SACRED ISLES IX THE WEST, &C. Q61 



specting Ethiopia and Egypt. He expressed his 

 surprise; bat could not be brought to beUeve an 

 early, or even any comnumication whatsoever, be- 

 tween the inhabitants of those countries and the 

 Hindus. As I was just entering upon my studies 

 and literary enquiries at that time, he wrote me 

 candidly, that he was afraid I had been misled by 

 enthusiasm, and cautioned me not to trust to the 

 verbal accounts of the BraJimens; but requested 

 that I would, for his satisfaction, send to him the 

 necessary written documents from the Furcmas. I 

 complied with his request most chearfully, and sent 

 him all my voucliers as correct as possible. After 

 perusing them, he wrote to me nearly in the fol- 

 lowing words, the purport of which I recollecc per- 

 fectly, but lament that his letter being mislaid, I 

 cannot produce it. 



" Having read the numerous passage you adduce 

 " in support of your assertions, in their original lan- 

 " guage, in the extracts you have sent me, both 

 " alone and with a pandit, I am fully satisfied that 

 '•' there existed an early communication between the 

 '' Hindus and the inhabitants ot Ethiopia and Egypt. '^ 



He then informed me, that liis collection of the 

 Purdnas being incomplete, he had not been able to 

 compare all the extracts which I had sent to him 

 concerning Ethiopia and Etn/pt', but that he had 

 found several of the most essential, such as tlie le- 

 gends about Nairkit and t-he Palli, and that he 

 could bear testimony to their general accuracy. 

 Besides, Nairrit, and his being ap{)ointed guar- 

 dian of the south-west quarter of the old continent, 

 being well known to learned .pandits, they had 

 pointed out to him several passages in other Pur d- 

 n'as and Sanscrit books, relating to Nairhit, 

 ^ANc'HA-DWiPA, &c. SO that he was fully convinced 



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