2. In DIARBEC, or MESOPOTAMIA, the chief towns are, Diarbec, Orfa, and Mousoul.

3. In CURDISTAN, or ASSYRIA, the chief towns are, Curdistan, and Betlis. The ancient Nineveh, formerly the capital of the Assyrian Empire, is now a heap of ruins.

4. In TURCOMANIA, or ARMENIA, the chief towns are, Erzerum, and Van.

5. In GEORGIA, the chief towns are Teflis, Amarchia, and Gonie.

Teflis is a fine city, and contains about 30,000 inhabitants.

This country, though subject to the Turks, is chiefly peopled by Christians; a brave, warlike race of men, and often at war with the Maho

metans.

The Georgians are said to be some of the bandsomest people in the world.

6. In ANATOLIA PROPER, the chief towns are, Bursa, Nici, Smyrna, and Ephesus.

The neighbourhood of Smyrna, now called Ismir, contains many valuable antiquities.

7. In AMASIA, the chief towns are, Amasia, Trapezond, and Sinope.

8. In ALADULIA, the chief towns are, Ajazzo, and Marat.

9. In CARAMANIA, the chief towns are, Satalia, and Terasso.

10. In SYRIA, the chief towns are, Aleppo, An✩ tioch, Damascus, Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli, Scandroon or Alexandretta, and Jerusalem, all lying on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Aleppo

Aleppo may be styled the capital of Asiatic Turkey; it is said to be seven miles in compass, and contains about 235,000 inhabitants; numbers of whom are Christians, and several Jews. The English, French, and Dutch have consuls here.

Damascus is still famous for its steel works, such as sword-blades, knives, &c. and for that beautiful manufacture of silks, called damasks; as also for rose-water, extracted from the damask roses.

Damascus, Tyre, and Sidon, lie within the ancient Phoenicia.

Jerusalem is now an inconsiderable place, and only famous upon acccunt of what it was formerly; as it was here our Saviour preached the Christian religion, and was crucified by the Jews upon Mount Calvary. It was the capital of Judea, but was taken, pillaged, burnt, and entirely razed to the ground by Titus, the Roman general, under the emperor Vespasian, in the year 70.

Many of the other towns that are mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, are now either in ruins, or become very inconsiderable places.

The beautiful ruins of the fine city of Balbec are still remaining.

The rivers of Turkey, in Asia, are famous in sacred as well as prophane writings; they are,

The Euphrates and Tigris, which both fall into the Persian Gulf; the Orantes, Meander, Kara, aud Jordan.

The same may be observed of the Mountains: the most remarkable of which are, Taurus, and

Anti-Taurus; Caucasus, Ararat, Lebanon, and Hermon.

As for the commerce, character, religion, government, and history of the Turks, see Turkey in Europe.

ARABIA is bounded on the

North, by Turkey;

South, by the Indian Ocean;

East, by the Gulfs of Persia and Ormus, which divide it from Persia;

West, by the Red Sea, which separates it from Africa.

It is divided into three large parts, which are,
1. Arabia Petræa, on the North;

2. Arabia Deserta, in the middle;
3. Arabia Felix, on the South.

These three parts are subdivided into different provinces:

1. ARABIA PETREA, or Arabia the Rocky, has its name from the many mountainous rocks scattered here and there about it.

The chief town is Suez, on the isthmus of the same name, which joins Asia to Africa.

The ruins of the city of Palmyra, or, 'as it was called by the ancients, Tadinor in the desert, lie in the wilds of Arabia Petræa.

2. ARABIA

2. ARABIA DESERTA, or Arabia the Desert, is so called from its multitude of sands and scarcity of inhabitants.

Its chief towns are, Mecca and Medina,

Mecca is the capital of Arabia, and is famous for being the birth-place of their prophet Mahomet. Here is a superb mosque, or temple, the most splendid of any in the Turkish dominions.

Medina is celebrated as being the place where Mahomet was buried; here is also a grand mosque held in high veneration by the Turks. The number of pilgrims who resort to these two cities is incredible.

3. ARABIA FELIX, or Arabia the Happy, is a rich and populous country, abounding in fragrant spices, myrrh, frankincense, and cassia: hence comes the common saying, "All the sweets of Arabia."

The chif towns are, Mocho, on the Red Sea; and Muscat, on the gulf of Ormus; both places of great trade.

Arabia is 1300 miles long, and 1200 broad. It is situated between 12° and 30° North latitude.

SECTION LXIX.

OF ARABIA.

ARABIA is almost surrounded by seas; as, the

Red Sea, Indian Ocean; and the gulfs of Persia

and Ormus.

There

There are very few springs, or rivers, in this country, except the Euphrates, which washes the north-east limits of it.

The principal mountains are those of Sinai, mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, where the Lord delivered the ten commandments to Moses; and Horeb, where Moses saw the burning bush; both these are in Arabia Petræa.

The air is excessively dry and hot; and the country is subject to hot poisonous winds, like those on the opposite shores of Persia, which often prove fatal, especially to strangers. The soil in some parts is nothing but immense sands, which, when agitated by the winds, roll like the troubled ocean, and sometimes form mountains, by which whole caravans have been buried and lost. In these deserts, the caravans, having no tracts, are guided as at sea, by a compass, or by the stars, for they travel chiefly by night. But Arabia Felix is blessed with an excellent soil, and very fertile, and pro duces many valuable gums, fruits, honey, and wax, and is particularly famous for its coffee and dates.

The Arabian horses are much admired.

The Arabians are of a middle stature, thin, and of a swarthy complexion, with black hair, and black eyes. They are swift of foot, excellent horsemen, expert at the bow and lance, good marksmen, and are said to be a very brave people.

The inhabitants of the inland country live in tents, and remove from place to place with their flocks and herds, as they have done ever since they became a nation.