'Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde; accompanied by a geographical and historical account of those countries, with a map.' [‎375] (417/476)

RETURN TO BOMBAY.
375
Bunder, where all were re-shipped into others on the Lonee River,
and joined us eventually in Kutch.
The only place we passed during this passage worthy of being noticed
was Mohummud Khan's Tanda, which is a large and flourishing for
tified town, the residence of Meer Sooltan Allee, a relation ol the
reigning Umeers. He holds several fine districts, and his capital is
the great rendezvous of all the northern merchants, who bring horses
yearly to the market of India. His revenues are now (1818) from
four to five lacs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. (50 to 62,500 pounds sterling) annually;
and his territory is in so rapid a state of improvement, that it he
continues unbiassed and unmolested by the intrigues of the other
princes, he may soon expect to double them. The country be
tween Hyderabad and Ivuddeen on the immediate banks of the rivers,
is generally speaking very fine, and capable of producing rich crops,
but the husbandmen are dispirited where it belongs to the Umeers,
and the soil lies waste.
From Kuddeen to Lukput Bunder the road lies over a bare salt
marshy flat that extends within four miles of the 'I anda oi seat of
Mohummud Khan. From Lukput Bunder we made eight very easy
stages to Mandavie, a sea-port town on the western side of the
gulf of Kutch, to which place the Honourable Company's ships of
war, the Benares and Teignmouth had been ordered to transport the
envoy and his suite to Bombay, where we arrived the latter end of
October. The annexed Chapter, on the history and extent of Sinde,
also includes some observations of a geographical and statistical na
ture, that I have not found it convenient to introduce before. The
population of Sinde now consists of a medley of Hindoos, Juths,
and Belooches, or more properly speaking, a third race sprung from
the two latter. The Hindoos were the original possessors of the
country, and the Juths are the descendants of those of that persua
sion, who embraced Islamism *; their habits were strictly agricul-
* See the account of the Juths of Kutch Gundava in Chapter VL