9 
GEOGRAPHY. 
403 
To this divifion of Afia belongs the Red Sea, Perfian 
Gulf, or Gulf of BalTofa, and the Gulf of Ormus ; alfo 
the Straits of Babelmandel and Ormus. 
The two moll noted Arabian iflands are, Socotra, 
famed for its aloes; and Bahrin, in the Perfian Gulf, for 
its pearl fifiiery. The government is under xeriffs, emirs, 
imans, fiieiks, cadis, &c. moft of whom are tributary to 
the Turks, though fome of them are independent. Ye¬ 
men, which is part of Arabia Felix, is a confiderable and 
hereditary principality. Balirein, a tratl on the Perfian 
Gulf, is lubjecf to Perfia. Its chief town is Gerra, or 
Katif. 
PSRsiA.—The Perfian empire is bounded by Circaflia, 
tlie Cafpian Sea, and Tartary, on the north; the Gulfs 
of Perfia and Ormus, e n the fouth ; Turkey, on the weft ; 
and India, on the eaft. It is fituated in eaft longitude 
forty-four degrees feventy minutes ; north latitude twen¬ 
ty-five degrees forty-five minutes. In length, it is one 
thoufand three hundred miles; breadth, one thoufand 
one hundred. Its capital is Ifpahan. 
Perfia is divided into the following provinces, viz. 
I. Dagiftan, and part of Georgia orGurgiftan; the chief 
town, Tefiis. 2. Sherwan; chief town, Derbent. 3. 
Aderbeitzin; chief town, Tauris. 4. Ghilan; chief 
town, Reftit. 5. Mazanderan; chief town, Mazanderan. 
6. Chorazan ; cliief town, Mefched. 7. Sableftan ; chief 
town, Roft. 8. Candahar, Cabuliftan, Cafiimir, the 
kingdom of Eaftern Perfia, or Perfia in India; chief 
towns, Candahar, Cabul, and Caftimir. 9. Sigiftan; 
thief town, Sigiftan. 10. Mecran; chief town, Kidg. 
II. Sirjam or Kerman; chief towns. Gombroon, and 
Ormus. 12. Pars or Farfiftan; chief towns, Schiras, 
near which are the ruins of Perfepolis ; and Iftaker. 13. 
thufiftan; chief town, Soufter. 14. Irak Agem, being 
part of Diarbec ; chief towns, Ifpahan, and Ecbatana- 
, Part of Curdiftan, and part of Armenia, alfo belong 
to the Perfians, The chief town of Perfian Armenia is 
Erivan. 
Tlie rivers of Perfia are, the Kur and Aras, which run 
into the Cafpian ; the Oxus, Gihon or Amu, into Lake 
Aral; and the Tigris, and Euphrates, into the Perfian 
Gulf. ■■ 
Tlie Parapamifus, or Mountains of Gaur, are ranges 
which cut the country in every diredtion. The defects 
alfo are very extenfive. The government of Perfia is 
abfolute, under a fophi or emperor, who takes the title 
of ftiah, and alfo thofe of khan, and fultan. The popu¬ 
lation is faid to be about ten millions. The inhabitants 
of Ifpahan about fix hundred thoufand. 
Hinooostan, or India within the Ganges.— 
The Empire of the Great Mogul. —This country, fertile in 
geld and diamonds, is bounded by Tartary, on the north ; 
Thibet, and the Bay of Bengal, on the eaft ; the Indian 
Ocean, on the fouth ; and Perfia, on the weft. Its geo¬ 
graphical fituation lieS in eaft longitude fixty-fix degrees 
-ninety-two minutes ; north latitude feven degrees forty 
minutes. Its length is two thoufand miles; its breadtii, 
one thoufand five hundred ; and its capital is Dehli. 
It is fometimes divided into Hindooftan Proper, to the 
north of the Nerbudda; and the Deccan, or the country 
to the fouth of that river. But the name of Deccan has 
been limited to a fmaller extent of country, lying to the 
north of the Kiftna, while that to the fouth is diftin- 
guillied by the general name of Carnatic, 
This extenfive country is divided into the following 
provinces and cliief towns : Cacheniir, Cachemir ; Atok, 
Atok ; Penjab, Lahore ; Multan, Multan ; Bankitch, 
Banou ; Nagracut, Nagracut; Siba, Siba.—Belonging 
to the Rohillas : Ghor, Glior ; Jefuat, Rajapour; Nec- 
bal, Catmandur; Dehli, Dehli; Agra, Agra; Bando, 
Bando; Tatta or Sindi, Tatta.—Belonging to the Raj¬ 
poots: Bhakor, Bhakor; Bundelcund, Callinger, and 
thcPurn4 Diamond Mines; Jcflelmwe, Jeffelmere ; Agi. 
