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of the globe. It was here our Saviour was born, and accomplished the great and merciful work of our redemption, and it was hence, that the light of his glorious gofpel was carried, with amazing rapidity, into all the furrounding nations by his difciples and followers. This was, in fhort, the theatre of almost every action recorded in the Holy Scriptures. This vast tract of land was, in the earliest ages, governed by the Affyriand, Medes, Perfians, and Greeks, Upon the extinction of these empires, the Romans carried their arms even beyond the Ganges, till at length the Mahometans, or as they are ufually called Saracens, fpread their devaftations over this continent, denroying all its ancient fplendor, and rendering the most populous and fertile fpots of Afia, wild and uncultivated deferts. Among the highest mountains of Afia are Arrarat, near the Cafpian Sea, on which the ark of Noah refted, when the waters of the deluge fubfided: and Horeb and Sinai in Arabia.

Afia is bounded north, by the frozen Ocean; weft, by Europe, and the Mediterranean and Red Seas; fouth, by the Indian Ocean; caft, by the Pacific Ocean, and is reckoned to be 4800 miles in length, and 4300 in breadth; comprehending, befides islands,

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Boundaries.] BOUNDED north, by the Frozen ocean; caft, by the

Pacific; fouth, by China, India, Perfia, and the Cafpian fea; weft, by Rufia; 3000 miles long, 2250 broad.

Air, feil, and productions.] The northern parts are exceffively cold and barrer, but the fouthern more temperate and fertile. The country abourds with unwholesome lakes and marshes, mountains and fandy deferts. Their commodities are chiefly fkins of foxes, fables, ermine, lynxes and other furrs, alfo, flax, musk, rhubarb and cinnamon.

Religion.] The Tartars are chiefly pagans, mahometans, or chriftians; the first are most numerous,

;

Government] Mufcovite Tartary is fubject to the Emprefs of Ruffia Chinese Tartary to the Emperor of China; other parts of Tartary have their own princes, or Chams, and fome are subject to Perfia and the great Mogul.

Charader.] The Tartars are in general ftrong made, ftout men; fome are honeft and hofpitable, others barbarous and live by plundering. The

beauty

beauty of the Circafian women is a kind of ftaple commodity in that country; for parents there make no fcruple of felling their daughters, to recruit the feraglio's of the great men of Turkey and Perfia. They avoid all labour as the greatest flavery. Their only employment is tending their flocks, hunting and managing their horfes. If they are angry with a perfon, the worft they wish him is, that he may live in one fixed place and work like a Ruffian.

Hiftory.] The first acknowledged fovereign of these difmal territories, was the famous Jenghis Khan, A. D. 1206. His defcendants poffeffed it till 1582, when Mungls revolted to the Manchew Tartars, who reign in China. The Eluths became an independant ftate about 1400, and fo

remain.

CHIN A.

HINA is bounded on the north, by part of Tartary; eaft, by the

C Pacific oceanu, douth, by pan of the Idit of catalyst, by India

without the Ganges; 1450 miles long, 1260 broad.

Rivers.] The principal rivers are, the Yamour, Argon, Yellow River and the Tay; befides a prodigious number of navigable canals, which are very convenient. Great numbers of the Chinese live conftantly on the waters in these canals.

Chief cities.] This empire is faid to contain 4400 walled cities; the chief of which are, Pekin, the capital, Nankin and Canton. Pekin is reckoned to contain 2,000,000 inhabitants. This city is entered by seven iron gates, within fide of each is a guard house.

Government.] The emperor of China is abfolute. He is, however, obliged, by a maxim of ftate, to confider his fubjects as children, and they regard him no longer, than while he behaves like a parent. The emperor is ftyled, Holy Son of Heaven, fole Governor of the Earth, Great Father of his People. The prefent emperor is defcended from a Tartarian family; for about 150 years ago the Tartars over-ran and conquered this fine country. However, Tartary may now rather be faid to be fubject to China, than China to Tartary, fince all the wealth of the United Empire centers in China, and Tartary is no fmall addition to its strength.

