The territories, subject to one monarch or king, form a KINGDOM. Such are Great-Britian, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, &c.

A number of separate states having governors, constitutions, and laws of their own, confederated under one general government with an elective head, are called a REPUBLIC. A Republic, according to others, is a government in which the executive power does not lie in the hands of a single person. Such is the government of the United States of America.

States and Departments are component parts of republics. Principalities, Dukedoms, and Dutchies are branches of em pires and kingdoms. Counties, Cities, Townships, Parishes, &c. are less divisions, common to republics, empires, kingdoms, and states. In some parts of the southern states of America, a parish answers to a county. In the northern states, a parish is a district incorporated for the purpose of supporting public worship.

Towns are districts of various extent, commonly about six miles square, incorporated for the purpose of choosing representatives, and managing their own internal affairs. All such districts, without regard to the number of houses or inhabitants, are called Towns, and sometimes Townships, in the New England states. In the southern states, this name is given only to places containing a number of houses, less or more, compactly built.

INHABITANTS.

The human inhabitants of the earth are composed of an astonishing number of different nations, of various colors, features, languages, religions, customs. and occupations; and subject to the various forms of civil and ecclesiastical government.

There seem to be about six varieties in the human species, each strongly marked, and indicating little mixture. The first around the polar regions. The Laplanders, the Esquimaux Indians, the Samoeid Tartars, the inhabitants of Nova Zembla, the Borandians, the Greenlanders, and Kamschadales, may be considered as one race, resembling each other in stature, complexion, and customs.

The second great variety in the human species is the Tartar race; whose country comprehends a great part of Asia; and consequently includes a number of nations, of various forms and complexions: but, however different from each other, they agree in being unlike any other people. To this race is referred the Chinese and the Japanese.

A third variety in the human species, is the southern Asiatics. The nations of the Peninsular India, seem to be the stock whence the islands scattered in the Indian Ocean have been peopled.

The fourth variety in the human species, is the negroes which inhabit the southern parts of Africa, from 180 N. to the Cape of Good Hope.

The Aboriginal Americans, or Indians, constitute the fifth race of mankind.

The sixth variety of the human species, is the Europeans, and their descendants in America: also the nations bordering on Europe, including the Georgians, Circassians, and Mingrelians, the inhabitants of Asia Minor, and the north of Africa, with part of the countries northwest of the Caspian sea.

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT.

For their common security and welfare, the inhabitants of the earth have formed themselves into communities,and instituted government, varying in its forms. The government of no two nations, perhaps, is exactly similar, There are but three kinds of simple forms of government, Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Democracy.*All other governments must, of course, be a mixture of these.

The earliest form of government was a species of Monarchy, called Patriarchal government, in which the chief magistrate, so far as related to government, sustained the authority of a father over his people. This form of gov ernment is said to have existed in China, for a long succession of years.

When the sovereign power is exercised by one man, that government is called a Monarchy. The chief magistrate in a monarchical government is styled variously-King, Monarch, Emperor, Sovereign. Monarchies are of different kinds, despotic, absolute or arbitrary, limited or mixed, * JOIN ADAMS, J.L.D. late president of the United States.

according to the degree of power vested in the sovereign. The Turkish government is an example of the former : that of Great Britian of the latter.

An Aristocracy is a government of nobles. Of this kind was the government of Venice, till its revolution in 1797. Governments formed by a free people, or by their prever representatives, and administered by officers of their own choice, and where the executive power is not vested in an individual, are called Democracies or Republics.

The fundamental laws of a state or country, which se cure the rights of its inhabitants, and regulate the conduct of its rulers, are called its CONSTITUTION.

RELIGIONS.

MANKIND, in respect to religion, may be divided into Christians, Jews, Mahometans, Deists, and Pagans or Hea thens.

CHRISTIANS All who profess to be the disciples and followers of JESUS CHRIST, are called CHRISTIANS. The greater part of the inhabitants of Europe, and of the A. merican United States, together with those in the Spanish parts of South-America, the West-India islands, and some few parts of Asia and Africa, are of this denomination.

Christians are divided into 1. Roman Catholics, who have a POPE at their head, and are thence often called Papists. These are a numerous sect of Christians, inhabiting the southern and interior parts of Europe. The Spanish, French, and Portuguese settlements in different parts of the world are mostly of this sect.

