that until he came oppofite to that city, he could not be between the Cophenes and Indus. And if it be faid that the Attock river, was the Cophenes, he had all along been between the Cophenes and the Indus; and Arrian's words could have no meaning. But it is probable on every account that Attock was the croffing place: there the mountainous country from the north-east terminates, and the plains of the Panjab begin; a circumstance highly favourable to his future plan of penetrating into India, and no less so to the construction of his bridge; which was no eafy matter to accomplish, across a river so wide and fo rapid as the Indus; but which was lefs difficult in a level country than in a mountainous one. The bridge was undoubtedly made of boats, as Tamerlane's was, in 1398: but Tamerlane croffed at a feafon when the river, was (comparatively) low; Alexander, after it was confiderably swoln, with the periodical rains.

By Alexander's fending off Hepheftion from the Cophenes, to provide the means of paffing the Indus in the country of Peucelaotis (Pehkely) it would appear that he had an intention of croffing it higher up than he afterwards did and it was natural enough, before he had learnt from Hepheftion that the situation was in every refpect, unfavourable.

It is unlikely that Alexander, fo far from vifiting Cashmere, as fome have thought, ever had heard any distinct account of it; otherwife fome of the writers of his life, would furely have taken notice of so extraordinary a country: nay, I conclude, according to my idea of Alexander's character, that he would certainly have visited it, when he returned to the Hydafpes, to embark for the Indus: and was, in fome degree at leifure; if a man who is eternally preparing work for himself, can be faid to have

any.

As M. D'Anville's account of Alexander's progress in the Antiquité de L'Inde, fuppofes that the Behut, or Chelum (he calls it. Genave) the westernmost of the Panjab rivers, was the Indus of Alexander; it is neceffary to obferve, that M. D'Anville's opinion

was formed on the fuppofed certainty of that Monarch's having only four rivers between him and the country of the Prafii, when: he had croffed the Indus. That learned geographer had not the true geography of the Panjab before him: and, in fact, Alexander had all the five rivers of the Panjab to cross, after he arrived on the eaft fide of the river, which he fuppofed to be, and was in reality,

the Indus.

I return from this long digreffion concerning Alexander, to the account of the modern geography of the tract in question. I am convinced that the more our knowledge of the particular geography of the countries, on both fides of the upper parts of the Indus, increases; the clearer will be our ideas of Alexander's marches. The commentaries of the Emperor Baber, quoted in the Ayin Acbaree, may be a fruitful fource of information; as they treat particularly of the province of Cabul.

BETWEEN Candahar and Mefchid-Sirr, on the fouth coaft of the Cafpian fea, Mr. Forster's route lay in a pretty ftrait line through Herat, Tershish, and Buftan (Bistam in D'Anville) and this circumstance is favourable to the defign of ufing his fcale of computed farfangs, through that space. He estimates this measure roundly at 2 coffes; or about 4 British miles. His whole number of farfangs between Candahar and Meschid is 280*, and the distance according to M. D'Anville, (the best authority I know) is 15 of longitude, wanting 12', which with the difference of latitude between 33° and 37°, gives 772 G. miles. The farfang then, pro

The whole number, fummed up, is 276; but there is an omiffion of the distance of a stage between Nafirabad and Shawroot; and this I have allowed 4 farfangs for..

duces 2,757 G. miles of horizontal diftance; or allowing for the inflexions of the road 3,71, or near 3 British miles; not very wide of Mr. Forster's eftimation: for 2 Hindooftanny coffes may be taken at 3,8 B. miles. According to this proportion, about 214 farfangs, will make a degree of a great circle. M. D'Anville's scale of Parafangas in his Euphrates and Tigris, are at the rate of 25% to a degree. With the above fcale, I have compared fome of the intermediate places, in M. D'Anville's map of Afia, and find that Herat, the capital city of Korafan, is too far to the weft by 1° 37′ of longitude; and Tershish (or Terthiz) by 15', in respect of the Cafpian fea. These positions I have ventured to alter: for it is probable that M. D'Anville might not have been poffeffed of an itinerary, fo accurate as Mr. Forfter's. Between Candahar and Gimmock, Mr. Forster estimates the bearing, at W and W by N: and the short distance between the latter, and Herat, N. No reafon is affigned for the fudden change of course. From Herat to Buftan, W by N, and the remainder of the way, W, W by N, and N W. All these bearings are tolerably accurate.

