BELOOCHISTAN, a country of Asia, situated on the north-western coast of the Indian peninsula. It is bounded on the north by Afghanistan and Seistan; on the west by the Persian provinces of Kirman and Laristan; on the south by the Indian Ocean; and on the east by a part of Sinde and Shikarpoor. In general, it maybe said to comprehend all that space included within the 25th and 30th degrees of north latitude, and the 58th and 68th degrees of east longitude; and its whole superficial extent may be computed at 550 geographical miles in length, and 300 in breadth.

Of the early history of this portion of the Asiatic continent little or nothing is known. The poverty and natural strength of the country, combined with the ferocious habits of the natives, seem to have equaļly repelled the friendly visits of inquisitive strangers and the hostile incursions of invading armies. The Greeks, from whom we derive the earliest information relative to the western frontiers of India, are almost entirely silent ŵith respect to this mountainous and inhospitable tract; and scarcely any notice of it occurs for many centuries posterior to the Macedonian invasion. Hence it is impossible to trace the first settlement of this country; and the descent of its inhabitants can only be imperfectly ascertained by analogy and conjecture. As the natives have no written language, their historical annals are merely traditional, and therefore entitled to little credit. The Belooches ascribe their own origin to the earliest Mahommedan invaders of Persia, and are very desirous of being supposed to be of Arabian extraction; but the latter part of this supposition derives no confirmation from their features, their manners, or their language, which bear not the slightest similitude to those of the Arabs. There can be little doubt, however, that they originally came from the westward; of which indeed there is strong evidence in the affinity between the Beloochekee and Persian languages; and their institutions, habits, and religion, seem to indicate that they are of Toorkoman lineage. It seems highly probable, indeed, that, during the frequent sanguinary revolutions to which the monarchy of the Seljukide Tartars was subject, some of these barbarians had been forced to wander over the country in quest of new settlements; and that a portion of them had found refuge in the mountainous districts of Beloochistan. But, besides the Belooches, there are in Beloochistan other distinct tribes of inhabitants, whose peculiar habits and shades of character we shall afterwards take an opportunity of describing. These are, the Brahooés, apparently a race of Tartar mountaineers, who settled at an early period in the southern parts of Asia, but whose history is extremely obscure and uninteresting; the Dehwars, a Persian colony, whose original settlement cannot be traced; and the Hindoos, who appear to have been the first settlers in the upper part of the Brahooick Mountains, on their being expelled from Sinde, Lus, and Mekran, by the armies of the caliphs of Bagdad. This last tribe appears to have constituted the governing [7:4:556]party at the earliest period of which any thing approaching to authentic information has been obtained. The Brahooés and Belooches, however, gradually spread over the country; and the Hindoo power was at length subverted by a revolution, which placed the ancestors of the present khan of Kelat upon the throne.

The precise period at which this revolution took place cannot be accurately ascertained; but it is probable that two centuries have not elapsed since that event. The last rajah of the Hindoo 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 reins of government.

The history of this country subsequently to the accession of Kumbur is involved in the same obscurity as during the Hindoo dynasty. It would appear, however, that the sceptre was quietly transmitted to the descendants of that chief, who seems to have persevered in a peaceable system of government, until the time of Abdoolla Khan, the fourth in descent from Kumbur; who, being an intrepid and ambitious soldier, turned his thoughts towards the conquest of Kutch-Gundava, then held by different petty chiefs, under the authority of the Nawabs of Sinde.

