it must have ascended either by the ancient Shapur or Shawer
river, or else by the canal of the Shatt el Maktuah (cut river),
which once connected the rivers Kerkhah and Karun.1
The distances given by the admiral in his account of the Comparative
voyage from the Indus, only approximate in two portions of
the coast, and those the shortest, namely, along the Arabitae
and Oritee. Throughout the rest of the voyage they do not,
however, by any means correspond with those determined by
maps laid down from the recent surveys.
Carefully following the sinuosities, the distances are:—
Geographical Nearchus
Miles. otadia. ^ ves
From the Pettee, mouth o f the Indus, to 1 1Q4 tQ w L0g0 10(X)
Sonmeany and the river Arabius . J
From Sonmeany to Cape Malin, on the 1 1Qg tQ u (); ^ ^ j ^
Oritaean c o a s t ........................................... I
From Cape Malin to Cape Jask, on the 1 ^ tQ 44g Qr 4 4gQ 10 000
coast of the Ichthyophagi . • . J
From Cape Jask to Cape Nabon, the 1 40Q tQ 4Q^ Qr 4;020 3j>jo0
ancient limits of Carmania . 1
From Cape Nabon to the Indian or 1 ^ tQ or g 000 4 400
Arosis, on coast of Persia . . . )
From the Arosis to the Pallacopas or 1
c o a s t o f Susiana, following the Kh&rs I 112 to 115, or 1,150 2,000
and passages in and out . ) ______ ______
14,840 22,700
It thus appears that the actual length of the voyage is but Length of the
about two-thirds of the estimate of Nearchus; and taking thisNearchns.
proportion from Cape Malin to the Pallacopas, and allowing
ten stadia to the geographical mile, the stations mentioned may
in general be traced.
It appears that so soon as Nearchus was despatched to complete
his great enterprise, Alexander moved westward, where
his presence was urgently required to put an end to the mis-
government and irregularities which had sprung up in his
absence. The main body was committed, with the elephants, to
Hephsestion, with directions to march by the longer but more
convenient route along the coast, that is, in a south-south-westerly
direction to Laristan, passing, according to tradition, through
1 See vol. I ., pp. 195, 199.