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BOOK unacquainted with all the parts of the globe beyond the Mediterranean fea, or what knowledge they had of them was founded on conjecture, or derived from the information of a few perfons, whom curiofity and the love of fcience had prompted to travel by land into the Upper Afia, or by fea into Egypt, the ancient feats of wifdom and arts. After all that the Greeks learned from them, they appear to have been ignorant of the most important facts, on which an accurate and scientific knowledge of the globe is founded.

THE expedition of Alexander the Great into the east, confiderably enlarged the sphere of navigation and of geographical knowledge among the Greeks. That extraordinary man, notwithstanding the violent paffions which incited him, at some times, to the wildest actions, and the most extravagant enterprises, poffeffed talents which fitted him not only to conquer, but to govern the world. He was capable of framing those bold and original schemes of policy, which gave a new form to human affairs. The revolution in commerce, brought about by the force of his genius, is hardly inferior to that revolution in empire, occafioned by the fuccefs of his arms. It is probable, that the oppofition and efforts of the republic

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of Tyre, which checked him fo long in the BOOK. career of his victories, gave Alexander an opportunity of observing the vast resources of a maritime power, and conveyed to him fome idea of the immenfe wealth which the Tyrians derived from their commerce, especially that with the East Indies. As foon as he had accomplished the deftruction of Tyre, and reduced Egypt to subjection, he formed the plan of rendering the empire which he proposed to establish, the centre of commerce as well as the feat of dominion. With this view he founded a great city, which he honoured with his own name, near one of the mouths of the river Nile, that by the Medeterranean fea, and the neighbourhood of the Arabian Gulf, it might command the trade both of the east and weft P. This fituation was chofen with fuch discernment, that Alexandria foon became the chief commercial city in the world. Not only during the fubfiftence of the Grecian empire in Egypt and in the eaft, but amidst all the fucceffive revolutions in thofe countries from the time of the Ptolemies to the difcovery of the navigation by the Cape of Good Hope, commerce, particularly that of the East Indies, continued to flow in the channel which the

? Strab. Geogr. lib. xvii. p. 1143. 1149.

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fagacity

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fagacity and forefight of Alexander had marked out for it.

His ambition was not fatisfied with having opened to the Greeks a communication with India by fea; he afpired to the fovereignty of thofe regions which furnished the rest of mankind with fo many precious commodities, and conducted his army thither by land. Enterprifing, however, as he was, he may be said rather to have viewed, than to have conquered that country. He did not, in his progrefs towards the east, advance beyond the banks of the rivers that fall into the Indus, which is now the western boundary of the vast continent of India. Amidst the wild exploits which diftinguifh this part of his history, he purfued measures that mark the fuperiority of his genius, as well as the extent of his views. He had penetrated as far into India as to confirm his opinion of its commercial importance, and to perceive that immense wealth might be derived from intercourse with a country, where the arts of elegance having bcen more early cultivated, were arrived at greater perfection than in any other part of the earth. Full of this idea, he refolved to

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Strab. Geogr. lib. xv. p 1036. Q. Curtius, lib. xviii.

examine

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examine the course of navigation from the BOOK mouth of the Indus to the bottom of the Perfian Gulf; and if it fhould be found practicable, to establish a regular communication between them. In order to effect this, he propofed to remove the cataracts, with which the jealousy of the Perfians, and their averfion to correspondence with foreigners, had obftructed the entrance into the Euphrates'; to carry the commodities of the eaft up that river, and the Tigris, which unites with it, into the interior parts of his Afiatic dominions; while, by the way of the Arabian Gulf, and the river Nile, they might be conveyed to Alexandria, and distributed to the rest of the world. Nearchus, an officer of eminent abilities, was entrufted with the command of the fleet fitted out for this expedition. He performed this voyage, which was deemed an enterprise fo arduous and important, that Alexander reckoned it one of the moft extraordinary events which diftinguifhed his reign. Inconfiderable as it may now appear, it was, at that time, an undertaking of no little merit and difficulty. In the profecution of it, ftriking inftances occur of the small progrefs which the Greeks had made in naval knowledge. Having never

Strab. Geogr. lib. xvi. p. 1075.
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See NOTE IV,

failed

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BOOK failed beyond the bounds of the Mediterranean, where the ebb and flow of the fea are hardly perceptible, when they first observed this phanomenon at the mouth of the Indus, it ap peared to them a prodigy, by which the gods testified the displeasure of Heaven against their enterprise. During their whole course, they seem never to have loft fight of land, but followed the bearings of the coaft fo fervilely, that they could not much avail themselves of thofe periodical winds, which facilitate navigation in the Indian ocean. Accordingly, they spent no less than ten months" in performing this voyage, which, from the mouth of the Indus to that of the Perfian Gulf, does not exceed twenty degrees. It is probable, that amidst the violent convulfions, and frequent revolutions in the Eaft, occafioned by the contefts among the fucceffors of Alexander, the navigation to India, by the courfe which Nearchus had opened was difcontinued. The Indian trade carried on at Alexandria, not only fubfifted, but was fo much extended under the Grecian monarchs of Egypt, that it proved a great fource of the wealth which distinguished their kingdom,

t See NOTE V.

" Plin. Hift. Nat. lib. vi, c. 23.

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