This Drawing represents the troops emerging from the narrow part of the defile, and the old and newly constructed roads up the ascent. The road up to the defile had gradually increased in steepness, and diminished in width, and the ascent became more difficult. The tediousness of the march may, therefore, be easily conceived. The old path to the left, was so steep as to be quite impracticable for the purpose of ascent, and, in consequence, taking a wide sweep, another was cut, less abrupt, upon the browof the hill, as seen to the right of the drawing. It was not, however, above eight or ten feet in breadth, and the upper part, owing to the protection and rocks, was still difficult of access. Sketches in Afghanistan, Henry Graves & Co. and W.H. Allen & Co., London, 1842. Letterpress title printed in blue incorporating list of plates, tinted lithographic title, dedication leaf, 25 tinted plates by Louis and Charles Haghe. This is one of the earliest collections of views of Afghanistan. James Atkinson, the celebrated translator of Firdausi’s Shah Nameh and one of the first Europeans to explore Afghanistan, was on of the pioneers of oriental studies. The lithographers Louis and Charles Haghe were involved in a number of important publications in the 1840’s and 1850’s and are celebrated for the particular high quality of their work.