296 AN ESSAY ON THE 



clivities, one from the North and the other from 

 the West, in consequence of which the rivers flow 

 in a compound direction toward the South-east. 

 But as you advance toward the East, the dechvity 

 from the West toward the East decreases gradually, 

 and of course the rivers incline more and more to- 

 ward the South, till the declivity from the West, 

 disappearing entirel}^ they run directly South into 

 the Ganges. The rivers in Bahar, to the South of 

 the Ganges, run also directly North into the Ganges, 



This inland-sea heing narrower at the bottom, 

 near Hardwcir, was of course sooner filled up; and 

 the table land of old India, about Delhi, is very 

 little above the level of the country. In the time 

 of Bhagirat'ha, the Gangetic provinces are re- 

 presented as uninhabitable, except in the upper 

 parts of the country, where Satyavratta, or 

 Noah, is said to have generally resided. Bhagi- 

 rat'ha went to Hardwar, and obtained the Ganges, 

 led her to the ocean, tracing, with the wheels of 

 his chariot, two furrows, which were to be the 

 limits of her incroachments. The distance between 

 them is said by some to be four coss, and according 

 to others four Yojanas; and the Ganges has never 

 been known, it is said, to transgress on either 

 side. This legend is of great antiquity, as it is 

 mentioned by Phjlostratus in his life of Apol- 

 LONius. The Ganges, says he, once nearly overr 

 flowed all India (the Gangetic provinces) ; but his 

 son directed its course towards the sea, and thus 

 rendered it highly beneficial to the country. Thus 

 we read in the history of China, that the Hoangho 

 formerly caused great devastations all over the 

 country : but the emperor Yu went in search of 

 its source, from whence he directed its course to 

 the sea. Hercules, at the command of Osiris, 

 brought the Nik from Ethiopia; this Christians 



