166 



GEOGRAPHY. 



India, which commenced nearly at the Christian Era. China be- 

 came slightly known to the Romans, at a later period ; and to the 

 Arabians, as early as A. D. 850. Western Asia became better known 

 to Europe by means of the Crusades ; and Eastern Asia, by the 

 Travels of Marco Polo, (or Paulo), the Venetian, 1271-97; of 

 Schildberger, a German soldier, in 1396 and after; and of Mande- 

 ville, an Englishman, 1327-66, whose statements, however, are 

 doubtful. The discovery of the southern passage to India by Vasco 

 De Gama, in 1498, led to a farther knowledge of the East, and the 

 establishment of Portuguese settlements in Hindoostan. Sequeira 

 sailed to Chin-India in 1510; China was first visited by sea, by 

 Andrade, in 1517; and Japan was discovered by the Portuguese in 

 1542. The English, under Willoughby, in 1544 ; and the Dutch 

 navigators, in 1596, attempted a passage through the Arctic Ocean to 

 India; but both failed. The Cossack Deshnew, is said to have 

 sailed from the north, through Behring's Straits, in 1648 ; but this 

 passage was named from the Russian Capt. Behring, (or Beering), 

 who visited it in 1726. Of later Asiatic voyages and travels, we have 

 no room here to speak ; but some of them will be referred to, in the 

 Bibliographical Catalogue, appended to this work. 



The following is a table of the extent in square miles, and number 

 of inhabitants of the different countries of Asia, as nearly as we can 

 ascertain. 



Countries. Sq. Miles. Inhabitants 

 Asiatic Turkey.. 460,000. 11,000,000 



Arabia 1,000,000. 



Persia 480,000. 



9,000,000 

 10,000,000 



East Persia 470,000 . 1 1 ,000,000 



Hindoostan 1,200,000 . 130,000,000 



Chin-India 850,000 . 30,000,000 



China* 1,500,000 . 250,000,000 



Countries. Sq Miles. Inhabitants. 



Corea 80.000. 6,000,000 



Thibet 450,000. 10,000,000 



Chinese Tartary 3,000,000. 16,000,000 



Indpt. Tartary . . 700,000. 

 Asiatic Russia. .5,300,000. 



7,000,000 

 10,000,000 



Japanf 280,000. 20,000,000 



TOTAL 15,770,000 . 520,000,000 



We proceed to treat of the different countries in Asia, in the order 

 above named. 



1. The south-western portion of Asia, extending to Hindoostan, 

 was probably the first inhabited portion of the earth. Its productions 

 are wheat, rice, figs, olives, and grapes ; oil, wine, and silk. The 

 travelling is generally performed in caravans, on camels, especially 

 over the deserts, though the finest horses are found in Arabia. In all 

 this region the Mohamedan religion still prevails ; and females are 

 held in a state of seclusion, almost amounting to slavery. Asiatic 

 Turkey/, in the extreme west of Asia, comprehends the ancient Asia 

 Minor, in the west ; Armenia, in the north-east ; Mesopotamia, be- 

 tween the rivers Euphrates and Tigris ; Assyria, east of the Tigris ; 

 and Babylonia and Chaldea, around the mouths of the Euphrates ; 

 the latter being farthest south ; though these names are sometimes 

 confounded. The ancient city of Babylon was on the Euphrates, at 

 some distance from its mouth; and Nineveh or Ninus was far up the 



* The population of China is variously stated, at from 150 to 350 millions of in- 

 habitants. We think a medium statement the safest. 



f The other Islands lying near Asia, on the south and east, are included in 

 Oceanica. 