After various success, the Kumburanees at length possessed themselves of the sovereignty of a considerable portion of that fruitful plain, including the chief town, Gundava. It was during this contest that the famous conqueror Nadir Shah, commonly called Thamas Koolee Khan, advanced from Persia to the invasion of Hindostan; and while at Kandahar, he dispatched several detachments into Beloochistan, and established his authority in that province. Abdoolla 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 Sinde. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hajee Mohummud Khan, who abandoned himself to the most tyrannical and licentious way of life, and completely alienated his subjects by his arbitrary and oppressive system of taxation. In these circumstances, Nusseer Khan, the second son of Abdoolla Khan, who had accompanied the victorious Nadir to Delhi, and acquired the favour and confidence of that monarch, returned to Kelat, 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, when the prince was alone, 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 satisfaction, and dispatched a firman, by return of the messenger, appointing Nusseer Khan beglierbey of all Beloochistan. 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 government of all the provinces in his dominions, and improved and fortified the city of Kelat. On the death of Nadir Shah, in 1747, he acknowledged the title of the king of Cabûl, Ahmed Shah Abdalla. In 1758 he declared himself entirely independent; upon which Ahmed Shah dispatched a force against him, under one of his ministers. The khan, however, levied his troops 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 Kelat 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 negociation was proposed 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 royal armies, for which he was to receive an allowance in cash equal to half their pay.

Subsequently to this period the khan frequently distinguished himself by his gallantry and judgment in the wars carried on by the monarch of Cabûl; and, as a reward for his eminent services, the king bestowed upon him several districts to hold in perpetual and entire sovereignty. Having succeeded in quelling a dangerous rebellion, headed by his cousin Beheram Khan, this able prince at length died at an extreme old .age, after a happy and prosperous reign, in the month of June 1795, leaving three sons and five daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Muhmood Khan, then a boy about fourteen years of age. During the reign of this prince, who is described as a very humane and indolent man, the country has been distracted by sanguinary intestine broils; the governors of several provinces and districts have withdrawn their allegiance; and the dominions of the khans of Kelat have so gradually diminished, that they now comprehend only a small portion of the provinces which were formerly subject to Nusseer Khan.

The territories of the last-mentioned prince are comprised under the following divisions :—1. The provinces of Jhalawan and Sarawan, and the district of Kelat. 2. The provinces of Mekran and Lus. 3. The province of Kutch-Gundava and district of Hurrund Dajel. 4. Kohistan, or the Belooche country west of the Desert. 5. The Desert. 6. The province of Sinde.

The features of this extensive tract of country vary considerably; but, in general, it may be described as extremely mountainous. A stupendous range, to which the appellation of the Brahooick Mountains has been assigned, and which seems to be the primitive root of all the others, springs abruptly to a conspicuous height out of the sea, at Cape Mowaree, or Monze, in east longitude 66° 58', north latitude 25°, whence it takes a north-easterly direction for about ninety miles. There it projects a ridge, east by north, the base of which is washed by the river Indus, at the fort of Sehwan. From the separation of this arm, in latitude 25° 45' to that of 30°, the primitive body runs due north, marking the western limits of Sinde, Kutch-Gundava, and a part of Seeweestan; and from thence it once more regains its original inclination to the north-east, and decreases in magnitude and elevation so rapidly, that, m the course of forty miles, it sinks to a level with the hills inhabited by the Kaukers and other Afghan tribes, with which it becomes incorporated. To the westward the Brahooick Mountains send forth many collateral chains, some of which extend the whole length of Beloochistan, and join the mountains of Persia; others elongate southerly till they touch the sea, or come within a few miles o it, and then either take the inclination of the coast, or subside in the low and barren plains in its vicinity; whιe the main body, or rather its western face, stretches away north-west by north, to the twenty-eighth degree of nortι latitude, where it meets the south-eastern corner of tie sandy desert, about the sixty-fourth degree of east longι-tude[7:4:557]; and from thence it inclines with a northern aspect between the north-east and north points of the compass to Nooshky, in latitude 30° north; from which place it runs more easterly, till at length it gradually sinks, like the eastern front, to an equality of size with the Afghan hills. Besides the Brahooick chain, there are several other ranges of mountains, extending in various directions and ramifications throughout Beloochistan, but all of them inferior to the former in magnitude and height. This stupendous chain is believed to have attained its greatest altitude at Kelat; from which city, according to the natives, a traveller, whatever route he may pursue, must descend; but the descent is so very trifling for a long way on either side of that capital that it is not pereeptible by the eye.

