examination of Pliny's itinerary, is intended rather to thew his. great accuracy in geographical fubjects, than as a proof of the above position; although it may ferve that purpose alfo. To ufe the words of a celebrated author, " Pliny's natural history is one "of the greatest monuments of universal knowledge, and unwearied "application, now extant in the world *." That part of the itinerary, applicable to my purpose, is as follows: From Taxila or Tapila, on the Indus (probably near the fite of Attock) to the river Hydafpes (the modern Chelum) 120 Roman iniles. It must first be obferved, of this itinerary, that it furnishes no means of comparing the whole distance between the Indus and the mouth of the Ganges, as fhewn here, with that on the map; because the second article, namely, the distance from the Hydafpes to the Hyphasis, is obviously wrong, even if the text (which is very obfcure) is to be taken at 390: for it cannot be more than 220 of . Pliny's miles, unless the furveyor of Alexander's marches threw * Blackwall. + Taxila or Tapila, and the Indus, are mentioned as one and the fame place by Pliny: Ad flumen Indum et oppidum Taxila. Book VI. Here we may remark, by the way, that if any capital city had flood at the conflux of thefe rivers, it is likely that Pliny would have taken notice of it. into the account, the circuitous route to the city of Sangala, &c. after the Catheri or Cathei. So that the account, as far as it regards the whole distance, is vitiated; and we must therefore have recourse to parts. Taking therefore for granted, that the Beyah river is meant by the Hyphafis (or rather Hypafis) as I hope to prove fatisfactorily in my obfervations on Alexander's march; and measuring on the map, along the line of the great road from the Panjab country to the mouth of the Ganges, the distance will be about 1140 G. miles: and as the itinerary in queftion gives the length of the fame interval at 2022 Roman miles, the proportion of one of Pliny's miles to a geographic mile, will be as 56 to 100, in horizontal distance; or about of a British mile in road distance. This is certainly too fhort for the Roman mile of 1000 paces *; but the question in the present cafe, is not the actual distance, but the proportions of the intermediate parts of the road. The conflux of the Ganges and Jumna, on the map, is 990 of Pliny's miles from the Beyah, and 1032 above the mouth of the Ganges: and the itinerary makes the length of the first interval 959, the other 1063; that is, Pliny's account places the conflux too far down by 31 of his miles, or about 17 G. miles. Nor is this difference at all to be regarded in the general queftion: for our ideas of the diftance were much wider of the truth, 20 years ago. Palibothra, he places 425 miles, or fo many parts in 1063, of the distance from the conflux of the Jumna to the mouth of the Ganges and this is the point we are to attend to. Patna indeed, is only 345 of Pliny's miles below the prefent conflux; and this difference of 80 of Pliny's, or about 44 G. miles, however confiderable it may appear to those who expect nice coincidences in fuch matters as these; does not, in my idea, leffen the general authority of the itinerary: because if we admit only what is literally proved, • M. D'Anville is of opinion that Pliny turned the Greek stades into miles, at the rate of 8 to a mile; and thus accounts for their fhortnefs. M. D'Anville, who has gone deeply into the fubject, thinks that it requires 1050 itinerary ftades (of horizontal measure, I apprehend) to make a degree of a great circle. See his Eclairciflemens, page 55. .6 Pali Palibothra muft ftill have been fituated within 44 miles of Patna. And as the people there have a tradition that Patna stands on, or near, the site of Patelpoot-her, it rather proves to me either that there is an error crept into the copies of the itinerary; which notwithstanding, proves in generals as much as is required; or that the point of conflux of the Jumna with the Ganges, has undergone a change. For although the point of conflux is not found in the very pofition in which it ought to be by the itinerary, yet Patna is nearer to the pofition affigned to Palibothra. It may appear to fome, a violent way of reconciling disagreements, but it is no new thing for the rivers of India to change their course and place of confluence. I have in another place* taken occafion to obferve that the Cofa river changed its place of confluence with the Ganges, which is now 45 miles higher up, than it was. The Burrampooter has varied its courfe ftill more. And to come nearer to the fite of Patna, the change in the conflux of the Soane, juft now remarked. It would be unneceffary to enter fo far into a difcuffion of these differences, had not Pliny affured us that the distances were measured; and that by order of Seleucus