The Indus
flows near
Haider-abad.
I t enters the
sea by six
mouths.
after forming a succession of islands on the main stream,
which is frequently three-quarters of a mile broad, with a
current of about two miles and a half per hour.1 Here the
Indus takes a south-easterly direction as far as Sallarah, from
whence it flows southward, passing near the western side of
Hai'der-abad, and on to Banna, but sending previously the
Fele'ili branch through the former city, and thence south-south-
eastwards by Kotri to the sea at the Kdre mouth. Banna may
be considered as the apex of the existing delta, one side being
formed by the Pinyari or Goongroo' river, which runs south-
south-eastward by Maghribi to its estuary, called the Sir; and
the other is the main river, which during its onward course
sends out five branches on the western, and a short one, namely,
the Mall, near its termination, on its eastern side. One of the
former, which is now usually dry, runs westward from T’hat’hah
(Tattah) till it meets the Garah river, which flows from that
place to the vicinity of Karachee. The next, called the Bagar,
is sent out a little below T ’hat’hah, and it has a south-western
course till it falls into the sea by six mouths, which are open,
and more or less navigable, during the season.of floods. These,
taking them from west to east, are the Piti, now almost closed,
the Dub’hu, the Khan, the Pintiyani, the Juwah, and the
Bichel; the third is the Titiyah, which quits the trunk thirty-
five miles from the sea, and runs south-eastward, with a channel
of thirty yards wide, and a stream about two feet deep only, in
the dry season. It terminates in the Bichel river, below the
villages of Koteri and Beman-Jo-poro. The fourth is the
Hajamari, or, as it is called, the upper part of the Siyahan river,
which is the most winding and intricate, yet presenting more
facilities for navigation than any of the other branches. It
quits the parent stream about twenty-two miles direct distance
from the sea, and makes a tortuous course to Bander Yikkar,
or Bari Gbra, which, although a miserable place, has considerable
trade. It subsequently makes a winding course, as before,
in the general direction of west-south-west, to its funnel-shaped
estuary, which is twenty miles from thence. There are only
1 Memoir on the Indus, by Sir Alexander Burnes, vol. I I I ., p. 132, of
Royal Geographical Journal.
seven and a half feet water on the bar at high tide, but nowhere
within it, is there less than twelve feet as far as Vikkar.
The fifth river is the K’hediwari, which diverges sixteen The K’he'di-
miles below the preceding branch, and reaches the sea after an
irregular west-south-western course. The entrance of the
K’hediwari is formed by a channel of four miles long, and
from 600 to 800 yards broad, with a depth of sixteen or
eighteen feet at high tide; and about three miles within the
bar it receives the Ad’hiyari, coming from the parent stream,
over which it has, in consequence, some advantages. Bevert-
ing to the latter, after sending out the Bagar, it flows
south-south-westward to its estuary, the Kukewari mouth,,
which is about fifty-five miles from thence by the stream and
forty-eight in a direct line. It takes the name of Wanyani
below Hajamari, and that of Manija as it approaches the The Manijs
estuary. At present there is but one entrance, which varies r n
from 1,100 yards to one mile and a half wide, with two
channels, the preferable of which is 500 yards broad at the
outer, and 130 yards wide at the interior side: it has a depth
of from twelve feet to three fathoms and a half, and a current
in the dry season of less than three miles and a half per hour,
which is increased to seven miles and one-tenth at the maximum
during the freshes. The Hajamari and the K’hediwari are,
however, the only other mouths which may be entered during
the dry season.
But at no very distant period, the mass of the waters of the Changes
Indus appear to have passed along the Bagar channel, from taken place at
which four beds, now dry, appear to have carried a portion o f^
the stream south-eastward across what is the existing main
channel, and onward to the sea, discharging at the Wari, the
Kajah, the Budah, and the Kha'i mouths. Besides these
alterations, the fact of extensive changes having occurred is
placed beyond doubt by a large vessel, the Fateh Jang, once
carrying forty guns, being found near the village of ’Ali-abad,1
besides the embedded hull of a gun-brig near Sikkar;2 both
1 Vol. V I I I ., p, 348, of Royal Geographical Journal.
2 Ibid., vol. X., p. 530.