A SI A. T HE continent of Afia is fituate between 25 and 148 degrees of Eaft longitude, and between the equator and 72 degrees of North latitude; 4800 miles long, and 4300 broad; bounded by the Frozen ocean on the north; by the the Pacific ocean on the east; by the Indian ocean on the fouth; and on the weft, by the Red fea, the Levant, Archipelago, Hellefpont, Propontis, Bofphorus, the Black fea, the Palus Mæotis, the river Don, and a line drawn from that river to the river Tobol, and from thence to the river Oby, which falls into the Frozen ocean. The grand divifions of Afia, beginning on the weft, are thefe that follow, viz. Kingdoms and States. Chief Towns. 1. TURKEY in ASIA, }{alem, and Damaicus. Burfa, Smyrna, Aleppo, Jerufa 2. ARABIA, 4. INDIA within the Ganges, 7. CHINESIAN TARTARY, --- 8. THIBET and MOGUL :}{ TARTARY, 9. SIBERIA, comprehending, Mecca, Medina, and Mocho. and Bahara. Delli, Agra, and Lahor. Peking, Nanking, and Canton. Thibet. All the north of A Calmuc Tartary, Bradfki Tartars, Tobolski. No towns here; the natives live in huts and tents, and are perpetu ally rambling from place to place. islands. 10. The Afiatic iflands, which confift of part of the Turkish iflandı. already enumerated in the Archipelago and Levant; and the Oriental inlands iflands in the Indian ocean, of which thofe of Japan, Formofa, Anyan, the Philippines, Celebes, or Macaffar, Gilolo, Ceram, Molucco's, Banda, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, Bally, Flores, Timor. The Nicobar, Andoman, and Maldiva iflands, are the most remarkable. Boundaries. B 1000 miles in length.' 800 miles in breadth,' Boundaries.]DOunded by the Black fea and Circaffia, on the north; by Perfia, on the eaft; by Arabia and the Levant sea, on the fouth; and by the Archipelago, the Hellefpont, and Propontis, which feparate it from Europe, on the welt. Divifions. The eastern pro- Natolia, or the 1. Eyraca Arabic, or Boffora and Bagdat. Chaldea, 2. Diarbec, or Mefopo-Diarbec, tamia, Orfa, Mouful. 14. Caramania, and Amarchia and Gonie. Burfa, Nici, Smyrna, 31 and Ephetus. Amafia, Trapezond, and Sinope. Ajazzo and Marat. Eaft of the Le-Syria and Paleftine, or Aleppo, Antioch, Da vant fea, the Holy Land,, mafcus, Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli, Scanderoon, and Jerufalem. Mountains.] The mountains are, 1. Olympus; 2. Taurus, and Anti-Taurus; 3. Caucafus, and Ararat; 4. Lebanon; 5. Hermon; and, 6. Ida. Rivers.] The rivers are, 1. Euphrates; 2. Tigris; 3. Orantes; 4. Meander; 5. Sarabat; 6. Kara; and, 7. Jordan. Air.] Turkey, fituate in the middle of the castern continent, enjoys a temperate air; no part of this empire extends far north, and very little of it lies within the tropic. They are not often incommoded by frofts, nor fcorched with exceffive heat; and yet the air is not healthful. The plague vifits most parts of the empire once in four or five years. As to other diftempers, they are not more fubject to them than the people of other countries. But let what diftemper foever reign amongst them, they take no precautions to prevent being infected, but go into houfes frequently where they know the plague is; for as the doctrine of predeftination prevails in Turkey, they think it in vain to endeavour to avoid their fate. Soil and Produce.] Turkey is advantageoufly fituated, in a fruitful foil, producing excellent wool, corn, wine, oil, fruit, coffee, myrrh, frankincenfe, and other odoriferous plants, and drugs, in the greatest variety and abundance. But the Turks are generally above applying themselves to manufactures, these being chiefly managed by their Chriftian fubjects. Manufactures.] Their chief manufactures are, carpets, cottons, leather, and foap; and we import from thence raw filk, grogram, yarn, dying ftufis, rhubarb, fruit, and oil. Traffic.] No country is better fituated for traffic than this, having the navigation of the Black fea, the Levant, and the Red fea; and confequently greater opportunities of importing the rich merchandifes of the east, and diftributing them all over Europe, than any maritime power: but they never attempt diftant voyages, and have very few merchant-fhips, both their imports and exports being made in foreign bottoms. The Leffer Afia, which abounded formerly in rich fields and vineyards, as well as Syria and Palestine, and were formerly adorned with abundance of fine towns, and the most elegant buildings, are all now fo many deferts, in comparison of what they were anciently. The Turks never mind either traffic, building, or planting, but let every thing run to ruin. Tyre, Sidon, and Alexandria, which once commanded the navigation and trade of the world, are in their poffeffion, but make no figure in commerce at this day. And well it is for the Chriftians, that the Turks are fuch an indolent generation; for their fituation, and vaft extent of empire would enable them to monopolize, the trade of the world, if they attended to it. Conftitution.] The Grand Signior or Emperor of the Turks is reftrained by