Nicator. We may observe that Arrian does not mention the name Jomanes in his book, although he does that of Sonus. And if we had no other authority than that paffage in Pliny, which exprefsly fays that the Jomanes, a river which paffes by Methora (probably Matura) runs into the Ganges by Palibothra, we must have supposed that this city was feated at the conflux of the two rivers. But the itinerary fays that Palibothra was 425 miles below this conflux. Pliny must therefore have meant another river, different from the Jomanes. Strabo gives the distance of Palibothra above the mouth of the Ganges at 6000 stadia; and though we cannot fix the exact length of the stade, we can collect enough to understand that 6000 ftades Philofophical Tranfactions, Vol. Ixxi, page 99. laid. laid off from the mouth of the Ganges would not reach far, if at all, beyond Patna*. Nor must we forget the paffage of Arrian (in Indicis) in which Palibothra, the chief city of the Indians upon the Ganges,.is said to lie towards the mouths of that river. But we ought not to omit, on the other hand, that Arrian quotes from Eratofthenes, the distance of Palibothra from the western extreme of India, which is faid to be 10,000 ftades, only and that Ptolemy gives its latitude at 27°; both which particulars apply better to Canoge than to Patna. It is poffible that both places may have been occafionally used as capitals of the Prafii, as we have known both Agra and Delhi to have been of Hindooftan in general, during the two laft centuries. Pliny's Palibothra, however, is clearly Patna: and it is probable that Strabo meant the fame place, by the distance from the mouth of the Ganges. Canoget, the ruins of which are at prefent of great extent,. was, in an early part of the christian æra, the capital of Hindoo ftan; or rather, of the principal kingdom along the Ganges. It is now reduced to the fize of a middling town. It is fituated on the right bank of the Ganges, near the place where the Calini river (or Callynuddi) joins it; and is poffibly the place meant by Pliny for Calinipaxa. It is faid to have been built more than a 1000. years before our æra: and is mentioned in Ferifhta as the capital: of all Hindoostan, under the predeceffor of Phoor, or Porus, who fought against Alexander. In point of extent and magnificence,. Canoge answers perfectly to the description given of Palibothra ; and in some respects to the local position of it given by Ptolemy and Eratofthenes, did not the above authorities affign it in a pofitive manner to Patna. The Indian hiftories are full of the accounts of its grandeur and populousness. In the fixth century it was faid * See page 52 where 1050 to a degree is the proportion fixed on by M. D'Anville." + Latitude 27° 3', Longitude 80° 13'.. Before Chrift 326 years. to to contain 30,000 shops, in which betelnut was fold (which the Indians, almost univerfally, chew, as fome Europeans do tobacco). In A. D. 1018, it was feized on, by the Gaznian Emperors: at which time, it gave its name to the kingdom, of which it was the capital. Gour, called alfo Lucknouti, the ancient capital of Bengal, and supposed to be the Gangia regia of Ptolemy, stood on the left bank of the Ganges, about 25 miles below Rajemal *. It was the cápital of Bengal 730 years before Chrift †, and was repaired and beautified by Acbar ‡, who gave it the name of Jennuteabads which name, a part of the circar in which it was fituated, still bears. According to Ferifhta's account, the unwholesomeness of its air, occafioned it to be deferted foon after §; and the feat of government was removed to Tanda, or Tanrah, a few miles higher up the river. No part of the fite of ancient Gour is nearer to the present bank of the Ganges than four miles and a half; and fome parts of it, which were originally washed by that river, are now 12 miles from it. However, a fmall ftream that communicates with the Ganges, now runs by its weft fide, and is navigable during the rainy season. On the east fide, and in some places within two miles, it has the Mahanada river; which is always navigable, and communicates alfo with the Ganges. Taking the extent of the ruins of Gour at the most reasonable calculation, it is not less than 15 miles in length (extending along the old bank of the Ganges) and from 2 to 3 in breadth. Several villages ftand on part of its fite: the remainder is either covered with thick forests, the habitations of tygers and other beasts of prey; or become arable land, whofe foil is chiefly composed of brick-dust. The principal ruins are a mofque lined with black marble, elabo rately wrought; and two gates of the citadel, which are ftrikingly + Dow ift. 6. † A. D. 1575 Latitude 24° 53', longitude 88° 14'. This is Ferifhta's account; but fome of its prefent inhabitants told me that it was deferted in confequence of a peftilence. grand |
