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rampooter runs through the whole length of it. Its capital is Ghergon. The open parts are marked with popu lation and tillage; the woods abound with elephants. The mountains are inhabited by a people called Nauacs, who go naked, and eat dogs, cats, mice, locusts, &c. The other inhabitants of Assam have no fixed religion, or rules of life. They eat all flesh except human, even animals that die a natural' death. They are enterprizing, savage, vindictive, and fond of war. They have neither horses, asses, nor camels; but they are sometimes brought there from other countries. Asses they are fond of, but are so much afraid of a horse, that one trooper would put a hundred of them to flight. Assam lies between 26 and 28 degrees north latitude, and contain 2,000,000 inhabitants.

BIRMAN EMPIRE.

The BIRMAN EMPIRE comprises the kingdoms of Ava and PEGU. and derives its name from the Birmahs, a warlike nation of the peninsula. The articles of commerce are rice, cotton, teek-timber, vastly superior to oak for ship building, on which the English East-India company greatly depend; aloes, spices, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, &c. They have mines of copper, lead, and silver. The climate is healthy, and the soil fertile. Their system of jurisprudence is replete with sound morality. Their laws are conscientiously administered. When a man dies intestate, three fourths of his estate goes to his children born in wedlock They buin their dead; but people of high distinction are embalmed, and kept six or eight weeks; honey is the principal ingredient used to preserve the body. The population of the empire is supposed to be 17,000,000. In the flat part of the country, which is liable to be overflowed, the houses are built upon stakes, and in time of inundations, the inhabitants communicate with each other by boats. Pegu was an independent kingdom, till 1751; when the king of Birmah made it a province. The ordeal trial is common here by putting the head under water, or the hand into hot cil, or melted lead. If the accuser fail he must suffer what is due to the guilty.

The capital of the empire is UMMARAPOORA, on a branch of the Irawaddy, and not far from Ava, the ancient cap

ital, which, as well as Pegu, the former capital of the kingdom of Pegu, is abandoned to ruin.

SIAM.

THE kingdom of Siam is bounded north by China, east by Laos and Cambodia, south by the gulf of Siam, west by the bay of Bengal and Pegu; 550 miles in length, and 250 in breadth, though in some places not above 50. Siam and Malacca contain 1,900,000 inbabitants. It is a flat country, and in the rainy season is overflowed for which reason most of the houses are built on pillars, and have no communication for some months but by boats. The government is despotic, and the people poor. There are mines of gold, silver, tin and copper, and plenty of rice, cotton, aloes, benjamin, &c. The tame cattle are beeves, buffaloes, and hogs. The woods abound with elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, and tigers. The inhabitants, both men and women go almost naked, but the better sort wear rich garments. They are often mothers at twelve years of age. The king shows himself but once a year to the common people. He is proprietor of all the lands in the country, and keeps a numerous army, among which are 1000 elephants. Their temples and priests are very numerous. They have schools for the education of their children, and there is scarce any among them that cannot read and write. Siam, the capital of the kingdom, is on the Menan, near its mouth, in the gulf of Sizin.

MALACCA

Is a peninsula and kingdom, bounded north by Siam, east by the ocean, and southwest by the straits of Malac ca; 600 miles long, and 200 broad. It produces few commodities for trade, except tin, and elephant's teeth; but there are many excellent fruits and roots. The relig ion of the natives has a mixture of Mahometani.m; and they are addicted to juggling. The inland inhabitants are a savage, barbarous people, who take delight in doing mischief to their neighbors. The capital is MALACCA, a seaport on the straits of that name.

LAOS.

To the eastward of Siam and Ava is the kingdom of Laos; a flat country, surrounded by mountains and cov ered with forests. The large river Mecon crosses the whole region. The climate is temperate and healthful; the soil fertile and rich in mines. The king is an absolute, independent prince, and acknowledges no superior. The kingdom contains 3,000,000 souls.

CAMBODIA

LIES South of Laos, and, like that country is enclosed by mountains, and fertilized by the large river Mecor. The soil produces abundance of corn, rice, and various medicinal drugs. The most peculiar product is Camboge gum. Mines of gold and precious stones every where abound In the forests are elephants, lions and tigers. The inhabitants are not numerous; their religion is idola try. CAMBODIA, the capital, is on the river Mecon.

COCHIN CHINA.

