406 The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I. 
certain River, or rather Torrent, called Ay con , in a very in- 
convenient Place, the Bottom being folt, and unfit for 
Ancnorage, and the Mouth of the River very narrow. 
.They failed from thence to another River, called Sitacus , 
diftant 800 Stauia -, but here likewife they found very 
indifferent Anchorage ; and, indeed, Nearchus complains, 
that the whole Coaft of Perfia is very indifferent, being in 
fome Places intolerably ftony, and in others a loofe Slime, 
to a great Depth: Here they took in a great Quantity of 
Com, the King having directed confiderable Magazines to 
be raided there for theUfe of the Army and the Fleet. 
They remained here twenty-one Days in the Whole, refit- 
ting fuch Ships as were in a bad Condition, and rebuilding 
others. Sailing from thence, after a Paffage of 750 Stadia, 
they came to a well-built and well-inhabited City, called 
Hieratis \ and anchored in a Port, made by Art, called 
Heratemis. 
1 he next Day they weighed, as foon as it was Light, and 
continued their Voyage to the Mouth of a Torrent called 
P aaargus . The Whole of this Country is aPeninfula, laid 
out in regular Plantations of Fruit-trees, of all Kinds; and 
the Name of this Peninfula is Mofambria. Sailing from 
Mofambria , after a Voyage of two hundred Stadia, or 
thereabouts, they arrived at T aoce , on the River Granidis. 
About two hundred Sfadia within-land, from the Mouth 
of this River, Hands the Capital of Perfia. In this Navi- 
gation, Nearchus informs us, they met with a dead Whale 
thrown upon the Shore, which fome of his Sailors had the 
Curiofity to meafure, and found it fifty-five Cubits long : 
On the Skin of which they found Oyfters, and other 
Shell -fifh flicking, as alfo Sea-weed. They likewife faw 
■inany Dolphins upon this Coall, which were of a much 
larger Size than thole in our Seas. 
12. They proceeded thence two hundred Stadia, to the 
Mouth of the River Rogonis , where they found a very 
convenient and fafe Harbour, at the Diftance of two hun- 
dred Stadia from their former Station. Sailing from hence 
four hundred Stadia, they came to the Mouth of another 
River, called Brizania. Here they found the Coaft very 
unfit for Anchorage-, and, for want of a proper Acquaint- 
ance with the 1 ides, fome of their Veffels were left afhore 
at the Ebb, but were eafily got off again at the time of 
Flood, and continued their Voyage to the Mouth of the 
River Arofis, where they came to an Anchor. This, 
Nearchus allures us, was the largeft of all the Rivers that 
ran into this Sea. It was alfo the Boundary of the Pro- 
vince of Perfia Proper ; the Sujians inhabiting on the 
other Side. Amongft thefe laft-mentioned People, there 
were a free Nation, called the JJxians , which inhabited the 
Mountains, and committed frequent Robberies on fuch as 
dwelt in the flat Country. 
The whole Extent of the Pcrfian Coaft reaches four 
thoufand four hundred Stadia. This Province is divided, 
as the Inhabitants report, into three Parts, which differ 
from each other in Soil and Climate. That Part of it 
which lies along the Red Sea, is Tandy and barren, arifing 
from the exceliive Heat-, but the Country that lies more 
to the North, enjoys a temperate and pleafant Climate ; 
the Soil exceedingly fruitful, affording frefh and beautiful 
Meadows, that are very well watered, abounding with 
Vines, and all kind of Fruit-trees, except Olives. In this 
Country there are very fine Gardens, watered by Streams 
exquifitely clear and pleafant ; on the Banks of which are 
all kinds of Fowl ; and Horles, and other Cattle, are found 
' here in Abundance ; and fome Part of the Country alfo is 
• woody, and very fit for Hunting. The moft Northern Part of 
Perfia is very cold, and the Snows lie long upon the Moun- 
tains. Nearchus tells us, that fome Ambaffadors from the Bor- 
ders of theEuxine Sea coming, in a fhort Space of Time, to 
Alexander in Perfia^ he was, at firft, much furprifed, till 
■ they explained to him how the Country lay, and that the 
Diftance was not fo great as he had hitherto imagined. 
As the Uxians before- mentioned infeft the Country of 
the Sujians , fo the Mardians , another thievifh Nation, are 
fettled in the Mountains of Perfia ; and the Cojpeans , who 
likewile prablife the fame villainous Trade, inhabit among 
the Medes. This laft-mentioned Nation Alexander , this 
Winter, contrary to all Expectation, fubdued -, built 
Cities in their Country ; and obliged fuch as inhabi ted them, 
to apply themfelves to Agriculture, and other honeft Pro- 
feffions, that they might live comfortably themfelves, and 
not be any longer terrible, or troublefome to their Neigh- 
bours. 
