tions various ruins, and says, "they are so full of venomous creatures that no one dares approach nearer than half a league from them, excepting for two months in the winter, when these animals stir not from their holes." Petrus Vallensio was there in 1616, and says, "that in the middle of a vast plain, about a quarter of a league from the Euphrates, appears a heap of ruined buildings, like a huge mountain; its situation and form corresponding with that pyramid, which Strabo calls the tower of Belus, and is in all likelihood the tower of Nimrod, in Babylon." Tavernier relates" that at the parting of the Tigris is the foundation of a city :-there are some of the walls standing, upon which six coaches may go abreast. The chronicles of the country says, "here stood Babylon." Hanway, who travelled in 1743, says, "these ruins are se much effaced, that there are hardly any vestiges of them to point out their situation." Another late traveller says, "there is not at present a stone to tell where Babylon was situated." With such astonishing exactness has God verified his threatening-" To sweep Babylon with the besom of destruction."

SYRIA, or Sursistan, lies on the Mediterranean. This celebrated country comprehends the ancient Syria, Judea, Phenicia, and Palestine; it is now divided into the five Pachalies or governments of Aleppo, Tripoli, Acre, Damascus and Palestine. It contains the ancient and celebrated cities of Aleppo, Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, Samaria, Jerusalem, Jericho, and many others.

Jerusalem is 3 miles in circumference, and contains 12 or 14,000 inhabitants. The houses are of stone, one story high, with flat tops, on which the inhabitants walk, eat, and sleep. They have battlements a yard high The inhabitants are a poor, wicked race, the scum of different nations, principally Arabs. Still the city of Jerusalem is interesting to every Christian. Here his delighted imagination fixes, not only on account of the splendid -scenes recorded in the old Testament, not only because here the Son of God accomplished the work of redemption, but because here a constellation of prophecies are fulfilled. Jesus Christ foretold that one stone should not be left upon another in the temple or city. In the year 118, the Jews rebelled, and Tinius Rufus destroyed the buildings which

had been erected after the destruction by Vespasian, and levelled three towers which he had spared. This literally fulfilled the prophecy of Christ, and proved his mission divine. Jesus Christ also prophesied, that Jerusalem should be "trodden down of the Gentiles." Adrian banished all the Jews. The place was settled by Romans and other foreigners. The Jews are now persecuted by Mahometans; Jerusalem is now trodden down by Gentiles.

Antiquities. A description of the antiquities of these regions would too much swell this abridgement. The most splendid ruins are those of Palmyra, or Tadmor in the Desert. Balbec, the ancient Heliopolis, is about 50 miles northwest of Damascus, chiefly famous for the ruins of a temple supposed to have been dedicated to the Sun.

ASIATIC RUSSIA.

Extent. THE extent of the Russiau dominions in Asia exceeds that of all Europe. The length is about 4570 miles; the breadth 1960.

Boundaries. This vast region is bounded on the east by the seas of Kamschatka and Gehotsk; north by the Arctic ocean; west by European Russia, and south by the territories of Turkey and Prussia, and the empire of China.

General Description. The elimate of Asiatic Russia is generally frigid, though in some provinces it is temperate. The south part of Siberia is fertile, producing all the necessaries of life; the north part is extremely cold and almost uninhabited. The northern and eastern parts of this immense region are covered with almost perpetual snow, and intersected by numerous rivers, the principal of which are the Ob, the Oby, the Yenesei, the Angara, the Lena, and the Irtish. In the north of Siberia is the large lake of Piazinsko. In the south is the sea of Baikal.

Asiatic Russia is peopled by numerous tribes, of various origin, maaners, and customs. The Tartars are the most numerous, who are the same with the Huns of antiquity. Among the distinct tribes of Tartars are the Nogays, the Kirguses, the Bashkirs, the Monguls, the Tunguses, the Samoides, the Kamschadales, &c. all of whom

pretend to be descended from Turk, the eldest son of Japheth.

The inhabitants of Siberia are of three sorts, Pagans, Mahometans, and Russians. The two first are clothed in skins, and their wealth consists in bows, arrows, a knife, and kettle. The Russians settled here are much the same as in their native country. The country is rich in furs, and the mountains contain some mines. The most valuable animal is the rein deer. In Kamschatka dogs are used for earriages. The urus or bison is found among the Caucasian mountains.

The principal islands belonging to Asiatic Russia are the KURILE ISLANDS, 22 in number, extending from the southern extremity of Kamschatka to Japan; they are valuable for their furs, particularly that of the sea otter. Only four of these islands are inhabited.

TARTARY.

