as to Sinf, Sili, and Sindafúlat, they are rather ports on the coaft of China than islands. The city of Khancú, which the learned African Prince Edriffi mentions, feems to be the Cantón of our merchants.

The third divifion of Hind is called MABER* by the Arabians, and extends from the gulf of Bengal on both fides of the Ganges as far northward as the ftraits of Kupele; and here we may obferve, that it is usual with the Afiaticks to give the fame name to the countries, which lie on both fides of any confiderable river: thus the province of Sind is divided by the Indus, Kharezm by the Oxus, Palestine by the Arden or Jordan, Egypt by the Nile, and this part of India by the Ganges. The ancient fyftem of government, which prevailed in this country, feems to have been perfectly feudal; all the territories were governed by Raï's or Rájas, who held their lands of a fupreme lord called Belhár, the seat of whose refidence was the city of CANNOUGE, now in ruins. There is a curious book at Oxford, which was presented to the University by Mr. Pope, and contains the pictures of all the Kings who reigned in India, from the most early times to the age of Timúr, whofe defcendant Báber founded the mo

* In Arabickor, The passage.

narchy of the Moguls at the opening of the fixteenth century.

DEHLI, called alfo Shahgehánabád, was the Capital of a kingdom, which bore the fame name, where a race of Mahomedan princes reigned before Tamerlane, who were lovers of poetry and eloquence, and liberal patrons of learned men: this City, as well as a great part of the Indian Empire, has been agreeably described by M. Bernier, who tells a pleafing ftory of two Raja's, named Gemel and Polta who were befieged in a castle by Sultan Acbar, where, fearing to be led in chains by an infulting Conqueror, they made a desperate fally, in which they loft their lives fighting boldly to the last moment: he adds, that Acbar ordered the ftatues of these two illuftrious brothers to be cut in marble upon two elephants, and placed over the gates of Dehli. To the north-weft of this city ftands Lahawar or LAHOR, the capital of Penjáb, or, The five Rivers, a province fo called, because the Indus is in that part divided into five large branches it feems to have been the ancient kingdom of Pór or Porus *, which is almost the only Afiatick word that the Greeks have

پور In Perfian *

which fignifies also in Indian a man

fion, an abode, a city; hence Bijapór,

called Vifapor.

usually

1

not corrupted. Our travellers mention a fine
road of two hundred and fifty leagues, with
rows of beautiful trees on each fide, that
reached from Agra to Labór; and it is ob-
fervable that the Perfians call that city also
Ráhver*, in allufion, perhaps, to this road.
We cannot forbear mentioning in this place
the city of BENARES on the Ganges, famous
for an academy or college of Indian priests,
commonly called Bramens, who once poffeffed
all the learning of India, and fpoke the lan-
guage, in which Bidpai wrote his excellent
fables: there are fome of this fraternity re-
maining, but their learning, it is probable,
has not been preferved among
them in any
great degree, and their ancient language
begins, like the Greek, to be refpected rather
than known.

CHAP. IV.

The Turkish Empire.

THE peninfula of ARABIA, for fo it is called by the eastern Geographers, has the gulf of Perfia on the north-eaft, and the fea of Om

* In Perfian literally, having a read.

mán on the fouth, whence the province, that lies between them, took the name of Bahrein, or The Two Seas; it is bounded on the west by the Bahar Al Yemen, or Red Sea, which has also the name of Colzom, taken from a town of Egypt, now entirely ruined; on the north it has Shám or Syria, The triple divifion of Arabia into Yemen, or the Happy, Hejáz, or the Defert, and Hajar, or the Stony, is well known to every reader: yet it will not be ufelefs to add a fhort defcription of those three provinces.

YEMEN*, a delightful country, which had its Arabick name from the advantages of its fituation, is divided from Hejáz by high mountains and vaft deferts; it produces the finest incense, and other valuable perfumes: the sweetness of its fruits, the refreshing shade of its woods, and the coolness of its rivers, which flow perpetually down the mountains, make ample amends to its inhabitants for the heat of the climate, which must needs be very intenfe, as the city of ADEN is but eleven degrees from the Line. Its other principal cities are, 1. SANAA, which was the feat of the Tobái's, or ancient kings of Yemen.

2. ZEBID, nearly in the fame la

یمن

titude, a commercial city, known to the merchants, who fail from Ethiopia or India. 3. Máreb, or Saba, the city of the Arabian Princefs who vifited Solomon, fituated in a fertile territory called HADHRAMUT, the Hydramytene of Ptolemy. We must not omit, that the entrance into the Red Sea is called by the Arabians the gate of tears*, because that part of the ocean is extremely dangerous.

HEJAZ, or the Defert, is principally celebrated for its two cities, MECCA, the birthplace of Mahomed, renowned over all Afia for its Cáaba, or Square Temple, which the old Arabians used to decorate with the most beautiful compofitions of their poets, written in golden characters on the filky paper of Egypt; and YATREB, or Teiba, called also, by excellence, ALMEDINA, or The City, in which the Arabian lawgiver was buried.

The chief city of HAJAR is YAMAMA, which gives its name to the territory around it this was the country of the ancient people called Thamud t; who were extirpated, according to the traditions of Arabia, for refufing to break their idols at the command of the prophet Sáleb.

ill ↳ Rábelmandeb.

المندب
باب

* In Arabick

ثمود In Arabick +