they get from it does not exceed 12501. a year. The ifland produces great quantities of grapes, from which excellent wine is made; and alfo cotton of a very fine quality is here cultivated, and oil, filk, and turpentine. Iu female inhabitants do not degenerate from their ancestors as devotees to Venus; and Paphos, that ancient feat of pleasure and corruption, is one of the divifions of the island. Richard I. king of England, fubdued Cy. prus, on account of its king's treachery; and its royal title was transfer. red to Guy Lufignan, king of Jerufalem, from whence it paffed to the Venetians, who ftill hold that empty honour.

The Iflands in the lönian fea are, SAPIENZA, STIVALI, ZANTE, CI PHALONIA, SANTAMAURA, CORFU, FANNU, and others of fmaller note, particularly the Ifola del Compare, which would not deferve mention, had it not been the ancient Ithaca, the birth-place and kingdom of Ulyffes. Thefe iflands, in general, are fruitful, and belonged to the Venetians; but, after the late revolution of Venice, paffed into the poffeffion of the French republic.

ZANTE has a populous capital of the fame name, and is a place of confiderable trade, efpecially in currants, grapes, and wine. The citadel is erected on the top of a large hill, ftrong by nature, but now little better than a heap of ruins. Here is a garrifon of 500 men, but their chief dependence is on their fleet, and the island of Corfu. The inhabitants of Zante are about 30,000, moftly Greeks, and friendly to ftrangers. Cor. fu, which is the capital of that ifland, and the refidence of the governor. general over all the other iflands, is a place of great ftrength, and its circumference about four miles. The Venetians are faid to have concerned themselves very little about the welfare or government of these iflands, fo that the inhabitants, who are generally Greeks, bear a very indifferent character. Their number at Gorfu is eftimated at 50,000, and their manners more fevere than at Zante.

ASIA.

As Afia exceeds Europe and Africa in the extent of its territories, it is alfo fuperior to them in the ferenity of its air, the fertility of its foil, the delicioufnefs of its fruits, the fragrancy and balfamic qua. lities of its plants, fpiccs, and gums; the falubrity of its drugs; the quan tity, variety, beauty, and value of its gems; the richness of its metals, and the fineness of its filks and cottons. It was in Afia, according to the fi cred records, that the all-wife Creator planted the garden of Eden, in which he formed the first man and first woman, from whom the race of mankind was to fpring. Afia became again the nursery of the world after the deluge. whence the defcendants of Noah difperfed their various co lonies into all the other parts of the globe. It was in Afia that God placed his once favourite people, the Hebrews, whom he enlightened by revela tions delivered by the prophets, and to whom he gave the Oracles of Truth. It was here that the great and merciful work of our redemption was accomplished by his divine Son; and it was from hence that the light of his glorious gofpel was carried, with amazing rapidity, into all the known nations by his difciples and followers. Here the firft Chriftian churches were founded, and the Chriftian faith miraculously propagated Afia that the first edifices were reared, and the finit empires founded, and cherished, even with the blood of innumerable martyrs. It was in

while the other parts of the globe were inhabited only by wild animals. On all these accounts, this quarter claims a fuperiority over the reft; but it must be owned that a great change hath happened in that part of it called Turkey, which has loft much of its ancient fplendour; and, from the most populous and best cultivated spot in Afia, is become a wild and uncultivated defert. The other parts of Afia continue much in their former condition, the foil being as remarkable for its fertility as most of the inhabitants for their indolence, effeminacy, and luxury. This effeminacy is chiefly owing to the warmth of the climate, though in fome measure heightened by cuftom and education; and the fymptoms of it are more or lefs vifible, as the feveral nations are feated nearer or farther from the north. Hence the Tartars, who live near the fame latitudes with us, are as brave, hardy, ftrong, and vigorous, as any Eu ropean nation. What is wanting in the robuft frame of their bodies, among the Chinese, Mogul-Indians, and all the inhabitants of the mot fouthern regions, is in a great measure made up to them by the vivacity of their minds, and ingenuity in various kinds of workmanship, which our most skilful mechanics have in vain endeavoured to imitate.

This vaft extent of territory was fucceffively governed, in paft times, by the Affyrians, the Medes, the Perfians, and the Greeks; but the immenfe regions of India and China were little known to Alexander, or the conquerors of the ancient world. Upon the decline of thofe empires, great part of Afia fubmitted to the Roman arms; and afterwards, in the middle ages, the fucceffors of Mahomet, or, as they were ufually called, Saracens, founded in Afia, in Africa, and in Europe, a more extenfive empire than that of Cyrus, Alexander, or even the Roman when in its height of power. The Saracen greatnefs ended with the death of Tamerlane; and the Turks, conquerors on every fide, took poffeffion of the middle regions of Afia, which they ftill enjoy. Befides the countries poffeffed by the Turks and Ruffians, Afia contains, at prefent, three large empires, the Chinese, the Mogul, and the Perfian, upon which the leffer kingdoms and fovereignties, of Afia generally depend. The prevailing form of government, in this divifion of the globe, is abfolute monarchy. If any of its inhabitants can be faid to enjoy fome share of liberty, it is the wandering tribes, as the Tartars and Arabs. Many of the Afiatic nations, when the Dutch first came among them, could not conceive how it was poffible for any people to live under any other form of government than that of a defpotic monarchy. Turkey, Arabia, Perfia, part of Tartary, and part of India, profefs Mahometanifm. The Perfian and Indian Mahometans are of the fect of Ali, and the others of that of Omar; but both own Mahomet for their lawgiver, and the Koran for their rule of faith and life. In the other parts of Tartary, India, China, Japan, and the Afiatic Iflands, they are generally heathens and idolaters. Jews are to be found every where in Afia. Christianity, though planted here with wonderful rapidity, by the apostles and primitive fathers, fuffered an almost total eclipfe by the conquefts of the Saracens, and afterwards by the Turks; incredible indeed have been the hazards, peril, and fufferings of the catholic miffionaries, to propagate their doctrines in the moft diftant regions, and among the groffeft idola. ters; but their labours have hitherto failed of fuccefs, owing in a great measure to the avarice, cruelty, and injuftice, of the Europeans, who refort thither in fearch of wealth and dominion.

