Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/316

300 inquisitive strangers and the hostile incursions of invading armies. The first distinct account which we have is from Arrian, who, with his usual brevity and severe veracity, narrates the march of Alexander through this region, which he calls the country of the Oritas and Gadrosii. He gives a very accurate account of this forlorn tract, its general aridity, and the necessity of obtaining water by digging in the beds of torrents ; describes the food of the inhabitants as dates and fish ; and adverts to the occasional occurrence of fertile spots, the abundance of aromatic and thorny shrubs and fragrant plants, and the violence of the monsoon in the western part of Mekran. He notices also the impossibility of subsisting a large army, and the con sequent destruction of the greater part of the men and beasts which accompanied the expedition of Alexander. At the commencement of the 8th century this country was traversed by an army of the caliphate. The country derives its name from the Baluches, but the Brahoes are considered the dominant race, from which the ruler of the country is always selected. From whatever quarter these may have arrived, they eventually expelled, under their leader Kumbur, the Hindu dynasty, which at that time governed the country, and conquered Baluchistan for themselves. The Baluches are a quite distinct race, and must have arrived in the country at a subsequent period, probably in small bodies, some of which may have come from Syria or from Arabia ; in proof of this the Kyheree, for instance, possess a remarkably handsome breed of horses showing unmistakable Arab blood. Anyhow, so marked is the social distinction between Baluch and Brahoe, that when the khan assembles his forces for war the latter tribes demand, as their right, wheaten flour as a portion of their daily rations, while the Baluch tribes are only entitled to receive that made from a coarse grain called jowar. There is also a Persian colony known as the Dehwars ; and a considerable number of Hindus, who appear to have been the first settlers in the Brahoe mountains on their expulsion from Sindh, Lus, and Mekran by the caliphs of Baghdad. Taking a general view on the subject of the original inhabitants of Baluchistan, we may conclude that they have, from a very early date, been reinforced by emigration from other countries, and from stragglers dropped from the hoste of the numerous conquerors, from Alexander to Nadir Shah, who have passed, and repassed through Baluchistan or its neighbourhood on their way to and from India. Thus we find the Saka tribe located on the plains of Gressia, on the borders of Mekran, the ancient Gedrosia, and still further to the west, the Dahoe. These tribes are on the direct line of Alexander s march ; and we know that tribes of this name from the shores of the Caspian accompanied his army. In Sarawan we find the Sirperra, and Pliny tells us that a tribe called Saraparce resided near the Oxus. Further, on the Dushti-be-doulets, a plain at the northern entrance of the Bolan Pass, we find the Kurds, a name, again, familiar as that of a celebrated and ancient nation. The names of numerous other tribes might be cited to support this view, but it would require too much spacs to follow up the subject. Both Brahoes and Baluches are Mahometans of the Suni persuasion. The precise period at which the Brahoes gained the mastery cannot be accurately ascertained ; but it was probably about two centuries ago. The last rajah of the Hindu dynasty found himself compelled to call for the assistance of the mountain shepherds, with their leader, Kumbur, in order to check the encroachments of a horde of depredators, headed by an Afghan chief, who infested the country, and even threatened to attack the seat of government. Kumbur successfully performed the service for which he had been engaged; but having in a few years quelled the robbers, against whom he had been called in, and finding himself at the head of the only military tribe in the country, he formally deposed the rajah and assumed the government. The history of the country after the accession of Kumbur is as obscure as during the Hindu dynasty. It would appear, however, that the sceptre was quietly transmitted to Abdulla Khan, the fourth in descent from Kumbur, who, being an intrepid and ambitious soldier, turned his thoughts towards the conquest of Cutch-Gundava, then held by different petty chiefs, under the authority of the Nawabs of Sindh. After various success, the Kumburanees at length pos sessed themselves of the sovereignty of a considerable por tion of that fruitful plain, including the chief town, Gundava. It was during this contest that the famous Nadir Shah advanced from Persia to the invasion of Hindustan ; and while at Kandahar, he despatched several detachments into Baluchistan, and established his authority in that province. Abdulla Khan, however, was continued in the government of the country by Nadir s orders ; but he was soon after killed in a battle with the forces of the Nawabs of Sindh. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hajee Mohummud Khan, who abandoned himself to the most tyrannical and licentious way of life, and alienated his subjects by oppressive taxation. In these circumstances Nusseer Khan, the second son of Abdulla Khan, who had accompanied the victorious Nadir to Delhi, and acquired the favour and confidence of that monarch, returned to Khelat, and was hailed by the whole population as their deliverer. Finding that expostulation had no effect upon his brother, he one day entered his apartment and stabbed him to the heart. As soon as the tyrant was dead, Nusseer Khan mounted the musnud, amidst the universal joy of his subjects ; and immediately transmitted a report of the events which had taken place to Nadir Shah, who was then encamped near Kandahar. The shah received the intelligence with satisfac tion, and despatched a firman, by return of the messenger, appointing Nusseer Khan beglerbey of all Baluchistan. This event took place in the year 1739. Nusseer Khan proved an active, politic, and warlike prince. He took great pains to re -establish the internal governmentof all the provinces in his dominions, and improved and forti fied the city of Khelat. On the death of Nadir Shah in 1 747, he acknowledged the title of the king of Cabul, Ahmed Shah Abdulla. In 1758 he declared himself entirely independent ; upon which Ahmed Shah despatched a force against him, under one of his ministers. The khan, however, raised an army and totally routed the Afghan army. On receiving intelligence of this discomfiture, the king himself marched with strong reinforcements, and a pitched battle was fought, in which Nusseer Khan was worsted. He retired in good order to Khelat, whither he was followed by the victor, who invested the place with his whole army. The khan made a vigorous defence ; and, after the royal troops had been foiled in their attempts to take the city by storm or surprise, a negotiation was pro posed by the king, which terminated in a treaty of peace. By this treaty it was stipulated that the king was to receive the cousin of Nusseer Khan in marriage ; and that the khan was to pay no tribute, but only, when called upon, to furnish troops to assist the armies, for which he was to receive an allowance in cash equal to half their pay. The khan frequently distinguished himself in the subsequent wars of Cabul ; and, as a reward for his services, the king bestowed upon him several districts in perpetual and entire sovereignty. Having succeeded in quelling a dangerous rebellion, headed by his cousin Beheram Khan, this able prince at length died in extreme old age, in the month of June 1795, leaving three sons and five daughters. Ha 