Chap. II. 
of the East Indies, 
if 
ried on by the Portuguese on the Ocean. The Indians 
carry back with them wrought Silks, red Hides, Slaves, 
Horfes, and other Things. The Indians he faw there 
came from the Country of Bengal and beyond it ; the 
Perfians brought Woollen Cloth, Linnen Cloth, feveral 
forts of Silks, and carried back red Hides, other Ruffian 
Cotarnodities, and Slaves. As for the Cloth, he tells us, 
he found, upon Enquiry, they brought it from Aleppo. The 
Ruffians dealt in red Hides, Sheep-Skins, Woollen Cloth, 
Wooden- ware. Bridles, Saddles, and other fuch-like Goods, 
which they exchanged for Cotton and Silk Manufactures. 
He farther tells us, that the Caravans which came from 
Cathay in time of Peace, and when the Ways were open, 
brought Mufk, Rhubarb, Sattins, Damalks, and other rich 
Commodities but by reafon of the Wars, there had been 
no Caravans in three Years 5 and when they did come, he 
tells us, their Journey took up nine Months. He left the 
City of Bogar on the 8th of March 1559, in a Caravan, 
confifting of fix hundred Camels, and arrived on the 23d 
of April following on the Coaft of the Cafpian-Sea. 
It is clear from what this Writer delivers, that the Ac- 
counts we have of the ancient Commerce in thefe Parts, 
and particularly by the Way of Bogar , is exadlly agreeable 
to Trtith and there is no doubt, that the Splendor of this 
City, the fine Houfes, Temples, and other publick Edi- 
fices, were owing to the Wealth which this Commerce 
produced *, and it is no lefs plain, that in times of Peace, 
and when the Perfian Empire, upon which the Kingdom 
of Bogar d or Bucharia depends, is thoroughly fettled, this 
Commerce may be revived to very great Advantage. 
5. There is another Rout which could not differ much 
from that before defcribed, mentioned by Ammianus Mar- 
cellinus q , which he fays lay through the Country of the 
Arians , fituated, with regard to the Oms , between the 
North and the Weft ; and which Rout likewife led to the 
Cafpian-Sea. According to the Defcription he has given 
us, there was a River, called Arias , which ran through 
that Country, and which was navigable. He farther fays, 
that the Navigation through this Country to the Cafpian- 
Sea , did not exceed a hundred Leagues. According to all 
the ancient Maps, and even according to Ptolemy* s Ta- 
bles, there is no navigable River to be found in this Part 
of the Country, except the Oxus , into which there might 
run fome little Rivulet from the Country of the Arians \ 
and indeed Strabo mentions fuch a Rivulet by the Name 
of Zariafpe. One might be tempted to think, from the 
Similitude of Names, that this River might be the fame 
that Jenkinfon mentions, and which he calls Ardoche ; 
but that it is evident, from his Account, that even this 
River does not run into the Cafpian-Sea ; fo that no Na- 
vigation could be carried on this Way in the Manner that 
Ammianus Marcellinus mentions. But we ought likewife 
to confider, that it is very clear from Jenkinfon* s Account, 
that the Rivers in this Country have fuffered much Alte- 
ration fince the Time that Ammianus wrote ; and we muft 
likewife confider, that he wrote entirely from the Infor- 
mation of others, and not from his own Knowledge ; fo 
that, very probably, he may be fomewhat miftaken in 
this Matter, at leaft in fome of the Circumftances. And 
this Rout, through the Country of the Arians , might be 
carried on by Land, and by the Help of Caravans, as 
Jenkinfon allures us it was in his Time. After all, there does 
not feem to be any good Reafon for diftinguifhing this 
from the former Paffage, fince, in all Likelihood, the 
Indian Commodities that were thus transported, were car- 
ried no farther than either Bogar or Samarcand , and 
paffed from thence down to the Cafpian-Sea. 
6. We are indebted to the fame ancient Author for the 
Account of another Road from the Country of the Seres , 
which lay through that of the Saae, a very fierce and bar- 
barous People, as all the Writers of Antiquity agree that 
mention them r 6 Ptolemy , in the Account he has left us 
in this Country, mentions two Rivers, the one called 
Araxates , and the other Uymas , which, he fays, running 
near each other, fometimes over-flow the adjacent Coun- 
try, and caufe a great Tradt of marftiy and fenny Ground, 
which from its lying near the River Oxus, is called the 
Oxian Marfties. . 
