64 Geography, [Chap. V. 



forms, of making rich collections from the vocabu- 

 laries of different languages^ of comparing habits 

 and customs^ of investigating the records and tra- 

 didons of nations scarcely at all known before ; and 

 thus of acquiring rich materials toward completing 

 the natural and civil history of man. 



Strange as it may appear, our knowledge of An- 

 tiquities^ principally by means of geographical 

 discoveries, and the inquiries naturally flowing from 

 them, has become incomparably greater than was 

 ever before possessed by man. " When the Egyp- 

 tians,'* says a modern eloquent writer, " called the 

 Greeks ckildren in Antiquities^ we may well call 

 them children ; and so we may call all those na- 

 tions which were able to trace the progress of 

 society only within their own limits. But now the 

 great map of mankind is unrolled at once, and there 

 is no state or gradation of barbarism, and no mode 

 of refinement, which we have not at the same mo- 

 ment under our view : the very differ^it civility of 

 Europe and of China; the barbarism of Persia and 

 Abyssinia; the erratic manners of Tartary and of 

 Arabia ; the savage state of North America, and of 

 New Zealand ; are all spread before us : we have 

 employed philosophy to judge on manners, and 

 from manners we have drawn new resources for 

 philosophy*.'* 



Geographical discoveries have led to an unprece- 

 dented degree of intercourse among men. Though 

 this remark is connected with the subject of the 

 last paragraph, it deserves separate consideration. 



* See Burke's LtUer to Robertson, in professor Stewart's Ac^ 

 couni of the Life and IVrilnnjr.s of that hi.storinn. 



