ASIA. 



of Armenia resemble in their structure Europe rather than Eastern Asia. 

 Th surface no longer presents such compact masses, which rise to a con- 

 ajderable elevation, and extend over a great space; it offers to the view 

 man separated and distinct msnsnn, which form as it were individual 

 limb*. We may distinguish four different divisions of this kind. 



The first is the elevated and mountainous table-land of Armenia, 

 which extends in the form of a triangle between the angles of three 

 gug), thn Caspian, the Black Sea, and the gulf of Alexandretta, Its 

 central plain, on which the town of Erz-rum is built, rises to 7000 feet 

 above the level of the sea ; and the highest summit of the Ararat 

 attains the height of 17,260 feet [ARARAT.] 



The second great division U formed by the Caucasus, which is 

 united to Armenia by ridges of mdderate height, in part covering the 

 Caucasian isthmus. This high mountain region is characterised by 

 its isolated position and its entire independence of the table-lands of 

 Asia, as well as by its double descent to the north and south, which 

 renders it much more like the mountain regions of Europe than those 

 of Upper Asia. It may be compared with the Alpine region of 

 Switzerland, and is distinguished like that country by iU natural 

 productions and the character of its inhabitants, though the rivers 

 which rise in its mountains (Kur, Phas, Kuban, Terek) cannot be 

 compared with those of Europe in length or in importance. 



The third separate mass, which lies on the western border of the 

 highland of Asia, is the peninsula of Anatolia, which on three sides 

 U surrounded by seas, and on the east is joined to Persia by the 

 mountain system of the Taurus. Its interior is occupied by a table- 

 land, which at an average rises to the height of about 3000 feet above 

 the sea, and descends with steep slopes towards the north and the 

 south. Towards the west the descent is gentle, being formed by long 

 fertile valleys traversed by abundant streams till it terminates on the 

 shores of the -Egeiui Sea in a coast full of promontories and indenta- 

 tions, marking the termination of the ranges which run from east to 

 west in this peninsula. [ANATOLIA.] 



The fourth region, which is connected with the highland of Western 

 Asia, is formed by the Syrian Mountains, which running towards the 

 south contain Mount Libanua, and thence continue to the elevated 

 cone of Mount Sinai, an isolated mountain moss, which is a rare occur- 

 rence in Asia. 



Western Asia though indented by gulfs and arms of the sea which 

 make peninsulas and headlands, is not favourable to the formation of 

 extensive river systems, which only occur on the eastern side of Asia. 

 Like Europe it presents forms of less dimensions and more adapted 

 to the dominion of man. Only one extensive river system exists in 

 this country, and this consists of two large rivers ; a feature which is 

 peculiarly characteristic of Asia. This is the river system of the 

 Euphrates and Tigris, or of tho Shatt-el-Arab. The Kara-Su, or western 

 Euphrates, comes from near Erz-rum, and the Murud-Su, or eastern 

 Euphrates, rues in the Ala-Dagh, a lofty mountain ou the northern 

 edge of the basin of Lake Van, and forming part of the watershed 

 between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Tigris rises on the 

 south side of the high range, along the north side of which the eastern 

 K q.liratcs flows. The Euphrates has a winding course of near 1800 

 miles, measuring along its whole line. When these rivers have forced 

 their way through the Taurus, they begin to converge and to surround 

 Mesopotamia, till they approach, but do not actually unite in the 

 ancient Babylonia. Their waters traverse the same delta, and enter 

 the Persian Gulf by one channel. 



We cannot refrain from making an observation on the historical 

 effect of these systems of double rivers in Asia. We find that in the 

 valley of the Nile civilisation descended along its banks from one royal 

 residence to another, from Meroe to Thebes, and thence to Memphis 

 and Saia. But in the valleys of the double rivers of Asia we meet 

 with double royal residences, double civilisation, and double political 

 mtems, as Babylon and Nineveh respectively on the Euphrates and 

 Tigris; Delhi and 11' La.ua, with BrahmanUm and Buddhism, on the 

 river system of the Ganges ; and on the double river systems of rhino. 

 the southern and the northern empire, Ma-chin and Khatai Win n in 

 the progress of time civilisation descended these streams and met at 

 their c .in flux, or where they approach near one another, the different 

 degrees of perfection which it had attained, and the different turn it 

 had taken, must have produced as the nations came in contact with 

 one another a beneficial effect. 



Like the table-land of the Deccan, which forms a projecting but 

 independent and isolated limb of the highland of Eautern Asia, the 

 [cuinsula of Arabia projects from the highland of Western Asia, and 



system 



Syria, which extends to the south-west of the Euphrates. On the 

 oath of this lowland the country again rises and assumes quite a 

 different character. ThU constitute, the highland of Arabia, which 

 in the form of a trapezium contains the table land of Nejd, the native 

 juntrv of the Wannabees, a cold country connected on the south 

 with the eUvatod Yemen, which descends in terraces towards two 

 cent towards the west is steep, and formed by parallel 

 mountain ndg, with well-aheltewd valleys between them, in which 

 the fcmou* towns of Mecca and Medina are situated. This part of 

 the country is better known than the similar steep descent towards 



A*IA. 5*4 



the south between Aden and Hadramaut, and thence to Muscat. The 

 eastern declivity, which appears to descend with a gentle slope towards 

 the gulf of Persia, and surrounds the inlands of Bahrein, noted for 

 their pearl-banks, U no better known. The cold Nejd is the native 

 country of the Arabian horse and the Arabian camel. On the terrace* 

 bordering it on the west the mild climate allows plantations of coffee, 

 and the low and narrow coast with its sultry air produce*, like the 

 Gurmsir of Persia, the date-palm, which will not grow either on the 

 table-land of Nejd or on that of Iran. 