mere, Agimere ; Soret, Soret.—Belonging to the Mali, 
rattas, in the Deccan: Candifii, Burhampour; Balagate, 
Aurengabad; Berar, Nagpour; Chitur, Chitur; Mal- 
wa, Ratipour; Gualeor, Guaj^eor.—Belonging to the 
Nabob of Oude : Rotas, Rotafgur ; Halebas, Alehabat; 
Glide, Lucknow and Oude; Benares, Benares, where 
there is a Gentoo univerfity; Bahar, Patna.—Belong¬ 
ing to Bengal: the province of Burdwan; chief towns, 
Mufeadabat, Burdwan, Cafimbajar, Hoogli, Chandena- 
gore, Calcutta, and Midnapour. Province of Dacca ; 
Dacca, and Chittagong. 
Hither Peninfula of Deccan, in the Eaftern Coaft, or 
Coromandel.—Province of Orixa ; chief towns, Orixa, 
Balifore, Cattock, and Jaggernaut, where there is a fa¬ 
mous pagoda.—Province of Teljngana; chief towns, 
Golconda, Hyderabad or Bagnagur, and Dowlatabad.— 
The Northern Circars, of the lame name, for the moft 
part, as their chief towns; which are, Gangam, Chica- 
col, Rhajamandri, Mafulipatnam, Kondoviror Condour. 
Carnatic, in the Eaftern Coaft, or Coromandel.—Pro¬ 
vince of Jaghire ; chief towns, Conjevetam, and Madras 
or Fort St. George ; Arcot, Arcot, Velore, and Palicon- 
da I Pondicherry; Trichinopoly, Trichinopoly ; Tan- 
jour, Tranquebar, Negapatam, and Tanjour; Dindigiil, 
Dindigul; Madura, Madura ; Marawa, Ramnad, and 
Shevigunga ; Tinevelli, Palamcotta.—Carnatic, in the 
Weftern Coaft, or Malabar.—Province of Travancore, 
Travancore; Cochin, Cochin ;jCalicut (to the zamorin),. 
Calicut, Tellicherry, and Cannanore ; Mifore (Tippoo’s 
country), Myfore, Seringapatam, Bangalore,Adoni,Con- 
danore, Rachori, and Cuddapah ; Canara, Mongalor.— 
In the Deccan, and Concan.—Province of Viliapour; 
Goa, Vifiapour, Rajapour, and Bombay ; Cambay or 
Guzerat, part belonging to the Mahrattas, Surat, Cam-. 
baya, Amedabad, and Dieu. 
Cape Comorin, is the moft fouthern part of the Hither 
Peninfula. 
The principal rivers are, the Indus or Sinda, in the 
higher part of its courfe called the Attuck; Ganges, 
Gagra, Juinma, Burrampooter or Sanpoo, Nerbudda, 
Andi, Ganga or Goadaveri, Mahanada, Krifna, Cole- 
roon or Tanjore river, Caveri; of which the Indus, 
Ganges, and Krifna, are reckoned by the natives holy 
rivers. 
The mountains are, the Gauts or Balagate ; Naugra- 
cut ; Sewalick, where the Ganges defeends into the 
plains of Flindooftan; Himmaleli, under which the 
Ganges pafles, and then rifes at the cavern called the 
Cow’s Mouth ; Kentaiifo, on the oppofite fides of which 
the Ganges and Burrampooter are thought to take their 
rife ; the Bootan mountains. 
The population is faid to be as follows : the Maho¬ 
metans or Moors, about ten millions ; the Indians, Hin¬ 
doos, or Gentoos, about one hundred millions. 
The Gentoos are divided into four great tribes: i. 
Brahmins, the priefts and philofophers of the nation. 2, 
The Khatry Caft, confifting of foldiers, who are alfo 
their civil magiftrates in peace. 3. Tlie Bhyfe, confift¬ 
ing of huibandinen and merchants. And laftly, the Soo- 
dera, or artifans and fervants. Thefe are fubdivided 
into about eighty-four inferior tribes or cafts. There 
are various other divifions of them, as Talingas, Mala- 
bars, Mahrattas, Canaras, Malieailums, Rajahpoots, 
Nyars, &c. The Pariars or Chandalas are the outcafts, 
the moft degraded of all. 
The Gentoo priefts are called Brahmins. ^ Their doc¬ 
trines are contained in the Skajlah, which is a commen¬ 
tary on the Vidam, their facred book, which has been , 
long loft. The Shaftah is written in the Shanferit, a 
dead language, underftood by the Brahmins alone; but 
lately reftored by the indelatigable fir William Jones. 
Of their various mendicant fedts, the Faquirs are ge¬ 
nerally Mahometans, though many of them alfo are 
Hindoos, and the Joghis are idolaters. The Banyans 
proiefs 
