DISCOURSE

ON THE

INSTITUTION OF A SOCIETY,

FOR INQUIRING INTO THE

HISTORY, CIVIL AND NATURAL,

THE ANTIQUITIES, ARTS, SCIENCES, AND LITERATURE,

OF

ASIA.

BY THE PRESIDENT.

GENTLEMEN,

WHEN I was at fea last August, on my voyage to this country,

which I had long and ardently defired to visit, I found one evening, on inspecting the obfervations of the day, that India lay before us, and Perfia on our left, whilst a breeze from Arabia blew nearly on our ftern. A fituation so pleasing in itself, and to me fo new, could not fail to awaken a train of reflections in a mind, which had early been accustomed to contemplate with delight the eventful histories and agreeable fictions of this eastern world. It gave me inexpreffible plea

VOL. I.

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fure

fure to find myself in the midst of fo noble an amphitheatre, almost encircled by the vast regions of Asia, which has ever been esteemed the nurse of sciences, the inventrefs of delightful and useful arts, the scene of glorious actions, fertile in the productions of human genius, abounding in natural wonders, and infinitely diverfified in the forms of religion and government, in the laws, manners, cuftoms, and languages, as well as in the features and complexions, of men. I could not help remarking, how important and extensive a field was yet unexplored, and how many folid advantages unimproved; and when I confidered, with pain, that, in this fluctuating, imperfect, and limited condition of life, fuch inquiries and improvements could only be made by the united efforts of many, who are not easily brought, without fome preffing inducement or ftrong impulfe, to converge in a common point, I confoled myself with a hope, founded on opinions which it might have the appearance of flattery to mention, that, if in any country or community, fuch an union could be effected, it was among my countrymen in Bengal, with fome of whom I already had, and with most was defirous of having, the pleasure of being intimately acquainted.

You have realized that hope, gentlemen, and even anticipated a declaration of my wishes, by your alacrity in laying the foundation of a fociety for inquiring into the history and antiquities, the natural productions, arts, fciences, and literature of Afia. I may confidently foretel, that an inftitution fo likely to afford entertainment, and convey knowledge, to mankind, will advance to maturity by flow, yet certain, degrees; as the Royal Society, which at firft was only a meeting of a few literary friends at Oxford, rofe gradually to that fplendid zenith, at which a Halley was their fecretary, and a Newton their prefident.

Although

Although it is my humble opinion, that, in order to ensure our fuccess and permanence, we must keep a middle course between a languid remiffness, and an over zealous activity, and that the tree, which you have aufpiciously planted, will produce fairer blossoms, and more exquifite fruit, if it be not at first exposed to too great a glare of sunshine, yet I take the liberty of fubmitting to your confideration a few general ideas on the plan of our society; affuring you, that, whether you reject or approve them, your correction will give me both pleasure and instruction, as your flattering attentions have already conferred on me the highest honour.

It is your defign, I conceive, to take an ample space for your learned investigations, bounding them only by the geographical limits of Afia; fo that, confidering Hindustan as a centre, and turning your eyes in idea to the North, you have on your right, many important kingdoms in the Eastern peninfula, the ancient and wonderful empire of China with all her Tartarian dependencies, and that of Japan, with the cluster of precious islands, in which many fingular curiosities have too long been concealed: before you lies that prodigious chain of mountains, which formerly perhaps were a barrier against the violence of the fea, and beyond them the very interefting country of Tibet, and the vast regions of Tartary, from which, as from the Trojan horse of the poets, have iffued fo many confummate warriors, whofe domain has extended at least from the banks of the Iliffus to the mouths of the Ganges: on your left are the beautiful and celebrated provinces of Iran or Perfia, the unmeafured, and perhaps unmeasurable deferts of Arabia, and the once flourishing kingdom of Yemen, with the pleasant isles that the Arabs have fubdued or colonized; and farther weftward, the Afiatick dominions of the Turkish fultans, whofe moon feems approaching rapidly to its wane.-By this great circumference, the field of your useful researches will be inclosed; but, fince Egypt had unquestionably

an old connexion with this country, if not with China, fince the language and literature of the Abyffinians bear a manifest affinity to those of Afia, fince the Arabian arms prevailed along the African coast of the Mediterranean, and even erected a powerful dynafty on the continent of Europe, you may not be difpleafed occafionally to follow the ftreams of Afiatick learning a little beyond its natural boundary; and, if it be necessary or convenient, that a short name or epithet be given to our fociety, in order to distinguish it in the world, that of Afiatick appears both claffical and proper, whether we confider the place or the object of the inftitution, and preferable to Oriental, which is in truth a word merely relative, and, though commonly used in Europe, conveys no very diftinct idea.

If now it be asked, what are the intended objects of our inquiries within these spacious limits, we anfwer, MAN and NATURE; whatever is performed by the one, or produced by the other. Human knowledge has been elegantly analysed according to the three great faculties of the mind, memory, reafon, and imagination, which we constantly find employed in arranging and retaining, comparing and diftinguishing, combining and diverfifying, the ideas, which we receive through our fenfes, or acquire by reflection; hence the three main branches of learning are history, Science, and art: the first comprehends either an account of natural productions, or the genuine records of empires and states; the fecond embraces the whole circle of pure and mixed mathematicks, together with ethicks and law, as far as they depend on the reasoning faculty; and the third includes all the beauties of imagery and the charms of invention, difplayed in modulated language, or represented by colour, figure, or sound.

Agreeably to this analyfis, you will inveftigate whatever is rare in the ftupendous fabrick of nature, will correct the geography of Afia

by

by new observations and discoveries; will trace the annals, and even traditions, of those nations, who from time to time have peopled or defolated it; and will bring to light their various forms of government, with their inftitutions civil and religious; you will examine their improvements and methods in arithmetick and geometry, in trigonometry, menfuration, mechanicks, opticks, aftronomy, and general phyficks; their fyftems of morality, grammar, rhetorick, and dialectick; their skill in chirurgery and medicine, and their advancement, whatever it may be, in anatomy and chymistry. To this you will add researches into their agriculture, manufactures, trade; and, whilft you inquire with pleasure into their mufick, architecture, painting, and poetry, will not neglect those inferiour arts, by which the comforts and even elegances of focial life are fupplied or improved. You may obferve, that I have omitted their languages, the diverfity and difficulty of which are a fad obftacle to the progress of useful knowledge; but I have ever confidered languages as the mere inftruments of real learning, and think them improperly confounded with learning itself: the attainment of them is, however, indifpenfably neceffary; and if to the Perfian, Armenian, Turkish, and Arabick, could be added not only the Sanfcrit, the treasures of which we may now hope to fee unlocked, but even the Chinese, Tartarian, Japanese, and the various infular dialects, an immenfe mine would then be open, in which we might labour with equal delight and advantage.

Having fubmitted to you these imperfect thoughts on the limits and objects of our future fociety, I request your permiffion to add a few hints on the conduct of it in its present immature state.

LUCIAN begins one of his fatirical pieces against hiftorians, with declaring that the only true propofition in his work was, that it should contain nothing true; and perhaps it may be advisable at firft, in

order