1857.] Account of the Lower Derdjdt. 181 



of the Suliman range, has a greater volume of water, and flows for the 

 greater part of the year. Still the irrigation depends in a great mea- 

 sure on rain also, and therefore the produce is variable and its extent 

 uncertain ; the revenue sometimes having reached as high as 94, or 

 95,000 rupees, and even more under the Seikh Government, whilst 

 in some years again it has barely amounted to 50 or 55,000 rupees. 



The soil not within the influence of these mountain streams is 

 perfectly barren ; thus from the village of Bajunpur, as far south as 

 Eiijan — a distance of upwards of forty miles — the cultivated portion 

 is entirely separated from the mountaius by a narrow, bare, and sandy 

 belt of land, in some places from twenty to twenty-five miles in 

 breadth. This soil approaches the Indus more closely in the 

 vicinity of Dera Ismaseil Khan, and also near Shah-Wali, some fifteen 

 or twenty miles south of Rujan, near the boundary of Upper Sindh. 



The water from the few wells within ten or fifteen miles of the 

 hills is invariably bad, generally of a black colour, fetid smell, 

 and brackish taste, and as might be imagined, exceedingly unwhole- 

 some. The villages in this direction are mainly supplied with this 

 element from tanks or ponds, which the people construct to contain 

 the water flowing from the hills ; and sometimes during the hot 

 season, after great drought, the inhabitants are absolutely obliged 

 to desert their hamlets. This is particularly the case near Dajal, 

 close to the mountains, the people of which proceed to Jampur — a 

 small town nearer to the Indus, where they remain until water be- 

 comes more plentiful. 



The rich alluvial soil of the Indus on the other hand produces 

 very luxuriant jungle, and the cultivation, commencing from the 

 distance of about two miles inland, generally extends parallel to 

 the river's bank for about eight or nine miles in breadth, which is 

 irrigated from several canals. During the inundation of the river 

 from April to October, these two miles of land above referred to 

 are entirely flooded to a greater or less extent, and therefore but 

 partially brought under cultivation during the remaining portion 

 of the year ; but it is invaluable as grazing land, and the Govern- 

 ment do not fail to collect a tax termed Trmi, from the people who 

 graze their cattle on it. Large quantities of grass too are collected 

 and stored for fodder. 