Throughout the whole of this country there are no rivers of such size or importance as to merit particular notice. In general they have a broad and deep channel from the coast, until they reach the mountains or stony hills, where they become contracted into narrow and intricate water-courses, that are quite dry during the greater part of the fair season; and in the rainy one swell to terrific torrents, which run off in the course of a few hours after the rain that has filled them ceases.

The principal city of this country is Kelat, the capital of the whole of Belooehistan. This city stands on an elevated site on the western side of a well-cultivated plain or valley, about eight miles long and two or three broad; a great part of which is laid out in gardens and other inclosures. The town is built in the form of an oblong square, three sides of which are encompassed by a mud wall, eighteen or twenty feet high, flanked, at intervals of 250 yards, by bastions, which, as well as the wall itself, are pierced with numberless loop-holes for matchlock-men. The defence of the fourth side of the city is formed by the western face of the hill, on which it is partly built, being cut away perpendicularly. On the summit of this eminence stands the palace of Muhmood Khan, chief of Kelat, and nominal beglierbey of Beloochistan, commanding a distinct view of the town and adjacent country. That quarter of the hill on which the khan’s residence is erected has been inclosed by a mud wall, with bastions; the entrance to it is on the south-western side; and here, as well as at the city gates, which are three in number, there is constantly a guard of matchlock-men. Within the walls there are upwards of 2500 houses, and the number of these in the suburbs probably exceeds one half of that amount. The houses are mostly built of half-burnt brick, or wooden frames, and plastered over with mud or mortar. In general the streets are broader than those of native towns, and most of them have a raised pathway on either side for foot-passengers, and an uncovered kennel in the centre; the latter of which is a great nuisance, from the quantity of filth thrown into it, and the stagnant rainwater that lodges there. The upper stories of the houses frequently project across the streets, and thereby render the part beneath them gloomy and damp. This seems a very rude attempt to imitate the bazars of Persia and Ca-bùl. The bazar of Kelat is extensive, and well furnished with every kind of goods; all the necessaries of life ma y be procured daily at a moderate price. The town is supplied with delicious water from a spring in the face of a hill on the opposite side of the plain, whence it meanders nearly through the centre of it, having the town and suburbs on one side, and on the other the gardens. It is a remarkable property of this spring, that the waters, at their immediate issue from the smaller channels, possess a considerable degree of tepidity, until after sunrise, when ∏ey suddenly become exceedingly cold, and remain so du ∏ng the day.

We have no data from which we can form an accurate computation of the total amount of the population of Beloochistan. The inhabitants are divided into two great classes, distinguished by the appellations of Belooche and Brahooé; and these two are again subdivided into an infinite number of tribes, which it were tedious and unnecessary to enumerate. The most remarkable distinctions between these two classes consists in their language and appearance. The Belooche or Beloochekee language partakes considerably of the idiom of the modern Persian, although greatly disguised under a singularly corrupt pronunciation. The Brahooékee, on the other hand, has nothing analogous to the Persian idiom. It appears to contain a great number of ancient Hinduwee words; and, as it strikes the ear, bears a strong resemblance to the dialect spoken in that part of India called the Punjab. With regard to external appearance, the contour of these two classes seems to differ, in most instances, as much as their language. The Belocches in general have tall figures, long visages, and raised features; the Brahooés, on the contrary, have short thick bones, with round faces and flat lineaments.