Arabia exhibits characteristics entirely different from those whi.-h 

 mark the other parts of Asia. As already indicated by its geographical 

 position, it forms a point of contact between Asia and Africa, and 

 participates in the distinguishing qualities of both. Even its inhabit- 

 ants, the original Arabs, resemble no, nation so much as the moun- 

 taineers of Abyssinia, who inhabit the upper country on the opposite 

 side of the Ked Sea, speak a language akin to that of Arabia, and are 

 equally well-formed in their body, and probably nearly equal to them 

 in their mental faculties. The Chinese, confined to their own territory 

 by the nature of the country which surrounds them, and separated 

 from the remainder of the world by seas and mountains, feel no 

 inducement to abandon their fertile and extensive country ; they 

 therefore never concerned themselves about other nations, and excluded 

 foreigners from their country. The Hindoo, born only for his own 

 Indian world, and fit for no other, placed in a country in which all the 

 advantages with which Asia is gifted by nature are concentrated, early 

 acquired a high degree of civilisation ; but he has never passed the 

 boundary of his native land, and with equal indifference has received 

 all foreigners who have entered the country as conquerors, merchant*, 

 colonists, or missionaries. The Arabs, on the other bond, whoso native 

 country spreads out between two great divisions of the globe, have 

 assimilated themselves to both, and at one time extended their 

 dominion to the most western point of Africa as well as to that of 

 Asia. By for the greater number of Arabs ore dispersed without the 

 peninsula, which is the native country of their nation, but which pre- 

 pared them for the endurance of every climate. Its sultry coasts 

 resemble in soil and natural qualities the arid deserts of Libya ; the 

 moderate climate of the terraces approaches that of Deccan, Iran, and 

 Catalonia ; and the cold Nejd differs little in its physical character 

 from the highland of Central Asia, ou which we find the Arabs dis- 

 persed to a great distance from their native country. 



The Lotclantli of Alia. We now pass to the third great division 

 which the surface of Asia exhibits the lowlands which everywhere 

 are situated without the highland regions and the valleys forme. 1 in 

 the extensive terraces around them. These hitter according to a 

 rough estimate may occupy a surface of about 4,300,000 square miles, 

 or more than one-fifth of the whole extent of Asia, and consequently 

 there remain about 6,000,000 square miles for tho surface of the low- 

 lands. These lowlands lie spread around the more elevated parts of 

 the interior, and occupy countries of great extent along the sea, so 

 that the lower course of the great river systems traverses these often 

 widely-stretching plains with many great windings and with very little 

 full. In theae plains the great empires by which the history of this 

 division of the globe is so distinguished have attained their greatest 

 power, and continued for the longest period of time. The extensive 

 low plains are six in number ; they are different in their natural cha- 

 racter, and in no way connected with one another. 



The first is the great Chinese lowland on the eastern shore of Asia, 

 along the Pacific Ocean, beginning at Peking and extending along the 

 Yellow Sea southward post Nanking to the province of Kiang-si. 

 Lying south of the 40th parallel, and extending nearly to the tropic, 

 it enjoys a temperate climate, and exhibits the most advanced state 

 of agriculture, the most extensive system of canals, the most active 

 internal navigation, and is the richest and most populous granary in 

 the whole world. 



The second is the Indo-Chinese lowland, which, lying between the 

 gulf of Tonkin and that of Siatn. extends from the loth degree of 

 north latitude to the tropic, and comprehends tho kingdoms ol 

 boja and Siarn ; it* northern Ixpundary however is not yetoaocrt 

 It unites the advantage of being situated south of the tropic, with 

 that of IK-IP. .ily provided with water, and it is therefore 



exceedingly well adapted to the culture of rice. A part of it* surface 

 U covered with stagnant water and hikes. 



The third is the lowland of Hindustan, which comprehends 

 the northern part of India, and extends in the form of a triangle 

 between the gulf of Bengal and that of Guzerat. It is bounded by 

 the two river systems of the Ganges and the Indus, and overtopped by 

 three table-lands, those of Tibet, of Iran, and of the Deccan. Being 

 situated out of the torrid zone, but near the tropic, it enjoys all the 

 advantages of a tropical climate without its disadvantages. None of 

 the lowlands equal it in the richness and variety of the natural scenery 

 which surround it on all sides ; it is no less populous than that of 

 China, which it far exceeds in the number of different nations inhabit- 

 ing it, and that of royal residences and centres of civilisation Delhi. 

 Agra, Benares, Calcutta, Lahore, Mooltan, Ajmeer, 4c. nearly all of 

 wliii-h are placed near its centre. In the western half however of 

 this region a narrow tract of land is covered with moveablo sand, not 

 unlike the Sahara. 



The fourth lowland U that of Syria and Arabia, which on its eastern 



