*

Jam Afra reigns for three years, and is succeeded by his brother Choban, who reigns fourteen years, and is succeeded by his nephew Jam Bany — attempts to throw off his allegiance from Dehly, but is attacked by Feroze Toghluk, and taken prisoner — he is carried to Dehly, but is subsequently restored to his government — is succeeded by Jam Timmajy. — The Soomunas embrace Mahomedism. — Jam Sulah-ood-Deen ascends the throne — is succeeded by his son, Jam Nizam-ood-Deen, who is succeeded by Jam Ally Sheer — he is succeeded by his son Giran, in whom the lineal descent becomes extinct. — The peo­ple elect Jam Futteh Khan as king — he is succeeded by his brother Jam Toghluk. — The chiefs raise Jam Sikundur, the son of Futteh Khan, to the throne. — Jam Sungur is elected by the people. — Jam Nunda is elected. — Sind invaded by the troops of Shah Beg Arghoon, ruler of Kandahar. — The fort of Sewly taken. — Bhukkur taken. — Sind overrun by the Arghoons, who quit the country. — Death of Jam Nunda — is succeeded by Jam Feroze. — Contests between Jam Sulah-ood-Deen and Jam Feroze. — Sulah-ood-Deen is supported by an army from Guzerat. — Feroze calls in the aid of the Ar-ghoons. — Sulah-ood-Deen is killed. — The Guzeratties are expelled, and the Arghoons seize the country.

THE zemindars of Sind were originally of two tribes or families, the one denominated Soomuna and the other Soomura, and the chief of the former was distinguished by the appellation of Jam. In the latter end of the reign of Mahomed Toghluk of Dehly, Sind owned allegiance to that monarch; nevertheless, occasionally taking advantage of local circumstances, the Sindies contrived, for a con­siderable period, to shake off their allegiance. The first of the family of which we have any account was

A. H. 740.
A. D. 1339. OF this prince we have no further notice than that he died a natural death, after a reign of three years and six months.

JAM CHOBAN was nominated by his predecessor to succeed him in the government of Sind. We are

A. H. 754.
A. D. 1353.

told he was famed for his forbearance and moderation, and reigned peaceably for a period of fourteen years.

ON the death of Jam Choban, his nephew Jam Bany, the son of Jam Afra, having set up his claims to the government, established them, and succeeded his uncle Jam Choban. During his reign he publicly asserted his independence from the throne of Dehly, and refused to pay the

A. H. 762.
A. D. 1360.

accustomed tribute. Owing to this, in the year 762, Feroze Toghluk of Dehly marched with an army to Sind. Jam Bany, incapable of making resistance, fled, but having previously secured a large quantity of provisions and forage for his cattle, he laid waste by fire for many miles the surrounding country. By this stratagem his enemies were reduced to the utmost distress for forage, and compelled to fall back on the cultivated plains of Guzerat, where Feroze re­mained during the rainy season. After which the grass having grown, and being too green to be burned, Feroze was enabled to prosecute his march into Sind. Jam Bany was now reduced to submit to the Dehly arms, and threw himself on the mercy of Feroze Toghluk, who appointed his own governor over the provinces of Sind and Tutta, and returned to Dehly accompanied by Jam Bany, and other principal Sind chieftains in his train. Being some time after perfectly satisfied of their fidelity, he reinstated Jam Bany in his go­vernment, which he resumed with all his former

A. H. 769.
A. D. 1367.

dignities. Shortly after this he died, having reigned for a period of fifteen years.

ON the death of Jam Bany he was succeeded

A. H. 782.
A. D. 1380.

by his brother Timmajy, who after having passed a peaceable reign of thirteen years died. It appears from the fore­going few names that the Sind princes were hitherto bramins.*

A. H. 793.
A. D. 1391. AFTER the death of Timmajy, he was succeeded by Jam Sulah-ood-Deen, who reigned for a period of eleven years, and then died.

A. H. 796.
A. D. 1393. ON the death of his father, Jam Ni­zam-ood-Deen succeeded to the govern­ment; but after a short reign of two or three years he died.

JAM ALLY SHEER succeeded his father, Nizam-ood-Deen, and from the first period of his reign to its close, we are told that his government assumed a shape more respectable than any of his prede­cessors; but his reign, like that of the world, was of comparatively short duration, and he was snatched

A. H. 812.
A. D. 1409.

from his affectionate subjects after the short space of six years, when he died, universally and deservedly lamented.

ALLY SHEER was succeeded by Jam Giran, the son of Jam Timmajy; but fate being jealous of his good fortune deprived him of his dignities on the second day of his accession.

UPON the death of Jam Giran, a consultation of the chiefs of the Sind tribes was held; and we find

A. H. 827.
A. D. 1423.

they elected Futteh Khan Soomuna, the son of Iskundur Khan, to the govern­ment. He ruled over that country for a period of fifteen years, and died.

FUTTEH KHAN was succeeded by his younger brother, Toghluk, who was universally beloved. During his reign, the empire of Dehly being re­duced to a state of anarchy, and the King obliged to fly from his throne, Jam Toghluk looked towards Guzerat, that had lately declared its independ­ence, for support. To obtain this end, he opened a friendly intercourse with that kingdom, which con­tinued during the period of the Soomuna dynasty.

A. H. 854.
A. D. 1450.

Jam Toghluk died, after a reign of twenty-seven years, and was succeeded by his kinsman, Jam Moobarik, who was deposed, after a short reign of three days.

