And Afterwards Sent Megasthenes, Who Had Some
Knowledge Of The Country, From Having Accompanied Alexander, As His
Ambassador To Him.
In this city, Megasthenes resided several years, and on
his return he published an account of that part of
India; fragments of this
account are given by Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, and Arrian; and though it
contains many false and fabulous stories, yet these are intermixed with
much that is valuable and correct. He gives a faithful picture of the
Indian character and manners; and his account of the geography and
dimensions of India is curious and accurate. Some further insight into
these countries was derived from the embassy of Daimachus, to the son and
successor of Sandracottus; this terminated the connection of the Syrian
monarchs with India which was probably wrested from them soon after the
death of Seleucus. At the time when this monarch was assassinated, Pliny
informs us, that he entertained a design of joining the Euxine and Caspian
seas, by means of a canal; he was undoubtedly the most sagacious of the
Syrian kings, and the only one who imitated Alexander in endeavouring to
unite conquest with commerce.
But it is to the Egyptian successors of Alexander that we must look for the
systematic extension of commerce; towards which they were in a manner
impelled by the highly favourable situation of Alexandria. It has justly
been observed by Harris, in his Collection of Voyages, that most of the
cities founded by the Syrian kings existed little longer than their
founders; and, perhaps, with the exception of Antioch, on the Orontes, and
Seleucia, on the Tigris, none of them, from the situation in which they
were built, and the countries by which they were surrounded, could under
any circumstances be of long duration.
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