Occupations > Historical disquisition concerning the knowledge which the ancients had of India; and the progress of trade with that country

1 AN HISTORICAL DISQUISITION S. X.
searches concerning the intercourse between the
Eastern and Western regions of the earth, and
concerning the progress of that great branch of
trade, which, in every age, lias contributed so
conspicuously towards raising the people who
carried it on to wealth and power, I shall con¬
fine myself within the precincts I have marked
out. Wherever the inspired writers, intent upon
higher objects, mention occasionally any circum¬
stance that tends to illustrate the subject of my
inquiries, 1 shall -attend to it with reverence.
Whatever other writers relate, I shall examine
with freedom, and endeavour to ascertain the
degree of credit to which they are entitled.
The original station allotted to man by his
Creator, was in the mild and fertile regions of
the East. There the human race began its ca¬
reer of improvement; and from the remains of
sciences which were anciently cultivated, as well
as of arts which were anciently exercised in In¬
dia, we may conclude it to be one of the first
countries in which men made any considerable
progress in that career. The wisdom od the East
was early celebrated *, and its productions were
early in request among distant nations f. The
intercourse, however, between difterent countries
was carried on at first entirely by land. As the
people of the East appear soon to have acquired
complete dominion over the useful animals they
could early undertake the long and toilsome jour-
nies which is necessary to make, in order to
maintain this intercourse $ and by the provident
• i Kings, IT. 30. f Gen. xxxvii. 25.
\ Gen. xii. 16, xxiv. 10, 11.