SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST, &C. 373 



long, two hundred miles, and thirty broad, one 

 hundred and fifty miles. These are called the 

 seven towns of x\\q Gandlicirvas, full of men and 

 women. This is a pecuhar tribe of the Gandliar- 

 vas, called Agncyas, fire-men, or rather artificers 

 by fire, very strong, and of mighty deeds. They 

 are the servants of the Cuveras^ or Guhyas, whose 

 principal employment is to explore the bowels of 

 the earth in search of wealth. The rest of this 

 curious description will be hereafter the subject of 

 a particular section. 



Before we pass to the second part, it will be re- 

 quisite to give some explanation of the accom- 

 panying Plates : 



No. I, represents the worldly Lotos, floating 

 upon the waters of the Ocean, which is surrounded, 

 and its waters prevented from falling into the va- 

 cuum by the Suvaiiia-hhiimi, or land of gold, and 

 the mountains of Localocas. 



No. II, represents the globe of the Earth, ac- 

 cording to the Hindu astronomers. It is projected 

 upon the plane of the equator, and the Southern 

 hemisphere expanded in such a manner, that the 

 South pole, instead of a point, becomes the largest 

 circle of this projection. They also represent the 

 two hemispheres, separately upon the plane of the 

 equator. 



No. Ill, represents the same, projected upon 

 the plane of a meridian. These two projections 

 are against the tenor of the context o^th^Purdii'as: 

 a Southern hemisphere being then absolutely un- 

 known. 



£b 3 



