THE INDUS AND ITS PROVINCES. THEIR POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE CONSIDERED IN CONNEXION WITH IMPROVED MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. ILLUSTRATED BY STATISTICAL TABLES BY W. P. ANDREW, CHAIRMAN OF THESCINDEAND PUNJAUBRAILWAYS,AND INDUS STEAMFLOTILLA. Author of“IndianRailwaysasconnected withthe Power andStability ofthe BritishEmpire inthe East,” &c.&c.&c. “Itisasolecismofpowertothinktocommandtheendandyetnottoendurethemeans.”— Bacon’sEssaysofEmpire. LONDON:Wm.H.ALLEN& Co.,7,LEADENHALLSTREET. 1857 ReproducedBy: SaniH.Panhwar 2014:LosAngeles From the “LAHORE CHRONICLE, August, 1857. RAILWAYS FOR INDIA.— Now is the time to impress upon the Government the vital importance of establishing anet work ofRailwaysinthiscountry (India.) The absolute necessity of establishing rapid communications has been amply proved by the present crisis. Even with forced marches, troops take 24 days to get overthe distance they wouldbe carriedby railin12or 18hours!! On economical grounds alone, the Railway ought to be extended and ramified without delay and regardless of the immediate outlay. This may seem a paradox, but we will explain. Ten thousand men with a rail to travel by are fully equal in this country to thirty thousand with the existing means of conveyance, and the cost of the difference, viz., 20,000 European troops is a matter of pounds, shillings,andpence, that we leave for financiersto calculate. What a glorious thing it would have been, had the Euphrates Valley Railway and the Scinde and Punjaub Railway been accomplished facts at the time of the present insurrection. How it would have “astonished the Natives” to have seen a gallant British Army landed at Lahore, within a month of the outbreak taking place! and yet such a thing would have been possible, supposing the Electric Telegraph to have been also Completed so as to establish an electric messenger betweenthe Indusand the Thames. But we are a people of slow perception in spite of all that may be said of our superiority. It is only when we are severely punished that we awaken from our lethargy. The British Lion, terrible when once aroused, requires a good shaking before he can be awakened, but once up, his vigour is as great as ever. At present, however, monthsmust elapse ere the punishment can be dealt out. Prompt chastisement carriesterror andfear withit,and unhingesthe plans ofthe conspirators, whereas, delay in punishing the guilty, gives them confidence and addsto their strength. Let us hope that one of the good things to result out of this great evil may be RAILWAY ANDSTEAM COMMUNICATIONONA LIBERALSCALE. LONDON: CONTENTS. CHAPTERI. INTRODUCTORY. The return of commerce to its ancient routes — The Indus route to Central Asia and Europe used in the seventh century—Sir A. Burnes on the Indus route— Opinion of Sir Charles Napier—The Indus Valley peculiarly suited to the combinedsystemofrailwaysandsteamboats. .. .. .. Page 2 CHAPTERII. THEINDUSVALLEY ASA MILITARY HIGHWAY. The Indus as a barrier against invasion—M. Ferrier on the practicable routes from the Caspian to the Indus—The movements of Russia—Prince Bariatinski— Projected Russsian railways—Mr. Bartle Frere on the Indus as a defence—Sir Justin Sheil on the invasion of India by Russia—Lord Dalhousie on improved transit by the Indus. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 10 CHAPTERIII. KURRACHEE. Harbour and port of Kurrachee—Opinions of Commodores Young and Rennie and Captain Balfour, I. N.—Depth of water on bar—Tonnage of ships—General John Jacob’s Trade Report—Value of sea-borne trade of Scinde—Kurrachee, the European port of India—The gate of Central Asia—Opinions of Mr. J. Walker— Captain C. D. Campbell, I. N.—Colonel Turner—Lieutenant Leeds—Mr. Frere— General Parr—Kurrachee, chief seat of telegraphic communication between Europe andIndia. