THE ELEPHANT. 29 



in the Mogul empire *, in Bengal f, in Siam J, 

 in Pegu ||, and in all the other territories of In- 

 dia. They are, perhaps, flill more numerous 

 in all the fouthern regions of Africa, except cer- 

 tain cantons which they have abandoned, be- 

 caufe they are totally occupied by men. Ele- 

 phants are faithful to their country, and never 

 change their climate ; for, though they can live 

 in temperate regions, yet they appear not to 

 have ever attempted to eftablifh themfeives, or 

 even to travel into thefe climates. They were 

 formerly unknown in Europe. Homer, though 

 he mentions ivory §, feems not to have been 

 acquainted with the animal by which that fub- 

 fiance is produced. Alexander the Great was 

 the firfl: European who ever mounted an ele- 

 phant. 



* Voyage de Fr. Bernter au Mogul, torn. 2. p. 64. 



Voyage de de Feynes a la Chine, p. 88 Relation d'un voy- 

 age, par Thevenot, torn. 3. p. 131. Voyage d'Edward 



Terei, aux Indes Orientales, p. 15. 



f The country of Bengal abounds in elephants ; and it is 

 from thence they are conveyed to the other parts of India ; 

 Voyage de Fr. Peyrard, torn. I. p. 353. 



X M. de Conftance informed me, that the King of Siam 

 had twenty thoufmd elephants in his dominions, without 

 reckoning thofe that are wild, and live in the woods and 

 mountains, of which fifty, fixty, and even eighty, are fome- 

 times taken at a fmgle hunting match ; Premier voyage du P. 

 Tachard, p. 288. 



|] Recueil des voyages de la Compagnie des Indes. — Voy- 

 age de Vander Hagen, torn. 3. p. 40. &c. 



§ Herodotus is the mofl ancient author who mentions ivory 

 to have been a matter derived from elephants teeth; Vid. 

 PH11. Hi/?. Nat, lib. 8. cap. 3. 



