Gedrosia

1652. Cosmographie in four bookes by Peter Heylyn.

GEDROSIA is bounded on the West, with Carmania; on the East, with Cambaia or Guzarat a Province of India; on the South, with the main Indian Ocean; on the North, with Drangiana and Arachosia. The reason of the name I find not. Now by Mercator, called Gest; by Castaldus, Circan.

The Countrey desolate and barren, like the worst part of Carmania, much destitute of fresh water, and covered over with loose sands, dangerous to the native and stranger both. Some rain they have, but not sufficient to allay the heat and drouth which they suffer under, and yet by reason of that heat it assordeth in some places Nard and Myrrhe, with some other spices. Some Brooks here are, or rather Torrents, which falling from the hills do somewhat qualifie the indisposition of the soyl, and make it habitable, The chief of which was called Arbius antiently; the chief Mountain Baetius.

Towns of most name in it, 1. Rhagiana, honoured by Ptolomy with the name of a City; and 2. a Port or Harbor called Mulierum portus, or the Haven of women. 3. Arbis, upon the banks of the River Arbius, presented so us also by the name of a City. 4. Musarna, the chief of the Musarnae, a chief tribe of this Countrey. 5. Parsis, or rather Easis, as the Greek text hath it, the Metropolis of the whole Province in the time of Ptolomy. 6. Gest, the chief City at the present; but for nothing memorable.

The old Inhabitants hereof were the Masarnae bordering on Arachosia, the Parsirae towards Carmania, the Rh•mae on the banks of Indus, and the Orbitae, or Arbituri; on the shores of the Ocean. The Countrey of no note in preceding times, till made famous by the follies of Alexander. Who finding by the hard bout which he had with Porus that there was litle hopes of the Conquest of India, would needs make a fruitless voyage to see the Ocean. And having satisfied himself with the sight of that furious Element (as if his very seeing it had sufficiently subdued it to him), landed his Army on this coast. Where in his march for want of victuals, water, and other necessaries, he lost more men in the vast and uncomfortable Desarts of this Countrey, than in all the military services he had put them too: the Army which he carired with him into India, amounting 15000 Horse, and 120000 Foot, whereof hardly the fourth part came back to Babylon. So dearly did he pay for his indiscretion.

1693. A geographical dictionary representing the present and ancient names by Edmund Bohun.

Gest, Gedrosia, a Province in the East of the Kingdom of Persia, next the Moguls Empire. By others called Circan.

1694. The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary by Louis Moreri.

Gedrosia, a Province of Persia, which now makes the two Provinces of Circan and Macran, between Carmania to the West; and the Dominions of the Great Mogul, and the Mouths of Indus, to the East, near the Indian Ocean. Baudrand.