On the eastern coast of India is the kingdom of Cochin China, separated from Laos and Cambodia on the west by a range of mountains. The whole country is intersected by rivers. The climate is healthy. No country produces a greater variety of articles for commerce, such as spices, fruits, different sorts of wood, ivory, gold, silver, &c.

The manners of the people closely resemble those of the Chinese. They are pagans.

PERSIA.

Bonndaries, Extent, and Population. THE kingdom of Persia is bounded north by Georgia, the Caspian sea, and Usbec Tartary, west by Turkey and Arabia, south by the gulfs of Persia and Ormus, and the Arabian sea, east by Hindoostan proper; 1220 miles from east to west, 900 from north to south. It has 22,000,000 inhabitants.

Rivers. The chief rivers are the Tigris and Amuc.

Climate and Productions. In the north and east parts it is mountainous and cold; in the middle and southeast parts sandy and desert; in the south and west, level and fertile, though for several months very hot. The soil produces all sorts of pulse and corn, except oats and rye. In several places, naphtha, a sort of bitumen, rises out of the ground; and there are mines of gold, silver, iron, turcois stones, and salt; the two first are not worked, on account of the scarcity of wood. Among the excellent products of Persia, are dates, pistachio-nuts, and poppies that produce the finest opium. They have extensive plantations of mulberry trees for silk worms; and large flocks of sheep and goats. Their camels, horses, mules, asses, oxen and buffaloes, are the best of their kind, and are indifferently used for carrying passengers or burdens, the horses excepted, which are only used for the saddle.

Manufactures. The principal manufactures are silks, satins, tabbies, taffetas, and silk mixed with cotton, or with camel's or goat's hair; brocades, gold tissues, and gold velvet, carpets, calicoes, camlets, &c. Their dying is preferred to any thing of the kind in Europe.

Civil and Political History. During the last century, Persia was desolated by competitors for the sovereignty. So late as 1807, there was a formidable insurrection against the Persian monarch, headed by Been Sing, a man of extraordinary enterprise and courage. The Persians are generally Mahometans, of the sect of Ali.

ISPAHAN, a celebrated city, is the capital of Persia. It contains 1,000,000 inhabitants. Shiras and Teflis are large and populous cities.

ARABIA.

ARABIA is bounded on the west by the Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez, northeast by the Euphrates, which divides it from the ancient Mesopotamia; east by the gulfs of Persia and Ormus; and south by the Indian ocean. On the north, this country runs up to an angle, about 100 miles east of Palmyra, which is not included in Arabia. It lies between 12 30 and 31 30 north latitude, extending 1800 miles in length, and 800 average breadth,

and has 10,000,000 inhabitants. It is divided into three parts, Arabia Petræa, Arabia Deserta, and Arabia Felix. Arabia Petræa is the smallest of the three, and towards the north is full of mountains, with few inhabitants, on account of its barrenness. It had its name from the town Petræa, its ancient capital, now destroyed. It differs little from Arabia Deserta, so called from the nature of the soil, which is generally a barren sand; but there are great flocks of sheep and herds of cattle near the Euphrates, where the land is good. In the desert are great numbers of ostriches, and there is a fine breed of camels in several places. But of all their domestic animals, the Ara. bians put the greatest value on their horses; which can bear the greatest fatigues, pass whole days without food, and show uncommon courage against an enemy. Arabia Felix is so called on account of its fertility with regard to the rest.

The Arabs in the deserts live in tents, and remove from place to place, partly for the sake of pasture, and partly to lie in wait for the caravans, whom they often rob, as they travel over part of this desert. Arabia Felix produces frankincense, myrrh, baim of Gilead, gum Arabic, and coffee, of which latter they export prodigious quantities. Mahomet was a native of this country; and his followers, soon after his death, conquered a great part of Asia, Africa, and Europe, establishing their religion wherever they caine. The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, cf whom it was foretold, "that their hands should be against every man, and every man's against them." This is now uniformly true. The Arab in every clime is the same; a pirate on the sea, and a robber on the land.

The capital of Arabia is MECCA. an ancient and famous town of Arabia Deserta. The number of pilgrims, who yearly visit this place, is almost incredible.

M DINA, about 50 miles from the Red sea, is the place to which Mahomet fled, when he was driven out of Mecca. It contains a magnificent mosque, in which 300 lamps are kept always burning. The Arabs compute their time from the flight of Mahomet, which was in the 622d year of the Christian era.

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