186 Bibliographical Notice. [No. 2. 



" Not less valuable is the geographical intelligence communicated 

 by him, and it is only by means of this translation that its full 

 results will be appreciated. We are indebted to him for a nearly 

 perfect list of Indian countries, as well as of those to the west and 

 north-west, and for accounts of their distances from each other and 

 of the directions of the roads leading to them. Though, as already 

 observed, Hiouen Thsang remarked only what appeared important 

 to him as a Buddhist, we are able with his assistance to give an 

 outline map of India, of part of Balukistan, Kabulistan, Western and 

 Eastern Turkistan, and on this nearly all the countries named by 

 him could be entered. Of these several are first mentioned by Hio- 

 uen Thsang and have not been yet found in other works. I should 

 remark here that he seldom specifies the capitals of countries, 

 usually designating the latter after their capitals though not always 

 correctly, for instance Mathura, p. 421, which is the name of a well 

 known town in India. In consulting the geographical details of 

 Hiouen Thsang, it must be remembered that he had no intention of 

 supplying a political geography for the countries of which he speaks, 

 but only here and there names their kings or mentions the extent 

 of their power. It would therefore be a mistake to consider all the 

 countries mentioned by him as independent sovereignties. That I 

 am justified in taking this view is clear from the fact that Qiladitya 

 bestowed the revenues of eight great towns of Odra or Orissa on a 

 celebrated teacher, Gragasena, p. 213, and according to p. 244, the 

 latter could issue orders to eighteen kings, who must therefore have 

 been subject to him. Considering that we know of no contemporary 

 author, who has in any language given a satisfactory account of the 

 geography of those countries in Asia visited by Hiouen Thsang, his 

 communications on this subject cannot but be pronounced most 

 valuable. The distances between the several countries stated by 

 him will generally stand the test, provided no unreasonable de- 

 mands are made : in one instance only when describing the coun- 

 tries near Guzerat they are considerably too great, and the direction 

 of the roads is incorrectly given as St. Julien (pref. p. lxiv.) has 

 remarked. These mistakes, however, can be corrected by means of 

 such names of places as are admitted and as can be ascertained 

 from other sources, and need not shake the general feeling of 

 confidence in the other geographical notices of Hiouen Thsang. 



