Read Ebook: Travels into Bokhara (Volume 3 of 3) Being the Account of A Journey from India to Cabool Tartary and Persia; Also Narrative of a Voyage on the Indus From the Sea to Lahore With Presents From the King of Great Britain; Performed Under the Orders of the Supr by Burnes Alexander Sir

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THE THIRD VOLUME.

Page

INTRODUCTION ix

Arrival of presents from the King of England--Information on the Indus desired--Suggestions for procuring it--Appointed to conduct the Mission to Lahore--Departure from Cutch--Ability of the Navigators--Arrival in the Indus--Phenomena--Scenes of Alexander's Campaigns--Ebb and flow of the Tides--Correctness of Quintus Curtius--Visited by the Authorities--Forced out of the Country--Correspondence--Return to the Indus--Imminent Danger--Starved out of the Country--Third Voyage to the Indus--Land in Sinde--Negotiations--Advance on Tatta--Sindian Policy and Reasoning--Successful Negotiations 1

Tatta described--Hinglaj, a famous Pilgrimage--Return to the Sea-coast--Notions of the People--Alexander's Journey--Embarkation on the River--Anecdote--Strictness of Religious Observances--Pulla Fish--Arrival at Hydrabad--Welcome of the Rulers--Presentation at Court--Sindian Meanness--Audience of Leave--Scenery near the Capital 30

Departure from Hydrabad--Sehwun--Crew of the Boats--A Sindian Song--Sehwun described--Reasons for supposing it to be the Territory of the Sindomanni--Pilgrimage--High Antiquity of the Castle of Sehwun--Congratulations from the Ruler of Khyrpoor--Address that Personage--Character of the People--The Indus--Visited by the Vizier of Sinde--Arrival at Khyrpoor--Audience with the Chief--Character of the Sindian Rulers--Arrival at Bukkur--Amusing Predictions--Anecdote of an Afghan--Mihmandar--Alore described--Supposition of its being the Kingdom of Musicanus 51

Quit Bukkur--Curiosity of the People--Reach the Frontiers of Sinde--Farewell Letters--Creditable Behaviour in our Escort--Fish Diet--Costume--Enter Bhawul Khan's Country--Quit the Indus at Mittun--Effects of this River on the Climate--Enter the Chenab or Acesines--Incident at Ooch--Arrival of Bhawul Khan--Interview with him--Merchants of Bhawulpoor--History of Ooch--Visited by Bhawul Khan--Mountains--Pass the Sutlege--Peculiarity in the Water of two Rivers--Simplicity of the Mihmandar--Enter Runjeet Sing's Country--Honourable Reception--Exhibition of the Dray-horses--Orders of the Court 81

Voyage in the Country of the Seiks--Shoojuabad--Mooltan; its Antiquity--Probably the Capital of the Malli--Public Buildings--Religious Intolerance--Climate--Phenomena--Date-trees; Traditions of their introduction--Quit Mooltan--Peloo Shrub--Arrangements for our Advance to Lahore--Alexander the Great--Enter the Ravee, or Hydr?otes--Tolumba--Visit the Hydaspes--Description of its confluence with the Chenab--Probable identity of a Modern Tribe with the Cathaei--Ruins of Shorkote--Valuable Bactrian Coin found at it--Birds and Reptiles--Heat--Ruins of Harappa--A Tiger Hunt--Seik Courage--Intelligence of the Mihmandar--Letter and Deputation from Lahore--Seik Females 108

Enter Lahore--Presentation to Runjeet Sing--Delivery of the Presents--Copy of a Letter from the King of England--Stud--Hall of Audience--Military Spectacle--Conversations of Runjeet Sing--Amazons--French Officers--City of Lahore--Tomb of Juhangeer--Shalimar of Shah Jehan--Horse Artillery Review--Character of Runjeet Sing--Audience of Leave--Superb Jewels--Dresses of Honour--Runjeet Sing's Letter to the King--Quit Lahore--Umritsir; its Temples--Reach the Beas, or Hyphasis--F?te of a Seik Chieftain--Reach the Sutlege--Antiquities of the Punjab--Arrival at Lodiana--Exiled Kings of Cabool--Visit them--Journey to the Himalaya Mountains--Interview with the Governor-general--Acknowledgments of his Lordship 148

MEMOIR ON THE INDUS AND ITS TRIBUTARY RIVERS IN THE PUNJAB.

Notice regarding the Map of the Indus 193

A general view of the Indus 199

A comparison of the Indus and Ganges--Propriety of the comparison--Size of the Ganges--Of the Indus--Compared--Slope of the Indus--Conclusions from it--Tides in both Rivers 203

ON SINDE.

Extent of the Country--Chiefs and Revenue--Power and Conquests--Military Strength--Connection with Persia--External Policy--Internal State--Hydrabad Family--Khyrpoor Family--Meerpoor Family--Condition of the People--Population 212

ON THE MOUTHS OF THE INDUS.

Division of the Indus into two great branches below Tatta--Sata--Buggar--Delta; its extent--Dangers in navigating it--Eleven Mouths of the Indus--The Pittee--Pieteeanee, Jooa, Reechel, Hujamree--Khedywaree, Gora, or Wanyanee--Khaeer, Mull, Seer--Koree, or Eastern Mouth--Advantage of these to Sinde--Coast of Sinde--Tides of the Indus--Curachee Seaport--Boats of the Indus; Dingees and Doondees--Indus adapted for Steam-vessels--Military remarks on the River 228

ON THE DELTA OF THE INDUS.

Inundation of the Delta--Extent--Neglected State--Towns--Population--Jokea Tribe--Fisheries--Animals--Productions--Climate 249

THE INDUS FROM TATTA TO HYDRABAD.

Sand-banks--Course of the River--Towns--Country Supplies--Trade--Means of improving it--Boats; their Deficiency 255

THE INDUS FROM HYDRABAD TO SEHWUN.

Course and Depth--Fulailee River--Current--Importance of this Part of the River--Crossing the Indus--Navigation of it--Towns--Sehwun--Mountains of Lukkee 260

THE INDUS FROM SEHWUN TO BUKKUR.

Position of Bukkur--Fertility of the Country--Current--Eastern Bank of the Indus--Western Bank--Fortress of Bukkur--Roree and Sukkur--Alore; its Antiquity--Khyrpoor and Larkhanu--Productions of the Soil 267

THE INDUS FROM BUKKUR, TILL JOINED BY THE PUNJAB RIVERS.

Breadth and Depth--Boats--Country--Shikarpoor and Subzul--Swell of the Indus--Tribes on the River 275

THE INDUS FROM MITTUN TO ATTOK.

Description of the River--Dera Ghazee Khan--Line of Commerce--Military Expeditions; why they avoided the Indus--Bridging the Indus 281

THE CHENAB, OR ACESINES, JOINED BY THE SUTLEGE, OR HESUDRUS.

Chenab--Junction--Banks of the Chenab--Ooch; its Productions 286

ON BHAWUL KHAN'S COUNTRY.

Limits--Nature of the Country--Its Power and Importance--Daoodpootras; their Descent--The reigning Family--Trade of Bhawulpoor 290

THE PUNJAB.

Extent of Runjeet Sing's Country--Changes in the Seik Government--Probable Consequences of the Ruler's Death--His Policy--Sirdars--Revenues of the Punjab--Military Resources and Strength--Cities 295

THE CHENAB, OR ACESINES, JOINED BY THE RAVEE, OR HYDRA?TES.

Chenab Described--Boats on it--Crossing the River--Province of Mooltan 300

THE RAVEE, OR HYDRA?TES, BELOW LAHORE.

The Ravee--Its tortuous Course and difficult Navigation--Towns--Lahore--Umritsir Toolumba 305

A MEMOIR ON THE EASTERN BRANCH OF THE INDUS, AND THE RUN OF CUTCH.

Cutch; its Position--Alterations in its Western Coast, from an Earthquake--Damming of the Eastern Branch of the Indus--Injuries thereby--Dreadful Earthquake of 1819--Effects of it--Raises a natural Mound--Overflow of the Indus in 1826--its Effects on the Eastern Branch described--Opinions--Subsequent Alterations of the Indus--Run of Cutch described--Mirage--Traditions regarding the Run--Corroboration of them--Effects of the Earthquake on the Run--Flooding of the Run--Configuration of the Run Borders--Run, supposed to have been an Inland Sea--Note in corroboration of the Opinion--Note on Sindree 309

NARRATIVE.

~Arrival of presents from the King of England for Runjeet Sing at Lahore.

~In the year 1830, a ship arrived at Bombay, with a present of five horses from the King of Great Britain to Maharaja Runjeet Sing, the Seik Chieftain at Lahore, accompanied by a letter of friendship from his majesty's minister to that prince. At the recommendation of Major-General Sir John Malcolm, then governor of Bombay, I had the honour of being nominated by the Supreme Government of India to proceed on a mission to the Seik capital, with these presents, by way of the river Indus. I held at that time a political situation in Cutch, the only portion of the British dominions in India which borders on the Indus.

~Information on the Indus desiderated.

~The authorities, both in England and India, contemplated that much information of a political and geographical nature might be acquired in such a journey. The knowledge which we possessed of the Indus was vague and unsatisfactory, and the only accounts of a great portion of its course were drawn from Arrian, Curtius, and the other historians of Alexander's expedition. Sir John Malcolm thus minuted in the records of government, in August, 1830:--

"The navigation of the Indus is important in every point of view; yet we have no information that can be depended upon on this subject, except of about seventy miles from Tatta to Hyderabad. Of the present state of the Delta we have native accounts, and the only facts which can be deduced are, that the different streams of the river below Tatta, often change their channels, and that the sands of all are constantly shifting; but, notwithstanding these difficulties, boats of a small draft of water can always go up the principal of them. With regard to the Indus above Hyderabad, there can be no doubt of its being, as it has been for more than two thousand years, navigable far up."

~Arrangements.

~In addition therefore to the complimentary mission on which I was to be employed, I had my attention most specially directed to the acquisition of full and complete information regarding the Indus. This was a matter of no easy accomplishment, as the Ameers, or rulers of Sinde, had ever evinced the utmost jealousy of Europeans, and none of the missions which visited the country had been permitted to proceed beyond their capital of Hyderabad. The river Indus, likewise, in its course to the ocean, traverses the territories of many lawless and barbarous tribes, from whom both opposition and insult might be dreaded. On these matters much valuable advice was derived from Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pottinger, political resident in Cutch, and well known to the world for his adventurous travels in Beloochistan. He suggested that it might allay the fears of the Sinde government, if a large carriage were sent with the horses, since the size and bulk of it would render it obvious that the mission could then only proceed by water. This judicious proposal was immediately adopted by government; nor was it in this case alone that the experience of Colonel Pottinger availed me, as it will be seen that he evinced the most unwearied zeal throughout the difficulties which presented themselves, and contributed, in a great degree, to the ultimate success of the undertaking.

~The escort.

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