from the Ancient Books of the Hindus. 



299 



The Hindus, I believe, have no work profefTedly written on popular 

 geography, that is, on the face of this globe according to the fyftem of 

 their Aftronomers : they have large charts of the Univerfe according to the 

 Paurdnicas, with explanatory notes, and, perhaps, with treatifes to elu« 

 cidate their fables ; and fome of the Puranas contain lifts of countries, 

 rivers, and mountains, wuh a general divifion of the known world; which 

 are alfo to be found in a few of their Aftronomical books. The Bauddbas v 

 or followers of Jin a, have a fmall tra& on geography, entitled Trilo'ca der- 

 pan, or The Mirror of Three Worlds, which Mr. Burrow was fo kind as 

 to lend me: it is a moil extravagant compofition; and fuch is the antipathy 

 of the Bnibmens to the Jainas, that no explanation of it can be expected 

 from them ; but, mould I have leifure and opportunity to examine it, the 

 tafk may be attended with fome advantage ; though the proper names are 

 in general changed and accommodated to the heterodox fyftem. 



According to the orthodox Hindus, the globe is divided into two he« 

 mifpheres, both called Merit ; but the fuperior hemifphere is diftinguifhed 

 by the name of Sumeru, which implies beauty and excellence, in oppofi- 

 tion to the lower hemifphere, or Cumeru, which fignifies the reverfe : 

 by Meru, without any adjunct, they generally mean the higher, or northern* 

 hemifphere, which they defcnbe with a profufion of poetical imagery as 

 the feat of delights ; while they reprefent Cumeru as the dreary habitation 

 of demons, in fome parts intenfely cold, and in others fo hot, that the wa« 

 ters are continually toiling. In ftri£t propriety, Meru denotes the pole 

 and the polar regions ; but it is the celeftial north-pole, round which' they 

 place the gardens and metropolis of Indra, while Yam a holds his court 

 in the oppofite pohr circle, or the ftation of Afuras, who vva.red with the 

 •S../.7X, or Gods of die firmament. There is great reafon to believe, that 



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