508 Mr. Beke on the former Extent of the Persian Gulf, 
question; that is to say, a change so great as to render the 
descriptions of ancient writers inapplicable to the actual coast- 
line and state of the neighbourhood generally. 
Seeing that my hypothesis precludes the possibility of Ne- 
archus’s voyage being made applicable to the present coast of 
Susiana and the countries at the head of the Persian Gulf, it 
is scarcely necessary for me expressly to dispute in detail the 
correctness of the identifications, considered to have been 
established by Dr. Vincent, of the river Arosis, of Kataderbis, 
the island of Margastana, Diridotis, &c. &c.* That the river 
Karoon is not the Eulzeus, nor Shuster the representative of 
Susa, has already been asserted by many geographers of emi- 
nence, whose voices are united in favour of Shus and the river 
Haweeza or Kerrah. Without intending to range myself with 
these geographers, I believe I am correct in saying that, as 
between them and Dr. Vincent, the greater show of reason is 
* Although I am quite willing to concede that “a few miles of addition 
to the Delta is not the question” between us, yet, as regards the learned 
Dean’s identifications, I must remark, that a few miles—nay, a very few 
miles indeed—of addition would (I much suspect,) render it impossible that 
“Capt. Howe’s chart should explain the journal of Nearchus as perfectly 
as if it had been composed by a person on board of his fleet.” To establish 
the correctness of this position, it appears to be necessary, not merely that 
the coast should have remained unvaried since the time of the Greek navi- 
gator, but that Capt. Howe’s chart should accurately represent that coast: it 
ought, consequently, to correspond in all points with the trigonometrical 
survey recently made by Lieuts. Brucks and Haines, of the East India Com- 
pany’s Marine Service. 
By the kindness of Capt. Horsburgh I have been furnished with copies 
of the Company’s chart, as also of that of Lieut. MacCluer (by Dalrymple, 
1786 and 1788): Capt. Howe’s he was not in possession of. Owing to the 
longitude not being marked in MacCluer’s, J am prevented from making an 
exact comparison of these two charts; still differences of sufficient moment 
are to be detected between them. For instance, the island of Karack is 
represented by MacCluer as being 8, and Korgo more than 4 geographical 
miles long, whereas they are actually just half those lengths respectively : 
Buna (Derabuna), by the Core Moosah, is made as much as 9 miles long, 
from north to south, and 3 miles broad, whilst it is only 3 miles long, and 
less than 1 mile broad, its length being from east to west: Derah, adjoin- 
ing this Jast island, is made 7 miles long and 3 miles broad, but it is in fact 
only a mile and a half each way: the Core Abdallah, represented in the 
copy of 1786 as being 10 miles broad, with 8 miles of coast between it and 
the mouth of the Bussorah river, and in that of 1788 as only 6 miles broad, 
with about 10 miles of coast, is actually 12 miles broad, and the two mouths 
meet at a point, without any coast intervening. These variations (which 
are only a portion of what might be pointed out,) may be said to be but 
trifles with respect to “the general characters of the coast ;” still they are 
more than sufficient to show that MacCluer’s chart would have been rather 
a dangerous guide for Nearchus to have placed implicit confidence in. 
Capt. Howe’s chart, which was adopted by Dr. Vincent, is (I believe) not 
even so correct as that of MacCluer; but I have not at present the means 
of referring to the Dean’s work, so as to ascertain this positively. 
