1844.] Route from Seersa to Bahawulpore. 301 



worked for itself a well-defined channel through the desert, the traces 

 of which still remain. Ages have elapsed since this river ceased to 

 flow, and I shall leave to those who care to prosecute the inquiry, 

 to establish the permanency or otherwise of its character, merely 

 observing here, that from excursions made north and south in the 

 desert to a distance of fifteen miles from the river bed, and a compari- 

 son of the face of the country met with, with that in the bed itself, 

 I traced to my entire satisfaction the deserted course of a large river 

 as far as the Kalipahar wells. From that point its course was report- 

 ed to me to continue on the same W. by S. direction, passing Delawur 

 and other forts in the desert, built on its channel; perhaps joining 

 in the end some forsaken bed of the ever-changing Indus, near where 

 that river empties itself in the ocean. 



8. The road from Seersa to the wells at Kalipahar, within two 



_ . . marches of Bahawulpore follows the dry bed of the 



Description of the 

 road from Seersa to Slakro, conforming to its windings. Its direction is 

 Bahawulpore. ■«*,«■.. . .it-. 



West by South ; it sometimes runs in the bed, 



sometimes crosses it, and sometimes runs parallel with it on the right 



or left bank, never deviating from one or the other of its banks more 



than four miles. On a comparison with the average run of marches, it 



is less heavy for wheel carriages than the road from Kurnaul to Fe- 



rozepore, and it would continue good at all seasons. It runs through 



an open country with little or no cultivation, and may be increased to 



any breadth ; camels may march by it fifty abreast on either side of a 



column of troops. 



9. The present supply of water from wells would suffice for the pas- 



sage of a kafila of three hundred camels, and we 

 Supp y o water. k ave Q ^ tQ j ncrease tne number of wells on the 



road to admit of large bodies of troops moving by it ; with the excep- 

 tion of the stage of Bila-chian the water is every where drinkable and 

 generally good. 



10. There would be no difficulty as to supplies of all kinds on due 



notice being given. Such as are not procurable 

 how U p?ocur'aWe. kindS on the road, can be brought to any point on it in 



two days or less from the Ghara river. Gram for 

 horses is not procurable beyond Raneeah, but barley and moot, or bajra 

 may be substituted. Forage for camels, and grass for bullocks and 



