JAPAN.

ON the castern verge of Asia is the powerful empire of Japan, consisting of three large, and a number of smaller islands. It lies about 160 leagues eastward of the coast of China and Corea. The author of the Church History of Japan, published in 1700, computes all those islands to contain about 600 leagues in compass. All the coasts of this empire are surrounded with craggy, high, and inaccessible mountains, and shallow, boisterous seas, and their creeks and bays are for the most part choked up with rocks, shelves, sands, and whirlpools; so that Providence scems to have excluded it from all communication with the rest of the world. The country is no less pleasant and inviting within, than its avenues are discouraging and frightful. It is sufficiently fertile to supply the wants of the inhabitants, and to furnish other countries with rice and corn.

The country abounds with rivulets, lakes and springs; they have plenty of sweet, as well as medicinal waters, and fish. Japan breeds a great number of horses: though not as large as those of Europe, yet they are very beautiful, and highly valued. The forests abound with all sorts of wild beasts, of the furs of which they make considerable traffic, as well as of elephant's teeth. But the great riches of this empire consist in the fineness of their metals and minerals. Earthquakes here are frequent and sometimes very terrible, burying whole towns under their ruins.

The religion of the Japanese is gross heathenism and idolatry.

The government of Japan is despotic. The emperor has the power of life and death over all his subjects. The inhabitants amount to 15,000,000. The army consists of 100,000 foot and 20,000 horse. Their arms are muskets, bows and arrows, daggers and scimetars.

The Japanese are modest and courteous, just in their dealings, and very ingenious in manufactures. They trade with every people except the Chinese and Dutch.

The capital of the empire is JEDDO, on the island of Niphon, said to be 21 leagues in circumference. The names of the largest islands are KIUSIA, SIKOFF and NIPHON

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ORIENTAL ISLANDS.

UNDER this head we include the island of Ceylon, the Maldives, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Sunda Isles, Borneo, the Manillas, the Celebezian Isles, and the Spice Islands. These lie in what is called the ORIENTAL ARCHIPELAGO.

CEYLON lics southeast of the peninsula of India, from which it is separated by a narrow sea. It is of an oval form, 80 leagues long; the soil is exceedingly fertile, producing all the fruits of the Indies, but is particularly noted for the cinnamon tree. The Dutch formerly had possessions on this island, which now belongs to the English. The inland parts are governed by native princes, and are little known. It has 600,000 inhabitants.

The MALDIVES, a cluster of small islands, in number about 1000, lie southwest of Ceylon. The inhabitants are Mahometans and Pagans. Cocoa is the most valuable production.

The ANDAMAN ISLANDS, two in number, are near the entrance of the Bay of Bengal, called Great and Little Andaman. They are loaded with thick forests, almost impenetrable. The people are a savage race of beings. There is a small British settlement here.

The NICOBAR ISLANDS are at the entrance of the gulf of Bengal. They are almost entirely uncultivated; but the cocoa and other tropical fruits grow spontaneously to the greatest perfection. The inhabitants are not numer

ous

The SUNDA ISLES embrace Sunda, Java, Balli, Lombok, Lumbava, Timer, and several smaller ones in the vicinity of these.

SUNDA is the westernmost of this chain. The equator divides it into nearly equal parts. It is 900 miles long, and 150 broad. A chain of high mountains runs through the island. The soil produces all kinds of tropical fruits and grains. Tigers, elephants, monkeys, and other wild beasts are numerous. The inhabitants are Malays, Acheenese, Battas, Lampoons, and Rejangs.

JAVA is separated from Sumatra by a narrow sea, called the Straft of Sunda. This island, with Madura, has 976,000 inhabitants. The Dutch have establishments on

this island, the chief of which are Batavia and Bantam. The other islands are divided into several kingdoms, cr states. The productions are various and valuable.

Of the other Sunda isles little is known. The coasts BORNEO is 900 miles long, and 600 broad. are peopled by Malays, Moors, and Japanese. The oranoutang is a native of this island. It is situated directly under the equator. The north part is possessed by the English. It has 5,000,000 inhabitants.

