69 



from the surface of the ocean, ana float in the 

 air in the form of clouds cr vapour. Tnese va 

 pours are carried, by the winds, over tne surface 

 of the land, and are again condensed into water 

 on the tops and the sides of mountains, which, 

 gliding down into their crevices ana caverns, at 

 length break out into springs, a nuroD*&quot;- ot which 

 meeting in one common va ley oecomes a river ; 

 and many of these united together at length form 

 such streams as the Tay, the Thames, the Da 

 nube, and the Rhine. That evaporation is suf 

 ficient to account for ihis effect, has Deen demon 

 strated by many experiments and calculations. 

 It is found that, from the surface of the Mediter 

 ranean sea, which contains 762,000 square miles, 

 there are drawn up into the air, every day, by 

 evaporation, 5280 millions of tons of water, 

 while the rivers which flow into it yield only 

 1827 millions of tons in the same time; so that 

 there is raised in vapour from the Mediterranean 

 nearly three times the quantity of water which is 

 poured into it by all its rivers. One third of this 

 falls into the sea before it reaches the land ; 

 another part falls on the low lands, for the nou 

 rishment of plants ; and the other third part is 

 quite sufficient to supply the sources of all the 

 rivers which run into the sea. This is in full 

 conformity to what was long ago stated by an 

 inspired naturalist : &quot; All the rivers run into 

 the sea, and yet the sea is not full ; unto the 

 place from whence the rivers came, thither do 

 they return again;&quot; but, before they regain their 

 former place, they make a circuit over our heads 

 through the regions of the atmosphere. 



Such are the varied movements and transfor 

 mations which are incessantly going on in the 

 rivers, the ocean and the atmosphere, in order to 

 preserve the balance of nature, and to supply 

 the necessities of the animal and the vegetable 

 tribes; all under the agency and direction of 

 Him who &quot; formed the sea and the dry land,&quot; 

 and who has arranged all things in number, 

 weight, and measure, to subserve the purposes 

 of his will. 



Rivers serve many important purposes in the 

 economy of our globe. They carry oflf the re 

 dundant waters which fall in rains, or which 

 ooze from the springs, which might otherwise 

 settle into stagnant pools ; they supply to the 

 seas the loss of waters occasioned by their daily 

 evaporation ; they cool the air and give it a gen 

 tle circulation ; they fertilize the countries through 

 which they flow ; their waters afford a whole 

 some drink, and the fishes they contain a deli 

 cious food, for the nourishment of man ; they 

 facilitate commerce, by conveying the produc 

 tions of nature and art from the inland countries 

 to the sea; they form mechanical powers for 

 driving machinery of different kinds; they enli 

 ven and diversify the scenery of the countries 

 through which they pass; and the cataracts 

 which they frequently form among the mountains 



present us with scenes the most picturesque and 

 sublime ; so that every part of the constitution 

 of nature is rendered subservient both to utility 

 and to pleasure 



Waiving the consideration of other particulars, 

 I shall simply state some of the artificial divisions 

 of the earth, and two or three facts respecting its 

 inhabitants. 



The land has generally been divided into four 

 parts, Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, to 

 which has been lately added the division called 

 Australasia, which comprehends New Holland, 

 New Guinea, New Zealand, Van Dieman g 

 land, and several other islands in the Pacific 

 ocean. Europe comprehends the following 

 countries, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, 

 Prussia, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Italy, Swit 

 zerland, France, Holland, or the Netherlands, 

 Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain and Ireland, 

 together with the islands of Sicily, Malta, Can- 

 dia, Corsica, Sardinia, Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, 

 Zealand, Funen, Gothland, Iceland, and several 

 others of smaller note. Asia, the largest and 

 most populous division of the ancient continent, 

 contains the Empires of China and Japan, Chi 

 nese Tartary, Thibet, Hindostan, or British 

 India, the Burman Empire, Persia, Arabia, 

 Turkey in Asia, Siberia, Independent Tartary, 

 and a variety of territories inhabited by tribes 

 with which we are very imperfectly acquainted; 

 together with the immense islands of Borneo, 

 Sumatra, Java, Ceylon, Segalien, the Philip 

 pines, and thousands of others of smaller dimen 

 sions. It was in Asia where the human race 

 was first planted ; it became the nursery of the 

 world after the universal deluge, and it was the 

 scene in which the most memorable transactions 

 recorded in the sacred history took place. But 

 its inhabitants are now immersed in Mahometan 

 and Pagan darkness ; and the Christian religion, 

 except in a few insulated spots, is almost unknown 

 among its vast population. It is the richest 

 and most fruitful part of the world, and produces 

 cotton, silks, spices, tea, coffee, gold, silver, 

 pearls, diamonds, and precious stones : but des 

 potism, in its worst forms, reigns uncontrolled 

 over every part of this immense region. 



Africa comprehends the following kingdoms, 

 Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, Egypt, Zaa- 

 ra, Negroland, Guinea, Nubia, Abyssinia, Caf- 

 fraria, Dahomey, Benin, Congo, Angola, and 

 various other territories. By far the greater 

 part of Africa remains hitherto unexplored, and, 

 consequently, we are possessed of a very slender 

 portion of information respecting the numerous 

 tribes that may inhabit it. This quarter of the 

 world, which once contained several flourishing 

 kingdoms and states, is now reduced to a gene 

 ral state of barbarism. That most abominable 

 traffic, the slave trade, is carried on to an un 

 limited extent on its eastern coasts, by a set of 

 European ruffians, whose villanies are a &amp;lt;ii-&amp;gt; 



