332 Journal kept while travelling in Seistan. [No. 112. 



of Jorroaine is about two miles from the rich valley, dotted with villages, 

 and the river running close under the walls. From the exaggerated 

 accounts of the Heratees, who always speak of Laush as an impregnable 

 place, I had expected to find it at least a strong fort. It is in fact no- 

 thing but a castle, and could soon be reduced by shells, or even storm- 

 ed, for it has one weak side. 



The appearance of the fort could only be understood by a drawing, 

 and unfortunately my views of this and of some 

 other places have been, by mistake, left at Canda- 

 har. It will be sufficient to mention here, that as the name " Laush" 

 implies, the fort is built on the edge of a high " cliff," immediately 

 under which flows the Furrah river ; on the East face it has the 

 perpendicular cliff, over which are erected buildings to a height of 

 perhaps 400 feet ; a great part of these will, I suspect, fall down 

 the precipice in another year, for the water in the spring cuts below, 

 weakening of course the upper bank, and already several ominous 

 cracks may be observed. I pointed this out to the Khan, and recom- 

 mended his turning the stream by a bank from immediate contact with 

 the base of his castle ; but he will doubtless forget the advice he pro- 

 mised to follow, till half his family are overwhelmed by the fall of 

 his house. The N. and W. faces are detached from the high plain 

 beyond them by a deep ravine ; but the S. side offers but little obstruc- 

 tion to a regular army. Laush is an ancient place, though I do not 

 remember its name mentioned in history. The cliff on which it stands 

 has many caves cut in it, and there are said to be subterranean pas- 

 sages, to which perhaps the women of the garrison could retire in case 

 of its being attempted to shell the fort ; but most of these passages 

 have neither fallen in, nor have been stopped up. In case it should be 

 necessary to take the place, a mine led under only a small part of 

 the E. cliff, would I suspect on exploding, bring down half the castle. 

 Laush and its territories belonged to the Vuzeer Shah Wallee ; it was 

 destroyed by Timoor Shah, and remained desolate till taken possession 

 of and rebuilt by Shah Pussund Khan, on whom it was bestowed by 

 Mahmood, when he returned from Teheran. The life of Shah Pussund 

 Khan would occupy a volume. A sketch of it will not be in appropri- 

 ate here, as his actions and character have frequently been misrepre- 

 sented. There are three principal families among the Ishaukzyes, 



