Cutch; its Position--Alterations in its Western Coast, from an Earthquake--Damming of the Eastern Branch of the Indus--Injuries thereby--Dreadful Earthquake of 1819--Effects of it--Raises a natural Mound--Overflow of the Indus in 1826--its Effects on the Eastern Branch described--Opinions--Subsequent Alterations of the Indus--Run of Cutch described--Mirage--Traditions regarding the Run--Corroboration of them--Effects of the Earthquake on the Run--Flooding of the Run--Configuration of the Run Borders--Run, supposed to have been an Inland Sea--Note in corroboration of the Opinion--Note on Sindree 309 NARRATIVE. CHAPTER I. ~Arrival of presents from the King of England for Runjeet Sing at Lahore.~ In the year 1830, a ship arrived at Bombay, with a present of five horses from the King of Great Britain to Maharaja Runjeet Sing, the Seik Chieftain at Lahore, accompanied by a letter of friendship from his majesty’s minister[1] to that prince. At the recommendation of Major-General Sir John Malcolm, then governor of Bombay, I had the honour of being nominated by the Supreme Government of India to proceed on a mission to the Seik capital, with these presents, by way of the river Indus. I held at that time a political situation in Cutch, the only portion of the British dominions in India which borders on the Indus. ~Information on the Indus desiderated.~ The authorities, both in England and India, contemplated that much information of a political and geographical nature might be acquired in such a journey. The knowledge which we possessed of the Indus was vague and unsatisfactory, and the only accounts of a great portion of its course were drawn from Arrian, Curtius, and the other historians of Alexander’s expedition. Sir John Malcolm thus minuted in the records of government, in August, 1830:-- “The navigation of the Indus is important in every point of view; yet we have no information that can be depended upon on this subject, except of about seventy miles from Tatta to Hyderabad. Of the present state of the Delta we have native accounts, and the only facts which can be deduced are, that the different streams of the river below Tatta, often change their channels, and that the sands of all are constantly shifting; but, notwithstanding these difficulties, boats of a small draft of water can always go up the principal of them. With regard to the Indus above Hyderabad, there can be no doubt of its being, as it has been for more than two thousand years, navigable far up.” ~Arrangements.~