460 The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I 
Which lay fartheft North, was built upon the River called 
Nanais, by the Macedonians , but lalfely, as has been before 
ohierved *, and was, without Doubt, intended to facilitate 
the Expeditions he intended to have made for the Dif- 
covery of the Cafpian Sea, and the adjacent Countries : 
i o the South of this flood another City of Alexandria , 
upon the River Oxns \ another on, the River Ochiis •, and a 
third on the River Margies. All thefe' were to the North 
of Mount P 'arop ami fits \ to the South of which lay two 
other Cities of the fame Name *, one near the Mountains, 
and another in the Country of Aria. On the River Indus 
flood another Alexandria and, in' his Return from the In- 
dies, Alexander directed a City of this Name to be built in 
the Country of Gedrofia a . 
In all thefe Cities he left Grecian Colonies, in order to' 
eftablifh an intimate Correfpondence between them and his 
Indian Subjects, that he might have a more perfect Ac- 
count of all thefe Countries •, and might know the better 
how to regulate his future Undertakings : Yet, how wife fo- 
ever his Proceedings in this refpcdt might be, they were 
intirely overturned by his Death, which gave the Greeks , 
who were weary with living in thole Cities, an Opportunity 
of forfaking them 3 and the Inhabitants of thofe Countries,, 
who were as weary of their Neighbourhood, an Occafion 
to recover their Freedom : So that all the fine Plan he had 
formed for the perfect Settlement of this Part of his Domi- 
nions, was quickly overturned and deftroyed : And, which’ 
is hot a little lingular, the very Method he employed for 
making this Part of the World better known to the 
Greeks , proved the Means of leading them into new Mif- 
takes about it, fince Rich of his Soldiers as lived to return 
home, inftead of giving a juft and fair Relation of their 
Adventures, in the Country through which they had tra- 
velled, am u fed themfelves with contriving idle and extra- 
vagant FidHons, as irreconcileable to each other, as all of 
them were to Truth. We may eafily guefs to what a 
a Arrian. gt Curt, Cellar. Geograpb. Antiq. Tom. ik . 
Height the Invention of his Soldiers rofe, from a Railage 
that happened in his Life-time 3 for Crater us, one of his 
principal Officers, in a Letter to his Mother Arifiopatra y 
which was extant in the Days of Strabo , gave an Account 
of his arriving, with Alexander , on the Banks of the River 
Ganges 3 of the Breadth and Depth of which River he re- 
ported boldly whatever he had heard, or came in his Head 3 
hnce it is moft certain, that he was never there, nor, in- 
deed, near the Ganges. 
Strabo therefore, who was a very learned, and a very 
judicious Writer, treats the Stories of thefe Men, that had 
defcended to him, as equally incredible and abfurd , and 
particularly mentions three of thofe Authors b , who, with- 
fotne People, were even then in great Credit, viz. JDaima- 
chus , who is fir ft named, not in Order of Time, but as the 
greateft Lyar. Megajthenes , who was employed in an fun- 
ban y to Andracottu-s before mentioned, and to other In- 
dian Princes-, whereas Daimachus was fent to his Son Alli- 
trochades : Thefe both reported fuch Things of India ? as 
were not to be endured, much lefs believed 3 fuch as that 
there were Nations that wanted Mouths ; others Mofes P 
Some with one Eye and others with prodigious large 
Feet r Nay, they talked of Pygmies that were not above 
three Spans high with Abundance of fuch-like ftrange 
Stories, of which' the Reader may find a large Account m 
Pliny c . The third Author in this Catalogue is Oheficritus , 
who was employed by Alexander in Maritime Affairs, who, 
tho’ addicted to Fables, did not go quite fo great a Length- 
as the other two. But the Credit of Nearchus remains un- 
impeached, in a great meafure : And therefore, as we have-- 
his Journal ftill preferved by Arrian, it is requifite, that it 
fihould follow, as a Supplement to this Sedtion, and a Spe- 
cimen of the Journals that were written in this Period of 
Time ; from which the Reader will be able to form a 
Judgment of their Author’s Knowledge and Abilities. 
b Lib. ii. p. "0. c Hi/l. Nat. lib. vi. c. 23. 
SECTION VI, 
An Account of the Voyage made hy the Fleet of Alexander the Great, under the Command of 
Nearchus, from the Mouth of the River Indus, up the Peril an Gulph , for the Difcovery 
of the Goafs , and their Inhabitants. 
[ From the journal of Nearchus , preferved by Arrian. ] 
1. The Reafions that render the infer ting this Voyage necefiary ; with fotne Ob [creations on the Tran fat ion of 
it in Ramuiiof Collection, and the Extract pub life d by Purchas. 2. The Dejign of Alexander in this 
Expedition explained, and the Manner in which Nearchus came to be intrufted with the Command of it. 
3. The Fleet fails from the Mouth of the River Indus, to the If and of Crocala. 4. Continue their 
Voyage , and are exceedingly diftrefed by hard Weather, y. Arrive at the Mouth of the River Tomer us, 
and difperje the Barbarians that endeavoured to hinder their landing. 6. Remarks made in this Voyage by 
Nearchus, and a fufi if cation of thofe Remarks, y. Obliged to make a DeJ'cent, in order to obtain a 
Supply of Provifions by Force. 8. That Part of the Perfian Coaft , inhabited by the Ichthyophagi, i. e. 
Filin eaters, accurately dferibed 3 together with the Cufoms and Manners of the Inhabitants. 9. The 
Amazement of -the Macedonians at the Sight of Whales in thofe Seas , and the Prudence of Nearchus on 
that Occafion. 10. Arrive at a Port , within five Days "Journey of the Kings Camp, to which Nearchus 
repairs , and is moft honourably received by Alexander. 11. Refumes the Command of the Fleet, and pro - 
■fe cutes bis Voyage through the Perfian Gulph. 12. Brings the Fleet fafely to the appointed Rendezvous, 
and is magnificently rewarded by Alexander for his Diligence. 13. The Sentiments of antient Writers in 
refpett to this Voyage , and the Character of Nearchus. 14. Remarks , which prove the Necefiity and 
Utility of preferving fiich antient Voyages. 1 y. Some Obfervations on the State of the Commerce of the 
Indies within this Period, and on the Manner in which, by the Confequences of this Voyage , it might 
have been affected. 
1. j|r T has been before obferved, that Alexander the 
1 Great is confidered, in this Work, as a Traveller, 
dlt as well as a Conqueror. Had he only overturned the 
Perfian Empire, and eft abli (lied that of the Greeks , he 
might have merited fonie Notice in a Colledlion of this 
Nature 3 but we ftiould never have taken the Pains to have 
followed him fo clofely in his Travels, or to have examined 
the Principles of his Policy : But as thefe were different, 
indeed widely different, from thofe of moft great Conquer- 
rors, and tended folely to unite the human Species, and to 
promotf and extend the Intercourfe of diftant and different 
Parts of the World with each other, it became abfolutely 
neceffary to fet thefe Defigns, and the Progrefs he made 
in them, in the fulleft Light poffible the rather, becaufe 
the belt Geographers, the moft accurate Hiftorians, and 
the ableft Philofophers of Antiquity, acknowledge them- 
felves 
l 
