1839.] Alexanders exploits on the Western Banks of the Indus. 305 



Arrian has been incomparably dry, when treating this subject. Add 

 to this the disastrous conquests of the Mahometans, who spread through- 

 out trouble and confusion, besides the custom that prevailed, wherever 

 the Greeks of Alexander's army were to be found, of changing the names 

 of the places which they traversed, and we must unavoidably conclude 

 that it is no easy task for a traveller to discern true from false. 



Among the Oriental works (that treat on this subject) we have only 

 the commentaries of Baberch on which we can rely for exact informa- 

 tion. The few modern travellers extant are vague and uncertain. 

 Those regions would procure for any European who would survey them, 

 the glory of throwing a brilliant light on Alexander's march, and of 

 enriching science with hitherto unknown facts relative to the Bactrians ; 

 in as much as they are overspread with ruins, cupolas, and inscriptions, 

 all referring to those conquerors, and attributed by their actual in- 

 habitants to the CaiFrans. They are alluded to by the Chinese Religi- 

 ous, who traversed those countries in the commencement of the 7th 

 century of our era, and whose manuscript exists in the Oriental Library 

 of France. But whatever European may undertake a similar journey, 

 must expect to encounter numberless dangers, and almost insur- 

 mountable obstacles from the barbarity of the tribes who inhabit them, 

 and above all from the jealousy of the chiefs, who, naturally suspicious, 

 are always inclined to form sinister judgments of the projects of any 

 stranger who travels through their district. This was the lot of Dr. 

 Henderson, who desirous of crossing those regions to repair to Badak- 

 chan, although he was disguised as a fakeer, and had a perfect know- 

 ledge of Persian, was seized, stripped, and beaten, for having put his 

 foot in Suwat, and was compelled to return to Peshawur, where 1 had 

 the good fortune to attend him. Subsequently I myself having become 

 intimate with the chiefs of those regions, had cherished some hope of 

 being enabled personally to explore them ; but unfortunately the rank 

 I hold in the army of the Maharajah of Lahore occasioned them so much 

 terror, that they imagined that my researches, far from being actuated 

 by curiosity and an interest for science, were only directed to explore 

 the country, so as to facilitate its conquest by Runjeet Sing. I was 

 thus constrained by their earnest remonstrances to abandon my inten- 

 tion of undertaking such a journey, and to content myself with having 

 recourse to the people of Peshawur to survey secretly the country, so as 

 to acquire some knowledge of its geography. 



The items which I have had here transcribed in Persian were col- 

 lected by them, and I only give them publicity in order to fix the at- 

 tention of the geographers and archeeologists who may happen to come 

 hither after me, and to facilitate thereby the combination of modern 



