4/0 Essay on the Ancient Geography of India. [No. 6. 



A Comparative Essay on the Ancient Geography of India, 

 (Continued from page 272.) 



From Cach'hara El Edrisi made Ghazera, and probably Cosair.* 

 The names of Wair, or Eirus are unknown now, at least to the pil- 

 grims, who travel that way. Having doubled the Cape, Nearchus 

 came into a large and commodious harbour, protected by a small 

 island, called by him Bibacta, and by Pliny, Bibaga ; not more than 

 three hundred yards from the shore. The distance from Crocala is 

 omitted by Arrian ; but Pliny reckons twelve Roman, or ten and a 

 half British miles. Bibaga is perhaps a corruption from Debi-bdga, 

 the garden of Sitd-devi, or simply Debt, who has several in that part 

 of the country. It is called. Byblus, in some MSS. Babulona, by 

 Pbilostratus, in his life of Apollonius ; perhaps from Babul, the 

 Acacia tree, which abounds all along that coast. This small island, 

 being so close in shore, has not been noticed by late navigators, and 

 possibly it no longer exists as an island. I suppose that this harbour, 

 denominated after Alexander, was at the mouth of the dry river, which 

 I mentioned before. 



This narrow passage of 300 yards only, between the mainland and 

 the island, and even the harbour itself at the mouth of a river, is really 

 a Khdri, or Khdrijuna, or Khdrizdna, and answers of course to the 

 Rhixana, or Rhizana, both of Marcian, and of Ptolemy. Nine miles 

 Roman, or about eight British, from it there was, according to Pliny, 

 another island called Toralliba, which in Hindi signifies the island of 

 Liba ; and is obviously Chilney, called by Ptolemy Coddne, probably 

 for Colane; for there is very little difference between the letters D, 

 and L in Greek ; and of course they are often put the one for the 

 other. Besides, this island is opposite to the country called Cola, and 

 also Colwdn by El Edrisi. Ptolemy considered the island of Liba, as 

 different from Colane, which, in that case, must have disappeared, 

 which is not likely. Liba or Labe is the name of the goddess 

 Chandicd, or the lustful goddess, as we have seen before. Tora-Liba 

 is simply called Tora by El Edrisi ; and in Hindi Tora, or Tara 

 signify an island. From this place Nearchus put to sea again, and 

 * See El Edrisij pp. 56 and 57. 



