246 Essay on the Ancient Geography of India, [No. 5. 



from the Indus, and into which the tide flows ; for such is the mean- 

 ing of Chari : about half-way, a few huts, and a well ; and within two 

 or three miles from R&m-b&g is another Chart ; but, whether there is 

 an inland communication by water, through these creeks, with the 

 western branch of the Indus, is unknown to the pilgrims, whom I have 

 consulted. In this country, they have no itinerary measures, and the 

 word cos is unknown r they compute their rate of travelling by pahars, 

 or prahars, as they call them, and their parts, or ghurries. When the 

 days and nights are equal, the prahara is of three hpurs. It is of 

 course difficult to adjust the particulars of their routes ; but as this 

 road has been travelled by pilgrims for ages, and perhaps as early as 

 the times of Alexander ; they have, through long experience, reduced, 

 and computed the distances, between the principal places on the road, 

 into cos, and which I find to be pretty accurate. Some unavoidable dis- 

 agreements with regard to the particulars are, of course, immaterial, 

 when the grand outlines are ascertained. In the Table of the distances 

 through India in Persian, and ascribed in a MSS. lately in my pos- 

 session, to Muhammad Cambucsh Shahzadeh or prince royal, born A. H, 

 1077, A. D. 166 f, the distances are given both in Royal, and Rismi, or 

 small cos; and it is there declared, that two Royal cos are equal to 

 three and half Rismi ; thus the Royal cos is equal to two British miles 

 and five furlongs i the common cos of India, to one mile and seven 

 furlongs ; and the Rismi to one mile and a half. There the distances 

 are given, in general, in Royal cos, or at least intended as such, from 

 actual measurement, it is supposed, but in some cases only in common, 

 or Rismi cos from report. Thus from Laheri-bandar to Bandasyl, 

 there are 994 Royal cos, 1740 Rismi : but the particulars exhibit 30 

 cos from Silhet to Bonasyl, and these are certainly Rismi. This is 

 also the case with Laheri-bandar, which is reckoned 30 cos from 

 Tatha, are Rismi, equal to 55 British miles. The distance from Tat'h& 

 to Silhet is 934 Royal cos, to which add twice 30, and it gives 994 cos. 

 The Mussulmans, and particularly the officers of government in that 

 country, formerly computed the distance from Tatha to Ram-bag to be 

 30 Royal cos, or 78 British miles ; and this computation is still used by 

 many in that country. There at Rdm-b&g is a Chart, or Creek, which 

 joins the Matsar, and thence goes into the bay of Cranchi. The 

 Chari is on the right of the road, and the fort is about a cos from it 