The MANILLAS, or PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, 1100 in number, lie 300 miles southeast of China. Manilla, or Luzon, is the largest and most important. They are all in the possession of Spain: The inhabitants are Chinese, Ethiopians, Malays, Spaniards, Portuguese, and Mesters, which are a mixture of all the others. Their situation between the two continents is such, that the inhabitants carry on a commerce with Mexico and Peru, as well as with India. Gold, copper, and iron are among the products. The city of Manilla contains 33,000 inhabitants.

CELEBEZIAN ISLES. Of these Celebes, or Macassar, in latitude 1 39 north, is the principal. It is a delightful spot; the fruits are ripe all the year. The natives are Mahometans. Around Celebes are many small islands, governed by their native chiefs. They have 3,000,000 inhabitants.

The SPICE ISLANDS, called also the MOLUCCAS, lie in the compass of 25 leagues, south of the Philippines. Their chief produce is cloves, mace, and nutmegs, which are monopolized by the Dutch. Ternate is the largest of the group.

AMBOYNA, between the 3d and 4th degrees south latitude, is 70 miles in circumference, defended by a Dutch garrison.

The BANDA, or NUTMEG ISLES, lie between 4 and 5 degrees south latitude, and are chiefly in the possession of the British. These islands contain about 5000 souls.

AFRICA.

Boundaries and Extent. AFRICA is a peninsula, joined to Asia by the Isthmus of Suez, 60 miles over, between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. It is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean, which separates it from Europe; east by the Isthmus of Sucz, the Red sea, and the Indian ocean; south by the Southern occan; by the Atlantic, which divides it from America. Its length from N. to S. is 4990 miles; its greatest breadth, 4600.

west

Hassel, who is perhaps the best authority, in his Statistical Tables, published in 1809, divides Africa as follows. Divisions.

1. Kingdom of Morocco

2. Free state of Algiers

Do.

No. Inhab.

5,000,000

1,500,000

3.

General Description. Though situated, for the most part, under the torrid zone, and the climate excessively hot, the coasts and many parts of the country are well peopled.

The natives of these scorching regions would as soon expect that marble should melt and flow in liquid streams, as that water should be congealed by cold and cease to flow.

The rivers in this part of the globe are not to be compared with many in the other quarters. The most considerable are the Niger, Senegal, Gambia, and Nile. The

Niger, according to Park, rises in a chain of lofty mountains, north lat. 11°, and runs to the east. Its mouth bas not been discovered. It annually overflows its banks, fertilizing the country. The Senegal has its source 100 miles west from that of the Niger, and enters the Atlantic, lat. 15 50 north. The head of the Gambia is more than 100 miles west from that of the Senegal; with many windings, its course is nearly west, till it enters the ocean, lat. 13 30 north. The Nile divides Egypt into two parts, and discharges itself into the Mediterranean, after a prodigious course from its source in Abyssinia.

The most considerable mountains in Africa are the Atlas, a ridge extending from the Western ocean, (to which it gives the name of Atlantic ocean) as far as Egypt. The mountains of the Moon, extending themselves between Abyssinia and Monomopata, and are still higher than those of Atlas. Those of Sierra Leona, or mountains of the Lions, which divide Nigritia from Guinea, and extend as far as Ethiopia. These were styled by the ancients the mountains of God, on account of their being subject to thunder and lightning.

The most noted capes or promontories in this country are Cape Verd, so called because the land is always covered with green trees and mossy grounds. It is the most westerly point of the continent of Africa. The cape of Good Hope, so denominated by the Portuguese, when they first went round it, in 1498, and discovered the passage to Asia, is the south extremity of Africa, in the country of the Hottentots. There is but one strait in Africa, which is called Babelmandeb, and is the communication between the Red sea and the Indian ocean.

Africa once contained several kingdoms and states, em-inent for the liberal arts, for weaith and power, and the most extensive commerce. The kingdoms of Egypt and Ethiopia, in particular, were much celebrated; and the rich and powerful state of Carthage, that once formidable rival to Rome itself, extended her commerce to every part of the then known world; even the British shores were visited by her fleets, till Juba, who was king of Mauritania, but tributary to the republic of Carthage, unhappily called in the Romans, who, with the assistance of the Mauri-tanians, subdued Carthag, and by degrees all the neighboring kingdoms and states. After this, the natives, con