Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1858-04-30
India.

several Islands. All the territory shor-
ing on the Indian Ocean, east Of the
above river is called India. The historians
Strabo, and Pliny, in their
account of the conquests of Alexander
the great, give it this indefinite descrip-
ton. Ptolemy, who fourished about A.
d. $50 was more accurate. He divides
it into India uithin and India beyond the
Gances. But his boundaries are given
in terms of Ancient Biographies, ard
would not convey information to an ordi-
nary reader. Strabo calls its southern
and eastern boundary the Atlantic Ocean.
But our IDEAS Of India are principally
confined to Uindostan, or India within
the Gauges. This is bounded on the
north by the Himalah mountains, on the
east by the Birman empire, and the bay
OF Bengal, on the south and southwest
by the Indian Ocean, and on the west
by Bcloochistan, and Afghanistan. 1t lies
between 7 deg. Sc min. and 30 deg. n.
lat. and between 67 and 90 deg. East
longitude. And its population is estima-
ted from 1870 to l80,O00,000. 1t is now,
or was, until the late rebellion, under the
government of the British East India
Company, and their power is mainly re-
covered Ii is undoubted that India is a
country Of great antiquity. Before there
was much advancement Of civilization in
Europe, here there was considerable pro-
gress in poetry, astronomy, and litera-
allure. But they claim for themselves an
age that is entirely fabulous. They
speak of their history as having run back
millions of ages, and even profess to give
authentic annals, covering 100000
years and have pretended records Of
eclipses and other astronomical changes,
running back almost to this time. As
their writers tell us, the invisible God,
desiring to make man from an emanation
of his own glory, first created the waters,
and gave them the form Of motion,
from whence sprung a golden egg, bla-
zing like a thousand suns, in which was
born Brahma, the great parent Of all ra-
tional beings. Here their ancestry be-
gan. From the four parts of his body
Brahma produced men, of like organiza-
ton, but having precedence according to
the part of his body from which they
sprung. Those produced from his head
being of the first,or highest class or caset,
and those from his feet the fourth, or
lowest. Thus they are as vaulting in
their ideas of their progenitors, as are
the Chinese emperors, who claim to be
sons of the sun, and with about as much
reason. But, without doubt their ances-
tors were some of the earliest offspring
of Noah From indications, as to the
direction which the children of his three
sons took, it follows that the west, and
the southwest of Asia was settled by the
descendants of Ham, for his children oc
cupied the region of the Euphrates, ant
Havilah, his grandson, is supposed IL
have given name to that country which
lies east and southeast of the Persian
gulf. The future of Ham does not oc
cur in the prophecy, and malediction o
Noah, with the exception of Canaan
and that prophecy was fulfilled to grea
extent when Israel suljugated the Ian,
Of Canaan; but the descendants of Han
were certainly the most powerful of tn
children of Noah for more than a thou
sand years and it is safe to conclud
that one Of the sons, or grandsons of Han
originally settled Hindostan. This woul
give them an antiquity of some 2500 Q
5000 years.
The early history of India, howeve
is very obscure, principally shrouded
fable. The first point where history {
the north seems to penetrate its obscurit
is the incursion of Darius, king of PEI
STA =. G. $40 years. He then found til
land occupied by numerous, and pros
porous people, much in advance of th
Persians in literature though from the
climate efeminate, and not skilled lik
them in war. He did not, as it appear
make any great impression upon Indi
atthis time llerodotus says he conquert
the whole country. But Herodotus did n
give any account of the progress of Il
conquest, simply saying that it made Il
goth province of the Persian empire
1t was then the land of gold, the richie
in the world. From this point we pa
over a period of 200 years to the dow
fall Of Persia, before Alexander the grei
who crossed the Indus about $40 B.
and noninally subjugated the country
lie met what the Greeks called "the ba
barian Porus," who was at the head
the most formidable army with which
exander fought, in all his battles.- Pc