districts in the interior, belong to the English East India Company, where there are many large and rich fettlements, from which we receive great quantities of East India commodities.

As the country extends through so many degrees of latitude, there is a great difference in the climates of the different parts. In the northern parts the air is very dry and healthy; but in the southern parts near the fea, in low lands, the air is very hot and moift: they divide the year into the dry and wet feafons.

The foil, in general, throughout the whole country, is very fruitful, producing all the variety of plants, drugs, and fruits, to be met with in the other tropical climates. There are also mines of gold, diamonds, rubies, topazes, and other precious stones.

In the European fettlements the religion is Chriftianity; but in the northern and inland parts they are either Mahometans or Pagans; and divided into several kingdoms, each of which is governed by one or more abfolute monarchs.

PERSIA extends from 25 to 45 degrees north latitude, and from 45 to 67 degrees east longitude. It is bounded on the caft by the Mogul's dominions; on the north by Usbeck Tartary, the Cafpian Sea, and Circaffia; on the south by the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Perfia; and on the west by Arabia and the Turkish empire.

The climates of this country are very various. In the northern parts, and near the mountains, which are covered with fnow, the air is very cold; in the midland parts it is serene, pure, and healthy; but towards the southern parts there are fometimes hot fuffocating winds, which blow over a fandy defert from fouth and east; a blast of which has sometimes ftruck the unwary traveller with death in an instant. The foil is various, being in fone parts very barren, but where it is well watered it is very fruitful.

The principal commodities of traffic are filks, camlets, carpets, leather, embroidery, gold and filver threads, mohair, &c.

The national religion of Perfia is that of Mahometism, and the fect of Ali.

ARABIA extends from 35 to 60 degrees east longitude, and from 12 degrees 30 minutes to 30 degrees north latitude. It is bounded on the north by Afiatic Turkey; on the south by the Indian Ocean ; on the east by the Euphrates and Gulf of Baffora; and on the weft by the Red Sea.

Arabia is divided into three parts, viz. Arabia Petræa, os the Stony; Arabia Deserta, or the Desert; and Arabia Felix, or the Happy.

Arabia the Stony is the wilderness in which the children of Ifrael fojourned 40 years; and in it may be seen the mountains of Horeb and Sinai, mentioned in Sacred Writ.

Arabia the Defert principally confifts of a large fandy defert; it has, however, a few spots of fruitful land, covered with verdure, which are interspersed in different parts of the defert. It is over this desert that some of the eastern nations bring their commodities of traffic from the Eaft, travelling in large caravans.

Arabia the Happy is, in general, barren; but some of the vallies between the mountains, and those plains which are well fupplied with water, are very fruitful. From this part great quantities of drugs are exported to Europe, and alfo Turkey coffee.

The Arabs are, in general, a wandering people: many of their tribes live wholly in tents, and fubfift partly by robbing the caravans which travel through the defert, and partly by

produce of their country, and the flesh of their cattle; raifing no grain of any kind for domeftic use.

Their religion is that of Mahometifm; but many of the tribes are still Pagans. Their language is faid to exceed even the Greek itself in copiousness. The Arabians have never yet been subdued by any military force, though several attempts have been made for that purpose.

SECT.

SECT. VIII.

OF AFRICA.

THE continent of Africa is in the form of a peninfula, fur rounded on each fide by water, except where it joins to Afia by the Ifthmus of Suez. Several countries, famous in antiquity for the arts and sciences, were fituated in the northern parts of this quarter. And in the early days of Christianity feveral Chriftian churches were founded here; but at the prefent period Mahometifm and idolatry degrade this mofl fertile quarter of the globe. That most inhuman commerce, trafficking in men, alfo is carried on here by the European nations.

