A S I 
celebrated Inigo Jones was the architect. The park is 
large, and adjoins to Leigh-down. Upon the hill is Leigh- 
wood, in which is a large Roman camp, fuppofed to be 
the work of the foidiers under Oderius : this diredlly faces 
a camp, on the other (ide of the Avon, at the windmill, 
on Clifton-hill. 
ASHTON-UNDER-HILL, a noted village in Glou- 
celterfhire, near which place, in February, 1764, a large 
tnt£l of land, near fixteen acres, (lipped from the (ide of 
Bi edon-hill, and entirely covered feveral pafhire-grounds 
and a confiderable (pace of the common fielcP at the bot¬ 
tom of the hill. Some (tiles that were in the foot-way 
from Grafton to Alhton, and left (landing, were feventy 
paces dirtant from the paths they belonged to. The ground 
that thus quitted its natural pofttion, preferved its own 
furface almoft entire, except in a few places, where chafms 
feveral feet deep opened. The tops of trees twenty feet 
high, which grew at the lower part of the hill, were 
fcarcely two feet aboveground; from whence it is thought 
the moving earth was near twenty feet in depth. This ex¬ 
traordinary accident is attributed to the inceffant rains, as 
the foil now uppermoft is of a boggy nature. A very lin¬ 
gular inftance of animal fagacity is related upon thisocca- 
(ion : A gentleman’s fervant was riding that way the day 
preceding this accident; but, as foon as the horfe came 
to the fpot from whence the ground has fince receded, he 
(lopped fhort, nor could the man by any means get him a 
(lep further, and was obliged to take another route. This 
the fellow was more furprized at, as no apparent obftacle 
could be then difcovered. 
ASHUELOT', or Ashwili.et, a river of North Ame¬ 
rica, having many branches, whole moll remote fource 
is at the north end of the Sunapee mountains, in New 
Hampfltire. It runs fouth wellerly through part of 
Chelhire county; below Wincheder, its courfe is wed 
by north, and it difcharges itfelf into Connefticut liver 
at Hinfdale. 
ASH'UR, the fecond fon of Shem, who occupied the 
country called after hisname, and by the Greeks Ad'yria; 
at prelent Curdiftan, or the country of the Curd Tartars. 
AS'HY, adj. [from ajk.~\ Afli-coloured; pale; inclin¬ 
ing to a whitifh grey : 
Oft have I feen a timely parted ghod 
Of cjhy femblance, meagre, pale, and b\oo&\zte.Shakefpeare. 
Of a(hes.—Some of their fepulchres are at this day no 
where to be difcerned, neither their bones or afhy remains 
in any place to be gathered. Weever. 
A'Sl A, one of the quarters of the world, inferior in (ize 
only to America, but furpading in extent both Europe 
and Africa taken together, and lies to the ead of Europe. 
It was fo called, if we are to believe the Greeks, curious 
in fearching after the etymology of words, from Afia , 
daughter of Oceanus and Tetliys; others fay that it de¬ 
rived its name from AJius, the fon of Atys, king of Lydia ; 
while Bochart is of opinion, that it took its name from the 
Phoenician word Afi, dignifying the middle : hut all this is 
mere conjecture. As Ada exceeds Europe and Africa in 
extent of territory, it is alio fuperior to them in ferenity 
of air, fertility of foil, the delicioufnefs of its fruits, the 
fragrancy and balfamic quality of its plants, (pices, and 
gums; the falubrity of its drugs; the quantity, variety, 
beauty, and value, of its gems ; the richnefs of its metals, 
and the finenefs of its (ilks and cottons. It was in Ada, 
according to the facred records, that the all-wife Creator 
planted the garden of Eden, in which he formed the fir(t 
man and full woman, from whom the race of mankind 
was to fpring. Ada became again the nurlery of the 
world after the deluge, whence the defendants of Noah 
difperled their various colonies into all the other parts of 
the globe. It was in Ada that God placed his once-fa- 
vourite people, the Hebrews, whom he enlightened by 
revelations delivered by the prophets, and to whom he 
gave the oracles of truth. It was here that the great and 
merciful work of our redemption was accompliflted by his 
Vol. II. No. 70. 
