1 840.] Account of Khyrpoor and the Fortress of Bukur. 1 209 



entire absence of bustle and activity. At the time of our visit there 

 were forty boats at the town, including one of 300 muns in progress of 

 construction. Twelve were small craft belonging chiefly to Sehwan, and 

 the rest to towns on the Indus. More than half were without cargoes. 



The shrine of Lai Shah Baz, a holy man of Khorasan, is the great object 

 of attraction to Moosulmans and Hindoos, who flock hither from the 

 Dukhun, Northern India, and the Punjab. The tomb is a quadrangular 

 edifice covered with a dome and lanthorn ; round it are small domes and 

 blue enamelled spires and coloured porcelain tiles, and inscriptions in the 

 Arabic letter decorate the walls. A gothic arch admits the visitor to a 

 paved court with arcades, where a number of mendicants lodge, and solicit 

 alms in a tone of command rather than entreaty. A door on the side 

 opposite the entrance, closed by handsome shutters of hammered silver, 

 leads to a lofty domed chamber with Arabic inscriptions, niches, and a 

 canopy. It contains the tomb of the saint covered by rich cloths, and the 

 balasters with silver plates, much corroded by time. The numbers of 

 pigeons that have sanctuary in the building give it a musty, disagreeable 

 smell. The sepulchre is reputed to be rich in money and endowments, 

 and enjoys the revenues of the Sehwan gardens, and many villages in the 

 district. The Ameers of Hydurabad make pilgrimages to the shrine, and 

 went therein 1828 to return thanks to Allah for restoring health to the late 

 Morad Ali, the principal Ameer. 



The fort of Sehwan stands on a scarped rock, about a hundred feet 

 above the Arrul, and divided from the town to the south by a deep 

 channel, which is dry nine months of the year. The interior is completely 

 ruined, but the corner towers and shell of two noble gateways are tolerably 

 perfect. 



The temperature of the air on the Nara, in June, was considerably higher 

 than on the Indus, as shown in the following table : — 



Average range of the Thermometer on the 



Average of Thermometer on 



Nara from 4th to 18th June 1839. 



the Indus during six days 





of June 183^. 



Sunrise, 85° 



85o 



12 A.M 103o 



960 



3 p.M 106o 



98° 



6 p.M 102o 



^Qo 



8 p.M 96° 



91° 



The mercury on the Nara rose several days at 3 p.m. to 111° and 112< 

 and once to 113° of Fahrenheit. 