The Belooches are a handsome active race of men, not possessing great physical strength, but inured to changes of climate and season, and capable of enduring every species of fatigue. In their habits they are a pastoral people, and much addicted to predatory warfare, in the course of which they do not hesitate to commit every kind of outrage and cruelty. The lawless excursions in which they frequently engage are called chupaos, and are almost always conducted under the immediate orders of their chiefs. The depredators are usually mounted on camels, and furnished with food and water, according to the distance they have to travel. When every thing is prepared, they set off, and march incessantly till within a few miles of the point where the elvupao is to commence; then they halt in a jungle, or some unfrequented spot, to rest their camels. On the approach of night they mount again; and as soon as the inhabitants have retired to repose, they begin their attack by burning, destroying, and carrying off whatever comes in their way. They never rest for one moment during the chupao∙ t but ride on, at the rate of eighty or ninety miles a day, until they have loaded their camels with as much pillage as they can possibly remove; If practicable, they make a circuit, which enables them to return by a different route from the one by which they came. This plan affords them a double prospect of plunder, and also tends to mislead those who go in pursuit of the robbers.

Notwithstanding their predatory habits, the Belooches are proverbial for their hospitality. Among them pilfering is considered a most despicable act; and when they once promise to afford protection to any person who may solicit or require it, they will die before they fail in their trust. Their usual habitations are ghedans or tents, made of black felt or coarse blanket, stretched over a frame of wicker-work, formed from the branches of the tamarisk. An assemblage of these ghedans constitutes a toomun or village, and the inhabitants of it a hheil or society, of which there may be an unlimited number in one tribe. These kheils are eommonly discriminated by some appropriate title, such as the umeeree kheil, the noble society, Daodee kheil, David’s society, &c. These titles, however, they frequently change with their places of residence. Some of the Belooches, particularly the Nharooé clans, prefer mud-houses to tents, and even live in forts; nor is it uncommon in the western parts of Belooehistan, to find one half of the kheil residing in ghedans, and the other in huts. When a visitor arrives at a toomun, a carpet is spread in front of the door of the miharn hhanu i or house [7:4:558]for guests, of which every village has one; the sirdar or head of the kheil immediately appears, and he and the stranger having embraced, and mutually kissed hands, the followers of the latter successively approach, and the sirdar gives them his hand, which they press to their foreheads and lips. The parties then sit down, on which the chief addresses the stranger, and asks him, four several times, how he does, to which the other answers in the usual complimentary terms; he then inquires, in the same manner, for his family and friends, and even for the health of his followers who are present, to whom the visitor turns, as if to appeal for information; they all nod assent to being in good health; and the ceremony concludes by the new-comer making an equal number of inquiries for the welfare of the family, kheil or society, followers and friends of the sirdar.

The food of the Belooches consists of wheaten and barley cakes, rice, dates, cheese, and milk, which last they prefer in a sour state; soup made from dholl or peas, and seasoned with red pepper and other heating herbs, and meat whenever they can procure it. The vegetables most esteemed by them are onions, garlic, and the leaves and stalk of the assafoetida plant, which they roast or stew in butter. They usually limit themselves to one or two wives, and their chiefs to four; but this depends altogether upon choice. They treat their women with attention and respect, and are not so scrupulous about their being seen by strangers as most other Mussulmans. They keep a great number of slaves of both sexes, captured during their chupaos, who are treated with liberality and kindness. The common dress of the Belooches is a coarse white or blue calico shirt, buttoned round the neck, and reaching below the knee; their trousers are made of the same cloth, or of a kind of striped stuff called Soosee, and puckered round the ancles. On their heads they wear a small silk or cotton quilted cap, fitted to the shape of the skull, over which, when in full dress, they place a turban, either checked or blue, and a hummurbund or sash, of the same colour, round their waists. In winter the chiefs and their relatives appear in a tunic of chintz, lined and stuffed with cotton; and the poorer classes, when out of doors, wrap themselves up in a surtout made of cloth, manufactured from a mixture of goats’ hair and sheeps’ wool. The women’s dress is very similar to that of the men; their trousers are preposterously wide, and made of silk, or a mixture of silk and cotton. A Belooche soldier carries a matchlock, sword, spear, dagger, and shield, besides a multiplicity of powder-flasks, priming-horns, and pouches. They are all capital marksmen, and in battle avoid, as much as possible, coming to close combat. Their best warlike weapons are of foreign manufacture. At Kelat there is an armoury for the manufacture of matchlocks, swords, and spears; but the workmanship is very indifferent.

