OF THE UNIVERSE. EPOCH OF THE PTOLEMIES. 169 



of different countries under the Lagidae, was derived from 

 the caravan traffic in the interior of Africa by Gyrene and 

 the Oases ; from the conquests in Ethiopia and Arabia Felix 

 under Ptolemy Euergetes ; and from commerce by sea with 

 the whole Western Peninsula of India, from the Gulf of 

 Barygaza (Guzerat and Cambay), along the coasts of Canara 

 and Malabar (Malaya-vara, territory of Malaya) , to the 

 Brahminical Sanctuaries of Cape Comorin (Kumari), ( 25 9) 

 and to the great Island of Ceylon, (Lanka in the Eama- 

 yana, and called by Alexander's cotemporaries Taprobane 

 by the mutilation of a native name). ( 26 ) An important 

 advance in nautical knowledge had previously been obtained, 

 by the laborious five months' voyage of Nearchus along the 

 coasts of Gedrosia and Caramania, between Pattala at the 

 mouth of the Indus and the mouths of the Euphrates. 



Alexander's companions were not ignorant of the existence 

 of the periodical winds or monsoons, which favour so 

 materially the navigation between the East coast of Africa 

 and the North and West coasts of India. At the end of 

 ten months, spent by the Macedonians in navigating and 

 examining the Indus^ between Nicea on the Hydaspes and 

 Pattala, with the view of opening that river to the commerce 

 of the world, Nearchus hastened at the beginning of October 

 (01. 113, 3) to sail away from the mouth of the Indus at 

 Stura, because he knew that his voyage to the Persian Gulf 

 stag a coast running on a parallel of latitude, would be 

 favoured by the North East and East monsoon. The farther 

 knowledge acquired by experience of this remarkable local 

 law of the direction of the wind, subsequently emboldened 

 navigators sailing from Ocelis in the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, 

 ;to hold a direct course across the open sea to Muziris, tho 



