in some Of our histories of Asia, the Ea-
tives of AfshanistaR are denominated Tartars,
they bear no resemblance to those people, either in
their persons, manners, or language.
Certain territories of Affghanistan, were conquer
ed in the ninth century BY the khans Of Bocnara,
of the Samani rsce, and annexed to the Tartar
principally Of Khorasan, from whence q subordi.
nate chief was deputed to govern at Guizni. But
it does not appear that the northern quarter Of the
country was snbdued until the reign OF MahmOud,
the second prince of the Gixnavi dynasty. who
completed the conquest Of Afghanistsn. No sub.
s~tanIial tradition Of the Affghans or the state Of
their country is found on record, until the year Of
the Christian era, 997, when Sabuctagi, a Tartar
officer, in the service of the chief Of KhOrasan, who
was subject at that period to Munsur at Samani,
the great khan Of Bochara, having at his masters
death, succeeded TO the territory, renowned the
Tartar vassalage, and extending his cenquests to
Adybanistan, made GhiZni the capital OF his
empire.
The Ghiznavi dominion, which involved a large
portion of Persia and Hinde:tan, acquired chiefly
hv The oroc nf Mohunond the ann of SQhnCtaSl
fourished for the space Of two hundred and seven
| years, when it was wrested from Kusro, the last OF
the race Of Sabuctasi. by the afghan Mshomed
Ghsri. This prince bequeathed to Eldoze, a fa-
vorite slave, his possessions west Of the lndus,
which were quickly overrun by a Pers an prince
Of Kharism, whose successor Tilla-ud Dem, was
compelled to fly before the victorious sword of
Zinzis.
From the period of that revolution, till the inva-
SIGN of TImur Beg, the history Of the A~Ashans is
immersed in general obscnrity and little satisfac-
municated TO US. except by Ferishta, who says that
in the ear 1851, Mahmoud, a Patan, king Of Delhi,
drove the Moghul Tartars from Ghizai, aid an
nexed il to the empire Of Hindostan 1t is probable,
that it continued subject to the dominion Of Delhi,
until the expedition Of TimHr's into India, when
the northern quarter of Afighanistan became a
Tartar province.
AS the great empire Of Tartary fell into rapid
decay on the death of Timur, and no relation being
given of the subsequent existence OF a Tartar go
vsrnment in Affyhanistan, W. may infer that IT was
raled by its national chiefs until the year 1906, at
which period, Baber' pre- yionsiy to his conquest OF
casionally with Kandahar, were held by his poste-
rity for the space of two hundred and thirty one
years, when Nadir Shah annexed them to the do
mic ion si Persia.
In arranging those heads Of afghan history, it
may not be superluous 10 note, that Mahmoud
Ghori, bequeathed his territory east OF the Indus
to a slave, whom he had adopted, named Kultub
vi Dein, the first afghan or Patan king OF Delhi,
from whom n successiOn of DrInCea OF the anne ma
ton, continued to reign for near three hundred
years, and ended in Ibraham, ofthe house Of Lodi;
who was slain ia battle by Baber. For the want
indeed OF any native record, and the superficial
manner in which the subject has been treated by
foreign writers, little substantial matter can now
exist for the construction Of the history of the
AdghaRs.
The Affghans received the religion of Mahcmet
from their Tartar conquerors, and like them pro-
fessingthe Sooni creed, are avowed enemies to the
Schias, or the Sectaries OF Ali. Though many OF
the tribes must have been converted at the period
OF the Ghizni dynasty, it is seen that Timur en-
countered a fierce body Of this nation, when he
denominated infidels. At this day, the Afghans
are esteemed the least correct OF the Mahometans
in religious observances; and few Of them are con-
versant in foreign letters. Their common dress
consists of a shirt, which falls over the upper part
Of long and narrow trousers a woollen vest, fitted
closely to the body, and reaching to the mid. leg,
and a high turned up cap, OF broad cloth or cotton,
usually Of one color. and Of comic form, with two
small parallel Sits in the upper edge OF its lacing.
Bread Of wheat and harley, milk, butter and cheese,
compose the common diet Of the Afshans; they
also, in the winter season and on a journey, make
frequent use Of a food called croat, which is curdled
milk formed into small balls, hardened either by
the heat Of the sun or fire; this, when dissolved in
warm water and mixed with bread, becomes
equally savory and nourishing. Their butter and
cheese, are invariably made Of the milk OF sheep,
whish in this county, is said to be better adapted
to the purpose than that Of kline.
The customs Of the AAghans seem in all the
greater lines, similar TO those Of other Mahometan
nations; with that difference which necessarily
arises from climate, and from the disposition OF a
rude and polite people. Their women are con-
cealed, though not in a very rigid manner; nor are
they so much devoted to the pleasures Of the haram,
as the Indians, PersIans, or Turks. They avew
an adherence OF that unnatural passion to which
many Of the Mahometan sects are addicted; and
the perpetrators are punished with severity.
Baltimore;