Historical Account of Discoveries and Travels in Asia

This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. http://books.google.com A3 '^60 . HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF IN ASIA, FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIME. By HUGH J^URRA^ F. R. S. E. AUTHOR OF " HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA." VOL. I. EDINBURGH : PRINTED FOR ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE AND CO. EDINBURGH ; AMD LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, LONDON. 1820. TO JOHN BARROW, Esq. F.R.S. ONE OF THE SECRETARIES OF THE ADMIRALTY, HIMSELF A DISTINGUISHED OBSERVER OF SOME IMPORTANT REGIONS OF THE EAST, AND WHOSE EFFORTS CONTINUE, AMID THE LABOURS OF OFFICE, ZEALOUSLY DEVOTED TO THE PROMOTION OF GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERY, THIS WORK is MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED » BY HUGH MURRAY. PREFACE. Among the different regions of the globe which have been the object of European re search, some indeed have excited more of temporary curiosity, but none have been the object of so deep and permanent an interest as the continent of Asia. All the forms, both of nature and society, are presented there on a grander scale than in other re gions. Its empires are more vast, its capitals more splendid, its population greater per haps than that of all the rest of the world united. Its palaces, blazing with gold and gems, seem to eclipse all the splendour that shines in the courts of Europe. Yet this doms,wealth ofleave its stillplains, room and for pomp nature of to its display king- . VI PREFACE. her grandeur, her terrors, and her waste. Asia is traversed by mountains which equal, and probably surpass the loftiest chains of other continents, and which look down from their eternal snows on plains covered with magnificent cities, and all the pomp of cultivation. The recesses of these moun tains, and the boundless wastes stretching behind them, are occupied by fierce, rude, and daring tribes, widely differing from those by whom its fairer regions are peopled. This continent thus presents throughout the boldest and most striking contrasts ; and the path of the traveller is through a never-vary ing scene, teeming with wild and wonderful adventure. A deep interest must also be excited by that character of antiquity which is so awfully stamped upon it. In Europe all things have changed, and are changing continually ; and only a few fading memo rials represent to us the world in which our ancestors lived. In Asia, all has continued fixed as by enchantment. We see empires, whose origin is lost in the unknown begin- . nings of time ; a system of laws, institutions, and ideas, which has remained unaltered dur PREFACE. ing thousands of years ; a picture of the do mestic life of man, as it existed in the earliest ages. All the features of form and mind which characterized the citizen of Greece and Rome are for ever obliterated : But the Arabian and the Indian remain the same, outwardly and inwardly, as under Darius and Alexander. Asia, therefore, presents to us, man, not only as he now exists, but as he has been in many former ages. As there is no continent which presents objects of observation so splendid and vari ous, so there is none perhaps which has been visited by so great a number of in telligent travellers. In executing the pre sent undertaking, therefore, the chief dif- culty has been how, within the proposed limits, all the necessary information could be comprised. In this view it became ne cessary, instead of attempting a full enu meration of travellers into Asia, to confine the work to a somewhat copious analysis of the more important narratives. To have done otherwise would have been to fill the work with a series of meagre notices, which might have been of some use to the future viii PREFACE. inquirer j but could have conveyed little infor mation, and excited little interest in the gene ral reader. In countries very frequently tra versed, it became even expedient to pass over some which might otherwise have been deserving of notice, presenting only such a number as might give a correct idea of the nature of the country, and of the adventures to be encountered in traversing it. For the benefit of those, however, who seek more extended information, such narratives are carefully pointed out in the concluding list of works relating to Asia. In contemplating the great extent of this subject, it became advisable to omit all those branches which did not appear to form essen tial parts of it. For this reason, the islands of the Indian archipelago are not introduced. Although these be generally accounted as part of Asia, they have many ties with the continent of Australasia, and the islands of the South Sea. Being generally visited in the course of the same voyage, they would be more