Pegu, Siam, Malacca, Cambodia, Cochin-China, Laos, Tonguin; all of which have capitals of the fame name, except the first and the three laft. The capital of Achem is Chamdara; of Cochin

name of the Woods or Sunderbunds, is in extent equal to the principality of Wales; and is enveloped in woods, and infefled with tygers. Here falt, in quantities equal to the confumption of Bengal and its dependencies, is made and tranfported with equal facility; and here alfo is found an inexhaustible ftore of timber for boat-building. But the falt-makers and wood-cutters excrcife their trade at the conftant hazard of their lives: for the tygers not only appear on the margin in queft of prey, but often, in the night time, fwim to the boats that lie at anchor in the middle of the river. The breadth of the lower part of the delta is upwards of 180 miles; to which if we add that of the two branches of the river that bound it, we shall have about 200 miles for the distance to which the Ganges expands its branches, at its junction with the fea. The declivity of the plain from Hurdware to the fea, although not perceptible to the eye, is about nine inches a mile; but the windings of the river reduce the declivity on which the water runs, to lefs than four inches a-mile. The motion of the itream at a medium is lefs than three miles an hour in the dry months. There is commonly on one fide of the river an almoft perpendicular bank, more or lefs elevated above the ftream, according to the feafon, with deep water near it, and on the oppofite fide a bank, fhelving away fo gradually, as to occafion fhallow water at fome distance from the margin. This is occafioned by the winding courfe of the ftream; and the winding is caufed by the nature of the foil through which it runs. Some of the Bengal rivers have entirely changed their courfe, and the bed of the Ganges is fuppofed to have been formerly in a different track from what it is in at pre

ient.

The swelling and overflowing of the Ganges is owing partly to the rains which fall in the mountains near its fource, and partly to thofe which fall in the plains. The former begin in April; and the Ganges rifes fifteen feet and a half out of thirty two feet, the fum total of its rifing, by the latter end of June, when the rai ny feafon in most of the flat countries only begins. As the ground adjacent to the river-bank, to the extent of fome miles, is confiderably higher than the reft of the country, owing to the fucceffive accumulation of mud depofited by the waters of the river when it overflows; the lands in general are overflowed to a confiderable height, long before the bed of the river is filled. Thus the waters of the inundation are feparated from those of the river, until it overflows; and even then the river ftill fhews itfelf, as well by the grafs and reeds on its banks, as by its rapid and muddy fiream. For the water of the inundation has a blackish bue, which it acquires by having been fo long ftagnant among grafs and other vegetables; and moves at a flow rate, (not above half a mile an hour,) in comparifon of the ftream of the river, which at this feafon runs at the rate of five or fix miles an hour. The inundation is nearly at a ftand for fome days preceding the middle of Auguft; and after that gradually diminishes, owing to the ceffation of the rains in the mountains, although it continues to raia in the low grounds, during the months of Auguft and September. After the beginning of October, when the rain has nearly cealed, the remainder of the inus. dation goes off quickly by evaporation, leaving the lands highly manured, and in a flate fit to receive the feed by the Gmple operation of ploughing. The inun dation of the Ganges rifes to different heights in different parts of its courfe, and in its different branches; thus at Jellinghy it rifes 32 feet, but at Dacca only about 14 fect. In certain tracts large dikes or dams have been raifed at an enor. mous expence, to prevent the inundation from riling to its ufual height in par ticular grounds, which would be hurt by too much moiture. During the

Cochin-China, Thoanon; of Laos, Lanchang; and of Tonquin, Cachao or Keccio. But the Europeans are very little acquainted with the most of these countries.

A ridge of mountains, running from north to fouth, divides this peninfula in the fame manner as the former.

V. CHINA is about 1440 miles long, and 1260 broad; between 20 and 42 deg. N. lat. and 98 and 123 deg. E. lon. It is fuppofed to contain 50 millions of inhabitants. It is a level country, except towards the north; and has numerous canals of great depth, fome of them 1000 miles long. The great wall which feparates China from Tartary is faid to be 1500 miles long; from 20 to 25 feet high; fo broad that five or fix horfemen may ride abreaft; defended by towers at small distances; carried over mountains and vallies. It is faid, to have ftood 18co years.

The principal cities are, PEKIN, the capital, faid to contain two millions of inhabitants; NANKIN, thought to be ftill larger; and CANTON.

VI. TARTARY comprehends more than one half of Afia. It is faid to be 4000 miles long, and 2400 broad; between 50 and 150 deg. E. lon. and 30 and 70 deg. N. lat. It is divided. into three parts.