From hence, Nearchus tells us, he is not able to write 
any thing with Certainty, except as to the Ports they met 
with, and the Length of their Navigation, became all 
that Coaft is extremely foul, and rocky: So that there is 
no entering its Ports, but with the utmbft Danger. When, 
therefore, they failed from the Mouth of this River* 
which is the laft in Perfia Proper , they took care to fur- 
nifli themfelves with Water for five Days, their Pilots hav- 
ing informed them, that the Coaft along which they were : 
next to fail, was abfolutel-y dry and barren. When they 1 
had failed five hundred Stadia, they came to an Anchor at 
the Mouth, or rather Fall, of a certain Lake, aboundin'® 
with Fifh, which was called Cataderbis. There lay imme- 
n lately before this Port, a fmall Bland, called Margafiana . 
Weighing from thence early in the Morning, they conti- 
nued their Co'urfe through a Chanel fo narrow, that they 
were forced to fail in a Line. This Chanel was marked 
with Stakes fet upright in it, as in the Ifthmus between 
the Leucadian Blands, and the Coaft of Aicarnania -, there are 
the like Signals, or Beacons, to prevent the Ships from run- 
ning upon the Sholes. There is, however, this Differ- 
ence between thefe Coafts, that the Sholes, in the Neigh- 
bourhood of thofe Ifiands, are all of them fandy ; fo that 
whatever Veffels run afhore, they are fure to float again on 
the Return of the Tide ; whereas here the Mud is fo * 
thick and deep, that Veffels left upon it are as lure to be loft, , 
linking by their own Weight, beyond the Poffibility of 
weighing them ; befides, that it is impoftible to reach any 
Veffel in fuch a Situation, in order to ufe the proper • 
Means for getting it out. Through this difficult Chanel, 
and by fo hazardous a Navigation, they rowed for €00 Stadia, 
without being able to find any Port into which they could 
put, with Safety ; and therefore they were obliged to take 
wlrat Refrefhment they could, on board their Ships. 
All that Night they continued their Courfe, and all the • 
next Day, till it was Evening, having made, in that time, 
nine hundred Stadia ; arriving then at the Mouth of the 
River Euphrates , and at a Port in the Province of Babylon y 
called Deridotis , where there is a great Trade carried on in 
Frankincenfe, and other Aromaticks brought thither from 
Arabia. Babylon , according to the Computation of Ne- 
archus , Hands at the Diftance of three thoufand three 
hundred Stadia from the Mouth of the River Euphrates. 
While they were here, they received an Exprefs from 
Alexander , who was arrived at Sufia ; upon which, Near- 
chus fteered back to and then up the River Pafitigris^ that he 
might the more eafily reach the King’s Army. When 
they weighed, they had the Country of the Sujians on their 
Left and, proceeding in their Voyage, arrived at a Lake, 
into which runs the River Tigris , which riling in Armenia , 
pafles by the City of Ninus , heretofore a great and 
flcurifhing Place, and rolls on through the Country, which, 
becaufe it lies between it, and the Euphrates , is called 
Mefopotamia , i. e. Between Rivers. From this Lake to 
the River itfelf, the Diftance is about fix hundred Stadia ; 
and near it Hands a Town of the Si fans, called Eginis, 
from whence the City of Sufa is diftant five hundred Sta- 
dia. The whole maritime Coaft of this Country, to the 
Mouth of the Pafitigris , extends about two thoufand 
Stadia. 
Then failing along a pleafant and fruitful Coaft, for the 
Space of one hundred and fifty Stadia, they came to an 
Anchor, in order to wait the Return of the Meffengers 
lent by Nearchus , to learn where the King then was.. This 
Day they facrificed to all the faving Powers ; celebrated 
Games ; and the whole Fleet indulged themfelves in every 
Method they could devife, that might exprefs their joy. 
But afterwards, being informed, that Alexander was ap- 
proaching with his Army, they again refumed their Voy- 
■ age, and arrived at the Bridge, which, by the King’s Com- 
mand, had been lately built over the River, for "the Con- 
veniency of marching his Army to Sufa. There both Ar- 
mies joined, and Alexander , as well m regard to the Vic- 
tories gained by his Land-forces, as in Gratitude for the 
Succeis, and Safety of his Fleet, and thofe on board it, 
4 offered 
