Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 10 (2nd edition).pdf/255

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10 in VAUSHAHRA TOIVV-NAUSIIAIIRO. 243 of Naushahra is picturesquely situated, and is a prosperous agricultural centre, with extensive lands irrigated from wells, and a good Government school. Naushahra (Vowshera).—Town in Hazára District, Punjab. — See NAWASHAHR. Naushahro. — Sub-division of Haidarábád (Hyderabad) District, Sind, Bombay Presidency; situated between lat. 26° 1' 30" and 27° 15' N., and between long. 67° 51' and 68° 54' E. Area, 2939 square miles. Population (1872) 219,596; (1881) 197,119 persons. Bounded on the north and west by the Indus; on the east and north-east by Khairpur State and Thar and Párkar District; and on the south by Hála Subdivision. Physical Aspects. ---Naushahro consists of a wide alluvial plain, stretching from north to south, broken only by the forest lands bordering the Indus. The irrigation system comprises 98 canals, of which 22 are main feeders. The chief are—the Mahráb, 36 miles long; the Dádwah, 323 miles long, which taps the Indus at Mitháni, and tails off at Várú Dahri; the Nasrat, 30 miles long, tapping the Indus in Mohbat Dero forest; the Ali-bahár Kacheri, 30 miles long, tapping the Indus at Nakúr; and the Bagwah, 27 miles long. The Nasrat was dug during the rule of Nur Muhammad Kalhora, and opened out from a dhandh near Gulshál, a fact which tends to show that the Indus formerly extended farther eastward, the old bed being still traceable at places. Game and fish are abundant. The forests of this Sub-division, some of which are very extensive, are 13 in number, and cover a total area of 75,269 acres, yielding in 1873-74 a revenue of £6147, in 1878 of £10,595, and in isso of £4818. The decrease in the last year was due to the abolition of the Indus flotilla, which had been a large consumer of fuel. History.—The early history of Naushahro cannot be separated from that of the Province itself. On the division of Sind among the Talpur chiefs after the decisive battle of Shahpur in 1786, when Abdul Nabi Kalhora was defeated by Mírs Fateh Ali and Rustam Khán, the parganás of Kandiáro and Naushahro fell to the share of Mír Sohrab Khán Talpur, and formed a portion of Khairpur State. This chief died in 1830, and dissensions then broke out between his sons Mir Rustam and Mir Ali Murád, which in 1842 resulted in a battle, when the latter was victorious. In 1843, Ali Murád obtained the dignity of Ráis, or lordparamount: and Naushahro and Kandiáro remained in his possession till 1852, when, in consequence of misconduct, they were confiscated and incorporated with the Haidarábád Collectorate. These parçanás, with the tálnks of Moro and Sakrand, constitute the modern Subdivision of Naushahro. Population. — The population in 1856 was estimated at 107,336