MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS.

KINGDOM OF SICILY. This kingdom embraces the islands of Sicily, Lipari, Pantalaria, and Egades, and is divided into six provinces as follow, viz.

No. of Inhabitants.

643,000

521,000

459,000

18,000

12,000

**3,000

Total inhabitants in the kingdom of Sicily, 1,656,000

Sicily is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean seæ, almost in the form of a triangle, terminating in three points. It is separated from the kingdom of Naples by a narrow strait, called Faro di Messina. The two kingdoms of Naples and Sicily are under the same climate, and the productions are much the same. Sicily is 165 miles long, and 112 broad. In this island is the celebrated volcano, called Mount Etna. The people are melancholy, haughty, and jealous; wearing daggers in their shops and workhouses. The wealthy lead voluptuous lives; the lower classes are wretchedly oppressed and poor. Their religion is the Roman catholic.

The LIPARI islands take their name from their principal, about eight leagues from the north coast of Sicily. These islands were called by the ancients, Æoliæ, Vulcaniæ, and Insulæ Liparæorum, and feigned to be the residence of Eolus and Vulcan. Lipari, the largest, is populous and well cultivated. It is about 15 miles in circumference; the air is healthy, and the inhabitants are industrious. In this island were formerly pits, which emitted fire and smoke. The other islands are, Stromboli, Panąria, Vulcano, Salini, Alicudi, and Felicudi, with one or two smaller ones.

EGADES are three small islands near the west end of the islands of Sicily, called Favignana, Lovonzo, and Maretania, constituting a province of the kingdom of Sicily.

PANTALARIA is an island, making a province of the kingdom of Sicily, lying between that island and the coast of Africa, 17 miles in circumference. It is not far from the coast of Tunis, and abounds in cotton, fruit, and wine. Lat. 36° 48' N. ; and lon. 12° 30′ E.

Total inhabitants in the kingdom of Sardinia 451,487

The number now is about 520,000. Its militia amount to 4000 men. Its revenue is about one million guilders.

SARDINIA IS 142 miles from north to south, and 80 from cast to west. The soil is fertile in corn, wine, oranges, citrons and olives. On the coast is a fishery for anchovies and coral. The air is unhealthy, from the marshy land. Here are mines of silver, lead, sulphur, and alum. Cagliari is the capital of this island.

MALTA is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean, between Barbary and Sicily, in north latitude 35 30. This island, which has, for its basis, a calcareous rock, contains, according to several travellers, nothing interesting to the natural historian, except a few fossils. Its figure is irregular, composed of small vallies, defiles and hills; and may be represented as a plain inclining from the southwest to the northeast, so that the calcareous strata, of which it is entirely composed, are very nearly parrallel to each other. A chain of low mountains, running from southeast to northwest, divides the island through the middie. It is seven leagues in length, three in breadth, and twenty-one in circumference. The number of inhabitants is said to be 90,000. The common people speak Arabic,

but the better sort Italian. The institution of the knights of Malta, was in the tenth century at Jerusalem, for the care of the wounded in the Christian wars; they afterwards settled in the isle of Rhodes, but, being driven from thence in 1530, the island of Malta was given them by Charles V. king of Spain and Emperor of Germany. Malta was taken by the French in the summer of 1793; but was soon after captured from them by the British. Malta, Melita, or Citta Vecchia, an ancient and strongly fortified city, is on a hill in the centre of the island, and was formerly twice as large as at present. Near this city are the catacombs, which are said to extend fifteen miles under ground.

CORSICA, between 41 and 43 degrees north latitude, is separated from Sardinia by the strait of Bonafacio, and is opposite the coast of France and Spain. It is 150 miles from north to south, and from 40 to 50 in breadth. It is mountainous, but has fruitful vallies and some fine lakes and rivers. Corsica in earliest times has been famous for its swarms of bees, and produces vast quantities of honey. After many revolutions, this island was taken by the French in 1796, and is divided into two departments. Bastia is the largest town; but Corte, in the centre of the island, is reckoned the capital. The number of inhabitants on the island is about 166,000. It is the birth place of Na、 polean Bonaparte, Emperor of France.

TURKEY.

THE Turkish Dominions, or the Ottoman empire, is divided into three grand divisions, containing 800,000 square miles, viz.

