Chapter XII · JOURNEY IN THE DESERT OF THE TOORKMUNS. (continued 3)
Reading edition
Quit Persia.
At Bushire, I found that Mr. Blane, the resident in the Gulf of Persia, had kindly delayed the departure of the Honourable Company’s ship of war the Clive, till I arrived. I lost no time in embarkation, and finally quitted Persia on the 10th of December. Our voyage to India was pleasant, and Capt. Macdonald, the commander of the Clive, took every opportunity of making it varied and agreeable. If we found that “Oman’s dark blue sea,” and its barren shores, have been the theme of exaggerated praise in the imagination of the poet, we had yet gratification in a glimpse at the far-famed emporium of Ormuz, and the rugged rocky coast of Arabia, with the romantic cove of Muscat and the dreary shores of Mekran. We anchored in the harbour of Bombay on the 18th of January, and passed the rest of that month in quarantine; after which I proceeded without delay to Calcutta, to lay the result of my travels before the Governor General, Lord William Bentinck.
Conclusion.
I shall not pause to reflect on the feelings with which I again set foot in India after so long and weary a journey. In the outset, I saw every thing, both ancient and modern, to excite the interest and inflame the imagination,—Bactria, Transoxiana, Scythia, and Parthia, Kharasm, Khorasan, and Iran. We had now visited all these countries; we had retraced the greater part of the route of the Macedonians; trodden the kingdoms of Porus and Taxiles; sailed on the Hydaspes; crossed the Indian Caucasus, and resided in the celebrated city of Balkh, from which Greek monarchs, far removed from the academics of Corinth and Athens, had once disseminated among mankind a knowledge of the arts and sciences, of their own history, and the world. We had beheld the scenes, of Alexander’s wars, of the rude and savage inroads of Jengis and Timour, as well as of the campaigns and revelries of Baber, as given in the delightful and glowing language of his commentaries. In the journey to the coast, we had marched on the very line of route by which Alexander had pursued Darius; while the voyage to India took us on the coast of Mekran and the track of his admiral Nearchus.
A GENERAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR ON PART OF CENTRAL ASIA.
The Personal Narrative of the journey has closed, and I now proceed to describe the objects, both general and geographical, that appear to deserve notice. It will be seen that the line of route has traversed a portion of India, Cabool, Tartary (Toorkistan), and Persia; and I might appropriately follow the same arrangement in my descriptions. It is not, however, my intention to recapitulate the labours of others, not to dwell upon what is already before the world; I have therefore confined myself to that which is new and inviting. My maps will rectify many positions in these countries, and even remove various and vast ranges of hills; but the general account of each province in the kingdom of Cabool has been graphically given in Mr. Elphinstone’s valuable work on that country. My field lies in the untrodden paths beyond Hindoo Koosh, among roaming Tartars and deserts, cheered, as they certainly are, by many smiling and fertile oäses. If my reader will place the maps of the journey before him, he will perceive that I only treat of countries which I have visited: there is an exception in the fifth and sixth chapters of the first Book, regarding the sources of the Indus and the foreign communications of China, which the interest of the subject will, I believe, justify. In the last two Books, I present the report, nearly in the same state that I submitted it to the Supreme Government of India. The form may not be best adapted to convey information to the public; but in such a shape the authenticity will, perhaps, entitle it to greater notice. For reasons, which it is not necessary to explain, I have had to abridge this and other portions of my work.
NOTICE REGARDING THE MAP OF CENTRAL ASIA.
The results of my survey of the countries between India and the Caspian Sea are exhibited on the face of the map: the data on which these results rest require to be stated, that others may be enabled to judge of the authenticity of the document.
The instruments used were, a sextant, of nine inches radius, by Gilbert, and the patent surveying compass of Schmalcalder, divided into 360 degrees. With the sextant the parallels of latitude were determined, when practicable, either by a meridian altitude of the sun, or the elevation of the pole star; with the compass the bearings or angles of the country were observed. The time of travelling was noted on the spot, from a valuable chronometer watch by Arnold.
The rate of marching, after various trials by astronomical observation, was found to be as follows:—
1st. On horseback, over a level country, such as the Punjab, or regions eastward of the Caspian, without a caravan, 30 furlongs, or 3¾ miles per hour.
2d. On horseback, over a broken or mountainous country, such as lies between the Indus and Cabool, and accompanied by mules lightly laden, 3 miles per hour.
3d. On camels, over a flat country, such as Toorkistan, about 3800 yards, or 2 miles 300 yards per hour; protracting in every instance the great inflexions of the road, and correcting them by peaks or notable land-marks in front or rear.
