' Pe _in a great mea- neral congress of deputies from its various states ; and Europe. 
de zag" ‘as occur any of its nations war be regarded as ty of 
ay hematin cepa: ants Paces rebellion ; to quell which, all the rest are bound to con- Political 
EUROPE. “a 239 
states, which is peculiar to “Europe. In ancient ab ies Pctropeest Commintity; and jtnpieteen boa 
times, and in other divisi Gat gh kar Agr’ A + anature and strength, as to endanger or even altoge~ 
Send dard sta aneeeed Cat ana fee ederacy. Of ind 
i ing another, and interferes not, for a time completel ded, and seemed to have 
Splees ee the telischs e Satiaans Mase gift torte? entirely destroyed, the | ce of power in this part of 
ries or dominion. In this state of things, some one in- the world. But its different oms having again 
dividual power is always eee 4 an undue prepon- subsided into their ancient state, one of the seve« 
derance and ascendency fatal to. © independence of rest agitations to which they can ever be exposed, has 
the rest ; and the face of the political peepee established this system much more firmly than if it’ 
ally undergoing great and sudden changes. ut the had never been interrupted ; and shewn, that no power’ 
similarity m the situation of the European powers ; the need hereafter attempt to disturb it, who is not able 
resemblance of their languages, manners, and laws; to subjugate Europe. ; =n 
the extension of their intercourse by travelling and fo- The Christian is the universal religion of Europe, Religious 
eign residence ; their union, by the relations of scien- with the sacestion of Turkey, in which Mahometan- state. 
. : 1 caieeriality a the ism is established, but where, nevertheless, at least 
: and one half of the inhabitants are pan ps oe 
common advantages of such an union,—have given birth religion must be regarded as one of the causes of the 
tart boteaste pemcsectiok: Sx Goes of pence, eal x cot superiority of E ; for wherever the rel on of 
mon feeling of interest in maintaining the existence of Jesus has penetrated, knowledge, industry, and civili« 
the state of affairs. They form a united whole zation, have followed. The southern parts of Europe 
Willen Gicbaciven almost separated from the rest ofthe were converted to the Christian faith at an early pe- 
world,—a great federacy, acknowledging indeed no riod. Among the barbarous tribes of the North, the 
common chief, but united by certain common princi- progress was slow. Scandinavia remained Pagan till 
and obeying one system of i ional law, the eleventh century ; some Sclavonic tribes on the 
se lags fat sith aolietade the dangers which South of the Baltic’ till the thirteenth; and it is not 
beset the vest. and feels tteelf attacked wher any of the above a century since the Laplanders were converted 
weaker states are to the insults or oppressions missions from Denmark. The chief divisions of 
) fosiebble neighisour, The power that. the Christian church are three: The Greek church, 
; itories of any one feeble which me in E , and the a — 
neighbour, must lay its account with preserving the tions ics and Protestants; the former of w 
usurpation, by exposing its whole dominions and colo- are prevalent in the South, and the latter in the North 
abe of Haroge, 
immediately unite to restore the former balance of | The progressive geography of E will be more Progressive 
power. i Fig sa properly a ron sarang illu wr under the de~ geography. 
Such is the system ot palitecal equilibrium which ex- scriptions of its different kingdoms states, in, 
i globe, an impolitic France, and Britain, were early and fully explored by 
the Romans, who overrun them with their arms, and 
i pre a pic in permanent rps nen Their 
Ww easily perceive, however, how shi lored southern shores of the Baltic, as 
its influ ¥ intai i Fg fd hte fiple Babes ot the Western Divina, anatvane 
different states, if we consider the trifling extent pres my ae ata gee along the coasts ; 
‘ which have taken place in the relative were also acquai wi e southern parts on 
of the left of the ube, but of the central ; of 
anor it is evident, from the maps of Ptolemy, 
they no just ideas. Of Scandinavia, the ancients 
knew only the southern parts, as far as the lakes Wet« 
ter and Wenner. The Carpathian or Sarmatian moun- 
tains were well known, but the line of 50° or 52° north 
latitude bounded the ancient knowledge in the north- 
east, and the wide extent of the Russian empire cons 
tinued almost unknown to Europe until the sixteenth 
century. The greater and more splendid efforts, in«’ 
deed, for extending geographical knowledge, have been 
directed to distant regions; but great and laudable ex« 
ertions have also been made to improve the geo y 
of European nations. Some of them have ly 
been most minutely and shee described ; ‘and it 
is probable, from the t increasing intercourse 
amongst its different catia; as well as the labours of 
scientific and public craiiel eehinon ~_ fact of 
importance in the geography of Europe will speedily - 
be unfolded, (¢) : 
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