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those already related, and of which the Greeks were, in man}' 

 instances, at once the eye-witnesses and historians. From all 

 the information we are able to collect concerning India, in the 

 Greek writers, we are led to conclude that Darius Hystaspes opened 

 the way to the first Persian invasion of India, by sending Scylax, 

 of Caryandria, to explore the river Indus and the adjoining coast. 

 This, however, is far from being the fact ; for, the Oriental writers, 

 scanty as their accounts are that have descended to us, represent 

 India and Persia as engaged, almost from the foundation of their 

 respective empires, in fierce and sanguinary contests, arising princi- 

 pally from causes which shall presently be explained. 



It is a circumstance extremely unfortunate, that the Greeks, in 

 their supreme contempt of foreign literature and history, when they 

 conquered Persia, neglected to procure and treasure up, as such 

 venerable documents merited, the ancient annals of that country, 

 and the neighbouring regions of Asia under the control of its sove- 

 reigns. By the frantic deed of firing Persepolis, and similar devas- 

 tations, who can say what invaluable materials for a complete history 

 of Asia, in its most early periods, may not have been destroyed ? 

 The history of ancient India, in particular, could not fail of being 

 greatly illustrated by those annals ; for, amidst the perpetual and 

 obstinate wars in which the two nations seem to have been, in the 

 remotest periods, embroiled, founded probably on the notion inti- 

 mated above in the account of Semiramis, that the Indians were 

 originally emigrated Iranians, if the artful policy of the Brahmins 

 operated towards concealing the disgrace of their country, by re- 

 fraining from publicly recording the defeats of their kings, doubtless 

 the arrogance and vanity of the conqtierors must have induced them 

 to blazon their triumphs on the plains of India. Concerning the events 

 transacted .in Persia during the present period of our history, nearly 

 all the classical information that has descended to us has been derived 