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 27 CHAPTERIV. KURRACHEE In connection with improved means of internal communication—Opinion of Sir Henry Pottinger—Of deputy-collector of port—Of Mr. Frere—Traffic between port andtown—Trade ofKurrachee for 1856-57. .. .. Page 37 CHAPTERV. SCINDERAILWAY. Immediate objects—Contract with East India Company—Profitable character of line—Local authorities’ opinion of—Public advantages of—Traffic returns— Branchesto BolanPass andDeesa. .. .. .. .. Page 49 CHAPTERVI. THEINDUSSTEAMFLOTILLA. The Indus, its trade—Its boats and its steamers—Railways in connection with river steamers—Opinions of local authorities—Official correspondence— Commissionappointed—Punjaubreport—River navigation. .. Page 53 CHAPTERVII THEPUNJAUB RAILWAY. Report of Punjaub Government—Report of Mr. W. Brunton, Superintending Engineer—Road census—Traffic on bridge of boats, river Ravee, at Lahore— Table of gradients—Official correspondence—Opinion of Sir John Lawrence— Constructionofline sanctioned. .. .. .. .. .. Page 68 CHAPTERVIII. PROVINCESOF INDUS. Identity of interests of Punjaub and N. W. provinces with Scinde—Area— Population—Official Census, December, 1854—Comparative density of populationindifferent partsofIndia. .. .. .. .. Page 95 CHAPTERIX. PROVINCESOF INDUS. Major Hamilton’s estimate of imports and exports via Mooltan —Traffic on the Indus at Mithunkote—amount of military force—supply of European goods for troops. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 99 CHAPTERX. INDIA ANDCENTRALASIA. Transit of European goods to Central Asia—CashmereThibet — Persia — Turkestan — Balkh — Khiva — Bokhara—Caspian Sea—Russia—Volga— Persian Gulf—The Levant—Balfrush—Bustum—Lohanee merchants —Merv— Imports and exports—Trade of India with Central Asia—Dhera Ismael Khan— Caravans—Cost of transit—Imports and exports—Direct Communication between England and Kurrachee—Value of Indian trade—Transit duties abolishedonIndusanditseffluents. .. .. .. .. Page 104 CHAPTERXI. PRODUCTIONS OF VALLEY OF INDUS. Coal. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 113 CHAPTERXII. PRODUCTIONS OF VALLEY OF INDUS. Timber for building and railway purposes in Punjaub and neighbouring territory. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 116 CHAPTERXIII. PRODUCTIONS OF VALLEY OF INDUS. Fibroussubstances— Cotton—Wool—Silk—LinseedandFlax. Page 119 CHAPTERXIV. PRODUCTIONS OF VALLEY OF INDUS. Wheat. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 128 CHAPTERXV. PRODUCTIONS OF VALLEY OF INDUS. Salt. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Page 133 CHAPTERXVI. COLONIZATIONIN INDIA ANDAUSTRALIA COMPARED. Himalayan and inter-Himalayan regions—Offspring of Europeans—East Indians—Productions and capabilities—Tea cultivation — Australian immigration, advantages and disadvantages of — Indian immigration, advantages and disadvantages of — Simla — Kangra—Indian and colonial immigrationcontrasted—Military coloniesinIndia. .. .. Page 139 APPENDIX A. Memorandaonthe externaltradeofScinde for 1856-57. .. Page 152 APPENDIX B. Trade withScinde and CentralAsia. .. .. .. .. Page 163 APPENDIX C. Sonmeeanee—asit was,—andis. .. .. .. .. .. Page 170 APPENDIX D. Grantsofland—conditionsof—for tea cultivation. .. .. Page 174 APPENDIX E. Fighting strengthoffrontier clans. .. .. .. .. Page 176 APPENDIX F. Fourthreport ofdirectorsofScinde Railway Company. .. Page 179 APPENDIX G. EuphratesandIndusRoute to CentralAsia. .. .. .. Page 200 MAPOF Comparative distancesbetween KURACHEEANDADEN AND BOMBAY ANDADEN IndusanditsProvinces;Copyrightwww.panhwar.com 1 THE INDUS AND ITS PROVINCES. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. THE RETURN OF COMMERCE TO ITS ANCIENT ROUTES.-THE INDUS ROUTE TO CENTRAL ASIA AND EUROPE USED IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY. - SIR A. BURNES ON THE INDUS ROUTE. - OPINION OF SIR CHARLES NAPIER.-THE INDUS VALLEY PECULIARLY SUITED TO THE COMBINED SYSTEM OF RAILWAYS AND STEAMBOATS. FEW facts bear more conclusive testimony to the sagacity of the ancients, when the limited amount of their geographical knowledge is remembered, than the tenacity with which commerce adhered to the direction given to it by them, and the readiness with which it returns to any of those channels when temporarily diverted by political events or geographical discoveries. The overland route from Europe to India, by the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea, is certainly as old as the days of the early Phoenician navigators. The navigability of the Euphrates was tested long before Trajan ever sailed on its waters, and was revisited by the Italians in the eleventh century, and our own merchants in the days of Elizabeth as the best way to the East;1 whilst the value of the Indus, as the shortest and easiest route for the commerce of India, not only with Central Asia and the north of Europe, but with the whole of the West, was fully recognised by the later Romans in the seventh century. Necessity, in their case, was the mother of invention. When the rapid progress of the Mohammedan arms had wrested 1 “Variouscausesconcurred