The principal amusements of the Belooches are shooting, hunting, and coursing; for which latter purpose they bestow a vast deal of attention in the training of their greyhounds. Firing at marks, cudgelling, wrestling, and throwing the spear, are likewise favourite diversions among them, and neighbouring kheils frequently cope with each other at these exercises. Their funeral and marriage ceremonies, being in a great measure such as are prescribed and regulated by the Koran, are similar to those of all other Mussulmans, and therefore merit no particular notice. With regard to religion the Belooches are, with a very few exceptions to the westward, Soonee Mussulmans.

The Brahooés, or second great class of the natives of Beloochistan, are a still more unsettled and wandering nation than the Belooches. They reside in one part of the country during the summer, and emigrate to another for the winter season; and even change their immediate! places of abode many times in the year, for the sake of pasturage for their flocks. The Brahooés are distinguished for activity, strength, and hardiness; inured alike to the cold of the mountainous regions of Beloochistan, and the heat of the low plain of Kutch-Gundava. They are very laborious in husbandry and other domestic occupations; and those who reside in the vicinity of the plains to the southward of Kelat, cultivate large tracts of land and dispose of the produce for exportation to the Hindoos of Kelat, Bela, and Khozdar. This, and the sale of the cheese and ghee made from the flocks, with a few coarse blankets, carpets, and felts, constitute their only traffic. They are famous for having voracious appetites, and devour a great quantity of flesh in a half-dressed state, without bread, salt, or vegetables. The Brahooés are as faithful in adherence to their promises, and as hospitable, as the Belooches: they are more quiet and industrious, and although they are esteemed superior to the other inhabitants of Beloochistan in personal bravery, and the endurance of privations and hardships, yet their habits are decidedly averse to that system of rapine and violence pursued by their neighbours. A Brahooé always dresses in the same style; whether it be summer or winter, his whole clothing consists of a loose white shirt, a pair of trousers of the same texture, and a felt cap. The shepherds sometimes wear a covering of white felt, made so as to wrap round the body, and terminate in a peak above the crown of the head; and this habit is used as a defence against rain or snow. The domestic life of the Brahooés is extremely simple. The men employ themselves in field labour, in which, if necessary, they are assisted by the women; but in general the latter are. engaged in attending to the household affairs. The dress of the women consists of a long shift and pair of trousers, both of cotton cloth; and after they arrive at the age of puberty they wear over the former a kind of stays, made to lace behind, and decorated in front with ridiculous devices of birds or animals, worked in coloured worsted. In religion, the Brahooés are all Soonnce Mussulmans. All their tribes intermarry with each other, except the Kumburanees; but these are distinguished by a peculiarity which does not attach to any of the other tribes; that of being divided into three distinct gradations of rank,—the Ahmedzgees, Khanees, and Kumburanees. The first consists of the family of the prince; the Khanees are of the secondary rank, which embraces between twenty and thirty; and the Kumburanees include the remainder of the tribe, although, in general, the term is applied to the whole body.

Besides the Belooches and Brahooés, there is a considerable number of Hindoos resident at Kelat, who are principally engaged in mercantile speculations, and are much respected both by the government and the people. Their religion is tolerated; and they have a pagoda at Kelat. The Dehwars or Dehkans constitute the only remaining class of the population which seems worthy or particular notice. They may be recognised under various names in different districts of the country; and they are quiet and harmless in their disposition, and addicted to agricultural pursuits. Their colloquial language is Persian; from which fact their origin may be deduced, although no traces of their original settlement have been discovered.