The ancients believed the greater part of this quarter of the globe to be uninhabited, as also the greater part of Asia, and, indeed, all that part of the globe lying between the tropics; but modern travellers have discovered, that the tropical countries are in general the moft fertile and best populated; and of these the southern and interior parts of Africa are found the most eligible, both for vegetation and population. Its fea-coafts are the only parts with which we are particularly acquainted; but travellers are now bufily employed in making discoveries in the internal parts.

Africa is bounded on the weft by the Atlantic Ocean; on the north by the Mediterranean; on the east by the Red Sea; and on the fouth by the Southern Ocean. It lies between 37 degrees north, and 36 degrees fouth latitude, the equator running nearly through the middle thereof; and between 17 degrees weft, and 51 degrees eaft longitude. In length, from north to fouth, it is about 4600 miles; and in breadth, from eaft to weft, 3500 miles.

EGYPT

EGYPT is bounded on the north by the Ifthmus of Suez; on the east by the Red Sea; on the fouth by Nubia; and on the west by the interior parts of Africa. It lies between 30 and 36 degrees east longitude; and between 20 and 32 degrees north latitude; and is divided into Upper and Lower Egypt.

The climate, during the fummer season, is exceffively hot; when the fouth winds often raise such a cloud of fand as to obfcure the light of the fun, and cause epidemical diseases.

The foil is exceedingly fruitful, owing to the annual over❤ flowing of the Nile. This river, fo famous in ancient history, has its rife in Abyffinia, at between 11 and 12 degrees of north latitude, and pursues a northern course for above 1500 miles; when it divides into two branches, about fix miles below Grand Cairo; one branch extending eastward, and the other weftward. It begins to rife in the beginning of fummer, and increases three or four inches in height each day, for the first week: the next fortnight it increases in a still greater proportion: and it is near four months before it is reduced into its channel again. The principal cities and towns are built on eminences on the banks of the Nile, and, during the inundation, correfpond with each other by means of boats. When the Nile rifes to the height of 49 feet, it produces a plentiful feafon, but if it exceed that height it is productive of great mischief, fweeping away both houses and cattle.

In Egypt they generally have three crops in a year: the firft, of lettuces and cucumbers; the fecond, of corn; the third, of melons, and all the fruits common to hot climates. Their pastures are the richest in the world, the grafs being ufually as high as the cattle.

Their trade confifts of great quantities of flax and cotton both prepared and unmanufactured; leather of different kinds; also a great variety of drugs, and roots for dying.

The

The common language fpoken here is the vulgar Arabic, as if is under the dominion of the Turks.

BARBARY extends from Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Libyan Deferts, being 750 miles in breadth, and near 2000 in length: containing the countries of Morocco and Fez, which form one diftinct empire; and the states of Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Barca, compofing several distinct states, united together in confederacy, under the Turkish government.

Its foil is exceedingly fruitful, producing excellent corn, cattle, and pasture, and all the variety of tropical fruits; and vaft quantities of fish and fowl; alfo a great variety of tame and wild animals.

The commerce of this country is chiefly carried on by caravans: their exports confift of leather, mats, handkerchiefs, carpets, elephant's teeth, oftrich feathers, copper, tin, wool, fruits, gum, drugs, &c. for which they receive timber, artillery, gunpowder, &c.

Their religion is that of Mahometifm. Their language varies according to the different parts of the country. That spoken in the inland parts, is either an African language, or a corrupt Arabic. The latter is also spoken in most of the fea port towns: but in fome parts they ufe a mixed language, fuch as is fpoken in moft of the Mediterranean ports,

Moft of the Barbary ftates fubfift by piracy: and their failors fight defperately when they meet a veffel belonging to any power with whom they are at war.

The government is that of an abfolute monarchy. The emperor is in general both judge and executioner; and he acknowledges the Grand Seignior of Turkey to be his fuperior. When there is a vacancy in the government, every foldier in the army has a vote in choosing a new emperor, which is often attended with great bloodshed.

The parts of Africa, from the tropic of Cancer to the Cape of Good Hope, are very little known, except the feacoaft thereof. The natives in general are black, except

thofe