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pires, met thofe of the Romans. Strabo has either been mistaken in this point, or has not fully expreffed himself, where he defcribes the Parthians who defeated Craffus, as the defcendants of thofe Carduchians, who gave fo much trouble to Xenophon, during the celebrated retreat of the Greeks. It is probable, or at least poffible, that the Parthians might have had in their army at that time, fome detachments from among thofe hardy mountaineers; as the Carduchi were then numbered among their fubjects: but the bulk of the Parthian army, came from Perfia, their proper country. Whoever confiders the flight fubjection in which the Carduchians were held, even during the vigorous reigns of the firft Perfian Emperors, will not expect that the Parthians had many recruits from that quarter. The hiftory of the Parthian geography is briefly this: Parthia proper, was a fmall province, very near to the south-eaft extreme of the Cafpian fea; which territory, after the divifion of Alexander's empire, fell to the fhare of the Seleucidæ, Kings of Syria, and of the east, about 300 years before our æra. About 50 years after, Parthia rebelled; and together with Hyrcania, and other adjoining provinces, became an independant ftate, under Arfaces. As the empire of the Seleucidæ grew weaker, the Parthians extended their country weftward; and the fine province of Media (now Irak-Ajami) fell to them and within a century after the foundation of their ftate, it had fwallowed up all the countries from the Indus to the Euphrates, Bactria included: and this province had thrown off the yoke of the Seleucidæ, long before Parthia. The Parthian conquefts in Armenia, about 70 years before Chrift, brought them acquainted with the Romans; whofe conquefts met theirs, both in that country and in Syria. The Parthians, together with their conquefts, had advanced their capital weftwards; and had eftablished it on the Tigris at Seleucia, or rather Ctesiphon (near the prefent Bagdad) before their wars with the Romans commenced. The particulars of their firft wars with the Roman people, which continued about 65 years, are too well known to be repeated, here,

:

had

had this been a proper place for it; fuch as the expeditions of Pompey, and Anthony; and the defeat of Craffus. On occafion of this last event, the Parthians extended their conquefts further weftward, but were afterwards compelled to retire: and they generally loft ground in Armenia and Mefopotamia, during the time of the Roman Emperors. Trajan penetrated to their capital; and satisfied his curiofity by embarking on the Indian fea. The moderation of Adrian reftored the ancient boundary of the Euphrates. In A. D. 245, Perfis, or Perfia proper, which had hitherto ranked as a province of Parthia, gained the afcendency; and under Artaxerxes, put an end to the dynasty of the Arfacidæ, and restored the ancient name of Perfia to the empire; after that of Parthia had exifted about 480 years. So that, in fact, the Parthian empire, confidered generally, was the Perfian, under another name.

SECTION

SECTION IV.

The Tract fituated between the KISTNAH River, and the Countries traverfed by the Courses of the GANGES and INDUS, and their principal Branches: that is to fay, the middle Parts of INDIA.

HIS very extenfive tract is bounded on the north-east by

The fouble or Bengal, on

the foubahs of Bengal, Bahar, Allahabad, and Agra; on the NW by the course of the river Puddar; on the eaft and west by the fea; and on the fouth by the river Kistnah or Krishnah; and comprehends in general the soubahs of Guzerat, Malwa, Berar, Oriffa, Candeish, Amednagur (or Dowlatabad) Vifiapour (or Bejapour) and Golconda. It is about 800 British miles in length from NW to SE; and 600 wide: and has in and about it, many points that are determined either by cœleftial observations; or inferred from such points, by the help of furveys or good charts.

The fundamental points on which the construction and scale of this part depend, are as follows:

On the north and north-east, Agra, as determined by observations and furvey (page 48); and Calpy, Chatterpour, Rewah, Burwah, and Balafore, inferred from measured lines drawn from other places of observation. On the east, Cattack, as determined by Col. Pearfe, (page 11). On the fouth, Mafulipatam, as determined by Col. Pearfe, and Capt. Ritchie (page 12). On the west, Bombay, by the observations of the Hon. Mr. Howe (page 31) and

Surat,

Surat, Cambay, and Diu Point, inferred from charts and furveys (page 33). And in the interior parts, Narwah, Sirong, Bopaul, Huffingabad, Burhanpour, Poonah, Amedabad, by Mr. Smith's obfervations, and General Goddard's march: Nagpour, Ruttunpour, and Gurrah, by Mr. Ewart's obfervations and furveys: and Aurungabad, Hydrabad, Sumbulpour, Agimere, and Areg (near Vifiapour) by mifcellaneous materials. I fhall proceed first, to give the authorities by which these primary flations or points, were determined; and afterwards fhew how the intermediate parts were filled up, in detail. The construction of the fea coafts, on both fides of this tract, has been already difcuffed, in fection I: and I fhall begin my account of the conftruction of the inland parts, with Mr. Smith's and General Goddard's lines across the continent, from Calpy to Bombay, and Surat.

The Rev. Mr. Smith fet out from Calpy with Col. Upton in 1776, on an embaffy to the Mahratta Court at Poonah; and fell into the great road from Delhi and Agra to the Deccan, at the city of Narwah; which is fituated on the river Sindeh, near the entrance of a famous pafs, that leads through the chain of mountains, that divide Malwa from Agra. From Narwah, he proceeded to Sirong, a city of Malwa, fubject to Madadjee Sindia: and from thence to Burhanpour, the capital of Candeish; and at one period, of the Deccan also. It is yet a flourishing city; and is situated in the midst of a delightful country. In his way to this place from Sirong, he croffed the famous river Nerbuddah; formerly the reputed boundary of the Deccan, to the north. From Burhanpour, he went to Poonah, the capital of the western Mahratta empire, croffing the heads of the Godavery and Beemah rivers in his way: and from Poonah to Bombay. During all this route, he took obfervations of latitude and longitude, as often as opportunity offered; which was not unfrequently: and with thefe, together with the intermediate bearings of the road, he conftructed a map, which is no less valuable on the score of its general accuracy, and extensive infor

S

information; than curious, by the novelty of its fubject. We had then for the first time, a geographical line, on which we could depend, drawn across the continent of India, through the principal points between Agra and Poonah; and which, by establishing fo many interefting pofitions, has enabled us to correct several routes, which, without it, would have remained very indeterminate. Narwah, for inftance, corrects the bearing and distance of the road between it, and Agra; Sirong, the road to Ougein, and Mundu and Burhanpour, the pofition of Aurungabad; and the bearing of the roads to Surat, Hydrabad, and Nagpour.

General Goddard's celebrated march from Calpy to Surat, touches on the route of Mr. Smith, at Calpy, Sirong, Bopaul, Hurdah, and Burhanpour: and the map of it, which remained in the General's poffeffion at the time of his death, was faid to be drawn from the materials furnished by the field engineers; who measured the distances, and took the bearings of the road, the whole way. On a comparison of the difference of longitude fhewn by this map, with that refulting from Mr. Smith's obfervations, the difference was 6′ 35′′; the measured line giving fo much more than the obfervations.

General Goddard's map gave the miles of wefting, between Calpy and Sirong 109, or difference of longitude

And from Sirong to Burhanpour 961, miles of westing, or difference of longitude

Whole difference between Calpy and Burhanpour

And, Mr. Smith's longitude of Calpy is

Burhanpour

Difference of longitude by obfervation

o 15′′

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