inrestoringlibertyand independence to the citiesofItaly. The acquisitionof these roused industry and gave motion and vigor to all the active powers of the human mind. Foreign commerce revived, navigation was attended to and improved. Constantinople became the chief mart to whichtheItaliansresorted.Theretheynotonlymetwithfavorablereception,butobtainedsuchmercantile privileges as enabled them to carry on trade with great advantages. They were supplied both with the precious commodities of the East, and with many curious mane- factures, the product of ancient arts and ingenuity still subsisting among the Greeks. As the labour and expense of conveying the productions of IndiatoConstantinople,bythatlongandindirectcoursewhichIhavedescribed(theroutebytheIndus,the Oxus,theCaspian,andtheVolga)renderedthemextremelyrare,andofanexorbitantprice,theindustryof the Italians discovered other methods of procuring them in greater abundance and at an easier rate. They sometimes purchased them at Aleppo, Tripoli, and other ports on the coast of Syria, to which they were broughtbyaroutenotunknowntotheancients.TheywereconveyedfromIndiabyseaupthePersianGulf, andascendingtheEuphratesandTigrisasfarasBagdat,werecarriedbylandacrossthedesertofPalmyra, andfromthencetothetownsontheMediterranean.”—Robertson’sAmerica,Book1. IndusanditsProvinces;Copyrightwww.panhwar.com 2 Egypt from the Byzantine power, and thus closed the overland route of Suez to the Greek merchants,they forthwithturnedto other meansandsought out anew channel, by which the productions of the East might be transmitted to the great emporium of the West.The route thus discovered was that by the Indus. The rich and easily-stowed products of India were carried up the great river as far as it was navigable; thence transported to the Oxus, down whose stream they proceeded as far as the Caspian Sea. There they entered the Volga, and sailing up it, were carried by land to the Tanais (the Don), which conducted them into the Euxine Sea, where shipsfromConstantinople waitedtheir arrival.2 The discovery ofthe long,but easy route, by the Cape ofGoodHope, combinedwiththe deadly feuds between the Christians of the West and the Mohammedan nations that heldthe countriesofthe Nile andthe Euphrates,for atime divertedthe streamof commerce from those routes. It has not been so, however, with the Indus, to the same extent. Ifthe revival of the overland route and the impending re-opening of the Euphrates as the highway to the East, are evidences of a return to old paths, the continuance of a commerce with Central Asia and northern Europe, by way of the Indus, and the two great gates of India, the Khyber and Bolan Passes, is a pregnant proof of the tenacity with which trade adheres to its old channels, and of the sagacity which originally selected that direction for the produce of the East. However great may have been the changes of masters and manners in the territories between the Indus and the Bosphorus, a portion of the tide of commerce has flowed, and does still flow, as it did in the seventh century. When the late Sir Alexander Burnes was in Lahore in 1831, he found English broad cloth sold in the Bazaar that had been brought, not from Calcutta, but from Russia; and when he penetrated further into Central Asia, met, at Bokhara, with a merchant, “thinking of taking an investment of it to Loodhiana, in India, where he could afford to sell it cheaper than it was to be had there, notwithstanding the lengthofthe journey.”3 The traffic between India and Central Asia, described so fully by Sir Alexander Burnes, as existing at the period of his visit, was carried on in a slow and moat expensive manner either by camels or by the badly constructed boats of the country on the Indus and the tributary streams of the Punjaub, despite accumulated difficulties. Besides the labour of tracking, so often required to stem the stream of the river, the rude character of the boats employed, and the exactions of each petty prince through whose territory the goods passed, there wasthe seriousimpediment offeredby the selfishpolicy ofthe AmeersofScinde, who unavoidably arrested the development of trade when they carried their devotion to field sports so far, as to think nothing of devastating a large tract of populous and fertile land in order to secure greater quiet and more secure cover 2 Robertson’sAmerica,Book1,quotingfromRamusio,vol.i.,p.372. 3 Burnes’sTravels,vol.ii.p.432 IndusanditsProvinces;Copyrightwww.panhwar.com 3