conveniently attached to a history of discoveries in those regions, from which they could not be separated without awk PREFACE. ix wardly dividing the narratives of some of our great circumnavigators. In the recent and interesting work of Mr Crawfurd, the reader may obtain a full view of the present state of this important archipelago. With a similar view, the northern shores of Asia, and the voyages of discovery performed along them, are not now introduced. Much valuable information may be found in Mr Barrow's Chronological Account of Arctic Voyages ; and Captain Burney has also re cently devoted a work to this subject. When the present meritorious exertions to explore the limits and termination of the two conti nents are brought to a close, there might be room, perhaps, for a general work on the Northern Ocean, with all its shores and islands. Those of Asia would form a material part, which it would not be desirable on the pre sent occasion to anticipate. In regard to arrangement, the following, after some consideration, appeared the most advantageous. The First Book contains " General Travels through Asia," includ ing the narratives of those travellers who went over the larger part of it, or passed X PREFACE. from one to another of its great divisions. In the succeeding Books the leading natural divisions of Asia, with the travels performed through each, are successively treated of. The Author does not flatter himself that his distribution may not in some instances be found liable to criticism ; but he apprehends this plan to be on the whole the best adapt ed for bringing this vast mass of materials into It some has not regular been shape. attempted to give any descriptive account of Asia. This subject is too extensive and varied to be fully treated without encroaching on the main object, which was not description, but the history of discoveries. The object has been rather to exhibit the great machine of Asiatic so ciety in movement and action, than to give a vague delineation of its qualities. Care, however, has been taken, that the analysis of the recent travels into each district should be made to include a pretty full view of its present state. The only great extension of this principle has been in the case of Indos- tan. The Author has so often heard regret expressed at the want of any concise view of the learned investigations PREFACE. lately made xi into the religion, literature, and social state of this vast portion of the British empire, that he has employed some portion of the work in attempting to supply this defici ency. The Author owes extensive acknowledg ments to many learned friends who have as sisted him in collecting materials for his undertaking. To Richard Heber, Esq. he is indebted not only for the most friendly communications of his own, but for access to many sources of information, which he could not otherwise have reached. He met with every attention and accommodation in the public libraries, both of the metropolis and the two Universities. To Dr Edward Daniel Clarke he owes not only full access to the great library under his care, but other information relative to Asia, such as that illustrious traveller was so well qua lified to afford. To the librarians of the Bodleian at Oxford he wishes also to make his particular acknowledgments, especially for the cordial communication made by Mr Nicoll of his ample stores of oriental know- ■ xii PREFACE. ledge. He was allowed also liberal access in London to several valuable private col lections, particularly those of John Rennie, Esq. Roger Wilbraham, Esq. and James Gooden, Esq. The communications of this last gentleman from his valuable library of Spanish and Portuguese Works, were parti cularly liberal and important. He derived much benefit also from the personal com munications of William Marsden, Esq. John Murdoch, Esq. John Crawfurd, Esq. James Mill, Esq. Dr Francis Hamilton, Sir Alex ander Johnston, and several other gentle men. From these various sources materials have been collected, which will, he hopes, render a considerable portion of the pre sent Work new, at least, to the English reader. Edinburgh, June 1820. CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I. DISCOVERIES OF THE ANCIENTS. Distinction of Asia into known and unknown. — Herodotus — Expedition of Alexander. — Voyage of Nearchus. — Seleucus. — Megasthenes. — Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.— Great caravan route through Asia, - Page 3 CHAPTER II. DISCOVERIES OF THE ARABIANS. Rise of the Mahommedan Power. — Arabian Geographers. — Their Description of the Countries upon the Oxus and Jaxartes. — India. — China. — The two Mahommedan Tra vellers. — Benjamin of Tudela, - - 61 xiv CONTENTS. BOOK I. GENERAL TRAVELS THROUGH ASIA. CHAPTER I. EARLY EUROPEAN EMBASSIES INTO TARTARY.

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