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kingdom of Ats, that of Siam, the ifland of Ceylon, and the 

 Si>rida.i(laiids, whereof the chief are Sumatra, Borneo, Java, 

 Celebes, the Moluccas, the Philippines, the Maldives. 

 Alia, according to Mr. Plnkerton, extends, in length, from 

 the Hcliefpont to what is called the Eall cape ; that is, 

 from about the twenty-fixth degree of longitude eall from 

 London, into the other hemifphere to near 190 degrees of 

 eall longitude, or 170 decrees well from London; being 

 no lefs than 1(^4 degrees, or (taking the degree at a medial 

 latitude) more than 6500 geographical miles. From the 

 fouthcin cape of Malacca, to the Severovollotflinoi-nors the 

 north-eaileni cape, now called the cape of Taimura, which 

 braves the ice of the ar£lic ocean, the breadth extends from 

 about the ftcond degree of northern latitude, to about the 

 feventy-feventh, or nearly 4500 geographical miles. If, for 

 the fake of a rude and merely comparative calculation, one- 

 fixth part be added for the difference between the llatute 

 and geographical mile, the length of Afia in Britidi miles 

 would be about 7583, and the breadth 5250. — Under their 

 proper heads, will be found the names of the places it con- 

 tains, and fuch general accounts of them as the hmits to 

 ■which we are confined on this fubjefl will allow. 



For afcertaining the real lengtli of the continent of Afia, 

 there was no guide as to its fouthern and eallern part, even 

 beyond the Ganges, except from the accounts that were 

 obtained from the time that the navigations began in the lix- 

 teenth century, and their diiagrecments with the arbitrary 

 alterations thai had been made. A Igng period elapfed before 

 it was poflible to fettle the poGtion of that portion of ACa, 

 ftill fufceptible of much correftion, notwithftanding the 

 obfervations of the Jefuits at Pekin, tlie moll accurate of 

 any extant. We fhall content ourfelves then with relating 

 the refult of the latell obfervations of the academy of 

 fciences at St. Peterfburg, of the latitude and longitude of 

 the following places in the north of Afia. 



Bolcheretfk, 

 Harbour of St. 7 

 Peter and Paul, J 

 Eaflern extre- 1 

 mity of Siberia, j 



Unalalhka, by the general map of RufTia, lies in 58° of 

 latitude from Ferro, 223*^ of longitude ; and from Green- 

 wich, 205° 25'. The fame place, according to the chart of 

 Krenit/in and Levafhef, is in 53^ 30' latitude, longitude 

 from Fcrio 205° 30', from Greenwich 187° 55' ; the longi- 

 tude from P'erio to Greenwich being computed at 1"/° 34' 



If the ancients had fo flight a knowledge of the fouthern 

 countries of Alia on the other fide the Ganges, we ought 

 not to be furprifed if what they have been able to hand 

 down to us concerning the hyperborean regions, coatls, 

 and feas, or the northern extremities, fhould be confiderably 

 more lo ; and it mull have been merely by chance that 

 Pliny obtained fome flight knowledge of cape Tabin and 

 of the illand Tazzala ; as we have learnt a few uncertain 

 notices about thofc vail lakes towards the well of America, 

 from favages taken prifoners, and others, and from vague 

 report, with which we arc obliged to be fatisfied for want of 

 better information. It was impofTible to acquire any more 

 autlientic, except by means of the Ruffians, with whom, till 

 the feventeenth century, we were fcarcely any more ac- 

 quainted than with the favage inmates of thofe northern 

 coalls. Nay, had it not been for the Ruffian, Anika 

 Stroganof, who formed fpeculations for profiting by the 

 lucrative commerce which the Samoycdcs carried on at 



7 



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Mofco, in peltries brought from countries beyond them, 

 Siberia, properly fo called, would have remained a great 

 while longer unknown to the Ruifiaus tliemlelves. 'i'hus, 

 as a thirll for riches had been the chief motive that excited 

 the Spaniards to the difcovery of America, and attracted 

 the attention of other maritime nations to that quarter, lo 

 the fame greedinefs -of gain occafioned the difeuvery and 

 conquefl of northern Alia, a country till then unknown to 

 tlie Europeans. The firll foundation of this conquefl was 

 laid by the celebrated Ycrmak Timofeiyef, at the head of a 

 baud of adventurers, lefs civilifed, though not fo inhuman, 

 as the conquerors of America. By the accelTion of this 

 vail territory, now known by the name of Siberia, the 

 Ruffians have acquired an extent of empire, never before 

 attained by any other people. (Tooke's View of the 

 Ruffian empire, vol. i. p. 303.) It was however owing to 

 Anika Stroganof and his comrades, that this conquelt was 

 undertaken, who alfo fhewed the way to fubjugate, by de- 

 grees, farther dillant nations. The Rufliaiis themfclves 

 became known to the Europeans, through the voyages un- 

 dertaken by the latter. The Enghlh and Dutch obtained 

 fome intimation of them while in quell of a north-eafl 

 pafTage ; they learnt of the Samoyedes that the little fea 

 froze over in winter, but the great fea was never froz.en ; 

 that they went ihitlier to filh between the mouths of the 

 Pialida and the Yenifey ; that oppofite to the eall and 

 north point of Nova Zcmla, was another, making a great 

 fahant angle, from which the coall aflerwardi declined 

 towards the eall and fouth-eaft, nearly to the hot countries. 

 Here we fee to what a fniall matter was confined the know- 

 ledge at that time obtained of the fouthern part of Afia, 

 and the only materials from which they could lay down 

 their charts. They were puzzled how to reconcile thefe 

 ftatements, and the more, as the coall between the Piafida 

 and the eallernmoll point of its cape was unknown to them. 

 Some knowledge of it by land had indeed been obtained ; 

 and even the coafts of the fea to the wcllward of it, as far as 

 its mouth, are filled with fimovies, or winter-huts, confe- 

 qucntly peopled ; but thofe fituate beyond that little river 

 were lo indiilinftly known to them, that they thought it 

 bell to mark them down in an indeterminate manner. 



They reafoned thus : cape Tabin mull form a finis terrx, 

 the extremity of Afia towards the north. There is a fea 

 that waflies all thofe fhores ; and we are afTured there is 

 another that divides Afia from America; thefe two feas 

 therefore mull join, and at that place form an angle, which 

 will prove to be this Tabin ; having an ifland to the well- 

 ward which they laid down as lying at the mouth of a. 

 river. This notion, notwithllanding the numerous difco- 

 veries that might have dellroyed it, has always fublilled, 

 under one form or another, to the very times in which we 

 hve. Some, building on the report of the Samoyedes, 

 marked the coaft. from the cape to the Taimura, as de- 

 clining gradually towards the fouth-eaft. Others, wil- 

 ling to reconcile one with the other, laid down this decleH- 

 fion only to the Lena, at its mouth, having got intelligence 

 of fome illands there ; accordingly they canied the coalL 

 north-eallwards, for the lake of prefetving this Tabin. On 

 learning that the Ruffians and others regarded Svetoi-nofs 

 as tlie moll advanced promontory, they gave its name, or 

 Promontorium Sacrum, to the pretended Tabin. After- 

 wards, being informed that this Svetoi-nofs lay to the eaft of 

 the Lena, they marked it accordingly, and hence were more 

 firmly perfuaded, that the ifles at the mouth of that river 

 were thofe of Tazzata; while, on the other hand, they per-, 

 filled in the idea of a cape finis terrse, which they left fub- 

 Ming under the names of Tabin (which we fhall coatinue 