Religion.] Natural religion, as explained by their celebrated philofopher Confucius, is the eftablished religion of China. But the greater part of the people are grofs idolaters, and the most numerous fect are thofe who worship the idol Fohi, which was brought from Tibet foon after the death of our Saviour. The Mahometans have been tolerated in China for 6 or 700 years, and the Jews much longer. Chriftianity had gained confiderable footing in this empire, by the labours of the Jefuits; but in the year 1726, thofe miffionaries, being fufpected of defigns against the go. vernment, and teaching doctrines destructive of it, were quite expelled, and the chriftian churches demolished.

Character and inhabitants.] It is faid that China contains 158 millions of inhabitants, between 20 and 60 years of age, who pay an annual tax.

The

The Chinese in their perfons are middle fized, their faces broad, their eyes black and fmall, and their noses rather fhort. It is thought good policy to forbid women from all trade and commerce, which they can only benefit by letting them alone. The women have little eyes, plump, rofy lips, black hair, regular features, and a delicate though florid complexion: the fmailnefs of their feet is reckoned a principal part of their beauty, and no fwathing is omitted when they are young, to give them that accomplishment; fo that when they grow up, they may be said to totter rather than to walk.

Air, foil, and productions. The air of China is generally temperate and good, though fometimes very hot in the fouthern provinces, and very cold in the northern. It is one of the most fruitful countries in the world; the mountains themselves being cultivated to the top. The principal productions of China are filks, cotton, precious ftones, porcelain or china ware, quickfilver, tea, which is peculiar to this country, ginger, camphire, japand works, gold, filver, copper, &c.

Curiofities. One of the greatest curiofities of China, and perhaps in the world, is that ftupendious wall feparating China from Tartary, to prevent the incurfions of the Tartars. It is fuppofed to extend 1500 miles and is carried over mountains and vallies, from 20 to 25 feet high, and broad enough at the top for fix horsemen to travel abreft with cafe. The Chinese have upwards of 20,000 letters or characters in their lan

guage.

Hiftory.] This empire is reported to have been founded by Fohi, who is faid to have been the Noah mentioned in the bible, about 2240 years before chrift. It is now governed by the emperors of the Dynafty of the Manchew Tartars, who conquered it, A. D. 1645:

INDIA IN GENERAL.

OUNDED north, by Tartary; eaft, by China and the Chinese Sea;

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by weft, by the fame ocean and effia;

length 4000 miles, breadth 2500.

Chief towns.] The capital cities of the Mogul's empire, are Agra

and Delhi.

Air, foil, and productions.] In the northern parts of India the air is temperate; but very hot in the fouthern. The heats, however, are moderated by refreshing breezes from the fea, and from the rains that fall continually from the end of June to the end of October. Some part of India, efpecially in the northern provinces of the Mogul's empire, are fandy, mourtainous, and barren; but in general the foil is fertile, producing plenty of corn, and the fineft fruits. It is well watered with rivers, the chief are the Ganges and Indus. Their commodities are filks, cottons, callicoes, muflins, fattins, taffeties, carpets, gold, filver, diamonds, pearls,

porcelain,

.

porcelain, rice, ginger, amber, pepper, cinnamon, a great variety of me. dicinal drugs, and fugar.

Government.] The Great Mogul is an abfolute monarch; but there are fome princes in his dominions, called Rajahs, who maintain their independency. The other kings and princes of India are likewife abfolute, but fome of them tributary, the weaker to the more powerful.

Religion.] The Moors or Moguls, who are a mixture of Tartars, Perfians, Arabs, &c. are Mahometans; but the natives of India, who are by far the most numerous, are chiefly Pagans, worshipping idols of various fhapes; many christians are settled on the coaft.

Character.] In general the Indians are ingenious in arts; civil to ftrangers, and pretty juft in their dealings; fome are of a fwarthy complexion, others are black as jet. They marry very young, the males before 14, females at 10 or 11. A man is in the decline of life at 30, and the beauty of the woman is on they decay at 18; at 25 they have all the marks of "old age.

