of it, is obviously, the nature of the country, between it and Delhi; for it is a vast plain, fituated at the mouth of a pafs; for fuch the country immediately on the weft of Delhi may be confidered to be, fhut up by the mountainous and clofe country of Mewat and Agimere, on the one hand, and by the Jumna river on the other: and whether Delhi, Agra, or Canoge, was the capital, this was the road to it from Tartary and Perfia, the original countries of the conquerors of Hindooftan. The courfe of the Jumna, above Delhi, is determined in the map by the direction of the road to Sirhind; Kungipara, near that river, being placed in reference to Carnawl; from whence the river bends (according to the MS. maps) towards the NE to Sehauranpour and Nen. Mr. Forster, who crossed it in his way from Loldong to Jummoo, estimated the distance between the Ganges and Jumna at about 40 coffes, in a northwefterly direction. The place of the fource of the Jumpa, we are ignorant of; but it would appear to be remote, even from the place where he croffed it within the mountains; for he found it a large river.

The upper part of the Doab*, or tract of land between the Ganges and Jumna rivers, has its geography from several MS. maps ; and a few of the positions are from Sherefeddin's history of Tamerlane, tranflated by M. de la Croix.

Between Carnawl and Sirhind, are found in thefe MS. maps, three ftreams or rivers, croffing the great road. Two of them are the Caggar (or Kenker) and the Surfooty (or Serefwatty) and the third has no name in the maps. The first is taken notice of in the Ayin Acbaree, as one of the leffer ftreams in the foubah of Delhi, and as paffing on the weft of Tannafar, a celebrated place of Hindoo worship. The fecond pafles between Umballa and Sirhind; and the third between the two others. It is probable, from circumftances, that there may be others, although deemed too infignificant

* See an explanation of the term Dooab, in the Introduction."

to merit notice. All thefe ftreams run to the fouth, or fouth-weft; and probably mix either with the Indus, or Puddar: though I formerly fuppofed them to run to the SE into the Jumna. I had also, with M. D'Anville, fuppofed the Caggar to be the Hefudrus of Pliny, fituated half way between the Hyphafis and Jomanes: but having now discovered the Beyah to be the river meant by the ancient Hyphafis, there can be no difficulty in pronouncing the Setlege or Suttuluz, to be the Hefudrus, as it answers in point of proportional distance.

I cannot find what river is meant by the Jidger, often mentioned by Ferishta, unless it be a branch of the Caggar, which river, as well as the Surfooty, has its fource in the Sewalic mountains, between Delhi and Sirhind; taking its courfe by Semanah and Sun

The Surfooty, we learn by the MS. maps, after paffing by Tannafar, Surfa or Surfutti, &c. joins the Caggar.

Near to Tannafar and the lake Koorkhet, places of Hindoo worship, is the fite of the ancient city of Huftnapour, and of the war of the MAHABARUT (an episode of which has been lately translated from the original Sanferit, by Mr. Wilkins) fo that this ground, which is not far from Carnawl and Panniput, has been the scene of war in all ages; poetically, as well as historically. The countries between Delhi, and the Panjab, being fcantily fupplied with water, the Emperor Ferofe III. undertook the noble as well as useful task of fupplying it better, and at the fame time meant to apply the water fo furnished to the purposes of navigation. Dow, (Vol. 1ft. p. 327) tranflates Ferifhta thus: "In the year 1355, Ferofe "marched to Debalpour, where he made a canal 100 miles in length, from the Suttuluz to the Jidger. In the following year, "between the hills of Mendouli and Sirmore, he cut a channel from "the Jumna, which he divided into feven ftreams; one of which "he brought to Haffi, and from thence to Beraifen, where he built "a strong castle, calling it by his own name. He drew foon after,