TARTARY, taken in its most extensive sense, contains all that vast country of Asia, which lies between the Arctie ocean north, and Persia, Hindoostan, and China, south. It includes a great variety of nations, to which is applied the general name of Tartars, with a particular one often applied from their local situation. Tartary may be divided into three parts, viz. RUSSIAN TARTARY, CHINESE TARTARY, and INDEPENDENT TARTARY. The first of these divisions has been described under the preceding article.

INDEPENDENT TARTARY lies chiefly between the latitudes of 35 and 50 degrees, and is bounded on the north by Asiatic Russia; west by Persia and Hindoostan; south by Hindoostan; east by the country of the Kalmucs. The country enjoys a fine climate, thongh its northern parts have excessively cold winters. The face of the country is variegated with plains and hills, and the soil usually rich and productive. The principal ridge of mountains is that snowy ridge denominated Belur Tag, on the east of Great Bucharia. The greatest river is the Jihoon, the ancient Oxus, which heads in the Belur, mountains. The Salt lake, or sea of Aral, is 200 miles long, and 70 broad, 100 miles eastward of the Caspian sea.

That part of Independent Tartary, which is best known, is called Bucharia, which is divided into Great and Little Bucharia. he inhabitants value themselves on being the most robust and valiant of all the Tartars. The women 'also surpass the other Tartarians in beauty, and sometimes attend their busbands to the field of war.

The famous city of SAMARCAND is the capital of this country. It has some commerce in calicoes, cotton, rice, and cattle. It was the seat of Tamerlane the Great, and in his time was celebrated as the seat of learning and civilization.

CHINESE TARTARY is bounded north by Siberia, east by the Gulf of Kamsehatka and the Eastern sea, south by China west by the country of the Kalmues, who are established between the Caspian sea and Kashgar. The different tribes which at present inhabit it were formerly comprehended under the general name of Mongul or Mogul Tartars, a warlike and formidable nation. These Tartars have neither towns, villages, nor houses; they form wandering hordes, and live under tents, which they transport from one place to another, as the different seasons, or the wants of their flocks require. Their ordinary drink is warm water, in which a little coarse tea is infused: with this they mix eream, milk, or butter. The Moguls are free, open, and sincere. They pride themselves chiefly on their dexterity in handling the bow and arrow, mounting on horseback, and hunting wild beasts. They burn the bodies of their dead, and transport the ashes to eminences, where they inter them and cover the grave with a heap of stones. They are unacquainted with money, and trade only by barter. The skins they use for clothing are generally those of their sheep. Their religion consists in the worship of Fo. They have the most superstitions veneration for their Lamas. All the Moguls are governed by khans, or particular princes, independent one of the other, but all subjected to the authority of the emperor of China, whom they consider as the grand khan

of the Tartars.

con

Chinese Tartary has 3,000,000 inhabitants; and the Taxed Countries, subject to the Chinese government, tain 31,500,000 souls. Of these Taxed Countries, the principal are, 1. Korea, which has its own king. Little is known of this country, as all commerce with strangers

is prohibited. Number of inhabitants 1,500,000. 2. Thibet, or Tangut, which see.. 3. The kingdom of Annan, 10,000,000 inhabitants. The king maintains 113,000 land troops, 30,000 of which are disciplined in the European manner, and 26,800 seamen. 4. Tonkin, once the most powerful of the Eastern Asiatic empires, containing with the Liqueous isles, another division of the Taxed Coantries, 8,000,000 inhabitants, subject to the king of Annan. All the above governments acknowledge the Emperor of China as their sovereign.

CHINA.

Boundaries and Extent. BOUNDED north by Tartary from which it is separated by a great wall, 500 leagues in length; east by the Yellow sea and Chinese ocean; south by the same ocean and the kingdoms of Tonkin, Birmah, and Laos; west by Thibet. It lies between 21 and 50 degrees north lat. 2030 miles long from north to south, and 490 broad.

Divisions and Population. China is divided into 17 provinces which contain 4402 walled cities. It contains 333,000,000 inhabitants according to Barrow, 188,500,000 according to Hassel.

Climate. The climate and soil are various as the different provinces are nearer to or remote from the south, severe cold being felt at Pekin, while the southern provinces are exposed to excessive heat.

Rivers and Canals. Here are several large rivers, and where these are wanting, there are fine canals. The principal river is the Hoang-ho, called also the Yellow River. It rises in Tartary, and after a course of 2000 miles, falls into the Eastern sea. Another great river is the Kiang-ka, which passes by the city of Nan-king, and falls into the ocean, 100 miles south of the Hoang-ho. In China there is scarcely a town or even a village which has not the advantage either of an arm of the sea or a canal; by which means navigation is rendered so common, that almost as many people live on the water as on the land. The grand canal is one of the wonders of art; extending from the city of Canton to the extremity of the empire; it is about

/DD