The principal languages fpoken in Afia are, the modern Greek, the Turkish, the Ruffian, the Tartarian, the Perfian, the Arabic, the Malayan, the Chinese, and the Japanese. The European languages are alfo

The continent of Afia is fituated between twenty-five and 180 de. grees of eaft longitude, and between the equator and eighty degrees of north latitude. It is about 4740 miles in length from the Dardanelles on the weft, to the eastern shore of Tartary; and about 4380 miles in breadth, from the most fouthern part of Malacca, to the most northem cape of Nova Zembla. It is bounded by the Frozen Ocean on the north; on the weft it is feparated from Africa by the Red Sea, and from E. rope by the Lev...or Mediterranean, the Archipelago, the Hellefpont, the Sea of Marmola, the Bofphorus, the Black Sea, the river Don, and a line drawn from it to the river Tobol, and from thence to the river Oby, which falls into the Frozen Ocean. On the eaft, it is bounded by the Pacific Ocean, or South Sea, which feparates it from America; and on the South, by the Indian Ocean; fo that it is almost furrounded by the fea. The principal Regions which divide this country are as follow:

Tartary.

4320 S.E.7 24 bef. Pag.

2000 1500 1,116,000 Delhi

3720 S.E.5 16 bef. M.&P.

All the islands of Afia (except Cyprus, already defcribed in the Levant, belonging to the Turks) lie in the Pacific or Eaftern Ocean, and the Indian Seas; of which the principal, where the Europeans trade or have fettlements, are,

The Kurile ifles, and thofe in the fea of Kamtfchatka, lately

TURKEY IN ASIA.

BOUNDED by the Black Sea and Circaffia on the North; by Perfia on the Eaft; by Arabia and the Levant Sea on the South; and by the Archipelago, the Hellefpont, and Propontis which feparate it from Europe, on the

MOUNTAINS.] These are famous in facred as well as profane writ. ings. The most remarkable are, Olympus, Taurus, and Antitaurus; Caucafus, and Ararat; Lebanon and Hermon.

RIVERS.] The fame may be obferved of the rivers, which are the Euphrates, Tigris, Orontes, Mæander, Sarabat, Kara, and Jordan.

AIR AND CLIMATE.] Though both are delightful in the utmost de. gree, and naturally falubrious to the human conftitution, yet fuch is the equality with which the Author of Nature has difpenfed his benefits, that Turkey, both in Europe and Afia, is often vifited by the plague; a fright. ful fcourge to mankind wherever it takes place, but here doubly deftructive, from the native indolence of the Turks, and their fuperititious belief in a predeftination, which prevents them from using the proper precautions to defend themfelves againft this calamity.

SOIL AND PRODUCE.] As this country contains the most fertile provinces of Afia, it is fcarcely neceffary to inform the reader that it produces all the luxuries of life in the utmost abundance, notwithstanding the indolence of its owners. Raw filk, corn, wine, oil, honey, fruit of every fpecies, coffee, myrrh, Frankincenfe, and odoriferous plants and drugs, are natives here almoft without culture, which is practifed chiefly by Greek and Armenian Chriftians. The olives, citrons, lemons, oranges, figs, and dates, produced in thefe provinces, are highly delicious, and in fuch plenty, that they coft the inhabitants a mere trifle, and, it is faid, in fome places nothing. Their afparagus is often as large as a man's leg, and their grapes far exceed thofe of other countries in largenefs. In short, nature has brought all her productions here to the higheff perfection.

SEA AND LAND.

ANIMAL PRODUCTIONS BY The fame may be faid of their ani}mals. The breed of the Turkin and Arabian horfes, the latter efpecially, are valuable beyond any in the world, and have confiderably improved that of the English. We know of no quadrupeds that are peculiar to thefe countries, but they contain all that are neceffary for the ufe of mankind. Camels are here in much requeft, from their strength, their agility, and above all, their moderation in cating and drinking, which is greater than that of any other known ani mal. Their manufacture, known by the name of camlets, was originally made by a mixture of camel's hair and filk, though it is now often made with wool and filk. Their kids and fheep are exquifite eating, and are faid to furpafs, in flavour and tafte, thofe of Europe; but their butchers' meat in general, beef particularly, is not fo fine.

As to birds, they have wild fowl in great perfection: their oftriches are well known by their tallnefs, fwiftnefs in running, and ftupidity. The Roman Epicures prized no fish, except lampreys, mullets, and oyfters, but thofe that were found in Asia.

METALS AND MINERALS.] This country contains all the metals that are to be found in the richeft kingdoms and provinces in Europe; and its medicinal fprings and baths exceed thofe of any in the known world.

OF THE TURKS IN EUROPE AND ASIA.

POPULATION, INHABITANTS, MANNERS,

CUSTOMS, AND DIVERSIONS,

THE population of this

great country

is by

no means equal, either in its extent or fertility, nor have the best geo. graphers been able to afcertain it, becaufe of the uncertainty of its