a canal from the Caggar, paffing by the walls of Sirsutti, and "joined

36

joined it to the river of Kera; upon which he built a city, named "after him, Ferofeabad. This city he watered with another canal "from the Jumna. Thefe public works were of prodigious advantage "to the adjacent countries, by fupplying them with water for their “lands, and with a commodious water-carriage from place to place." We learn alfo from the Ayin Acbaree, (Vol. II. p. 107 English tranflation) that Ferofe founded the city of Hiffar, (called alfo HiffarFeroozeh) and dug a canal from the Jumna to it. And we find, moreover, that the canal from the Jumna at Kungiparah, to Delhi, was the work of Ferofe: and is probably one of the seven channels mentioned by Ferifhta. I apprehend then, that Hiffar, or Hiffar-Feroozeh, of the Ayin Acbaree, is the fame with the Ferofabad of Ferishta. But poffibly, Ferofe might only embellish and increase the fortifications of Hiffar, and then give his name to it; a practice very common in Hindooftan, to the utter confufion of hiftoric records, and no less injuftice to the original founders. The town of Surfutti, by the authority of the MS. maps and other circumstances, I place on the river of that name between Tannafar and Kythil (or Kuteil); and Haffi or Hanfi, on the west or S W of Kythil. Hiffar, or Ferofeabad, will occupy a place ftill further to the S W; and in this pofition, will be about 75 coffes from Delhi, in a weft, or weft-northwardly direction; and about 100 miles from the Setlege or Suttuluz, at the nearest part of Debalpour, from whence the canal was faid to be drawn. The rivulet of Kerah, I cannot trace, any more than the Jidger: but I think it will appear as clear to the reader, as to myself, when the text, and the different positions in the map, are confidered, that these different canals had for their immediate object, the junction of the Setlege and Jumna rivers; and remotely, that of the Indus and Ganges; although they do not allow us to comprehend the whole scope of Ferofe's plan of inland navigation. By a flight inspection of the map, it appear that this project would, if the ground admitted of its being fuccessfully put into execution, be one of the greatest under

will

takings of the kind that ever was projected; that of cutting through the isthmus of Suez, only excepted. We should then have feen two capital rivers, which traverse a large part of the continent of Afia; which enter the fea at 1500 B. miles afunder; and which ftretch out their arms as it were, to meet each other; united by art, fo as to form an uninterrupted inland navigation from Cabul to Affam! I take it for granted that this canal was never completed, otherwise we should have heard more of it, as we have of the canals leading from the Jumna. The distance between the navigable parts of the Jumna and Setlege, is not 120 B. miles, direct.

Again, (in page 329 of Dow's 1ft volume) it is faid that Ferofe turned the course of a large rivulet which fell into the Setlege, from Hirdar in the province of Sirhind, into the Selima, a smaller rivulet that ran fouthwards towards Sunnam (a place 14 G. miles SW of Semanah). Improvements of this kind, occur fo feldom in the hiftory of Hindooftan, where barbarous conquests and maffacres, are the principal subject, that they are dwelt on with pleasure, whenever they appear: and we have only to regret on the prefent occafion, that the defcription of them is fo obfcure.

Semanah (or Sammanah) has its diftance given from Panniput, at 52 coffes, in Sherefeddin; but its distance from Sirhind is inferred from the line of Tamerlane's march from Batnir to Panniput. I had placed it 43 G. miles in a S by EE direction from Sirhind: and find it in Col. Murray's map nearly the fame distance (44 miles) but on a S by W bearing. It is included in the circar of Sirhind: and the circar of Hiffar, lies immediately to the fouth of it. On the west and S W of Hiffar and Semanah, our knowledge, both geographical and political, is very much confined. Timur's (or Tamerlane's) route from Batnir, the courfe of the Caggar river, and the road from Agimere to Jeffelmere, is all that we have towards filling up fo large a void. The firft is from Sherefeddin; the others from Mr. Haftings's, and Col. Popham's MS. maps.

The

The common boundaries of Agimere, Delhi, and Moultán, we have no means of ascertaining: nor is the Ayin Acbarce particular enough on this subject, to lend any affistance towards it.

Mewat, or the hilly tract lying on the weft of the Jumna, between the parallels of Agra and Delhi, as well as the northern and eaftern parts of Agimere, which are mountainous alfo, have their geography much improved by the MS. maps communicated by Mr. Haftings, and Col. Popham. There is little to be faid on the subject of the construction of these parts. Agimere, which is the primary point that determines the parallel and scale of the western parts, will be difcuffed in the next section, to which it properly belongs the pofitions on the north and east of it, are taken chiefly from the MSS. just mentioned.

Jaepour or Jaynagur, the capital of one of the Rajpoot Princes in the eastern quarter of Agimere, has its longitude given by Claud Boudier, at 76° 9′, or 2° 19' weft from the city of Agra. All the MS. maps that I have confulted, place it very differently: and, I find, I cannot allow a greater difference than 1° 55', without rejecting the scales of all the MS. maps; which, as they are formed from the difference of latitude, would be abfurd. Perhaps the numbers in Claud Boudier's table, are not right: M. D'Anville has them at 76° 5' in the Eclairciffemens, which is still wider from probability.

It appears by M. D'Anville, that the Rajah of Jaepour (by name Jeffing) had erected two obfervatories, one in his newly built capital of Jaepour (which is about a league from Umbeer or Ambeer, the ancient capital) the other in one of the fuburbs of Delhi. Father Claud Boudier, at the Rajah's request visited the former of these observatories about the year 1732: and I think it probable that we are indebted to the Rajah's affistance for fome others of the obfervations made by Claud Boudier; particularly thofe at Agra and Delhi. The latitude of Jaepour is 26° 56′; and M. D'Anville