WESTERN HINDOOSTAN. * 



This is now greatly altered in its limits, and abridged in 

 its extent. 



Hindoojlan tends to a conoid form. The northern part 

 fpreads into a large irregular bafe. Hiirdivar, the moll north- 

 ern place in the province of Delhi, is nearly in Lat. 30°, Long. 

 78° 15'. Cape Co?norin is the moft fouthern extremity, the point 

 in Lat. 8", Long. 77° 36' 50" E. The length therefore of this 

 country is thirteen hundred and eighty three Briti/Jj miles ; 

 the breadth at the bafe from Tatta., in the Delta of the Indus j to 

 Silbet, on the eaftern extremity of Bengal^ is thirteen hundred 

 and ninety. 



It is neceffary to be obferved, that India is bounded on the 

 north by a range of moft lofty mountains, rocky, and fre- 

 quently precipitous and inacceffible. Thefe were the Hamodm 

 and Paropamifus of the antients ; and tliofe which are inter- 

 rupted by the Indus forcing its way through the chain, are 

 called the hnaus or the fnowy ; but the flatterers of Alexander in 

 compliment to him, beftowed on the weftern part of that out-let 

 the name of Caucafus, as if, fays Arrian (Exped. Alex. p. 318) 

 they had been a continuation of his dominions : in maps they 

 ftill are called the Indian Caucafus. Pliny, Lib. vi. c. 17. gives 

 authority for this, by faying they were Caucaji partes* 



ANTIENT ROADS TO / ND I A. 



The earlieft notice we have of commerce with this great 

 empire, was in the book of Genefis, Ch. 37, where we find 

 mention of the Ifbtnaelites carrying on a trade with Pgypt, in Patriarchal. 

 fpices, balm, and myrrh ; the two laft might have been produc- 

 tions of Arabia, or of Gilead, but the fpices were confined to 

 India. They travelled at that time in caravans, and carried 



B 2 their 



