148 Memorandum on the Ancient bed of [Xo. 158. 



libothra (stated by Megasthenes, who visited it, to be the capital of 

 Sandracottas,) follows as a necessary consequence. 



Here the argument might be said to have terminated, but it may 

 not be uninteresting to advert to some other coincidences, as well as 

 to some discrepancies which have led many learned men to a differ- 

 ent conclusion. 



Arrian (page 214, Rooke's Translation,) who derived his informa- 

 tion from the Journal of Megasthenes, says — 



"The capital city of India is Palibothra, in the confines of the 

 Prasii, near the confluence of the two great rivers Erannoboas and 

 Ganges. Erranoboas is reckoned the third river throughout India, 

 and is inferior to none but the Indus and Ganges, into the last of 

 which it discharges its waters. Megasthenes assures us, that the 

 length of this city is eighty furlongs, the breadth fifteen ; that it is 

 surrounded with a ditch which takes up six acres* of ground, and is 

 thirty cubits deep ; that the walls are adorned with 570 towers and 

 64 gates." 



The general resemblance in sound between Palibothra and Patali- 

 pootra is obvious, and would be more striking if we consider that the 

 conversion of the Greek letter into " th" is an anglicism, and that 

 the French and other foreigners do not admit the pronunciation. 

 The Greek word TraXifioOpa would therefore be rendered Palibothra, 

 and the " b" and " p" being convertible letters, we have Palipotra. 

 But Buchanan has remarked that Patali and Pali are by no means 

 identical, the former having a distinct meaning. Patali Devee 

 signifies the " Thin Goddess," whereas Pali was the name of a king, 

 a people and a language. Wilford (p. 36, vol. IX. Asiatic Researches) 

 says, " We are informed in the Bhagavata, that king Maha Nanda 

 assumed the title of Bali and Maha Bali, consequently his offspring 

 who ruled after him for a long time were Baliputras : the kingdom of 

 Mogadha was called the kingdom of Bali, Pali and Poli. The 

 city in which the Bali, or Paliputras resided was of course denomi- 

 nated from them ' Baliputra/ or ' Paliputra;' and by the Greeks ' Pali- 

 bothra/ and in the Pentingerion Tables, ' Palipotra.'" In page 38, he 

 adds, " According to Ptolemy, the country of the Baliputras extended 



* N. B. This is a mis-translation for 600 feet broad, to zvpoa e^aTrXsOpov. 