The rate of a camel’s march requires some further notice, since I took much pains to ascertain it, and am not without a hope that it may prove useful to others. Twenty-two camels in “kittar,” or string, that is, following and tied to each other, cover a space of 115 paces of 2½ feet, or 94 yards. They march over this space in 90 seconds of time; that is to say, they travel at the rate of 76⅔ paces per minute, or 3833 yards per hour, thus:—
76⅔ paces a minute.
60 minutes.
——
4560
40
——
4600 paces.
2½ feet.
———
3)11,500 feet.
———
3833 yards.
———
Camels move quickest at night, or in the cool of the morning, and flag after a march of twenty-five miles. I have, therefore, taken the even number of 3800 yards as my standard of protraction. I cannot agree with Mr. Macartney, that camels move at the rate of 2½ or 2¾ miles an hour. Volney informs us that the Syrian camel travels at the rate of only 3600 yards, or even lower than the standard which I have assigned; and that great traveller cannot be far from the truth. In a sandy country I used the following expedient to ascertain the rate of the camel, and the result presents a satisfactory approximation.
A string of 7 camels moves over its own ground in 26 seconds.
10 42
7 28
8 35
8 37
12 50
52 218
Each camel in string occupies about 13 feet; so that 52 camels cover 676 feet, which gives a rate of about 3700 yards an hour in soft ground; thus:—
sec. feet. sec.
If 218 : 676 : 3600. Ans. 3700.
That the rates of marching now recorded approximate closely to the truth, is undeniably established by my protraction to the city of Bokhara, which fell within 30 miles west of the meridian of 64° 55′ east longitude, the position assigned to it by the Russian mission. In Macartney’s map it stands in 69° 10′, and was altered by Mr. Elphinstone to 62° 45′; though that gentleman observes he was not satisfied with its position. The latitude of Bokhara I found to be 39° 43′ 41″ north; but its position, according to others, is somewhat different.
By Lt. Macartney 37° 45′ North.
By Mr. Elphinstone 39 27
By Major Rennell 39 25
By Anthony Jenkinson 39 10
I also found a remarkable coincidence with the correct longitude, in my protraction through the Toorkmun country, from Meshid to the Caspian Sea. Setting out also from Lodiana in India, which stands in 75° 54′ east longitude, and 30° 55′ 30″ north latitude, the protraction to Peshawar was nearly coincident with the position of that city as determined by the Cabool mission. They assigned to it the longitude of 71° 45′: I have placed it 71° 33′: it stands in 34° 9′ 30″ north latitude. The relative position of Cabool from Peshawur has been altered, as well as the ranges of the mountains; but it is unnecessary to detail the various changes which an inspection and comparison of the map will readily point out. With the assistance of Mr. John Arrowsmith, whose maps have already secured to him a just approbation[19], the materials of my survey have been incorporated with the latest geographical information: this will greatly enhance the value of the maps, which have been drawn by Mr. Arrowsmith himself, and carefully engraved under his own superintendence for this work; nor will it in any way conceal the later information, since my own line of route has been particularly marked and distinguished from that of other travellers.
The following original observations of latitude it seems advisable to record. The asterisk marks those which were observed at night.
Lodiana, on the Sutledge Lat. 30° 55′ 30″
Junction of the rivers Sutledge and Beas, at Huree 31 9 50
City of Lahore (south gate) 31 34 52
Ramnugguron, the Chenab 32 19 33
Pind Dadun Khan, on the Jelum 32 34 53
Rotas, in the Punjab 32 58 2
Jane ka Sung, in the Punjab 33 41 8
Attok, on the Indus 33 54 46
Peshawur (of Macartney) 34 9 30
Cabool (south quarter) *34 24 5
Balkh (obs. 17 miles west) *36 48 0
Oxus, at Khoju Salu *37 27 45
Kurshee, in Toorkistan *38 51 50
Bokhara (centre and mean of 3 obs.) *39 43 41
Meerabad, near Karakool 39 21 51
Charjooee (south bank of the Oxus) 39 0 30
Bulghooee, in the desert *38 39 21
Khoju Abdoola, on the Moorghab *37 36 15
Shurukhs (by the sun) 36 31 0
Shurukhs (by the pole star) *36 32 10
Meshid (west quarter) 36 15 44
Camp among Goklan Toorkmuns 37 21 57
Koord mulla, on the Caspian 36 46 25
Tehran (capital of Persia) 35 40 0
GENERAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR.