Tatta. Abdalla, when he seized on the provinces, which compofe his prefent empire, retained the fovereignty of Sindy also: and the Prince of this province, is accordingly, tributary to the present King of Candahar, Timur Shah*. The Prince is a Mahomedan, and of Abaffynian extraction: his ufual place of refidence is at the fort of Hydrabad, fituated on the Indus, not far above the head of the delta; and in the neighbourhood of the city of Nufferpour. The Hindoos, who were the original inhabitants of Sindy, and were reckoned to outnumber the Mahomedans, in the proportion of 10 to 1, in Capt. Hamilton's time, are treated with great rigour by their Mahomedan Governors; and are not permitted to erect any pagodas, or other places of worship: and this feverity drives vaft numbers of them into other countries.

The gentleman from whom I had my information concerning the delta of the Indus, &c. went up the Indus as far as the city of Bhakor (or Behker) which is about two-thirds of the way to Moultan. He obferved the moveable towns or villages on the banks of the river (noticed by Nearchus, and the Ayin Acbaree fee Introduction page xxx). Some of these are the habitations of fishermen, and others of graziers: and they are conftantly changing their pofitions like a camp. Few rivers abound more with fish than the Indus does; and among these, are fome very delicious forts.

Among the various tribes, that inhabit the hilly tracts bordering on the western fide of the Indus, there is according to my friend's account, one of the name of Nomurdy. They are of the Mahomedan religion; are freebooters, and very troublesome to the villagers, and travellers. The Ayin Acbaree also takes particular notice of this tribe; and ftates its ftrength to be 7000 infantry, and 300 horfemen (about the year 1560). This being a part of the trac

Mr. Frafer, in his account of Nadir Shah, gives a copy of this partition treaty, by which the Nulla Sunkra, or Sunkra tiver was to be the common boundary between Hindoostan and the Perfian provinces, near the mouth of the Indus. It may then, be inferred, that the eastern branch of the Indus is named the Sunkra river.

named

named INDO-SCYTHIA by the ancients, a doubt arises whether they may not be the defcendants of the Scythian NOMADES; if the Scythians on the borders of Mount Imaus, did really call them+ felves by that name; and that it was not a term applied to them by the Greeks, alone. It may also be a queftion whether the graziers abovementioned, may not have derived their custom of moving their habitations, from Scythian ancestors: for the custom, as far as I know, does not prevail in the reft of India.

The upper part of the courfe of the Indus, is taken from M. D'Anville's map of Afia; as I know of no better authority. The towns on its banks are taken chiefly from the itinerary, mentioned in page 68; as is alfo the point of conflux of the Setlege (or Suttuluz) with the Indus. The latitude of Behker is given at 27° 12′ in this itinerary, which I have corrected to 27° 32'; for reasons given in pages 68 and 80. Finding Hajykan mentioned as one of the districts belonging to Sindy, in the Ayin Acbaree, and it being very clear that a large province of the fame name, lies on the west of the Indus oppofite to Moultan, I can no otherwise reconcile these two accounts, than by fuppofing that Hajykan extends southward, along the Indus, until it meets the borders of Sindy; and that a small part of it was subject to Sindy. In this cafe, the province of Behker must be confined chiefly to the east fide of the Indus. No part of Hajykan is reckoned to belong either to Moultan or Candahar; in the Ayin Acbaree.

No

Cutch, is a territory of confiderable extent, fituated on the southcast of Sindy; the eastern branch of the Indus feparating the two

* The following paffage occurs in M. D'Anville's Eclairciffemens Géographiques fur la Carte de l'Inde, p. 42. On ignore le temps auquel les Scythes font venus occuper le Sindi. Dans le Périple de la mer Erythrée, la ville de Minnagara, la même que Manfora t, eft qualifiée de capitale de la Scythie. Denys Périegète dit, que les Scythes méridionaux, habitent fur le fleuve Indus. Euftathe les nomme Indo-Scythes: & ce que Ptolémée appelle Indo-Scythie remonte le long de l'Indus jusqu' au fleuve Coas ‡.

* The Arabian sea, or fea of Omman.

+ Bhakor or Behker, is the fame with the ancient Manfora-Ayin Acbaree.

