1836.] Conjectures on the march, of Alexander . 395 



of Manikyala*. To the west of this town is the territory of Hotti or 

 Hoddi, which received its name from an ancient sovereign of this 

 country, who might have been the Omphis who surrendered himself 

 to Alexander. 



On the western bank of the Indus ruins may be observed at Pevur 

 Toppi, Hound, and Mahamadpur. Those of Hound are all striking, 

 and there may be found blocks of marble containing inscriptions 

 traced in characters quite unknown to the inhabitants. 



As for the ruins of Mahamadpur, situated at the junction of the 

 Indus and the river Cdbul, they are, we are told, more than two thou- 

 sand years of age. After having exhausted the above facts relative to 

 the country of the Youzoufzies, I shall be led to form more than one 

 conjecture on the true position of Bazira ; but I have been quite per- 

 plexed by Rennel, who says that " Alexander after his arrival at 

 the bridge made an inland excursion into the country situated on the 

 western banks of the Indus, to visit the town of Nysa, and that he 

 subsequently penetrated into the country situated between the two 

 rivers of Cophenes and Indus." 



Being quite devoid of all references or means of solving my doubts, 

 I am obliged to adopt the supposition of this judicious guide. 



As to the Assaceni who inhabit the lower part of the western bank 

 of the Indus, they are only inhabitants of Katteuk, and the town of 

 Ora is perhaps the same as Akhora. As to that of Sabissa or Capissa, 

 we must seek for it in the canton of Lachittiri, or in that of Kohdt. 



As relates to Aornus, which is situated in this country, and of which 

 Alexander made himself master, it is probably the castle which was 

 opposite Attok, and the vestiges of which we see upon the summit of 

 the mountain : its foundation is attributed to Raja-Hoddi. Accord- 

 ing to some geographers, Attok is the town of Taxila ; through which 

 the armv of Alexander effected the passage of the Indus. If it be 

 not this town, we must recognize it in that of Torbila : the locality of 

 the ruins which we there remark lead me to form this conjecture. It 

 is possible besides, that this name may have undergone some change 

 in its orthography. We know that the Greeks were not exact in 

 their mode of spelling the names of the towns and countries which 

 they invaded. 



* We have written to M. Court to request, if it be possible, that facsimiles 

 may be procured, both of the inscription near Ashnagar, and of those on the 

 marble blocks at Hound. The Pehlevi inscription copied by M. Court from 

 one of the Manikyala topes has excited very great interest at Paris : it would 

 be very desirable to obtain a precise facsimile of it. — Ed. 

 3 d 2 