This gentleman furnishes us with new ideas refpecting the bearing of the chain of mountains, that is commonly fuppofed to penetrate Afia from weft to eaft, under various names: or rather, he brings us back to the ideas left us by the ancients. It is unqueftionable, that the Greeks and Romans knew more of the particular geography of Perfia, than the modern Europeans do: although the parts that are known to us, may be arranged with more geometrical precifion. This chain or ridge, which rifes in leffer Afia, and was anciently named Taurus, and runs eastward through Armenia; and from thence deviating to the S E, fhuts up the south coast of the Cafpian fea; was continued by Ptolemy, under the names of Coronus, Sariphi, and Paropamifus: dividing Hyrcania and Tapuri, from Parthia; Margiana from Aria; and Bactria from the province of Paropamifus (or, according to modern geography, dividing Mazanderan, or Taberiftan, from Comis; Dahiftan from Korafan ;

and Balk from Seistan, or Sigistan) and finally was made to join that vaft ridge, which under the name of Indian Caucafus, divided India from Bactria; and afterwards took the names of Imaus and Emodus; feparating India from Scythia. It is not known to the moderns, what course, this chain takes, after it leaves the neighbourhood of the Cafpian fea: or whether it does in reality join the Indian Caucafus but the probability of it is strong, although it is not after the manner M. D'Anville fuppofed: for he gives it an ESE direction from the Cafpian, and makes it pass on the south of Herat. But had this been the cafe, Mr. Forster must have croffed it in his way from Candahar; inftead of which, he croffed no mountains until he came within 90 miles of the Caspian sea; so that he left the continuation of the Indian Caucafus, if fuch there be, on his right; or to the northward; and I really believe that the ridge does exift, under the form described by Ptolemy: for the rivers croffed by Mr. Forfter, had all a foutherly courfe; proving that the high land lay to the north, although out of fight therefore the connexion between the Cafpian mountains, and the Indian Caucafus, must be by the north of Korafan. As for the ridge that Mr. Forster croffed near the Cafpian fea, it had a north and fouth direction, and answers to the mountains Mafdoramus of Ptolemy, which shut up the eastern fide of Parthia proper, which lay on the SE of the Cafpian. The modern name of this ridge is Kana-boody; and Mr. Forster remarks that the elevation of it is far greater on the weft, than on the eaft: fo that the lands of Korafan, are in general, more elevated than those towards Ifpahan. The Kanahoody mountains are those which M. D'Anville has extended to Herat and Cabul; but we find their courfe to be quite different; but how far they extend to the fouth or S E is ftill a question.

I confefs it was a matter of surprise to me that there should be no mountains between the province of Cabul and Tershish, in the route paffed by Mr. Forster: he defcribes nothing but scattering hills, where the maps ufually represent lofty chains of mountains.

Through

Throughout his whole route from Candahar to the Cafpian fea, he croffed no stream that was too deep to be forded, although the journey lafted from the beginning of Auguft, to the latter end of January.

I have introduced Alexander's march after Beffus, &c. in order to render the map more compleat. We may trace the ancient Tapuri, in Taberistan; Dahe, in Dahistan; Arachofia, in Arokhage; and Aria, in Herat, or Harat. Cau-cafus, and Paro-pamifus, the names of ridges of mountains on the NW of India, derive part of their names from Ko and Pahar, words which fignify mountains and hills in the Indian languages. Of Imaus, we have spoken before, in page 96. Probably, the name of the Caucafus of Georgia, had the fame derivation, as that of India.

:

I shall close the account of this fmall map, with an obfervation or two, respecting fome geographical misconceptions which I have observed to prevail, even among forme of the learned. The first is, that the modern Bucharia (or Bocharia) is the fame with the ancient Bactria. This is fo far from being the case, that Bucharia is fituated beyond the river anciently called the Oxus, or the modern Jihon and is the country anciently named Sogdiana; from Sogd, the valley: that is, the beautiful valley, in which Samarcand (anciently Maracanda) is fituated. Bactria, or Bactriana, on the contrary, lay on the fouth of the Oxus; and comprehended the prefent provinces of Balk and Gaur; and probably part of Korafan. Maver-ul-nere, is alfo applied to the country beyond the Jihon; and between the lower parts of the courses of that river, and the Sirr, or ancient Iaxartes: Mavel-ul-nere fignifying the country beyond the river; or Tranfoxiana.

The other mifconception refpects ancient Parthia. Very inaccurate ideas prevail concerning the local position of that country. Those whofe knowledge of it is collected chiefly from its wars withthe Romans, conceive Parthia to be only the countries bordering on the Euphrates and Tigris; as their boundaries, on the extenfion of their em