BOOK VI. xxi. 58-61 



and Caspian Sea, but also by other Greek authors 

 who have stayed as guests wth the Indian kings, 

 for instance Nlegasthenes, and Dionysius sent by 

 Philadelphus for that purpose, and have also reported 

 as to the strength of these nations. Nevertheless 

 there is no possibihty of being exact as to this matter, 

 so discrepant and so difficult to beheve are the accounts 

 given. Those who accompanied Alexander the 

 Great have A\Titten that the region of India subdued 

 by him contained 50CH) towns, none less than two 

 miles in circuit," and nine nations, and that India 

 forms a third of the entire surface of the earth, and 

 that its populations are innumerable — which is 

 certainly a very probable theory, inasmuch as the 

 Indians are almost the only race that has never 

 migrated from its oa^ti territory. From the time 

 of Father Liber to Alexander the Great 153 kings 

 of India are counted in a period of 6451 years and 

 three months. The rivers are of enormous size : 

 it is stated that Alexander saiHng on the Indus did 

 never less thar 75 iniles a day and yet could not 

 reach the mouth of tlie river in less time than five 

 months and a few days over, and nevertheless it is 

 certain that the Indus is smaller than the Ganges. 

 Seneca also, who among our own wTiters essayed 

 an account of India, gives its rivers as 60 in number 

 and its races as 118. It would be an equally laborious 

 task to enumerate its mountains ; there is a con- 

 tinuous chain formed by Imavus, Hemodus, Paro- 

 panisus * and Caucasus, from which the whole country 

 slopes down into an immense plain resembling that 

 of Eg>-pt. 



However, in order to give an idea of the geo- ^'ortfiem 

 graphical description of India we will follow in the 



383 



