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OCTOBER, 1884.]
PTOLEMY'S GEOG. BK. I, CH. 11.
317
the east. § 2. Now the entire distance from measures, in fact, a little over that number if the Islands of the Blest to the passage of we go by the exact proportion of the parallels, the Euphrates at Hierapolis, as measured along but the excess is so trifling as in the case of the the parallel of Rhodes, is accurately determined equatorial degree, that it may be neglected. But by summing together the several intervening his estimates of the distances beyond Hierapolis distances as estimated in stadia by Marinos, require correction. $ 4. He computes the for not only were the distances well ascertained distance from the passage of the Euphrates from being frequently traversed, but Marinos already mentioned to the Stone Tower" at 876 seems moreover in his computation of the scheenio or 26, 280 stadia, and from the Stone greater distances, to have taken into account Tower to Sêra, the metropolis of the Sêres, at a the necessary corrections for irregularities and 7 months' journey or 36,200 stadia as reckoned deviations. Heunderstood, besides, that while along the same parallel. Now in neither the length of a single degree of the 360 case has he made the proper deductions for the degrees into which the equatorial circle is excess caused by deviations; and for the second divided measures, as in the commonly accepted route he falls into the same absurdity as when estimate, 500 stadia, the parallel circle which he estimated the distance from the Garamantes passes through Rhodes in 36 degrees of N. to Agisymba." 5. Where he had to deduct latitude, measures about 400 stadia. $ 3. It above half of the stadia in the march of the 3 great city which we know as Hang-chow, and which then the high valloys of the Orue through Badakshin; that lay on or near delta-arm of the great Yang-tse." in the centre, which goes directly to Kashgar by the Those arguments may be accepted as conclusively settling high valleys of the Syr-Derye or Jazartes; and lastly the vexed question as to the position of Kattigara. In that of the north, which goes down a part of the middle & paper, however, recently read before the R. Asiatio valley of the Jasartes before turning to the east towards Society, Mr. Holt, an eminent Chinese scholar, expressed
Chinese Tartary. Or these three routes, the itinerary of the a different view. He "showed that there was good Greek merchants could only apply to the 2nd or the 3rd : evidence of a very early communication from some port
und if, as has been for a long time supposed with much on the Chinese coast to near Martaban, or along the probability, the Stone Tower of the Itinerary is found in valley of the Irawadi to the north-weat capital of China,
an important place belonging to the valley of the then at Signan-fu or Ho-nan-fu. He then showed that the Jazartes, of which the name Tåshkand has precisely the name of China had been derived from the Indians, who same meaning in the language of the Turkomins, it first knew China, and was not due to the Tain Dynasty,
would be the northern route that the caravan of Maës but more probably came from the name of the Compass would have followed. The march of seven months in Apecimens of which were supplied to the early envoys,
advancing constantly towards the east leads necessarily the Chinese being thus known in India as the Compass- towards the north of China (Saint-Martin, Etude, pp. people, just as the Seres, another Chinese population, 428-9.) Sir H. Rawlinson however assigns it a more derived their western name from "Silk. That the
southern position, placing it at Tash-kurghan, an ancient knowledge of this fact was lost to both Indians and city which was of old the capital of the Sarik-kul Chinese is clear from the use by Hiuen-Tsiang and territory, a district lying between Yarkand and Badaklater writers of two symbols (800 Morrison's Dic- shan, and known to the Chinese as Ko-panto. The walls tionary, syllabio part, No. 8,033) to designate the of Tash-kurghan are built of unusually large blocks of country, these, while giving the sound Che-ha,' stone. It was no doubt, Sir Henry remarks, owing to indicate that they are substitutes for original words of the massive materials of which it was built, that it like sounds, the true sense of which onnnot now be re- received the name of Tash-kurghan or the Stone Fort, covered. Having shown that M. Reinaud's view of an and it seems to have every claim to represent the intercourse between China and Egypt in the first
XLOvos úpyor of Ptolemy, where the caravans rendezcentury A.D. has no real foundation, Mr. Holt
voused before entering China, in preference to Tashkand further stated that there was no evidence of an embassy
or Ush, which have been selected as the site of the Stone from M. Aurelius having gone by som to China in A.D.
Tower by other geographers."-Jour. R. Geog. Soc. 166. In conclusion, he urged, that in his judgment,
vol. XLII, p. 327. there was no proof whatever of any knowledge of a
30 According to Herodotos (lib. II, . vi), the schoinos maritime way to China before the 4th century A.D., the
was equal to two Persian parasange or 60 stadia, but it voyage even of Fa-hian, at that period being open to was very vague and uncertain menure, varying as serious criticism. He believes therefore with . Gos
Strabo informs us (lib. XVII, c. i, 24) from 30 to 120 Belin that the Kattigars of Ptolemy was probably not far stadia. In the case before us, it was taken as equivalent from the present Martaban, and that India for a consi to the parasang of 30 stadia and afforded with correction derable period up to the 7th century A.D. dominated
some approximation to the truth. over Cambodia."
11 "The Roman arms had been carried during the Deviations from the straight line by which the route
reign of Augustus (B. C. 19)_es far as the land of the would be represented in the map. The irregularities
Garamantes, the modern Fezzan, and though the refer to the occasional shortening of the daily march by
Roman Emperors never attempted to establish their obstacles of various kinds, bad roads, hostile attacks, dominion over the country, they appear to have per. fatigue, &o.
manently maintained friendly relations with its rulers, "One of the circumstances of the route that Pto. which enabled their officers to make use of the onsis of the lemy has reproduced from Marinos is that op leaving Garamantes as their point of departure from which to Baktra the traveller directed his course for a long penetrate further into the interior. Setting out from enough time towards the North. Assuredly the caravans thenoe, General named Septimius Planous arrived at touched at Samarkand (the Marakanda of Greek authors) the land of the Ethiopians, after a march of 8 months which was then, se now, one of the important centres of towards the south. Another Commander named Julius the region beyond the Oxus. For passing from Sordis- Maternus, apparently at a later date, setting out from ns to the east of the snowy range, whieh covers the Leptis MAKTA, proooeded from thence to Garams, where souroes of the Jarartes and the Oxus, three main routeshe united his foroes with those of the king of the hayo existed at all times that of the south, which sscends Garmanton, who was himself undertaking hostile