1. CHINESE TARTARY. Its capital, Chynian.

2. RUSSIAN TARTARY or SIBERIA.Its capital, TOBOLSKI. This divifion comprehends the country of the Samoedes and Oflicks along the Frozen Ocean; Kamfchatka and Jakutfkoi, on the north-caft, &c.

The Calmuck Tartars, north of the Cafpian fea, and the Circaffian Tartars, whofe capital is Aftracan, on the Wolga, alfo acknowledge themfelves fubject to Ruflia.

fwoln ftate of the river, the tide totally lofes its effect of counterading the ftream; and in a great mealure that of ebbing and flowing, except very near the fea. Sometimes a ftrong wind blowing against the current of the river makes the periodical flood rife to an uncommon height. By this accident, the inhabitants of a confiderable diftri&t at Luckipour, about 50 miles from the fea, were, with their houfes and cattle, totally fwept away in 1763.

There is a river equal if not fuperior to the Ganges, called BURRAMPOOTER, which joins the caftern branch of the Ganges below Luckipour, about 40 miles from the fea, and produces one of the largest bodies of running water in the world. The Burrampouter, till the year 1765, was unknown in Europe. It has its fource from the caitern fide of the fame mountains that give rife to the Ganges. During a courfe of 400 miles through Bengal, it is fo fimilar to the Ganges, that the fame defcription nearly anfwers both; only the Buriampooter, for the last 60 miles before its junction with the Ganges, is regularly from four to five miles wide. After its junction with the MEGNA, it affumes that name; although the Megna be a much smaller river. In Thibet it is called Sanpoo, or Zarciu, which there has the fame meaning with Gonga in Indoflan, TuɛE RIVER. Where it first changes its name to Burrampetter, is uncertain.

3. INDEPENDENT TARTARY, or the nations which are governed by chiefs or chans of their own, and acknowledge no fuperior. These are now but few; the MOGUL or MONGUL TARTARS, on the confines of China; the kingdom of THIBET, its capital Patala, near which, on the top of a high mountain, their Dalai-Lama, or high-prieft, refides; the USBEC TARTARS, whofe capital is SAMARCAND, the city of TamerJane; but part of them are tributary to Perfia: the TURKINSTAN TARTARS, north of the Cafpian Sea.

The limits of thefe countries are very uncertain. The Tartars in general lead a wandering life, attending their flocks and herds, like their ancestors the Scythians.

The ISLANDS of ASIA.

The LADRONE iflands, E. lon. 140. deg. N. lat. 14. deg.; about 12 in number. The chief are, Guam; and Tinian, on which Anfon landed.

The islands of JAPAN, which form an empire. The Japanese fuffer no nation to trade with them but the Chinese and Dutch; and even these under hard restrictions.

The PHILIPPINE iflands, about 1200 in number, belonging to Spain, firft difcovered by Magellan, who was flain in a fkirmish with the natives, 1521. The chief of them is Manila or Luconia.

FORMOSA, On the east of China; and AINAN, in the gulph of Cochin China, both belonging to the Chinese.

The MOLUCCA or SPICE iflands, five, in number, subject to the Dutch.

The BANDA or NUTMEG iflands, fouth of the former, likewife belonging to the Dutch.

The islands betwixt Borneo and the Spice iflands, CELEBES or Macaffar, Amboyna, &c. alío fubject to the Dutch.

The SUNDA islands; 1. BORNEO, one of the largest islands in the world, faid to be 800 miles long, and 700 broad; in the poffeffion of the natives, who trade with all nations. 2. SuMATRA, 1000 miles long, and 100 broad; abounding in gold and emeralds, and therefore fuppofed by fome to be the Ophir mentioned in Scripture. The English have fettlements here at Bencoolen and Fort Marlborough; the Dutch at Achen and Palamban. 3. JAVA. The chief towns are, Bantam, and BATAVIA, the capital of the Dutch fettlements in India.

The

The ANDAMAN and NICOBAR iflands, in the Bay of Bengal. CEYLON, near Cape Comorin, thought to be the richest ifland in the world. The chief towns are, Candy, Columbo, and Trinquimale, belonging to the Dutch.

The MALDIVES or MALDIVIA iflands, reckoned in number 12,000; but many of them are nothing but barren rocks.

To these may be added NEW HOLLAND, discovered by the Dutch about the middle of last century, and lately afcertained to be an island by Captain Cook, the largest in the world, above 2000 miles long, and in fome places near as broad; NEW GUINEA; NEW ZEALAND; and the newly discovered islands, Otaheite, New Britain, New Ireland, &c.

