William Griffith

“ What a shame it is that botanists should know nothing whatever of the formation and structure of wood! They look at a section of a piece of oak, and imagine they have discovered the secret, and write volumes on this imagination, yet they have been told over and over again, that nothing is to be learnt on such subjects without beginning at the commencement, which they are too idle to do. ”

“ The fields are separated by rows of poplars, willows, and Elæagnus; scenery pretty from abundance of trees with rice fields interspersed among woods; the umbrageous banks of the rocky river of Cabul, are quite of unusual beauty for Afghanistan: extensive fields of cultivation lie in this direction, as well as across the valley in the direction of Cabul, consisting of rice in great quantities, mixed with much of a Panicum stagninum, lucerne, carrots, peas, quantities of safflower, which appears to me to be of a different species, wheat and barley both cut, the rice is just in flower. ”

“ To-day the kafirs came in with plants of a decided Himalayan nature, a beautiful Iris, the flowers of which are of a deep indigo-blue, a Viburnum, Euonymus, Valeriana, Juniperus, Spiræacea, Adiantum, Asplenium, Pteris, etc.
How strangely intelligent all hill people are, and how they are urged by an insatiable love of money. I never expected any thing to be brought in, judging of the kafirs as I have learnt to do of Affghans and Indians, and here they have in one day, without even a lesson, brought in excellent specimens, including mosses, etc. ”

“ February 28th.—This valley is certainly the prettiest place we have yet seen, the left bank is particularly level, but neither are of much breadth, the hills adjacent present rounded grassy patches, interspersed with beautiful groves of pines. The level space, as well as the more favourable sites on the slopes of the hills, are occupied by wheat cultivation, which is carried on in a more workman-like manner, than any of the previous cultivation I have hitherto seen. ”

“ Thus Greville and Arnott, angrily ask, what do persons mean by saying that mosses have pistilla, etc.? they protest against such community of application in the use of terms. Many more deny sexuality because it has not been proved. Considering the invisible nature of the fluid of the anthers of mosses, etc. how do they expect that we are to demonstrate its application to the pistil, and the subsequent steps? As well might they doubt the necessity of the application of the boyau to an ovule, (or the existence of the boyau itself,) because the derivation of the embryo cannot be proved. ”

“ How can I reconcile my own splendid opportunities with those of more deserving naturalists in other branches? and I would willingly share them on the principle of common fairness with others, who I know would turn them to a better account. Oreinus takes the worm greedily; in the Helmund, 11,000 feet above the sea, it is abundant. It is the same species I think as that in the Cabul river; but in the Cabul river, Barbus is the predominant fish: in the Helmund it is the reverse. How can one account for the small elevation at which fish are found in the Himalayan? ”

“ The Kooner Dhurrah, or valley, is a very fine one, it is a good instance of the peculiar kind of slope or talus, so common in this country. The soil in such places being so stony as to be useless for cultivation. Low parts entering into the valley become useful for wheat, that is, if rain falls early, these Dhurrahs are formed or filled by debris from the surrounding hills, carried down by torrents, which are constantly changing their beds, the outline of the edge is circular, such as that of a sand bank at the mouth of a river, the finer particles being of course carried furthest down. ”

“ My moving about without a guard was imprudent, and I now return to Jallalabad to get one, or if not successful to wait there until the spring and its floral excitements call me out: what I dislike is danger without any recompense, not a flower is to be had; with excitement it is nothing. I have now had two escapes, one from the buffalo in Assam, and this, which is a greater one, because had not the army been delayed by accident at the ford, it would have been eight or ten miles in advance, and consequently there would have been no rear-guard at hand. ”

“ The road to the rock is very circuitous; it finally ceases, and for an hour one traverses ridges on which no path exists, having the usual vegetation. The rock is certainly a vast mass, forming a precipice of 700 feet to the westward, on which side it is nearly bare of vegetation, gradually shelving to the east, and covered with tree-jungle, among which huge mosses are to be found. At its foot some fine fir trees occur, one at its very base measured nine feet in circumference, but had no great height. The forest consists of Oaks, Pines, Panax, Erythrina Eurya, Gordonia. ”

