The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-18 00:00:00

THE PUNJAB.

This is the general name of the country. lying between
the Indus, or Attock, and Sutledge rivers. It is naturally
divided into four Dooabs, or districts, by rivers descend-
ing from the mountains of Cashmere.
FIRST Do°An.—The first of these districts lies be-
tween the Indus and the Jailum, and has a breadth of
147 miles. It is, however, the most barren portion of
the Punjab, cut up in every direction by ravines ; fer-
tile spots, nevertheless, occur here and there, with fine
streams. The road, as it approaches Jailum, drops into
a narrow valley, on one side of which stands the gigantic
fort of Rotas. Jailum river is a broad, clear stream ;
its breadth from 350 to 400 yards, depth from six to ten
feet, and current of two miles an hour. A considerable
town, called also Jailum, is situated on its right bank.
The population of this Dooab is scanty, and consists
chiefly of Musselmans.
SECOND DooAn.—Situated between the Jailum and
Chenab rivers ; 46 miles broad ; this Dooab forms an
extensive flat plain, varied by jungle, Indian villages, and
cultivated tracts ; one or two good sized towns occur ono
the line of road ; this plain has many large wells, some
of which in the centre are 50 feet deep ; by these the
country is irrigated ; wheat, grain, sugar-cane, and
cotton are the chief crops : the Chenab river is a clear,
smooth stream, about 100 yards broad, and 100 feet
deep.
THIRD DOOAB.—This Dooab lies between the Chenab
and Ravee rivers, and is 761 miles wide. It is a hard,
dry, level plain, two-thirds of which are uncultivated.
Several considerable towns run along the line of road,
and there are some populous villages with tracts of good
cultivation. The great want of rain for the last three
years (1840) has thrown much land out of cultivation.
The Ravee is the smallest of all the rivers which form
the Punjab : its breadth being 900 feet: it is fordable. •
FOURTH DooAn.—The last Dooab lies between the
Ravee and Sutledge rivers, and is 441 miles broad ; its
villages are few and ' miserable ; the wells are deeper
than in the other districts ; it has a large town, or rather
group of towns, called Russoor, about 16 miles from the
Sutledge ; this river is the largest of all the rivers in the
Punjab, which does not include the Indus ; it is not
fordable, but the current is very gentle.

POPULATION OP TEE PUNJAB.
Its present capital, Amritsir, has a population of
100,000 souls ; Lahore, on the Ravee, 80,000 inhabitants :
Moultan, on the Chenaub, 60,000 inhabitants : Hydera-
bad, on the Indus, the capital of Scinde, 20,000: Tatta
containing 15,000, and Curachee about the same num-
ber. In the Thurr, or desert of Scinde, are several large
towns, as Jessulmeer, with 20,000 inhabitants : Jhoud
poor, the capital of Marwar, with 60,000: Palli, a com-
mercial town, with 50,000: Mairta with 20,000, and
Nagore with 40,000 inhabitants.
PLAIN AND TOWN OP PESHAWUR.
With the exception of a slip fifteen miles wide to the
East, Peshawur is surrounded by mountains on every
side; and the plain in which it is situated is nearly
circular, and about fifteen miles in diameter. This
plain is well watered; and always green ; and
is remarkable fur its. high cultivation. The city
is about five miles round, and contains
.100,000
inhabitants ; part of the town is flooded during the
spring rains, at which period it is rendered an un-
wholesome residence. The houses are built of brick,
and are three stories high : the streets are paved, and
have a gutter in the centre, but they are nevertheless
narrow and slippery. Peshawur plain lies between the
Khyber pass and the town of Peshawur, and has a de-
scent of GOO feet from the. former to the tt,wn, and about
as much more to the Indus. The Caubul river flows
down the plain about eight miles north of the city, where
it has a fine broad stream of nearly 2070 yards in breadth.
The town of Peshawur is 15 miles from the Khyber
hills, and 44 from the Indus : its height is 106 feet
above the sea.