Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1849-02-10

Taken from the lips Of an eyewitness. IN
a. ID. 1912. Communicated by Capt.
j. abbott.

Ushrufr Khan, Zemindar of Torhalia,
states: In the month of Poos, (December)
the Indus was very low. In Mag and
Phagoon, (January and February it was so
low as to be tordable, an unprecedented
phehomenon. In Chayt it continued very
{ low, but not forbade. In Bysakh, (ArriD
the same About the middle of Jayt, niay)
the atmosphere was one day observed to be
very thick, the air still. About ,, z. NJ, 4
murmuring sound was heard from the north
east, among the mountains, which increased
until it attracted universal attention, and we
begun to exclaim, what is the murmur?
Is it the sound of cannon in the distance?
Is Gundguhrh believing? Is it thunder!"
Suddenly some cried out, s'the rivers come ~
and | looked and perceived that all the dry
channels were already filled, and that the
river was racing down furiously in an abso
lutte wall of mud, for it had not at all the
color or appearance of water. They who
saw it in tune easily escaped. They who
did not were inevitably lost. IL was hor-
rible mess of foul water-carc asses of peas
ants, soldiers, was-steds, camels, prostitutes,
tents, mules, asses, trees, and household
iurniture-in short, every item of existence
jumbled together in one flood of ruin for
Rah Goolab Singh's army was encamped in
the bed of the Indus at koolaye, three koss
above Torbaila, in check of POynda Kahn.
Part of the force was at that moment in hot
pursuit, or the ruin would have been wider
The rest ran, some to large trees, which
were soon uprooted and borne away others
to rocks, which were speedily buried beneath
the wateIs. Only they escaped who took at
once to the mountain side. About 500 of
these troops were at once swept to destruc-
ton. The mischief was immense, Humid
reds acres of arabic land were licked up and
carried away by the waters. The whole of
the Seesoo trees which adorned the rivers
banks, the famous burgut tree OF many stems,
time out of mind the chosen hiyouac of traY-
eliers-were all lost in an instant. The men
in the trees, the horses and mules tethered
TO the stems, all sunk alike into the gulf,
and disappeared forever. as woman with
wet towel sweeps away a legion of ants,
so the river blotted out the army of the RAJ
ia. There were two villages upon an is
land opposite GhaZi. One of the nhabi-
tants was returning from the SrikOte, and
descending the mountain when he came in
sight of the spot where he had left all he
held dear, he naturally looked with affection
towards his home. Nothing was visible but
a wide rushing sea of mud. His house, his
friends, his household, his village, the very
island itself, had disappeared. He rubbed
his eyes in mortal terror, distressing his
sight, hoping it was dream. But it was
a too horrible reality. He alone, of all that
busy hive Of moving, hoping, fearing beings,
was left upon the earth.
So far the Zcmindar and to this eloquent
description of an eye witness, need only
add, that it will take hundreds, if not thous-
ands of years to enable time to repair, with
its healing hand, the mischief Of that terri
BILE hour. The revenue of Torbaila has, in
consequence, dwindled from 10000 TO 5000
rupees. Chuch has been sown with barren
sand. The timber, for which the Indus has
been celebrated from the days of Alexander
until this disaster, is now so utterly gone,
that | vainly strove through Huzara TO pro-
cure a Seesoo tree for the repair Of the field
artillery carriages. To make some poor
amends the river sprinkled gold dust over
the barren soil, so that the washings for sew
eral successive years were famed at four
times their ordinary rent. IL is generally
believed that the accumulation of the waters
of the Indus was occasioned by a land slip
which blocked up the valley but this and
other interesting questions we must leave for
solution to Mr.. Vans Agnew, whose late
mission to Gilget promises so much 10 the
lovers of science.-JOurnaL Of the .4ssatic
Society Of Bengal.