t 



492 



Mr defign, gentlemen, of tracing the origin and progrefs of the five prin« 

 cipal -nations, who have peopled AJia, and of whom there were confiderable 

 remains in their feveral countries at the time of Muhammsd's birth, is now- 

 accomplished; fuccin&ly, from the nature of thefe eifays ; imperfectly, from 

 the darknefs of the fubjedt and the fcantinefs of my materials, . but clearly and 

 comprehenfively enough to form aba fis for fubfequent refearches: you have feen, 

 as diftin&ly as I am able to mow*. who thofe nations originally were, whence 

 and when they moved toward their final ftations ; and, in my future annual , 

 difcourfes, I propofe to enlarge on the particular advantages to our country 

 and to mankind, which may refultfrom our fedulous and united inquiries into 

 the hiftory, fcience, and arts, of thefe AJiatick regions* efpecially of the Britijh 

 dominions in India, which we may confider as the centre (not of the human 

 race, but) of our common exertions to promote its trueinterefts^and we mall 

 concur, I truft, in cpinion 3 that the race of man, to advance whofe manly 

 happinefs is our duty and will of courfe be our endeavour, cannot long be 

 happy without virtue, nor actively virtuous without freedom, nor fecurely fre© 

 without rational knowledge* 



THE END OF THE THIRD VQhVHE*. 



