East India Company, where there are many large and rich fettlements, from which we receive great quantities of Eaft India commodities.

As the country extends through fo many degrees of latitude, there is a great difference in the climates of the differ ent parts. In the northern parts the air is very dry and bealthy; but in the fouthern parts near the fea, in low lands, the air is very hot and moift: they divide the year into the dry and wet seasons.

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 alfo 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 eaft longitude. It is bounded on the eaft by the Mogul's dominions; on the north by Ufbeck Tartary, the Caspian Sea, and Circaffia; on the fouth by the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Perfia; and on the weft 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 ferene, pure, and healthy; but towards the fouthern 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 fome 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, mobair, &c.

The

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

ARADIA 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 fouth 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, or the Stony; Arabia Deferta, or the Defert; and Arabia Felix, or the Happy.

Arabia the Stony is the wilderness in which the children of Israel fojourned 40 years: and in it may be seen the mountains of Horeb and Sinai, mentioned in facred writ.

Arabia the Defert principally confifts of a large fandy defert; it has, however, a few ipots of fruitful land, covered with verdure, which are interfperfed in different parts of the defert. It is over this defert 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 fome of the vallies between the mountains, and thofe 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 the produce of their country, and the flesh of their cattle; raifing no grain of any kind for domestic 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 fubdued 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 peninsula, 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 fciences, were fituated in the northern parts of this quarter. And in the early days of Christianity feveral Christian churches were founded here;, but at the prefent period Mahometifm and idolatry degrade this moft 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 alfo the greater part of Afia, and, indeed, all that part of the globe lying between the tropics; but modern travellers have difcovered, that the tropical countries are in general the most fertile and best populated; and of these the fouthern 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 difcoveries in the internal parts.

Africa is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean; on the north by the Mediterranean; on the eaft 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 east longitude. In length, from north to fouth, it is about 4600 miles; and in breadth, from east to west, 3500 miles.

EGYPT