“ As an anther producing a single grain of pollen is not inconsistent with our notions of structure, so neither is an anther consisting of a single grain of pollen.
Will any one show me an instance of a proved gemma taking upon itself the form of one of these anthers? Will any show an instance of a sac containing fluid matter capable of growth after dehiscence. The real gemmæ of the Hepaticæ puts the question of gemmæ out of doubt. Is there any plant existing with two sorts of gemmæ, so differently constituted? Many phænogams have gemma in addition to sexes, so have Hepaticæ. ”

“ The country is open, but very uninteresting; the boundary hills are scarcely discernible owing to haze: the road is good, and a few small hills occur here and there. Vegetation is comparatively scanty; Astragalus novus, common; the chief plants, however, is another Artemisia of much more medicated qualities than those previously met with, that is, less fragrant, Peganum common. Water is plentiful enough, but fodder is scarce, and scarcely any Joussa occurs; but a good deal of cultivation was passed, consisting of madder, barley, and wheat. ”

“ It is a very domestic bird, and fond of notice, its voice on such occasions is pleasing, on some others very harsh and hawk or eagle-like. Its manners are curious, depressing its tail, and arching its neck, and pecking at imaginary objects in a curious way. ”

“ The most curious tree is one which with the true appearance of an Elæagnus, seems to be a Loranthus, the first arborescent species yet found, although, as one or two other exceptions occur to parasitism, there is no reason why there should not be a terrestrial arborescent species, as well as a fruticose one. The wood to the east of the bungalow, which clothes a deep and steep ravine, has a very rich flora; a dryish ridge on the other side of its torrent abounds with Orchideæ, and presents an arborescent Gaultheria. ”

“ The mountains are very barren, much varied in the sculpture of their outlines, and are by no means so rugged as those of limestone in the Turnuk valley. The lofty one which presents the appearance of a wall near its ridge, and of snow, alluded to during the march hither on the 18th ultimo, is still visible. Considerable as is the cultivation, it bears a very small proportion to the great extent of waste, and probably untillable land, untillable from the extreme thinness of the soil and its superabundant stones. Cratœgus occurred near Mahmoud’s tomb, also Centaurea cyanea. ”

“ Every day indecent sights occur in the river, owing to the women bathing without clothes, and either with or near the men. They appear to be indifferent to the concealment of their person, breasts, and hoc genus omne, being freely exposed. They swim very well, and in a curious way. They make their escape by squatting down in the water, unfolding their cloth, and springing up behind it. As for the men, they appear to take a pride in exposing every part of their bodies. No gazers-on occur among these people, such not being the fashion. ”

“ All the Mishmees have the idea, that on some hills at least rain is caused by striking trees of a certain size with large stones, some hills are again free from this charm; it was ridiculous to hear them call out not to throw stones whenever we approached one of these rainy hills. The people appear to get dirtier the farther we advance. I saw plenty of snow on two high peaks, and had a peep of the Lohit beyond Brahma Koond. Wallichia continues, as well as Bambusa, Saccharum Megala. The kheties are either of rice or Cynosurus or Zea. Tobacco is not cultivated, but left to take care of itself. ”

“ The features of the country are in a striking degree similar to those of Upper Assam, that is, it presents a plain surface intersected frequently by belts of jungle, the parts at the base of the boundary hills being exclusively occupied by heavy jungle. The general elevation of the plain above the sea may be estimated at about 1000 feet, so that it is several hundred feet above the level of Sadiya. But although this is the case, the valley of Hookhoom undergoes the same changes during the rainy season as Assam, the greater part being during that period under water. ”

“ The road decent, traversing several watercuts, one or two ravines, and a small stream, indeed water becomes more abundant to-day than in almost any other march: our direction lay the same as before, but as we approached the low hills, separating us from Ghuznee plain, we proceeded more east in order to turn them. The features of the country are the same, together with the vegetation, the only novelty being a genuine Statice and a Cruciferous plant, which I observed at Mookhloor, and a Composita, Echinops spinis radiantibus continued. ”