A

AFRICA.

FRICA is a great peninfula, joined to Afia by the Ifthmus of Suez, about 60 miles over; Herodotus fays, 1000 ftadia, ii. 58. Strabo, 900 ftadia, xvii. 803.

Its length from Cape Bona in the Mediterranean, N. lat. 37 deg. to the Cape of Good Hope, S. lat. 34-7, is 4300 miles; and its greatest breadth, from Cape Verd in the Atlantic, W. lon. 17-20 to Cape Guarda-fui, near the Straits of Babelmandel, is 3500 miles.

The equator divides it almost in the middle.

The two largest rivers in Africa are, the NILE and the NIGER, which both annually overflow their banks, and fertilife the adjacent country. The Nile rifes in Abyffinia, and after a prodigious course almost straight north, falls into the Mediterranean, dividing Egypt into two parts. The Niger runs for an immenfe way almoft directly weft into the Atlantic. The GAMBIA and SENEGAL are fuppofed to be two branches of the Niger.

The most confiderable mountains in Africa are, the Mountains of the Moon in Abyffinia; and ATLAS, which gives name to the Atlantic Ocean, and extends from Mauritania to Egypt.

The Peek of TENERIFF, in an island of that name, one of the Canaries, is thought to be the higheft fingle mountain in the world, rifing, in the form of a fugar-loaf, about three miles perpendicular height; fome make it only one half of that height. This mountain is alfo a volcano, and occafions frequent earthquakes.

The

The northern parts of Africa only were known to the ancients; and the moderns are acquainted only with the countries near the fea-coaft, on the fouth. The interior parts are ftill unknown.

AFRICA ANTIQUA.

HE principal divifions of ancient Africa were, Egyptus ;

TCyrenaice, including Marmarica, now Barca;, Regio

Syrtica, or the country between the two Syrtes, afterwards called Tripolis or Tripolitana, from its three cities, now Tripoli; Africa Propria, or the territories of Carthage, now Tunis; Numidia, now Algiers; Mauritania, now Morocco and Fez; Getulia. The interior parts of Africa were called Libya, and the fouth Ethiopia; which name was by the ancients applied to all fouthern regions.

ÆGYPTUS, Egypt, was divided into Superior and Infe

rior.

* Hiftorical Account of EGYPT.

The

EGYPT was esteemed in ancient times the school of learning: and therefore the most illuftrious men in Greece repaired to it for inftruation; as, Hamer, Pythagoras, Lycurgus, Solon, Herodotus, Plato, &c. Diodor. I. 96. The early hiftory of this country is involved in obfcurity. Its own hiftorians gave out, that it had been governed, first by gods and heroes, and then by men, for above 30,000 years, Diodor. I. 44. Herodotus makes the space of time from the heroic ages, 10,340 years, ii. 142. The magnificent works of the ancient Egyptian kings, prove their power and opulence; but their hiftory, as related by Herodotus, ii. 99. ad fin. is fo mingled with fable, that great part of it merits little attention. One of the most useful of thefe works was that of MERIS, who dug the lake called by his name, ib. 149. Herodotus makes the circumference of this lake 3600 ftadia, or 450 miles, ib. Mela, 500 miles, 1. 9. Pliny, 250 miles, v. 9. But thefe dimenfions exceed belief. The time when this king flourished is uncertain. The firft king of Egypt is faid to have been MENES, who built MEMPHIS, Herodot, ii. 99. The Pyramids were built by different kings, i. 101. 124. 125. &c. 134. &c.

The moft illuftrious of the Egyptian monarchs was SESOSTRIS, b. C. 1491, who is faid to have fubdued Arabia, Ethiopia, Lybia, and all Afia from the river Tanais to the eastern ocean beyond the Ganges, ib. 55. Herodotus mentions his having alfo conquered the Scythians and Thracians in Europe, ii. 103. Several pillars were ftanding in the time of that hiftorian, on which were infcribed these words, SESOSTRIS, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, SUBDUED THIS COUNTRY BY HIS ARMS, ib. 106.; Diodor. i. 55. Strabo mentions fome monuments of Sefoftris in Ethiopia ftill extant in his time, xvii. 790. The vanquished kings and leaders, he is reported in general to have treated with humanity; but when he went to the temple or entered his capital, he caufed them to be harnessed to his chariot, four abreast, instead of horfes, ib. 58. Sefottris becoming blind in his old age, difpatched himself, after having -reigned 33 years, ib. The empire foon after his death foll to pieces; but the

monuments