'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎11] (54/905)

CHAP. I.]
ITS JUNCTION WITH THE ARAS.
11
running into it in a southerly direction from the same moun
tains.
The waters of the Cyrus and Araxes, at length uniting, The Kur joins
form one river, which makes a bold sweep northward, and the Araxes -
again another southward, through the plain of Moghan; when,
after having run a distance of about 110 miles, measured
along the windings, it falls into the Caspian Sea by three
mouths, being navigable for boats up to the point of junction.
Strabo 1 makes the Araxes larger than the Cyrus, which, he
says, augments the former; and at one time it had a separate
channel to the sea, merely communicating with the Cyrus by
means of a canal.
The name of the former river is supposed to be derived
from Araxes, son of Polusis, who was drowned in it. 2 Moses
Choronensis calls it Erashes; and other oriental writers give
it different terminations, as Arashe, Eaksi, Eris, Araksis, Ancient names
Arras, Eas, Eus, Arsinas, Cras, and Arras; but Xenophon oftheAraxes -
thinks it came from ar-ax, or holy water, and that it was
dedicated to the sun. In very ancient times it was called
Eaktos, 3 from a mercantile colony which came from the east
and settled on its banks. Owing to its rapidity, it is navigable
only for a short distance; but it no longer justifies the ex
pression of the poet; 4 for Shah Abbas constructed over it,
at about 60 miles north of Tabriz, a stone bridge, which is a
very fine specimen of architecture: there is a second, of
seven arches, each double, 5 of beautifully light construction,
by which I crossed the Aras at Koprf Keiu; 6 and there is
another at Hasan kal'eh, of two arches only. The river
itself, however, is occasionally fordable at some places in Description,
summer.
1 Lib. IX., p. 491.
2 Plutarch. See, also, Vol. II., chap. L It is called Arath andArasson
by some writers. 3 Aper§u, &c., p. 354.
4 Virgil, VIII., 726, 728.
" ibat jam mollior undis,
pontem indignatus Araxes."
5 The Persians are accustomed to construct two arches touching each
other, instead of a single one of greater solidity.—See the Chapter on Archi
tecture, Vol. II. 6 Thirteen hours from Erz-Rum.
* G 2