Hiftory.] The firft conqueror of the whole of this country was Jenghis Khan, a Tartarian prince, who died A. D. 1226. In 1399, Timur Beck, by conqueft, became Great Mogul. The Dynafty continued in his family till the conqueft of Tamerlane in the 15th century, whofe defcendents have poffeffed the throne from that time; but Kouli Khan, the famous Sophi of Perfia, confiderably diminished the power of the Moguls, carried away immenfe treafures from Delhi; and fince that event many of the Rajahs and Nabobs, have made themselves independent.

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OUNDED north, by the Caspian Sea; eaft by India; fouth, by the

length 1450 miles; its breadth 1250.

Capital.] The chief city and refidence of the fovereign is Ifpahan, a fine fpacious town.

Air, foil, and productions.] The north and eaft parts of Perfia are mountainous and cold; the provinces to the fouth-eaft are fandy and defart; thofe on the fouth and welt are very fertile. The air in the fouth is extremely hot in fummer, and very un wholefome. There is fcarcely any country that has more mountains and fewer rivers. The productions of Perfia are fimilar to thofe of India.

Character of the inbabitants.] The Perfians are a brave, polite, and ingenious people; honeft in their dealings, and civil to strangers. Their great foible feems to be oftentation in their equipages.

Religion.] The Perfians, in general, are ftrict followers of Mahomet's doctrine, but differ confiderably from the Turks. There are many Chriftians in Perfia, and a fect who worship fire, the followers of Zoroafter.

Government.] Perfia is governed by an absolute monarch, called Shah or King, and frequently Sophi. The crown is hereditary, but females are excluded.

Hiftory.] The Perfian empire was founded by Cyrus, after his conqueft of Media, 436 years before Christ. It continued till it was over. thrown by Alexander the Great, 331 years before Chrift. A new empire, ftyled the Parthian, was formed by the Perfians under Arbaces, 250 years before Chrift: but in A. D. 229, Artaxerxes restored it to its ancient title; and in 651, the Saracens put an end to that empire. From this time Perfia was a prey to the Tartars, and a province of Indoftan, till Thomas Kouli Khan, once more restored it to a powerful kingdom. He was affaffinated in 1747.

ARABIA.

OUNDED north, by Turkey; eaft, by the Gulphs of Perfia and

BOrmus; fouth, by the Straits of Babel-mandel and the Indian

Ocean; weft, by the Red Sea; length 1300, breadth 1200.

In that part of Arabia, called the Holy Land, the inhabitants en oy a pure and healthful air, and a fertile foil. The middle, called Arabia Deferta; is overfpread with barren mountains, rocks, and fandy deferts. But the fouthern parts, defervedly called the Happy, although the air is hot and unwholesome, is bleffed with an excellent and very fertile foil, producing balm of Gilead, manna, myrrh, caffia, aloes, frankincenfe, fpikenard, and other valuable gums;-cinnamon, pepper, oranges, lemons, &c.-The Arabians, like most of the Afiatics, are of a middling ftature, thin, and of a fwarthy complexion, with black hair and black eyes. They are much addicted to thieving. In 1750, a body of 50,000 Arabians, attacked a caravan of merchants and pilgrims, returning from Mecca, killed 60,000 perfons, and plundered them of every thing valuable, though escorted by a Turkish army.-The Arabians in general are Mahometans, though there are fome Pagans. They have many princes, fome tributary to the Turks, others independent.-The Arabs are defcended from Ishmael, of whofe pofterity it was foretold, that they fhould be invincible, and have their hands against every man, and every man's hands against them. The famous impoftor Mahomet was born at Mecca in the fixth century. He fled to Medina, A. D. 622. This is called the Hegira or Flight, from whence the Mahometans compute their time. He died 629, having propagated his doctrines through Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and Perfia, leaving two branches of his race, both efteemed divine by their fubjects.

TURKEY

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