317 
1892.1 H. Gr. Raverty —The Mihrdn of Sind and its Tributaries. 
or Darbelo, flowed to the southwards, and got into the old channel of the 
Kunbh, which flowed between Sfw-istan and Baliman-abad when Mu¬ 
hammad, son of Kasim, marched to attack them, and through the Noh- 
Shahrah district of Sind, passing the range of low hills on which the 
modern Haidar-abad stands on the east, and about sixteen miles or more 
east of the Mukliahli hills, entered the ocean, at one period to the east 
of Debal and at another on the west, a little to the south of Mughal-bin, 
which, in comparatively modern times, was near the sea-coast. 
The ancient sea-port of Sind, Debal, or Dewal, was well known to 
the English traders down to within the last two hundred years; and 
this part of the channel was navigable for small sailing ships up to 
within a short distance of Thathah. A vast deal of the delta is of 
comparatively recent formation ; for the small district dependent on 
Badin was the most southerly part of Sind in Akbar Badshah’s reign, 
and now it is over seventy miles from the southernmost part of the 
delta. The river, no doubt, formed several smaller channels therein, 
and, in later times, inclined farther west a little below Thathah, and 
formed a new channel, the Bhagar, which still passed near Debal and 
was still navigable as far up as Thathah. Hence, in all probability, the 
error aud confusion arose, because Debal was known as “ the Port of 
Thathah,” that it must be Thathah itself, which had not been founded 
until after Debal had gone to comparative decay. It was the first place 
in the territory of Sind attacked by the ’Arab leader, Muhammad, son 
of Kasim, the Sakifi, early in 93 H. (711 A. D.)° 15 
31& See page 206. Mr. A. W. Hughes, in his “ Sind Gazetteer,” on the conquest 
of Sind, says (p. 24) : “ Muhammad Kasim [here we have the usual error. See 
note 242, page 276] left Shiraz on this expedition in H. 92 (A. D. 711), with 
a fine army [the ‘ fine army ’ amounted to about 10,000] and would seem (sic.) to 
have reached [There is not the shadow of a doubt about it] the seaport of Debal ( sup¬ 
posed by some to have been Manora, near Karachi, but by others Tatta) early in tho 
following year, which he soon captured.” At page 123 of the same " Gazetteer,” 
under the heading of “ Bambura,” he states : “ It is stated [by whom not said] that 
there are reasons for supposing that this ancient place was known during the eighth 
century under the names of Debal, Dewal, or Dawul [!] ; and that it was the first town 
that was stormed by the Muslim invader, Muhammad Kasim Sakifi.” At page 323, 
again, we have :—“ It is supposed that Bambura may very possibly have been the 
Dewal (or Debal) * * * Others, again [who ?], have presumed that Tatta was 
the ancient Debal, or that even Manora was the place stormed # * # At 
page 414, the compiler tells us, under the head of Karachi, that, “ By some writers it 
is supposed to occupy the same position, or to be at least in the immediate neighbour¬ 
hood of the ancient seaport of Dewal (or Debal),” etc. 
Here it will be seen that we have three different “ suppositions,” or “ it is saids,” 
and the like, respecting this one place, and all incorrect, as I shall now show. 
See also a deal on this subject in Cunningham’s “ Ancient Geography of India,” 