A S I 261 
divine Son ; and it was from hence that the light of his 
glorious gofpel was carried with amazing rapidity into all 
nations of the world, by his difciples and followers. Here 
the dr ft Chriftian churches were founded, and the Chrif- 
tian faith miraculoufly propagated and cherifhed even 
with the blood of innumerable martyrs. It was in Ada 
that the firfl edidces were reared, and the drd empires 
founded, while the other parts of the globe were inhabit¬ 
ed only by wild animals. On all thefe accounts, this 
quarter of the globe claimsa fuperiority over the red ; but 
it mud be owned, that a great change hath happened in 
that part of it called Turkey, which has lod much of its 
ancient fplendour. The other parts of Ada continue 
much in their former condition, the foil being as remark¬ 
able for its fertility, as mod of the inhabitants for their 
indolence, effeminacy, and luxury. This effeminacy is 
chiefly owing to the warmth of the climate, though in 
fome meafure heightened by cudom and education; and 
the fymptoms of it are more or lefs vidble, as the feveral 
nations are feated nearer or farther from the north. Hence 
the Tartars, who live near the fame latitudes with us, are 
as brave, hardy, (trong, and vigorous, as any European 
nation. What is wanting in the robuft frame of their bo¬ 
dies among the Chinele, Mogul Indians, and all the in¬ 
habitants of the more fouthern regions, is in a great mea- 
. fure'-made up to them by the vivacity of their minds, and. 
ingenuity in various kinds of workrnandiip, which our mod: 
fkilful mechanics have in vain endeavoured to imitate. 
This vad extent of territory was fucceflively governed 
in pad times by the Affyrians, the Medes, the Perfians, 
and the Greeks; but the immenfe regions of India and 
China were fcarcely known to Alexander, or the conquer¬ 
ors of the ancient world. Upon the decline of thofe em¬ 
pires, great part of Ada fubmitted to the Roman arms ; 
and afterwards, in the middle ages, the fucceffors of Ma¬ 
homet, or, as they are ufually called, Saracens, founded 
in Afia, in Africa, and in Europe, a more extenfive em¬ 
pire than that of Cyrus, Alexander, or even the Romans, 
when in its height of power. The Saracen greatnefs end¬ 
ed with the death of Tamerlane; and the Turks, con¬ 
querors on every fide, took poffeffion of the middle regions 
of Alia, which they (till enjoy. Befides the countries pof- 
feffed by the Turks and Ruffians, Afia contains at prefent 
three large empires, the Chinefe, the Mogul, and the Per- 
fian, upon which the fmaller kingdoms and fovercignties 
depend. The prevailingform of government in this divifion 
of the globe is abfolute monarchy. If any of them can 
be faid to enjoy liberty, it is the wandering tribes, as the 
Tartars and Arabs. Many of the Afiatic nations, when 
the Dutch fird came among them, could not conceive how 
it was poflible for people to live under any other form of 
government than that of a defpotic monarchy. Turkey, 
Arabia, Perfia, part of Tartary, and part of India, profefs 
Mahometanifm. The Perfianand Indian Mahometans are 
of the feel of Ali, and the Turks of that of Omar; but 
both own Mahomet for their law-giver, and the Alcoran 
for their rule of faith and life. In the other parts of 
Tartary, India, China, Japan, and the Afiatic iflands, 
they are generally heathens.and idolaters. Jews are to be 
found every wherein Afia. Chriftianity, though planted 
here with wonderful rapidity by the apoftles and primitive 
fathers, fuffered an almofi total eclipfe by theconquefts of 
the Saracens, and afterwards of the Turks. Incredible 
indeed have been the hazards, perils, and fufferings, of 
the midtonaries, Cent to propagate their dodtrincs in the 
mod di(Pant regions, and among the grolfelt idolaters; 
but their labours have hitherto failed of fuccefs, owing 
in a great meafure to their own avarice, and the cruelty 
and injuftice of the Europeans, who refort thither in feared 
of wealth and dominion. 
The continent of Afia is fituated between 25 and ago 
degrees of ead longitude, and between the equator and 
80 degrees of north latitude. It is about 4740 miles in 
length, from the Dardanelles on the wed, to the eadern 
Ihore of Tartary : and about 4580 miles in breadth, from 
3 X the 
