'Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde; accompanied by a geographical and historical account of those countries, with a map.' [‎315] (357/476)

HISTORY OF BELOOCHISTAN.
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DIVISION V.
T he tract that may strictly be denominated the Sandy Desert of
Beloochistan, I estimate to be about three hundred miles in length,
and rather more than two hundred in breadth. To the northward,'
it is merely divided by the Helmind river, from a continuation of the
same sandy waste, which prevails in some places to the very base of
the Paropamisan mountains, and on the west it is all but connected
w itli the desert of Kirman, and would be entirely so, were it not for
one narrow range of hills. In the event, therefore, of our rejecting
these two nominal boundaries, we shall find, that the absolute extent
ol desert is, from north to south, nearly of five hundred miles; and
from east to west in a diagonal direction, upwards of six hundred.
Its boundaries on the east are, the mountains of Uffghanistan and the
province of Sarawan ; and to the southward, those of Mukran. I have
been so particular on the nature of these deserts in my diary, that it
would be superfluous to dwell further on the subject in this place,
and as I am therefore about to close my geographical remarks, I shall
do so, by subjoining a few words on those countries adjoining Beloo
chistan to the northward of my route, and on which I have not yet
touched. The principal one of these is Seistan, throughout which
province Captain Christie journeyed, and found it to answer exactly
the description I had heard of it: that is, a flat sandy country, in
some places overgrown with JunguL The capital is Dooshak or Jul-
lallabad, which latter name it has received in honour of the son of
Beheram Khan, who assumes the royal title of Badsha, or King of
Seistan, and lives in as magnificent a style as his trifling revenues
will admit of; his territories are divided into petty districts, to each
of which he formerly appointed a governor, whose authority was
nearly equal to his own; and I am informed, that many of them
have of late years declined paying tribute.
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