That which runs by Nagaz, and falls into the Indus a confiderable distance below Attock ; and which, according to my idea, is the Hir of the Perfians.

coun

countries. It extends along the northern coaft of the gulf of Cutch, and is separated from Guzerat, by the Puddar river, or one of its branches. The prefent capital, and refidence of its Rajah, is Boodge-boodge; and appears to be the place named Booz in Mr. Hornby's map, where it is placed about 34 G. miles to the eaftward or ESE of the eastern branch of the Indus. Cutch is compofed chiefly of hills, woods, and fandy wilds: and we are utterly ignorant of any particulars relating to the interior part of it. The mouths of several rivers appear in the map of its coast: and the ancient maps defcribe the Puddar river as difcharging itself into the gulf of Cutch, through thefe openings. It is poffible that the river formed by the Caggar and other ftreams, may discharge itself by one or more of thefe openings; unless it lofes itself in the fands of the defert, which borders on the north of Cutch.

On the fouth coaft of the gulf of Cutch is a district inhabited by a piratical tribe named Sangarians, who cruife for merchant ships, as far to the west as the entrance of the gulf of Perfia. The capital of this state, is Noanagur; and Bate (or Bait) and Aramroy, are its principal ports. The Ayin Acbaree takes notice of the founding of Noanagur, by a Rajah who was driven out of Cutch, about 280 years ago: and fays that the territory in which it is situated, is named Little Cutch. No mention is made of Sangarians, in the fame book: nor of any piracies being committed by the people of Noanagur.

Nearchus names certain parts of the country between the mouth of the Indus and the river Arabius, Sangada and Saranga; but the tract was too confined, to be the abode of a nation. M. D'Anville fuppofes that the country of Sangada*, was the fame with the modern Sangara: if fo, the Sangarians must first have removed from the western, to the eastern fide, of the Indus; and afterwards

must also have croffed the gulf of Cutch. The latter fact, feems verified by the Ayin Acbaree.

I cannot omit to obferve, in this place, how exactly the pofition and defcription of the haven, named by Nearchus, the port of Alexander; and which had an island near it, named Crocola; agrees with that of Crotchey: and proves inconteftibly, by the circumftance of the proximity of the mountains to the fea coaft, when the fleet had advanced only 150 ftadia from the mouth of the Indus, that Nearchus failed out of the western branch of that river. However, one might conclude, from Arrian's account of Alexander's voyage down the two branches below Pattala, that he fixed on the eafternmoft branch, for Nearchus's fleet to proceed through, to the ocean; as Arrian calls it, the left branch: but the circumftance of Alexander's landing, with a party of horfe, and proceeding three days along the coaft, in the direction that his fleet was to fail, that is, westward, overthrows fuch a fuppofition entirely for no one will suppose that he chofe to march a party of horse three days, along the coaft of the delta, where he must have been continually interrupted by deep rivers and creeks.

CORRECTION of the COAST of ORISSA, in the MAP.

THE arrival of Capt. Ritchie in England, has enabled me to correct that part of the coaft, between the mouth of the Kannaka river (on the north of Point Palmiras) and the most southern branch of the Mahanuddy, or Cattack river; from a tracing of that coast, made by Capt. Ritchie, by order of Mr. Haftings. From this chart it appears, that Point Palmiras is further to the castward, in respect of Jagarnaut and Balafore, than is warranted by the materials,

difcuffed in page 11: for by the late obfervations, it ought to be placed (at least) in 87° 5′ longitude, instead of 87° 1′ 30′′. A reference to the map will beft explain the refpective pofitions of the principal mouths of the Mahanuddy, and other rivers, between the black pagoda and Kannaka. It is proper to observe, that the coaft was not traced home to the black pagoda; so that the exact pofition of Point Palmiras, is yet a defideratum. Capt. Ritchie was informed, when at the fouthmoft opening of the Mahanuddy, that the black pagoda, was very near, on the south-weft. It was, however, out of fight; but this may be accounted for, by the form of the coast, which projects in a very large curve, and might intercept the view of the pagoda, from a perfon clofe under the shore, as Mr. Ritchie was: although the pagoda might not be many miles off. The fouthmoft mouth or opening of the Mahanuddy is in lat. 19° 54' and is fuppofed to be about 19 miles to the eastward of Jagarnaut pagoda. The object of this examination, was, to enable the Government of Bengal, to fix on a proper fpot for a light house, for the direction of ships round Point Palmiras, and into Balafore road. Capt. Ritchie gave the preference to the point itself (named Mayaparah by the natives) but no light-house is yet erected. I believe the matter refted with the merchants of Calcutta. The reef extends near 10 miles to the E NE of Point Palmiras, in the new chart. There was too much furf on the coaft to allow his boat to land, fo that he could not learn the names of the few villages that are difperfed along the coaft. He is pretty certain that no large river falls in between Point Palmiras and the false point.