^38 ON MOUKT Caucasus. 



the others toward Marv Shajchdn. This is probably 

 the country of Arfareth of the apocryphal book of 

 Efdras, The fourth is the Frdt, of which no particulars 

 are recorded ; it is the river of Cunduz MufidmanSy 

 as well as Chrijliansy have affigned various fituaiions to 

 the garden oK Eden* : and there is hardly a country on 

 earth, or a region in heaven, but has been ranfacked in 

 fearch of it : whilft fonie of the fathers have denied even 

 its exiftence. The Hindus are equally extravagant : 

 they place it on the elevated plains of Bukhara the lef- 

 fer, where there is a river which goes round Brahma^ 

 puri, or the town of ]jrahma'; then through a lake 

 called Manfarovara (the exirtence of which is very 

 doubtful), and is erroneoudy fuppofed by travelling 

 fackeers to be the fame with that, from which the Gan- 

 ges iflues, v;hich is called in Sanfcrit Bindu Sarovara. 

 From the Manfarovara lake, come four rivers running 

 towards the four corners of the world, through four 

 rocks cut in the fhape of the heads of four animals ; 

 thus taking literally the correfponding paffage offcrip- 

 ture. The Cow's head is toward the fouth, and from 

 it iflues the Gangd; toward the weft,' is a Horfe's head, 

 from which fprings the Chocjhu or Chocjhus : it is the 

 Oxus. The Sitd-gangd, or Hoang-ho, iffues from an 

 Elephanfs head ; and laflly the Bhadra-gangd or Jenifea 

 in Siberia, from a Tygers head, or a Lion's head accord- 

 ing to others. 



The Hindus generally confider this fpot, as the abode 

 of the Gods, but, by no means, as the place, in which 

 the primogenitors of mankind were created ; at leaft 1 

 have not found any paflage in the Purdnas, that might 

 countenance any fuch idea ; but rather on the contrary. 

 As it is written in the Purdnas, that on mount Meru, 

 there is an eternal day for the fpace of fourteen degrees 

 round Su-meru; and of courfe an eternal night for the 

 fame fpace on the oppofite fide ; the Hindus have been 



• The word Eden i« perhaps derived from the San/ait Udjdn, which 

 a« well as Vaiied, iignifies a garden. 



forced 



