Chapter ROCK-PIGEON to ROHILLA of R by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

Rennell’s Map Ottogunge, and in the Atlas of India Sheet Huttoogum. Further, in the tracing of an old Dutch chart of the 17th century, in the India Office, I find in a position corresponding with Chingri Khal, D’Roevers Spruit, which I take to be ‘Robber’s (or Rogue’s) River.’

1683.—“And so we parted for this night, before which time it was resolved by y^e Councill that if I should not prevail to go this way to Decca, I should attempt to do it with y^e Sloopes by way of the River of Rogues, which goes through to the great River of Decca.”—Hedges, Diary, Hak. Soc. i. 36.

1711.—“Directions to go up along the Western Shore…. The nearer the Shore the better the Ground until past the River of Tygers.¹ You may begin to edge over towards the River of Rogues about the head of the Grand Middle Ground; and when the Buffalow Point bears from you ½ N. m of a Mile, steer directly over for the East Shore E.N.E.”—The English Pilot, Pt. iii. p. 54.

„ “Mr. Herring, the Pilot’s Directions for bringing of Ships down the River of Hughley…. From the lower point of the Narrows on the Starboard side…the Eastern Shore is to be kept close aboard, until past the said Creek, afterwards allowing only a small Birth for the Point off the River of Rogues, commonly called by the Country People, Adegom…. From the River Rogues, the Starboard (qu. larboard ?) shore with a great ship ought to be kept close aboard all along down to Channel Trees, for in the offing lies the Grand Middle Ground.”—Ibid. p. 57.

1727.—“The first safe anchoring Place in the River, is off the Mouth of a River about 12 Leagues above Sagor,² commonly known by the Name of Rogues River, which had that Appellation from some Banditti Portuguese, who were followers of Shah Sujah…for those Portuguese…after their Master’s Flight to the Kingdom of Arackan, betook themselves to Piracy among the Islands at the Mouth of the Ganges, and this River having communication with all the Channels from Xatigam (see CHITTAGONG) to the Westward, from this River they used to sally out.”—A. Hamilton, ii. 3 [ed. 1744].

1752.—“…‘On the receipt of your Honors’ orders per Dunnington, we sent for Capt. Pinson, the Master Attendant, and directed him to issue out fresh orders to the Pilots not to bring up any of your Honors’ Ships higher than Rogues River.’ ”²—Letter to Court, in Long, p. 32.

ROHILLA, n.p. A name by which Afghans, or more particularly Afghans settled in Hindustan, are sometimes known, and which gave a title to the province Rohilkand, and now, through that, to a Division of the N.W. Provinces embracing a large part of the old province. The word appears to be Pushtu, rohelah or rohelai, adj., formed from rohu, ‘mountain,’ thus sig nifying ‘mountaineer of Afghanistan.’ But a large part of E. Afghanistan specifically bore the name of Roh. Keene (Fall of the Moghul Monarchy, 41) puts the rise of the Rohillas of India in 1744, when ’Ali Mahommed revolted, and made the territory since called Rohilkhand independent. A very comprehensive application is given to the term Roh in the quotation from Firishta. A friend (Major J. M. Trotter) notes here: “The word Rohilla is little, if at all, used now in Pushtu, but I remember a line of an ode in that language, ‘Sádik Rohilai yam pa Hindubár gad,’ meaning, ‘I am a simple mountaineer, compelled to live in Hindustan’; i.e. ‘an honest man among knaves.’ ”

c. 1452.—“The King…issued farmáns to the chiefs of the various Afghán Tribes. On receipt of the farmáns, the Afgháns of Roh came as is their wont, like ants and locusts, to enter the King’s service…. The King (Bahlol Lodi) commanded his nobles, saying,—‘Every Afghán who comes to Hind from the country of Roh to enter my service, bring him to me. I will give him a jágír more than proportional to his deserts.’ ”—Táríkh-i-Shír-Sháhí, in Elliot, iv. 307.

c. 1542.—“Actuated by the pride of power, he took no account of clanship, which is much considered among the Afghans, and especially among the Rohilla men.”—Ibid. 428.

c. 1612.—“Roh is the name of a particular mountain [-country], which extends in length from Swád and Bajaur to the town of Siwí belonging to Bhakar. In breadth it stretches from Hasan Abdál to Kábul. Kandahár is situated in this territory.”—Firishta’s Introduction, in Elliot, vi. 568.

1726.—“…1000 other horsemen called Ruhelahs.”—Valentijn, iv. (Suratte), 277.

1745.—“This year the Emperor, at the request of Suffder Jung, marched to reduce Ali Mahummud Khan, a Rohilla adventurer, who had, from the negligence of the Government, possessed himself of the district of Kutteer (Kathehar), and assumed independence of the royal authority.”—In Vol. II. of Scott’s E.T. of Hist. of the Dekkan, &c., p. 218.

1763.—“After all the Rohilas are but the best of a race of men, in whose blood it would be difficult to find one or two single individuals endowed with good nature and with sentiments of equity; in a word they are Afghans.”—Seir Mutaqherin, iii. 240.

1786.—“That the said Warren Hastings…did in September, 1773, enter into a private engagement with the said Nabob of Oude…to furnish them, for a stipulated sum of