288 AN ESSAY ON THE 



but the context of the Puran'as is against this sup- 

 \position. In these sacred books, Mh^u is consi- 

 dered soleiy as a point to the North o^ India, from 

 which four large rivers issue, and flow toward the 

 four cardinal points of the world : and we frequently 

 read of countries and places said to be to the North 

 of Mem, others are declared to be West, East, 

 South, and North-west from it. This surely can 

 have no reference whatever to the North pole, 

 where the denominations of North, East, and West 

 vanish. 



This Aleru will appear in the sequel of this work, 

 to be to the North of India, on the elevated plains 

 of Tartary, and in the latitude of forty-five de- 

 grees. This point is considered in the Puraitas, as 

 the center of the world as known to the Hindus: 

 there is its zenith or Mem, which is as applicable 

 to a line passing through the centre, zenith, and 

 nadir of a place, as to that passing through the 

 poles. In whatever light we consider Meru, it is 

 always the centre of the world, as delineated by 

 the Pauran'ics. Cosmas, surnamed Indopleus- 

 TES, from his travels into India, in the sixth cen- 

 tury, says, that in his time the Brahmens asserted 

 that, if a line was drawn from China to Greece, it 

 would pass through the centre gf the world, or 

 through this Mem. The Paurknies and astrono- 

 mers in India, harl not then attempted to disfigure 

 their cosmographical system : and did not, at that 

 period, consider Meru as the North pole. Round 

 this point they draw seven zones, and the context 

 of the Puran'as is as favourable to this supposition, 

 as to the former, because these zones equally pass 

 through the above islands. These zones have in- 

 troduced much confusion, and entirely disfigured 

 their geographical system, 'i hey are by no means 

 countenanced in the. body, oi . .xh^. Puruiias ;. being 



