of his ihips were daihed to pieces, and himfelf, and his admiral
Nearcbus, with difficulty efcaped. The fides and channel are
filled with rocks, and .Alexander, through ignorance o f the
climate o f India, undertook his expedition in the rainy feafon,
^.vhich, befides the fwelling o f the rivers (which impeded his
march) made dreadful havoke among his troops by the difeafes
o f the country.
• T h e other two rivers, which complete the Panjab, are the
Beyab, once the Beypajha, and the Hypbajis o f Alexander. The
fifth and laft is the Setlege or Suttuluz, the Zaradruz of Ptolemy,
and Hefudrus of Pliny. Thefe rife in the mountains that divide
‘Thibet from India, and unite near Firofepour. Soon after which
they divide, and infulate a pretty confiderable trait into feveral
iflands; then re-unite, and, turning foutherly, fall into the Indus
fifty-three miles below the mouth o f the Chenaub, according
to Mr. Rennet's great map. Between the infulated part and the
Hydraotes, was the feat of the Malli and the Catberi, objedts o f
the deftruitive ambition o f Alexander, who, in his expedition
againft thofe people, feemed more intent on flaughter than
ufeful conqueft. It was on the banks o f the Hypbajis, fays
Suintius Curtius, that the hero joined his forces with thofe of
Hepheflion, after each had performed fome bloody exploit.
Here he concluded his expedition ; and after the difplay of his
vanity, by ereiting twelve altars near the junction o f the
Hypbajis and Hefudrus, xommenced his voyage down the Indus.
The altars were equal in height to the loftieft towers o f war.
On thefe he performed facrifices after the manner of his country.
He then entertained the Indians with athletic and equeftrian
games, and concluded with invefting the vanquiihed Porus
with
W E S T E R N H I N D O O S T A N .
with the fovereignty o f the whole country,' as far as the
Hypbajis.
D u r i n g his ftay in thefe parts, he founded another Alexanr-
dria, between the forks o f the Indus and Acefmes. The
modern name of the place feems, by Mr. Rennel's map, to
be Feb.
I t does not appear that ever he faw the Hefudrus, which,
according to Pliny, was a difcovery of Seleucus Nicator, one of
his ableft officers, and his fucceffor in part of his dominions,
and particularly of thofe between the Euphrates and the Indus :
He feems to have fucceeded alfo to the ambition of his matter, for
he meditated the conqueft of India, or at left of re-conquering
thofe provinces beyond the Indus fubdued by Alexander, but
which, foon after his retreat, were recovered by Sandracotta,
an Indian o f mean birth, but who, by his abilities, had rendered
himfelf matter o f all India. Seleucus found this new monarch
fo very powerful, that he did not venture to attack him. He
entered into a treaty with him, and agreed to retire, on condition
Sandracotta would fupply him with five hundred elephants
; and thus covered his difgrace with a fpecious pretence.
Alexander began, his voyage down the Indus about the end
of the month of QBober, and was nine months in the completion;
not from the difficulty o f navigation, for it might have
been performed in a very ihort time, but from his ambitious
rage of conqueft and flaughter on each fide of the river. His
army marched, divided in two parts, on the eaftern and weftern
banks, ready to execute his orders, attended by his vaft fleet.'
One motive to this voyage was a fufpicion Alexander had
entertained, that he had found out the head of the Nile, and
t h a t
S a n d r a c o t t a .