Burnes, Alexander: Travels into Bokhara: containing the narrative of a voyage on the Indus from the sea to Lahore, ... and an account of a journey from India to Cabool, Tartary and Persia ; performed by order of the supreme government of India, in the years 1831, 32, and 33 (Band 2) (London, 1835)

CHAP. I.

banks of the sutlege.

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running at the rate of two miles and a quarter an
hour, and was at this season perfectly clear, and
free from the foul, muddy appearance of a river
that is swollen by the water of the mountains. The
depth did not exceed twelve feet since the river
had retired to its summer bed, and the melting snow
had ceased to feed it. Both rivers stood at a tem-
perature of 57°, which was 6° below that of the
atmosphere. The people informed us, that about
fifty years ago the Sutlege had been hemmed in
among the mountains, by a hill falling in upon its
bed. After an obstruction for some weeks, it
vomited forth its imprisoned stream with great
destruction. A similar case occurred about eight
years ago, in the Ravee, or river of Lahore. It did
little injury, and the terror of the inhabitants was
excited only by the black earthy colour of the
water which forced itself over the obstructing
mound. The Sutlege has altered its course at no
distant period, and swept away some of the villages
on its banks. These are of a clayey, crumbling
nature, easily undermined by the current. Near
the existing point of union between the rivers, we
passed the dry bed of the old Sutlege, which is said
to have once joined the Hyphasis at Feerozpoor.
The space between this and the present channel,
from twelve to fifteen miles across, is entirely des-
titute of trees, and covered by a rich mould, the
deposit of the river.

In a country subject to such changes, how are
we to look for an identity between the topography
of modern and ancient days ? Yet we were now in
b 3