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coaft, and pepper country, however, confine us within certain li mits for, in the courfe to Muziris; the traders paffed near the pirate's ftations; and as thefe, by the lights which I have received from Pliny and Ptolemy, were nearly the fame as the present (that is, between Bombay and Goa). I conceive the trading ports meant by Pliny, were fituated between. Goa and Tellicherry. The Periple of the Indian fea, and the geography of Ptolemy, throw fome faint light on the subject.

Ptolemy's ideas are thefe: Tyndis (going fouthward) succeeds Nitria; then Muziris; Becare (which is one of the readings of Barace) Melcynda, or Nelcynda; Cottiara; and then Comaria, Cape Comorin; whofe proper name is Komrin or Komry. And the Periple (my information is from M. D'Anville) enumerates in the fame order, Tyndis, Muziris, and Barace: allowing 500 ftadia between each, refpectively. No three places appear more convenient to this relative difpofition, and to the circumstances of the pirate coaft and pepper country, than Goa, Meerzaw (vulgarly, Merjee) and Barcelore, or Baffinore. The firft, namely, Goa, is juft clear of the pirate coaft: having Newtya, poffibly the Nitrias of Pliny and Ptolemy (near which the pirates cruised on the Roman veffels in their way to Muziris) on the north of it. The fecond place, Meerzaw, or Merjee, has even fome affinity in found, with Muziris, and is fituated on a river, and at some distance from the fea. And Barcelore, or Baffinore, which may poffibly be Barace, is one of the principal pepper factories, at prefent: and therefore anfwers fo far to Barace. Nelcynda, I take to be Nelifuram: and do not, with M. D'Anville, fuppofe Barace to be the port of Nelcynda, but a distinct place. It is faid by Pliny, to be fituated within the kingdom of Pandion; which is pretty well understood to be Madura: or to be comprised, at least, within the southern part of the peninfula: and therefore, the farther fouth we go for Nelcynda, the less we are likely to err. But even all this is conjecture, as far as relates to particular pofitions: nor is it of much

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confequence for we are clear that the ports of merchandise, must be fituated, in or near to the country of Canara, the Cottonara, or pepper country of Pliny: that is, between Goa and Tellicherry; as before obferved..

The fhips returned from the coaft of India, about the month of December, with the north-eaft monfoon: and when entered into the Red fea, they had a fouth, or fouth-west wind: fo fays Pliny. The voyage was made much within the compass of a year: and the profits are stated to be immense: but the particulars of the cargoes are not recorded.

There are no notices in Pliny (as far as I know) concerning any voyages of the Romans, to the gulf of Bengal, or to the peninfula of Malay (the golden Cherfonefe) although it is clear from Strabo, who wrote before Pliny, that the Ganges had then been failed up, as high as Palibothra. Ptolemy's geography, faid to be composed about 60 years after Pliny, contains evident proofs that both of the Indian peninfulas had been explored: fuch is the mention of the pearl fishery, between Ceylon and the continent; the diamonds found on the banks of the Sumbulpour river; and the point from whence fhips that traded to the Malay coast, took their departure (fuppofed to be Point Gordeware :) befides many names, that can hardly be mifunderstood in the application of them; as Arcati, the capital of the Sora (or Sora-mandalum, from whence corruptly Choromandel) Mefolia, the diftri&t which contains Mafulipatam; the river Cauvery, under the name of Chaboris, &c. The peninfula beyond the Ganges is alfo defcribed in Ptolemy, as far as Cochin China, or perhaps, to the borders of China, or Sina. (See M. D'Anville's Antiquité Geographique de L' Inde.) We may here observe alfo, by the way, that the islands scattered over the gulf of Bengal, in Ptolemy, and probably meant for the Andaman and Nicobar iflands; are most of them said to be inhabited by Anthropophagi: and this idea has also been adopted by the modern navigators. Other islands, which may be meant either

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for certain parts of Sumatra, or for fome of the islands that lie extended along the western fide of it, are alfo branded with the fame character and we find by Mr. Marfden, that it is generally belived, that man-eaters exift in Sumatra, even at this day. I refer the Bona Fortunæ island to the Great Andaman; and the 10 Maniola, to the northern Nicobars; being just the number of them: the 5 Baraffe, and 3 Sinde islands, together with the 3 Saba-diba ; are the islands I allude to, as being either parts of Sumatra, or illands near it.

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ཨབྷི

SKETCHES of the Hiftory of HINDOOSTAN, fince the Commencement of the MAHOMEDAN CONQUESTS.

