176 ON THE ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY 



by recent discoveries in the north and north-west of India. 

 These appear to have not only furnished new materials for the 

 solution of the question, but to have laid open radical errors, 

 which have hitherto darkened the view of modern inquirers. 

 When these are removed, I am persuaded that the reports of 

 the ancient writers will be found clear, consistent, and satisfac- 

 tory, to a degree beyond what has yet been suspected. 



The principle hitherto proceeded upon, by all modern geo- 

 graphers, is, that provided their system appears to be support- 

 ed by a few names and particulars found in Ptolemy, they are 

 at perfect liberty to impute to him any errors, however enor- 

 mous, which may be necessary to fill up their hypothesis. M. 

 Gosselin broadly lays down the maxim, that all precise know- 

 ledge, on the part of the ancients, terminated with the range of 

 the Bcloor ; and D' Anville repeatedly warns his readers against 

 expecting more than a very vague and general coincidence 

 between the actual features of the country and Ptolemy's de- 

 scription of them. This last, he observes, must be corrected 

 by the more copious and accurate information of modern 

 times. My own researches, on the contrary, have led to a 

 pretty decided conviction, that the ancients knew more respec- 

 ting these regions, than has been, or is still known to the mo- 

 derns ; that they knew more consequently than those very emi- 

 nent geographers who have treated their authority so lightly. 

 I believe, if the statements of Ptolemy be taken simply as they 

 stand, and be carefully collected and arranged, they will be 

 found to exhibit correctly all the grand outlines of Central and 

 Eastern Asia. 



Considering the subject in this view, it may be advantageous, 

 before entering upon the proposed analysis, to notice some 

 preliminary facts, which may throw light on the general degree 

 of knowledge possessed by the ancient writers respecting this 



part 



