tains, a fact which Arrian imprefses very strongly,* renders it an almost impofsible case, that Alexandria and Candahar can be one and the same place. †

We shall take occasion to mention, in its place, another fact respecting the Cophenes, which affords a strong presumptive proof, that it can be no other than the river of Nughz. It is unfortunate, that neither Mr. Forster's journal, nor Col. Popham's MS. give the particulars of any of the rivers on the road between Cabul and Candahar: the latter indeed notes no less than five streams that cross it: but leaves us in uncertainty as to their bulk, names, and future course.

Leaving Alexandria, at the foot of Caucasus, Alexander came to the river Cophenes; which we have supposed to be the Cow, or Cow-mull river, that runs under the city of Nughz: and he must have passed it, in the higher part of its course; otherwise the snowy ridge that divides Lumghan from Bungush, would have lain between him, and Bazira: and no notice is taken of his crossing so remarkable a chain of mountains. We may add, that only the uppermost part of the course of the Cow river, crosses the roads, leading from Hindoo-Kho, to the Panjab country. From the Cophenes river, Hephestion and Perdiccas, with a strong detachment, were sent into the country of Peucelaotis (according to Arrian; Peucolaitis, Strabo), near the Indus; where they were to make preparations for passing the army over. This country, in name and situation, agrees nearly with the modern Puckholi, called also Pebkely, lying on the north of Attock; and although the whole province, now lies on the east of the Indus, according to the state of our information; yet as we have said before, in

1

* In one place (Book IV.) he says that Alexandria was built amongst the Paropamisæ; and that Alexander in his way to it, from the Oxus, crossed mount Caucasus. And in the preceding book; that Alexander marched to mount Caucasus, and built a city, which he named Alexandria.

+ The ancient name of Candahar is said to be Balioos (Kirkpatrick). Thus, the popular derivation of Candahar from Iskander, or Alexander, must be wrong. Besides, there is a place named Kandar, or Kondar, in the heart of the Deccan; where it never was pretended that Alexander came. See D'Anville's Eclaircis. page 19.

page 147, the striking resemblance in the name, and general situation; together with the probability of some variation in the limits, in the course of so many ages (and which is exemplified in those of Cashmere, in page 141; and of Cabul, in page 151); altogether makes me conclude that it is one and the same country; and that its capital stood near the western shore of the Indus; although it now stands at a very considerable distance, to the east of that river: for we find by the history, that the Afsaceni, or Afsacani, answering to Ashenagur (synonymous with Sewad); and Bazira, which answers to Bijore; adjoined to, or lay very near to Peucelaotis; as Sewad and Bijore do now to Puckholi.

Hephestion's stay at Peucelaotis must have been very considerable, previous to Alexander's arrival: as on occasion of the revolt of the prince of that country, the siege of his capital took up 30 days. Alexander himself marched from the banks of the Cophenes, against the Aspii, Thyrai, and Arasaci; nations, whose situations, and modern names, I am utterly ignorant of (unless Teerah should be meant by Thyra); but I conclude that they were inferior divisions of the modern Cabul, and situated between the rivers of Ghizni and Cabul, at the height of Irjab and Dukkah. The nature of the country, described in the history, points to this neighbourhood; it was rough and mountainous, but not impracticable to cavalry: and beyond these mountains was the city of Arigaus, which might almost pafs for Irjab, in the route of Tamerlane, near the southern mountains. In his march to Arigaus, Alexander crossed two rivers, the Choe and Euaspla; and defeating the Aspians in a pitched battle, near the latter, passed through the territories of the Gurai; and crofsed the river of the same name, with much difficulty, by reason of the depth and rapidity of its stream, and the nature of its bottom; which was composed of round slippery stones. He was at this time on his way to the country of the Afsaceni, or Afsacani; and this is a point, at which I shall pause, to endeavour to ascertain Alexander's position,

from the nature of the circumstances relating to it. The river Gureus, then, appears to have been the most considerable one that occurred, since Alexander passed the Choe; it was deep, but yet fordable; for had his army crossed it in boats, they would either have been ignorant of the nature of its bottom; or knowing it, they could not have regarded it as an obstacle. The description, as well as the position, suits the Kameh, or Cabul river, better than any other; as far as my information goes. The Choe and Euaspla, may be two, of the nine rivers of the Lumghanat. It is very difficult to judge of the length of Alexander's march from the Cophenes to the Gureus; but pofsibly it might be 100 road miles.

