or CAUBUL, a province of Afghanistan, which still retains the name by which the whole Durani kingdom was formerly known. The events which resulted in the dismemberment of the empire, will be found detailed in the article AFGHANISTAN. Cabul proper lies between the 33rd and 36th degrees of N. Lat. Its length from east to west is about 250 miles, and its breadth 150. In 1818, upon the revolution which deprived Mahmood the brother of Shah Shooja of his throne, Cabul was seized by Dost Mahomed Khan, its present ruler. Cabul, the capital of the province, and during the integrity of the empire the seat of its government, is situate on the Cabul river immediately above its confluence with that of the Logurh. The immediate vicinity of the town is highly picturesque, well watered, and fertile. It is especially productive of the finest fruits; and the beautiful gardens, orchards, and groves are a source of great delight to the citizens during the fine season. A recent traveller who had often joined their festive parties, thus describes the environs of the beautiful site of the tomb inclosing the remains of the illustrious emperor Baber:

"Baber Badshah, so the interesting spot is called, is distinguished by the abundance, variety, and beauty of its trees and shrubs. Besides the imposing masses of plane-trees, its lines of tall, tapering, and sombre cypresses, and its multitudes of mulberry trees, there are wildernesses of white and yellow rose-bushes of jasmines and other fragrant shrubs. The place is peculiarly fitted for social enjoyment, and nothing can surpass the beauty of the landscape, and the purity of the atmosphere." The river of Cabul, though giving name to the great body of water which is poured into the Indus at Attock, adds nothing to the charms of the landscape, being here a small and dirty stream. The city, about three miles in circuit, is not wholly surrounded by a wall, being defended on the western side merely by a line of weak ramparts running from one hill to another, and of course affording no defence if turned. It stands at the western extremity of a plain of considerable extent, and in a recess formed by the junction of two ranges of hills. The houses are in general two or three stories high, built of sun-dried bricks with a large admixture of wood, as a security against the shocks of earthquakes. Four spacious bazaars were erected here in the centre of the city, by Ali Murdan Khan, a celebrated Persian nobleman, who for many years governed the western provinces; but these were demolished by the British in retribution of the murderous treachery of the inhabitants. The citadel called Bala-Hissar, or upper Fort, is situate on a rising ground in the eastern quarter of the city, and contains the palace. The mosques and other public buildings have nothing to recommend them in an architectural point of view. There is but one college, and it has been allowed to fall into decay. The serais, or public buildings for lodging and entertaining strangers, are about fifteen in number, and are remarkable neither for elegance nor convenience. There are several public baths, repulsive alike from want of cleanliness and from offensive smell, originating in the nature of the fuel used for heating them. Water is sufficiently supplied, both for the irrigation of the adjacent country and for domestic purposes, by the Cabul river.

This river is crossed by three bridges. One, the Pul Kuhito, is in the middle of the city, and is substantially built of brick and stone; another, the Pul Noe, is a frail fabric of wood, trembling under the weight of foot-passengers, who alone can cross it; a third, to the west of the town, is a fortified bridge, crossing the river where it passes through the gorge between the hills which bound the city on that side, and by this means the lines are continued across the stream. The climate, from the vicinity of the great central range of the Hindu Koh mountains, covered with perpetual snow, and from the great elevation of the town, which is situate 6396 feet above the level of the sea, is severe, the winter setting in at the beginning of October and continuing to the end of March. During this season the more opulent inhabitants rarely stir out, spending their time in such sedentary indulgences as they can command. Cabul is a place of considerable trade. The city is mentioned by the Arabian historians of the seventh century as a residence of a Hindu prince. It was for some time the capital of the emperor Baber, and in the year 1739 was taken by Nadir Shah, who annexed it with the province to his Persian dominions. On his death Ahmed Shah Abdally, the founder of the Durani empire, took possession of it, and in the year 1774 it was constituted the capital of Afghanistan by his son Timour Shah, and so remained till the downfall of the short-lived dynasty, when, as above noticed, it was seized by Dost Mahomed Khan, who for some time maintained an unquiet and precarious rule.

In 1839, a British army marched into Afghanistan, to restore the throne Shah Shooja, who took possession of the city of Cabul and retained it until the commencement of 1842, when a dreadful outbreak of native fury and perfidy deprived them of it. The chief civil officer, Sir William Macnaghten, was basely assassinated, the troops cut off from their magazines and stores, and compelled to attempt a retreat under circumstances which rendered its successful accomplishment hopeless. Of 3849 soldiers and about 12,000 camp-followers, only one European, severely wounded, and four or five natives, escaped. In the same year a British army took the town, recovered some prisoners, including the heroic Lady Sale, wife of Sir Robert Sale, and having destroyed the principal bazaar and some other public buildings, returned leaving the place to its fate. The po-

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1 Narrative of various Journeys in Beluchistan, Afghanistan, and the Punjab, by Charles Masson. London, 1842. population of Cabul is about 60,000. Lat. 34° 30'. Long. 69° 6'.