The Countries Beyond The
Ganges, The Golden Chersonese, And The Countries Towards China, Are Very
Obscurely Noticed In The Periplus, Though The Information He Gives
Respecting The Trade Carried On In These Parts Is Much More Minute And
Accurate.
His description of the direction of the coast of India, is on the
whole, surprisingly consonant to truth:
According to him, it tends from
north to south, as far as Colchos (Travancore); at this place it bends to
the east, and afterwards to the north; and then again a little to the east,
as far as the Ganges. He is the first author in whom can clearly be traced
the name of the great southern division of India: his term is
Dachanabades, - Dachan signifying south, and abad a city; and Decan is still
the general name of all the country to the south of Baroche, the boundary
assigned by the author. The particulars he mentions of the bay of Cutch, of
Cambay, of Baroche, and of the Ghauts, may also be mentioned as proofs of
his accuracy with respect to those parts of India, which he visited in
person.
Having thus given a sketch of the geographical knowledge contained the
Periplus, we shall next attend to the commercial information which it
conveys. As this work is divided into two distinct parts, the first
comprising the coast of the Red Sea, and of Africa, from Myos Hormos on the
former, to Rhapta in the latter: and the second part, beginning at the same
place, and including the whole coast of Arabia, both that which lies on the
Red Sea, and that which lies on the Ocean, and then stretching from the
Gulf of Persia to Guzerat, describing the coast of Malabar, as far as
Ceylon, we shall, in our abstract of the commercial intelligence it
contains, enumerate the principal imports and exports of the most
frequented marts in Africa, (including the Red Sea,) Arabia, and India.
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