The country of the Afsaceni, or Afsacani, answers to Sewad (or Sowhad); Ashenagur being, as we have observed in page 158, the ancient name of Sewad; or rather Sewad was one of the subdivisions of Ashenagur. At present, Sewad includes the three provinces of Sewad proper, Bijore, and Beneer (Ayin Acbaree, Vol. II. p. 193). Such are the mutations, in the names and boundaries of provinces, and which are often accelerated by arbitrary arrangements in revenue books! Under the circumstances of the case, it was fortunate that the original name could be traced. Massaga, * the capital of the Assaceni, being taken by afsault, Alexander summoned Bazira, the capital of the next adjoining territory: and here the modern district of Bijore, presents itself in a position that answers most unequivocally to that of Bazira; and the similarity of the names is no lefs striking. Of the position and extent of this province, we have spoken most fully in page 159. Its position becomes interesting, as it contains the famous mountain of Aornus, the taking of which was one of the most brilliant exploits of Alexander, in these parts. The Ayin Acbaree gives no intimation of its containing any such remarkable mountain; but describes it generally as a very strong country, and as

Baber mentions a city of the name of Mashangur, situated on the river of Sewad. (Kirkp. MSS.)

having fastnefses, into which the inhabitants occasionally retreat. Arrian describes its base to be 18 or 20 miles* in circuit; of vast elevation, and accessible only by one narrow path, cut out in the rock. On the summit was a great extent of arable and pasture land, with springs of water: so that a garrison of 1000 men might subsist, without any extraneous aid. We may suppose it to be somewhat similar to Gwalior,+ or Rotas Gur in Bahar. The Indus does not pass near Aornus; because the district of Sowhad proper, lies between the Indus and Bijore, according to the Ayin Acbaree.

It appears that Alexander, after the taking of Bazira, and before he besieged Aornus (notwithstanding its proximity to the former) proceeded to the Indus, where he took possession of the city and fortrefs of Peucelaotis, and several small towns on, or near, that river and as Hephestion and Perdiccas make their appearance here, I conclude this to be the city spoken of before, as sustaining a siege of 30 days; which period might possibly expire about the time of Alexander's arrival: and the surrender might have been a consequence of it.

We have supposed the country of Peucelaotis to be the modern Puckholi, and the fortrefs and city in question, was probably the capital of it. A slight inspection of the map, at the end of this Section, will convey a clearer idea of the relative positions of the several provinces just mentioned, than any written description: and to that I shall beg leave to refer the reader.

If I understand the matter right, Alexander left the rock Aornus behind him, as I said before, when he proceeded to Peucelaotis, to receive its surrender: and afterwards marched back again (that is to the N or NW) to invest the rock; taking the city of Embolima, which stood near it, in his way. And after the taking of Aornus, he made a second expedition into the country of the Afsacani,

*

Reckoning ten stades to a mile.

+ See the Index, article Gwalior.

situated between Bazira and Peucelaotis. His errand among the Afsacani (the people of Ashenagur), this second time, was to get possession of some elephants, which were said to be sent thither, to prevent their falling into his hands. It was doubtless an object to him, to be provided with a sufficient number of elephants, in order to oppose, with a prospect of succefs, those of his enemies, when he should arrive on the east side of the Indus. And although Alexander might, from his superior knowledge of discipline, despise the attacks of those animals, as every accomplished general in every age has done; yet from an equal degree of knowledge of the human mind, he might conclude that his soldiers in general, would feel themselves possessed of more confidence, when in addition to their ordinary means of attack, they could also employ that, which appeared the most formidable in the hands of their enemies. The elephants were at last found, in the pastures near the Indus, and sent off by land to the grand army; which we may suppose to be on their march, towards the bridge. He in the mean time, possibly tired of marching; or for the sake of novelty, wishing to embark on the Indus; caused trees to be felled, with which having constructed boats (according to Arrian), he sailed down the stream to the bridge. Pofsibly he made some rafts, which might be fully equal to his wants; but it is difficult to conceive, by those who are acquainted with the nature of constructing any kind of boats, that he either waited to build them, or that he carried with him the requisites for their equipment, on so sudden an emergency.

I have before (page 121) supposed Attock to be the place where Alexander crofsed the Indus: and over and above the reasons there afsigned for it, I will now add another; which is, that after he came to the bridge (which was completed before his arrival), he made an excursion by land, into the country adjacent to the western bank of the Indus, to view the city of Nysa (supposed by D'Anville to be Nughz, or Nagaz, the Nagara, or Dionysiopolis, of Ptolemy); and he is then said to have entered the country, that