THE chiefs of the tribes having deposed Moo-barik on the third day after his accession, placed in his stead Sikundur, the son of Jam Futteh Khan, and nephew to the late Jam Toghluk; but his

A. H. 856.
A. D. 1452.

reign was also of short duration, for he died in the space of eighteen months after his elevation.

SIKUNDUR was succeeded by Sunjur, a de­scendant of the former kings of Sind, who was elected from among the people as their ruler, not only on account of his descent, but from his personal virtues. He reigned with justice for

A. H. 864.
A. D. 1460.

a period of eight years, and was suc­ceeded by Jam Nizam-ood-Deen, com­monly called

NIZAM-OOD-DEEN NUNDA was a prince who promoted the prosperity of his country. He was contemporary with Hussun Lunga, King

A. H. 890.
A. D. 1485.

of Mooltan. We find that in the year 890 Shah Beg Arghoon made a descent from Kandahar, and besieged the fort of Sewly, then commanded by Bahadur Khan Sindy, which he took by assault; and having left his younger brother, Mahomed, in charge, he retreated to Kan-dahar. Jam Nunda deputed one Moobarik Khan to retake Sewly. Upon his approach he was opposed by Mahomed Beg Arghoon; and several engagements took place, in one of which the latter was killed, and the fort of Sewly again reverted to the govern­ment of Sind. The moment the King of Kan-dahar heard this, he appointed Mirza Eesy Tur-khan to occupy the post of his brother; and Jam Nunda collected an army, and sent it, under the command of Moobarik Khan, to oppose him. A severe engagement occurred on the frontier, in which the Sindies were defeated with great loss, and Moobarik Khan, who was himself wounded, fled to the fortress of Bhukkur. Shah Beg Ar-ghoon, hearing of the success of his general, col­lected a still larger force, and marched in person to Bhukkur, where he was opposed by Kazy Kavun, who was at last obliged to submit, and Fazil Beg Gokultash was left in the government of that pro­vince. Shah Beg then proceeded to Sehwan, which he also reduced; and having placed Khwaja Baky Beg in charge, and deeming these conquests suf-cient for his first campaign, he returned to Kan-dahar.

Jam Nunda expended large sums for the pur­pose of collecting a force in order to recover the fortress of Sewly, but was unsuccessful in every attempt. Indeed the Sindies, who had once been defeated by Eesy Turkhan, could never be brought to face the Toorkmans again. Such was the dread which prevailed at that time among the Sindies, that one day a Toorkman having dis­mounted for the purpose of fastening the girth of his saddle, was surrounded by a party of forty Sindies. The astonished Toorkman mounted his horse in dismay, in order to effect his escape; but the Sindies imagining it was to attack them, the whole troop dispersed over the face of the country, and the Toorkman rode up quietly to his comrades, who were at a considerable dis­tance. Historians relate that this circumstance, connected with others equally disgraceful to the

A. H. 894.
A. D. 1492.

credit of his subjects, broke the heart of Jam Nunda, who died after a reign of thirty-two years.

ON the death of Jam Nunda, he was succeeded by his son Feroze, who appointed his relation, Duria Khan, to the office of prime minister; shortly after which, Jam Sulah-ood-Deen, a distant rela­tive, set up his pretensions to the government, when, after several engagements with Jam Feroze, he fled to Guzerat. Moozuffur Shah of Guzerat espoused a first cousin of the Sind pretender, and was induced to send troops to assist him in deposing Jam Feroze. On reaching the confines of Sind, Sulah-ood-Deen gained Duria Khan over to his interest, and took many of the towns on the con­fines. Jam Feroze, however, eventually succeeded in repelling these attacks; and although Duria Khan, in the first instance, joined Sulah-ood-Deen, he subsequently returned to his allegiance to Feroze, and compelled the pretender to retreat to Guzerat, covered with shame and confusion.

Moozuffur Shah of Guzerat, notwithstanding his

A. H. 926.
A. D. 1519.

late disappointment, again assisted Sulah-ood-Deen with a force, in the year 926, with which he marched, and succeeded in expelling Jam Feroze, and himself occupied Sind. Reduced to the utmost extremity, Jam Feroze applied to Shah Beg Arghoon for assistance, who deputed one Soombul Khan with a respectable force to expel the usurper, and re-establish Jam Feroze in his father's government. The two armies met near Sehwan, where a bloody engagement took place, in which, though Sulah-ood-Deen dis­tinguished himself by his valour, he fell, and the government of Sind reverted to Jam Feroze. Shah Beg Arghoon having long contemplated the entire subjugation of Sind, availed himself of the present moment to accomplish it; and considering that no one would be more interested in wresting it out of the hands of Sulah-ood-Deen than Feroze, he permitted the troops to act in his name, but after his success he determined to seize the country for himself. This period had now arrived; and,

A. H. 927.
A. D. 1520.

accordingly, in the following year, 927, Shah Beg marched to conquer Sind, and occupied the whole country, even to the possession of Tutta itself.

On the re-assumption of the government by Jam Feroze, Duria Khan was restored to the office of prime minister, and subsequently fell in action against the troops of the King of Kandahar, while his master, who attempted for some time to collect a force to recover his throne, was eventually com­pelled to fly his country and seek safety in Guzerat; but upon his arrival, finding that Moozuffur Shah had died, and had been succeeded by Bahadur Shah, he returned to Sind; when seeing no chance of recovering his government, he resolved to enter into the service of Bahadur Shah of Guzerat. From this period may be dated the downfal of the Soomuna dynasty, and the establishment of that of Arghoon.