“ The country is disturbed, and one can only stir out in the valley itself close to camp, which is the more tantalizing as the mountains are accessible, and covered with forest. Our halt here should put us in possession of much information respecting these forests. As it is, I shall leave probably as wise as I came, except in having ascertained that the change from the well-wooded Himalaya mountains to those of the Hindoo-koosh, without even a shrub five feet high, takes place to the east of this. My employment is surveying and collecting data for ascertaining the heights of the hills around. ”

“ Gardens are very common to the south-west of the town. The valley of the Arghandab is the most fertile part of Khorassan I have yet seen. A strip of cultivation extends along the banks of the river, and from these last not being high, the stream is easily diverted into channels for irrigation. Seen from any of the neighbouring hills, the valley presents one uniform belt of verdure, almost as far as the eye can reach, and the view up and down is of some extent. The chief cultivation is wheat, barley, and lucerne ”

“ The men always go armed with knives, Lama swords, or Singpho dhaos and lances; and most of them carry cross-bows—the arrows for these are short, made of bamboo, and on all serious occasions are invariably poisoned with bee. When on fighting expeditions, they use shields, made of leather, which are covered towards the centre with the quills of the porcupine. Their lances are made use of only for thrusting: the shafts are made either from the wood of the lawn (Caryota urens) or that of another species of palm juice—they are tipped with an iron spike, and are of great use in the ascent of hills. ”

“ The ascent is uninterrupted up to the village; it winds through a fine fir wood, after diverging from the road to Panga, after that it is quite open, scarcely a shrub being met with until the ridge is surmounted. On turning to its northern face, woody vegetation becomes pretty abundant, and 500 feet below, woods occur. This is contrary to what usually happens; the south faces of mountains being supposed to be better wooded than the others, but in Bootan the difference would seem to be due to the piercing winds blowing from south, or up the ravine of the Teemboo. ”

“ The difference of soil between the Minaboom and the Mishmee hills is most obvious; on the N.E. declivity there is much soil; but on the opposite side little but rounded stones which supply the place of soil, and in places we saw nothing but sandstone conglomerate? or indurated soil with many boulders imbedded in it, and a blackish greasy clay slate; while on the Mishmees, on the contrary, all is rock, hard and harsh to the touch; or where loose stones do occur on the face of the hills, they are all angular. The vegetation of sandstone is likewise far more varied ”

“ The great drawbacks are the want of wood, and above all want of inhabitants; from what I have seen of the cultivation, the soil appears to be very capable, and well adapted to barley and wheat; rice might also be raised as a summer crop. With regard to water, if there is a scarcity of this element, it is due to the indolence of the people. I have not yet seen any vestiges of buildings, topes, etc. ”

“ The valley is the prettiest we have seen, the hills to the west and north being lofty and picturesque; one to the latter direction presenting an appearance exactly like that of snow on its ridge, quite white, but not changing even at noon, nor occupying such places, as it would do if it were snow. ”

“ To name an abominable Aster, is among them of much higher importance than to discover the cause of the growth of wood. Medullary rays are most difficult, because they are very often deficient particularly in climbers. I am horridly idle, and yet what can I do without books; yet with regard to books, the more originality we possess, the less we require them? There is nothing to be got here except a few marsh plants coming into flower. One beautiful Chara, which might disclose the secret, had I good glasses, it is a most graceful pellucid form, an undescribed duckweed, a floating Marchantiaceæ. ”

“ Crossing the bed which is low and well cultivated, chiefly with rice, we ascended perhaps 100 feet, and encamped on undulating shingly ground; we then passed much cultivation on the road: villages are plentiful, and often placed in very narrow gorges unusually picturesque for Affghanistan; one scene was especially pretty, enclosed by the high barren mountains of the southern boundary, in the distance a village or two, and the Schneesh, with banks well wooded, and willows in the foreground. ”