国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

~

I

Π  ~I;

146   EAST INDIAN TRAVELLERS I` THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES.

these mountaines keeps a small King called Tibbot, who of late sent one of his daughters to Sha Selim to make affinitie.» By Tibbot he obviously means Ladak, as it is mentioned in connection with the difficult road over the Kara-korum to Kashgar.

The next traveller of fame is EDWARD TERRY, Master of Arts and student of Christ Church at Oxford, who has given us a relation of a Voyage to the Eastern India, undertaken in 1616.1 In this he tells us that the large Empire of the great Mogol is bounded on the north by the mountains of Caucasus, and Tartaria, which shows that he eliminates Tibet, and makes Caucasus, or Himalaya, a dividing wall between India and Tartaria. He mentions Kashmir (Chishmeere) and its capital Siranakar. Amongst the countries of N.W. India he mentions Jengapor with its capital of the same name and situated on the »River Kaul, one of the five Rivers that water Penjab», and probably corresponding to the Satlej as, on maps from the time, it is marked as the last great tributary to the Indus from the east.2

The next province is »Syba, the chiefe Citie is called Hardwair, where the famous River Ganges seemed to begin, issuing out of a Rocke, which the superstitious Gentiles imagine to be like a Cowes head, which of all sensible Creatures they love best ...» Kakares is said to be »very large and exceeding mountainous, divided from Tartaria by the Mountaynes of Caucases». And Gor is also full of mountains.

As in the classical writers the Indus and Ganges are mentioned together: »This Region is watered with many goodly Rivers, the two principall are Indus and Ganges, where this thing remarkable must not passe, that one pinte of the Water of Ganges weigheth lesse by an ounce, then any in the whole Kingdome, and therefore the Mogol wheresoever hee is, hath it brought to him that he may drinke it.» 3 »Negracut» is mentioned amongst the most famous places of pilgrimage.

Much the same geographical horizon is commanded by Sir THOMAS ROE in 1617. Kabul borders upon Tartaria. Through »Kyshmier» with the chief city »Sirivaker» runs the river of Bhat »and findeth the Sea by Ganges, or some say of it seife in the north part of the Bay of Bengala ...»4 Gor lies toward the head of the Ganges. The Empire of Mogor is very great and »stretcheth to the Mountaines of Taurus North». In a letter of 1615 Sir Thomas Roe criticises the existing maps : »I have one Observation more to make of the falsenesse of our Maps, both of Mercator, and all others, and their ignorance in this Countrey. First, the famous River Indus doth not emptie himself into the Sea at Cambaya, as his chiefe mouth, but at Sinde ...» He misses Agra on the maps, and knows that it is a river that falls into the Ganges.

The Ganges is especially attractive to the imagination of the world, as can be seen in a letter of 1615 by THOMAS CORYAT, who, in an oration to the Great

I Purchas His Pilgrimes, Vol. IX, p. 13 et seq.

2 Compare for instance, NICOLAUS VISSCHER'S map of about 168o (See below P1. XXXII).

3 Compare AIN-I-AKBARI, supra, p. 73.

4 PURCHAS, Vol. IV, p. 431 et seq.