18G0.] Memorándum on the great flood of the river Indus. 129 



Indus and on its tributarias)* to enquire whether any extraonlinary 

 flood had been noticed. The answers were a.11 ¡n the negative except 

 that from Boonjee, (the Máharájah's most northerly fort and canton- 

 ment on the Gilgit frontier) the report was as follows, viz. ;-— 



11 That a great flood (burá sailab) was noticed by the sepoys at 

 Boonjee on the 27th day of " Sávvan Mahina," " derh paliar din gaiya" 

 when it first arrived. Shortly afterwards the sepoys saw a mass of 

 timbers floating down the stream, which they recognised as belonging 

 tu the gateway of the Númbúl fort." 



The J^úmbúT fort is said to have been on the Gilgit river 

 belovv the point where the Naggar river joins the Gilgit river. 



I understand " the 27th day of Sávvan Mahina, derh paliar din 

 gaiya" to mean the llth day of Augnst about 9 or 10 in the morn- 

 ing. Although this is the day after the flood was noticed at Attok, 

 it is in my opinión sufficiently near the date to make it highly pro- 

 bable that it was the same flood that was noticed at Attok. 



At a frontier outpost of the Máharájah's (where no one goes 

 that has sense enoagh to make interest to keep away), a mistake of 

 two or three days in the date would be no wonderful thing consider- 

 ing the general indifference of natives on the subject of dates and 

 the numerous doubts as to when their months begin. 



I arn therefore of opinión that the flood (sailab) noticed at Boonjee 

 was the same that passed Attok on the lOth of August, and íor 

 reasons given hereafter I am of opinión that the sepoys' date at 

 Boonjee should have been' the 25th of ISávvan or the 9th of August 

 about 9 or 10 A. m. 



The Trigonometrical height of Skardo the capital of Little 

 Thibet situated on the river Indus has been ascertained to be about 

 7700f feet abo ve the sea and that of the G. T. Station eighteen 

 miles above Attok has been found to be about 1050J feet above the 

 sea, thus shewing a difFerence of height between the two places of 

 about 6G50 feet. The distance between Skardo and the above G. T. 

 Station by the course of the river Indus is approximately about three 

 huudred and ten miles, and consequently there is an average fall in 



* Specially mentioning the Shajok river. 



t Gr. T. S. point near Skardo fort 7701 very little above river. 



X G. T. S. Station on river eighteen miles above Attok and 1049 feet above sea, 