2. Protestants, a name given in 1529 to all who renounced the Roman Catholic religion, and embraced the principles of the reformation.

Protestants are divided into Lutherans and Calvinists, as they embrace the doctrines peculiar to LUTHER or CALVIN, two of the first and most conspicuous Reformers.

Lutherans and Calvinists are subdivided into Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Independents, Anabaptists, commonly called Baptists, and Methodists; and these are again divided into Moravians, or United Brethren, Calvinists, Arminians, Arians, and Socinians, or Unitarians, Universalists, Mennonists, Tunkers, &c.

Under the head of Protestants, may be ranked also the FRIENDS, commonly called Quakers, a respectable, peaceful and industrious body of people.

3. The Greek Church, which is the religion of the European part of the Russian empire, and of part of Turkey in Europe, resembling, in many particulars, the Roman Catholic religion. Its professors, like the Catholics, keep Lent and many other days of fasting; they have numerous ceremonies in their worship-have holy water, &c. The great sanctification of the waters is performed at Petersburg, twice in the year, in commemoration of the baptism of our Saviour, in the most splendid and magnificent manner. They differ from the Roman Catholics, in that they have never acknowledged the Roman Pontiff, or Pope.

Of the Christian sects, the Roman Catholics are the most numerous; next the Greek Church; next Protestants. The former are decreasing, and the latter increasing.

The Jews are the seed of Abraham, or the descendants of the chosen people of God, who formerly inhabited Judea, but are now dispersed, and have became a proverb, in fulfilment of scripture prophecies, in almost every nation under heaven. They adhere to the Old Testament scripture but reject the New. Their number is not known. Some have conjectured that they amount to about three millions.

The MAHOMETANS derive their name and doctrine from Mahomet, a native of Arabia, who flourished from the year 600 to 622, after Christ. The book which contains their religion is called the Alcoran, and is the same to a Mahometan as the Bible is to a Christian.

The Mahometans, as well as Christians, are divided into a great variety of sects, under different names.

DEISTS. All such as assert the sufficiency, universality, and absolute perfection of natural religion, with a view to discredit and discard all extraordinary revelation, as useless and needless, are called DEISTS.

Lord Herbert, in the 17th century, was the first who reduced Deism to a system.

PAGANS or HEATHENS. Those people who represent the Deity under various forms or images, or who pay di vine worship to the sun, fire, beasts, or any of the crea tures of God, are called PAGANS, or HEATHENS.

The Pagans are more numerous than all other religious sects collected, making it is supposed, as many, as nineteen thirtieths of mankind.

The Pagans inhabit all other parts of the globe, which are not inhabited by Christians, Jews, Deists, or Mahome

tans.

They are divided into innumerable sects, most of which have different idols or objects, to which they pay divine worship. The worship of the Grand Lama is the most extensive and splendid mode of Paganism. This species is professed by a large proportion of the people of Asia.

The Grand Lama is a name given to the High Priest of the Thibetian Tartars, who resides at Patoli, a vast pal ace, on a mountain, near the banks of the river Barampooter. At the foot of this mountain reside 20,000 Lamas or Priests. His worshippers are very numerous, and come from far distant countries. The emperor of China ac knowledges him in his religious capacity.

The Grand Lama is never to be seen, but in a secret place in his palace, amidst a great number of lamps, sitting cross-legged, upon a cushion, and decked all over with gold and precious stones; where at a distance, the people prostrate themselves before him, it being unlawful for any so much as to kiss his feet. He returns not the least sign of respect, nor ever speaks, even to the greatest princes; but only lays his hand on their heads, and they are fully persuaded they receive from thence a full forgiveness of all their sins.

It would be endless, almost, to enumerate all the ob jects and modes of Pagan worship.

OF THE DIVISIONS OF TIME.

The idea of time is acquired by considering the parts of duration, as passing in succession, and separated by intervals; the idea of a day, a month, a year, &c. is obtained, by observing certain appearances uniformly returning at regular periods, including equal spaces; by multiplying and combining these, we procure different measures of time for instance a DAY is a division of time, measured by the appearance and disappearance of the sun; this period is of two kinds--artificial, and natural.