The fluctuation of power renders it difficult to define precisely the nature of the government of Kelat. During the reign of Nusseer Khan, the whole kingdom might be said to have been governed by a complete despotism; yet that ruler so tempered the supreme authority by the p r vileges granted to the feudal chiefs within their own tribes, that, to a casual observer, it bore the appearance [7:4:559]of a military confederation. The tribes all exercise the ri<>∙ht of selecting their own sirdar , or head; and the khan has the power of confirming or disapproving of their nomination; but this power is never exercised, and appears to be merely nominal. The khan of Kelat has the power of declaring war and making treaties connected with the whole of Beloochistan, and can order the sirdar of each tribe to attend in person with his quota of troops. Agreeably to a eode of regulations framed by one of the earliest princes of the Kumburanee dynasty, the entire administration of justice was vested in the person at the head of the government. The sirdar, however, has the power of adjusting petty quarrels, thefts, and disputed points of every description, among the inhabitants of a kheil or society; but in all eases of importance, an appeal lies in the last instance to the khan at Kelat.

A register of the Belooche army, drawn up during the reign of Nusseer Khan, exhibits an aggregate of 250,000 men; but this number was probably exaggerated. At present the same documents comprise a list of 120,000 troops, excluding all the revolted provinces and districts; but it is believed that Muhmood Khan could not, on the greatest emergency, muster more than half that number of fighting men. His total revenues, in their actual reduced state, may be estimated at about 350,000 rupees annually, a large portion of which is paid in produce. In Nusseer Khan’s time the revenue exceeded thirty lacks of rupees. The duties levied at Kelat are extremely moderate. Horses or cattle pay nothing whatever throughout the Belooehe territories; but there is a species of land-tax, payable from all cultivated grounds. The exports from Kelat are very trifling; its imports are iron, tin, lead, steel, copper, indigo, betel-nut, eochineal, sugar, spices, silks, keemkhab, gold-eloth, chintz, and coarse woollens from India.

The climate of Beloochistan is extremely various in the different provinces. The soil in general is exceedingly stony. Of the province of Kutch-Gundava, however, the soil is rich and loamy, and so very productive that, it is said, were it all properly cultivated, the crops would be more than sufficient for the consumption of the whole of ‘ Beloochistan. Gold, silver, lead, iron, tin, antimony, brimstone, alum, sal-ammoniac, and-many kinds of mineral salts, and saltpetre, are found in various parts of the country. The precious metals have only been discovered in working for iron and lead, in mines near the town of Nal, about 150 miles south-south-west of Kelat. The different other minerals above enumerated are very plentiful. The gardens of Kelat produce many sorts of fruit, which are soldata very moderate rate, such as aprieots, peaches, grapes, almonds, pistachio nuts, apples, pears, plums, currants, cherries, quinces, figs, pomegranates, mulberries, plantains, melons, guavas, &c. All kinds of grain known in India are cultivated in the different provinces of Beloochistan, and there is abundance of vegetables. Madder, cotton, and indigo, are also produced; and the latter is considered superior to that of Bengal. The culture of the date fruit is conducted with great attention in the province of Mekran. The domestic animals of Beloochis-ţanare horses, mules, asses, camels, dromedaries, buffaloes, ŋlack-cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, and eats, besides fowls and pigeons; but there are neither geese, turkeys, nor cucks. The wild animals are lions, tigers, leopards, hyenas, wolves, jackals, tiger-cats, wild dogs, foxes, hares, mangooses, mountain goats, antelopes, elks, red and moose- e er, wild asses, &c. Of birds they have almost every s Pθcιes to be met with either in Europe or India.

tor the information contained in this article we are p 1 efly indebted to the Travels of Colonel Pöttinger, whose journey, undertaken by authority of the East India Com pany, must be regarded as furnishing a valuable addition to our geographical and statistical knowledge of the Asiatic continent. (κ )