To these may be added the dominions es tablished here by the Europeans; namely, 1. the Spaniards in the Philippine Islands; 2. the Dutch at Batavia, in the isle of Java, the Spice Islands, Celebes or Madagascar,and on the coast of the isle of Ceylon, &c. 3. the Portuguese in Goa, and other coasts of India. These have all an absolute authority; and the European governors have in a great measure, the power of arbitrary princes. To these we shall subjoin, 4. the English settlements at Bengal, Fort St. George, Bombay. Bencoolen &c.; 5. the French at Pondicherry, &c. 6. the Danes at Tranquebar and Danesburgh, on the coast of Coromandel, c.; 7. the Dutch at Negapatam, on the

same coast.

The languages spoken in Asia are too numerous to be reckoned up. The principal are the Japanese, the Chinese, the Malayan, the Arabic, Persian, Hindostan, Tartarian, Russ an, Turkish, and the modern Greek.

A concise view of Asia, beginning at the East and proceeding to the West. 1. The empire of Japan.

II. China, which is divided into north and south.

III. India, comprehending,

1. The peninsula of India beyond the Gangese; containing Cochinchina, Tonquin,

Assam, Burmah, Pegu, Siam, and Mal

асса.

2. The peninsula on this side of the Ganges; containing the Decan, Golconda Crissa ; the Northern Circars; Vislapour, with the Mahratta Country; Mysore, the Cornatic and Travancore.

IV. Hindostan, or Indostan, formerly the territory of the Great Mogul, in which are many petty kingdoms, of late become independent states, or fallen under the jurisdiction of the English East India Company.

V. Great Tartary, Siberia, Samojedia, and Asiatic Russia.

VI. Persia.

VII. Turkey in Asia, which is divided into Eastern and Western. The Eastern contains Diarbek, Turcomania, and Georgia. The Western comprehends Arabia, Palestine, Syria, and Anatolia.

VIII. The Asiatic islands are divided into three classes :

1. Those of the Eastern Ocean, viz. the Marian or Ladrone islands, Formosa, and the Philippine islands.

2. Those in the Indian Ocean, which are the Moluccas, viz. Tidor, &c. and the Spice isunds, namely Buda, Amboyna, Ceram, Ternate, &c. Celebes, Borneo, D

Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, the Maldivia Islands, &c.

3. On the coasts of Asia, and in the Mediterranean, as Cyprus, Rhodes, Lesbos, or Mytelene, Chios or Scio, Samos, &c.

The principal rivers of Asia are, the Euphrates, Tigris, Jordan, Indus, Ganges, Oby, Orchardus, Volga, Chesel, and the Oxus. Its highest mountains are, Caucasus, Tauris, Ida, Libanus, Carmel, Sinai, Horeb, and Olympus,

The islands of New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and New Zealand, are as yet uncolonized by any European power; and the Friendly, Society and Sandwich islands are but late discoveries. The island of New Holland, or perhaps, on account of its largeness, we should rahter say continent, has of late become an object of attention to the British government and thither they have sent their convicts.,

OF AFRICA IN GENERAL.

AFRICA, one of the four principle divisions of the globe, is a peninsula of vast magnitude, extending from North to South about 4300 miles in length, and in breadth about 3500 from East to West. Its shape bears some resemblence to that of a pyramid, whose base is the northern part, and the apex its southern promontory, called the Cape of Good Hope. On the North it is bounded by the Mediterranean sea, which separates it from Europe; on the South by the Southern ocean; on the West by the Atlantic; and on the East by the isthmus of Suez, the Red sea and the Indian ocean. The isthmus just mentioned connects it with Asia, and is a neck of land between 50 and 50 miles in breadth. The utmost extent of this continent is between 34d. S. and 38d. 30m. N. Lat. and between 92d. 30m. and 125d. 20m. E. Longitude; E. Longitude; so that the equator divides it almost exactly in the middle..

From this account of the situation of Africa, it might have been concluded, though we had no experience of the truth of it, that

they imagined the internal parts of Africa to be uninhabitable, by reason of the heat of the climate. The fallacy of such notions, has however, been long detected, and all parts of this continent are found not only to be habitable, but actually inhabited. The bar- ~ barity of the people is no objection to the country. It is certain that the continent of Africa in many places offers the richest and most valuable productions of nature almost spontaneously. Gold is found on the Eastern coast in such abundance, or at least the places, where it has been formerly dug are so apparent, that many travellers and amongst the rest the celebrated Mr. Bruce, are of opinion, that the Ophir mentioned in scripture was situated here, and that further to the northward, the Tharshish, or Tarshish, mentioned by the sacred writers is also seated. On the western coast gold is found in equal plenty and many of the mountains are said to be composed almost entirely of copper. The most useful gums are produced in many parts on the western coast; with the great. est abundance of timber of all kinds, and innumerable valuable plants and flowers, differing from any to be met with in the other quarters of the world. In many parts of this continent, indeed, vast and burning desarts are to be met with; but it is very probable that by proper attention and industry, even

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