THERE is no known history of Hindooftan (that rests on the foundation of Hindoo materials or records) extant, before the period of the Mahomedan conquefts: for either the Hindoos kept no regular histories; or they were all deftroyed, or fecluded from common eyes by the Pundits. We may judge of their traditions, by that exifting, concerning Alexander's expedition: which is, that he fought a great battle with the Emperor of Hindooftan, near Delhi: and though victorious, retired to Perfia, across the northern mountains: fo that the remarkable circumftance of his failing down the Indus, in which he employed many months, is funk altogether. And yet, perhaps, few events of ancient times, reft on better foundations, than this part of the hiftory of Alexander (fee Section III. of the Memoir) as appears by its being fo highly celebrated, not only by his cotemporaries, but by feveral of the most celebrated authors, for fome centuries following. As for the notices above referred to, in Herodotus, Pliny, and Arrian, &c.

they

they are rather tranfient views of the then state of Hindoostan, with a general account of manners and customs; than a history. Not but that these accounts are infinitely more pleasing and fatisfactory, than a history would have been, if it contained nothing more than that of the Mahomedan conquests: that is, an account of battles and maffacres: an account of the fubverfion of (apparently) one of the mildeft, and most regular governments in the world, by the vilest and most unworthy of all conquerors: for fuch the Mahomedans undoubtedly were, confidered either in respect to their intolerant principles; contempt of learning, and science; habitual floth; or their imperious treatment of women: to whose lot, in civilised focieties, it chiefly falls, to form the minds of the rising generation of both fexes; as far as early leffons of virtue and morality may be fuppofed to influence them.

The travels of Cofinas in the 6th century, and of the two Mahomedan travellers in the 9th, afford few materials for hiftory: and but little can be gleaned from Marco Paulo, who croffed the peninsula, and went up the western fide of it, to Guzerat, in the 13th century. Indeed, it is exceeding difficult to refer any incident related in this laft author, to any particular country; as the geography of his travels is an enigma, for the most part.

It is chiefly to Perfian pens that we are indebted for that portion of Indian history, which we poffefs. The celebrated Mahomed Ferifhta, early in the 17th century, compiled a hiftory of Hindoostan, from various materials; moft of which, in the idea of Col. Dow (who gave a tranflation of this hiftory to the world, about 20 years ago) were collected from Perfian authors. The Mahabarut, an historical poem of high antiquity, and which I understand, Mr. Wilkins is now tranflating from the original Sanfcrit (as he has already done an episode of it, under the title of Bhagvat Geeta) is fuppofed to contain a large portion of interesting hiftorical matter; but if the father of Grecian poetry made fo total a change in the ftory of Helen, in order to give a full fcope to his imagina

tion; what fecurity have we that another poet may not mislead us in matters of fact; that is, in all that is valuable in history, confidered as fuch? Mr. Dow was far from supposing that the Hindoos were deftitute of genuine hiftories of their own country: he was not indeed acquainted with the Sanscrit language, in which they must be written, if at all: but founded his belief on the information of people on the spot. If the fpecimens of early Hindoo history given in the Ayin Acbaree, are akin to those which Mr. Dow had in contemplation, I confefs I can place no dependance on them. The most valuable part of Ferishta's history, he allows to be that, pofterior to the first Mahomedan conquefts, about the year 1000 and the following abftract of it is offered to the reader's notice, in order to fix in his mind, an idea of the fucceffive changes in the state of the empire of Hindooftan; which from a pure Hindoo government, became a Mahomedan one; and continued to be fo, under various dynasties of Monarchs, from Perfia, Afghanistan, and Tartary; until the beginning of the prefent century these Princes, moreover, adding to the original country of Hindooftan, all the other provinces fituated within the Ganges. This unweildy state then dropping to pieces, anarchy succeeded; which in most parts of it, is fcarcely compofed at prefent: and which had nearly given rife to a new Hindoo empire, under the Mahrattas: but the intervention of foreign powers, prevented it. Lastly, one of those foreign powers seizing on the fairest provinces, and taking the lead in the empire, although removed from it, the diftance of an actual route of fifteen thousand miles* !

Even after the commencement of the Mahomedan conquests, we find little more in Ferifhta, fave the hiftories of the empire of Ghizni (or Gazna) and Delhi; until the subjection of all Hindoostan, by the Patan Emperors in the beginning of the 13th century: for Hindooftan continued to be divided into a number of feparate

• No part of the Roman empire, was diftant from its capital, by the most circuitous route, more than 2800 miles.

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