This Paffage is very perplexed and obfcure, and (being 
to give us an Idea of the Oxus very different from that 
which Jenkinfon had of it when he travelled thither in the 
laft Century. In order to reconcile thefe Differences, and t,o 
give as full and fair an Account as is poffible of this River, 
which, upon the whole appears to have been the grand Ca- 
nal in ancient Times of the Commerce of the Eaft, we 
Ihall give fuch a Defcription of it as is to be met with in 
the beft modern Accounts of thefe Parts. 
The River Oxus is now called Amu. It rifes in the 
high Mountains on the Frontiers of the Lejfer Bucharia j 
which feparate the Dominions of the Great Mogul from the 
Country of Great T art ary , in the Latitude, as near as can 
be difcovered of 29 0 30' N. This River paffes thro 3 the 
Country of Grand Bucharia , running from Eaft to Weft, 
and about forty Leagues from its Mouth divides itfelf into 
two Branches. That which runs to the left continues its 
Courfe weftward, till it falls into the Cafpian-Sea , in the 
Country of AJlarabat, which belongs to the Perfian Em- 
pire, in the Latitude of 38° 20 7 N. As for the Right- 
hand Branch, which formerly paffed by the City of Ur- 
gence , it fell likewife into the Cafpian-Sea , about twelve 
Leagues more to the North than the other Branch - 5 but at 
prefent it has changed its Courfe, and running North- 
Weft, falls into another River called Kkofel, not far from 
the little Town of Tuk. The old Channel, which paffed 
by the City of Urgence , is abfolutely dry, and all the 
Country thereabouts is become a Defert, as our old Engiijk 
Traveller fore-faw it would for want of Water 3 . 
ThisAccount is taken from the Difcoveries made in thefe 
Parts, by the order of the late Czar \ and if it may be de- 
pended upon, as indeed I fee no Reafon why it ffiould not, 
it frees us from all the Difficulties that arife from the for- 
mer Defcription, and enables us to account for the wide 
Difference between the ancient and modern Relations of 
the Commerce in thefe Parts. As for the other Branch 
of the Amu, or Oxus, which continues its Courfe to the 
Cafpian-Sea, it$ is ftill a large navigable River j the Coun- 
try about it extremely fertile and pleafant, producing the 
largeft and fineft Melons in the World, and other excel- 
lent Fruits, which are carried not only into Perfa and India , 
but alfo into Ruffia. 
7. The next Rout, declining ftill a little to the South, is 
that of Cabul, or Caboul, which derives its Name from a City 
of the fame Name, feated in the Latitude of 34 0 North, 
on the Frontiers of Great Bucharia, on the South-fide of 
the Mountains, which divide the Territories of the Mo- 
gul from that Part of Great Tartary. This City of Cabal, 
is the Capital of a little Province, called from thence Ca~ 
bulifian ', it is one of the fineft Cities in that Part of the 
World, large, rich, and very populous. As it is confidered 
as the Key of the Great Mogul’s Dominions, great Care 
is taken to keep its Fortifications in conftant Repair, and 
a numerous Garrifon is maintained for its Security. This 
City is very ancient, and has been always famous, as it ftill 
is, for being the great Mart or Centre of Commerce be- 
tween India , Perfia , and Great Bucharia. 
The Uffiack Tartars drive there a great Trade in Slaves, 
as alfo in Horfes, of which it is laid, that not fewer than 
fixty thoufand are fold there every Year. It ftands on a 
little River which falls into the Indus , and thereby affords 
a fhort and Ipeedy Paffage for all the rich Commodities in 
the Country behind it, which, when brought to Cabul , are 
there exchanged for Slaves and Horfes, and are conveyed 
from thence by Merchants of different Countries into other 
Parts of the World. The Neighbourhood of this City, 
is one of the pleafanteft and moft fertile Regions that can 
be imagined ; the Climate temperate and wholfome, well 
watered, producing Fruits of all Kinds in equal Plenty and 
Perfedtion. The Inhabitants are moft of them Indian Pa- 
gans , though the Officers of the Mogul and moft of the 
Garrifon are Mohammedans . 
o. A little farther to the South, lies the greateft and 
moft frequented Road to the Indies , by the City and Pro- 
's A mm. Marcell, lib . xxiii. cap. 6. r Ammian . Marcellin . lib. xxlii. cap. 6. Diodor. Sicul , lib. ii. Strabo, lib. xi. Ptolem. lib. vi. 
cw-j. Plin. Hi'ji. Nat. lib.vi. cap. 17. s Hifmre Genealogique des Tatars, ^.57 . 1 The Fa£ts mentioned in this Paragraph 
will be abundantly verified in the fucceediog Sedtipns. 
Numb. XXXVI. ' 6 
vines, 