No. of Inhabitants.

9,822,000

11,090,000

3,500,000

24,412,000

TURKEY IN EUROPE.

Extent and Boundaries. European Turkey extends 870

miles in length, from 34 to 49° north latitude, and 680 in breadth from east to west. It is bounded by the territories of Russia and Austria on the north; west by the A, driatic and Mediterranean; south by the Mediterranean; east by the Archipelago, the Euxine, and the sea of Mar

mora.

Divisions. It contains the provinces of Bessarabia, Moldavia, Walachia, Bulgaria, Servia, Bosnia, Romania, Macedonia, Janna, Livadia, Albania, part of Croatia and Dalmatia, and the Morea.

Climate, Soil, and Face of the Country. These extensive regions in general enjoy a delightful climate. The country is rather mountainous; but the soil is fertile, producing vines, melons, rice, wheat, and rich pasturage. That soil must be rich indeed, which supports its inhabit ants with the lazy cultivation of the Turks.

Rivers. The Danube is for 400 miles a Turkish stream, being in some places a mile wide. The Save, the Niester, the Nieper, and the Don are the best known rivers in this country; though many others have been celebrated by po ets and historians. The Maritz, or ancient Hebrus, rises in the mountains of Hæmus, and falls into the Egean sea, after a course of 250 miles.

Lakes. These are not remarkable. The Lago di Sen. tari lies in Albania. It communicates with the Lago di Plave and the Lago di Holti. The Stymphalus, so famous for its harpies and ravenous birds, lies in Morea; and Paneus, from its qualities, is thought to be the lake from which the Styx issues, conceived by the ancients to be the passage into hell.

Mountains. These are the most celebrated of any in the world, and most fruitful. Mount Athos lies on a peninsula, running into the Egean sea; the Mounts Pindus and Olympus, celebrated in Grecian fables, separate Thessaly from Epirus. Parnassus, in Achaia, so famous for being consecrated to the Muses, is well known. Mount Hamus is likewise often mentioned by the poets; but most of the other mountains have changed their names.

Commerce and Manufactures. Situated in the centre of the eastern continent, the Turks might easily acquire the trade, as well as the empire, of the world, if not prevented by their indolence and the maxims of their government.

They depend chiefly on foreign nations for their manufactured articles. Their merchants are mostly of the enter prising Christians of the surrounding nations. Their exports are silks, carpets, Morocco skins, galls, coffee, balm, balsam, rhubarb, sal ammoniac, termeric, frankincense, myrrh, opium, &c. &c.

Religion. The religion of the Turks is the Mahometan; but it is said that two thirds of the inhabitants in European Turkey are Grek Christians. The Mufti or Mahometan Pontiff resides at Constantinople. There are various ranks among the Turkish clergy, somewhat resembling the bishop and parochial clergy of the Christian world.

Manners and Customs. The Turks are moderate in eating and drinking, lovers of rest and idleness. Polygamy is a universal practice among them. Either party may dissolve the marriage contract at pleasure. The inan seldom sees his bride till after the ceremony, the business being negotiated by female friends. The dead are perfumed with incense, and buried in a cloth open at top and bottom, that the deceased may sit up and converse with the angels of death.

Government. The sultan is a despotic sovereign, but strictly subject to the laws of the Koran, which includes the national religion and laws.

Army. The Turkish army consists of 200,000 infantry and 181,000 cavalry. Their navy is ill constructed, and consists of about 15 ships of war.

Cities. CONSTANTINOPLE, the capital of this great empire, situated on the European side of the Bosphorus. It was built upon the ruins of the ancient Byzantium, by the Roman emperor, Constantine the Great. It became afterwards the capital of the Greek empire, and having escaped the destructive rage of the barbarous nations, it was the greatest as well as the most beautiful city in Europe, and the only one during the Gothic ages, in which there remained any image of the ancient elegance in marners and arts. It is a place of trade, and abounds with antiquities. The wall which surrounds the seraglio is thirty feet high, having battlements, embrasures, and towers, in the style of ancient fortifications. The population is estimated at 400,000, of which 200,000 are Turks, 100,000 Greeks, and the remainder Jews, Armenians, and Franks,