'Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde; accompanied by a geographical and historical account of those countries, with a map.' [‎294] (336/476)

294
HISTORY OF BELOOCH1STAN.
Kheils, are always brought before the Khans of the Kumburanee
tribe, at an assembly composed of Muhmood Khan and his relations.
A register of the Belooche army that I saw at Kelat, exhibited an
aggregate of two hundred and fifty thousand men, but it had been
drawn out at the period when Ahmed Shah first threatened to invade
Beloochistan, unless Nusseer Khan would agree to pay him a tribute, and
it was sent to that monarch in answer to his furman ; it was, therefore,
most probably much exaggerated, though even now, the same docu
ments comprise a list of one hundred and twenty thousand troops,
after rejecting all the revolted provinces and districts. I should,
however imagine that, on the greatest emergency, Muhmood Khan
could not muster more than half that number of fighting men. His
total revenues, in their present reduced state, I should suppose fairly
estimated at 350,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. annually *, a large portion of which
is paid in produce. In Nusseer Khan's time, the revenues exceeded
thirty lacks of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. per year, but Mukran, Lus, Punjgoor, Dizuk,
Kharan, &c. &c., then paid tribute, exclusive of the customs of the
sea port town of Kurachee in Sinde.
The duties levied at Kelat are exceedingly moderate. A camel-
load, (whatever it may be), pays five rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. on entering the city to
the government, and one quarter of a rupee to the Hindoos; there
is also a Bazar toll on all goods sold, which does not amount to one
and a half per cent, on their cost; horses or cattle pay nothing what
ever throughout the Belooche territories : land watered by wells or
trenches, which require labour and trouble to keep them in repair, pays
about one twentieth of the produce; and that which is otherwise culti
vated by rain, fluctuates between a sixteenth and a tenth, according to the
season. Where there are chushmuhs or springs, the tax is still higher;
and in some of the gardens of Kelat it nearly amounts to one-fifth.
The whole of this is not paid into the Khan's treasury, as a very
small portion of it is appropriated by the Sirdars Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. of the tribes and
* Forty-three thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds sterling.
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