a tet 
OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN ASIA. 187 
in general, all writers not of this school, who treat of Serica, 
attest the general belief of antiquity, that it was bounded by 
an ocean on the east. Pury even calls it the Seric Ocean. 
The extent of Serica, estimated according to the graduation: 
of Protemy, willbe found to be about fourteen hundred miles 
from, north to south, and eleven hundred from east to. west ; 
which comes wonderfully near to the actual dimensions of mo- 
dern China. : 
. Protemy represents Serica as traversed by two great rivers. 
It is impossible, with our slender information, to bring home 
the details of these rivers. But the fact is, that there are just 
two great rivers in China. These, too, for a considerable time 
after entering, the empire, flow north-west, like the rivers of 
Serica’; and it deserves notice, that there are no great rivers in 
this,part of Asia, except these two, which flow in such a direc- 
tiga Motsanayl sabortd ‘iter , 6 
Let us now examine the geographical relations of Serica to 
the neighbouring countries. This is of course to be done on 
the principle which seems fully established by M. Gosszxin, 
that the country of the Sinz is. Siam ; in consequence of which, 
India beyond the Ganges is limited chiefly to the Birman em- 
pire. Proremy states, that all the natives of India whom he 
met with in the ports of Egypt, assured him that the Seres. 
were beyond the Sinz. This description will apply to no. 
country of Asia except China. He states, that India beyond. 
the Ganges is. bounded on the north, partly by Scythia, and 
partly by Serica... Ava, accordingly, is bounded, on that side, 
partly, by Thibet, and partly by the Chinese province of Yu- 
nan. Again, the Sinz are bounded on the north by Serica. 
alone. Siam, accordingly, is. so bounded by China; for the. 
small intervening kingdom of Laos would of course be included. 
-in,one or the other. Again, Scythia extra Imaum, is bounded. 
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