a. On the death of Philip, Nearchus was
recalled, and rewarded for his sufferings by the favour of his sovereign.

[4] The object of these dykes is supposed by Niebuhr to have been
very different: be observes that they were constructed for the purpose
of keeping up the waters to inundate the contiguous level: he found
these dykes both in the Euphrates and Tigris. And Tavernier mentions
one, 120 feet high, in the fall between Mosul and the great Zab.

CHAPTER III.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY, AND COMMERCIAL ENTERPRIZE,
FROM THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, TO THE TIME OF PTOLEMY THE
GEOGRAPHER, A.D. 150.--WITH A DIGRESSION ON THE INLAND TRADE BETWEEN INDIA
AND THE SHORES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, THROUGH ARABIA, FROM THE EARLIEST
AGES.

For several centuries after the death of Alexander, the impulse and
direction of discovery and commercial enterprize continued towards the
countries of the East. Of his successors, Seleucus Nicanor and some of the
Ptolemies of Egypt prosecuted his plans of commerce with this part of the
world with the most zeal and success. Seleucus, after the death of
Alexander, obtained possession of those provinces of his empire which were
comprized under the name of Upper Asia; he, therefore, naturally regarded
the conquered districts of India as belonging to him. In order to secure
these, and at the same time to derive from them all the political and
commercial advantages which they were capable of bestowing, he marched into
India; and it is supposed that he carried his arms into districts that had
not been visited by Alexander. The route assigned to his march is obscurely
given; but it seems to point out the country from the Hyphasis to the
Hysudrus, from thence to Palibothra, at the junction of the Saone and the
Ganges, or, perhaps, where Patna now stands. There is no good reason to
believe, with some authors, that he reached the mouth of the Ganges.
Seleucus was stopt in his progress by the intelligence that Antigonus was
about to invade his dominions; but before he retraced his steps towards the
Euphrates, he formed a treaty with the Indian king Sandracottus, who
resided at Palibothra: 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
accou