no laws or compacts; his power is unlimited; the people, as well as the country, are his property; every man's life and fortune in the empire is at his difpofal. But a late traveller (Motraye) affures us, that we ought to make a diftinction between thofe fubjects and officers of the Grand Signior, who, according to the Turkish phrate, eat his bread, and thote who have no office under the government; the latter having nothing to fear, either as to their lives or ef fects, and do not pay any duties to the government; but, as they hold their lands by military tenures, they are obliged to take the field when the Grand Signior requires it, with a certain number of their vaffals. vaffals. Should the Grand Signior attempt to tax them, or change their ancient customs, he would run the hazard of being depofed. As to the other indeed, who are his creatures, and have been presented to him, or purchased by him, and bred up in the feraglio; thefe he fqueezes, difgraces, and puts to death, upon the leaft fuggeftion of their difaffection or misconduct, without giving them an opportunity of anfwering for themselves; and their children fcarce ever fucceed either to their pofts or fortunes. The great officers of ftate are, the Grand Vizier, or prime minister; the Mufty, or high priest; the Viziers of the bench, who fit in the divan, or courts of juftice, with him; the Cadalifquiers, or chief juftices of provinces; the Beglerbegs, or viceroys; the Baffas, or governors of towns and diftricts under the Beglerbegs; the Kaimacan, or governor of Conftantinople, who is the Grand Vizier's lieutenant in his abfence; the Treasurer; the Chamberlain, and other officers of the household; the Aga, or general of the Janizaries; and the CaptainBaffa, or admiral. There are no nobility or hereditary governments in Turkey; their Baffas and great officers of state are all educated in the feraglio, being the children of Chriftian parents, taken by the Tartars in their excurfions, or purchased by the merchants, many of whom deal only in this kind of traffic. Sometimes, indeed, the renegado Christians arrive at the highest employments in their fleets and armies, and are obferved to have done more mifchief to Christendom, than those who have been educated Mahometans, being better skilled in the arts of war and navigation than the Turks usually are. As for the native Turks, few of them are found in any great pofts. It is of the children of Chriftians, or renegadoes, that their officers, both civil and military, and the best part of their forces, are compofed, Forces.] The forces of the Turks are very numerous, but the greateft part of them confift of a kind of militia: every gentleman holding his lands by military tenures, is obliged to bring a certain number of foldiers into the field, in proportion to the eftate he holds. These may amount to feveral hundred thousand, and are called out to action whenever the government requires their service. But it is their standing regular troops they chiefly rely upon, namely, the Saphi's, or horfe-guards; which body may amount to twelve or fifteen thousand men; and the Janizaries, or foot-guards, which amount to about twenty thoufand. Thefe are educated in the feraglio, and trained up to the exercise of arms from their infancy; and there are not lefs than 100,000 more, who procure themfelves to be registered in this body, to enjoy the privileges of Janizaries, which are very great, being fubject to no jurifdiction, but that of their Aga or chief commander. Revenues.] The revenues of the Grand Signior arife by the cuftoms, the produce of the demefne lands, and a kind of capitationtax, impofed on every fubject of the empire, who is not of the Mahometan religion. Another branch of them arifes by the annual tributes paid by the Crim Tartar, the Princes of Moldavia, Walachia, and the little republic of Ragufa, and part of Mengrelia; and half a million of money out of a million and a half which is levied annually in the kingdom of Egypt, comes into the royal treafury, the reft Cc 3 being being laid out in paying the officers and forces of that province. But all thefe are a trifle in comparison of the vaft fums which the Sultan continually extorts from his viceroys and great officers of ftate, and pafs under the name of prefents. He is heir to all his officers and minifters; when they have plundered whole provinces and kingdoms, they are forced to leave all to be difpofed of by their fovereign when they die and he gives but a very fmall portion of it to the relations of the deceased, if the anceitor has behaved never fo well; and fometimes, under pretence of mifconduct, he cuts them off in the prime of life, efpecially if they happen to be immoderately rich. Perfons and Habits.] It is obferved, that the Turks are generally perfonable men; which may proceed from the choice they make of their women. They collect the greatest beauties that can be met with in the neighbouring countries, to breed by: No man marries a crooked or deformed piece for the fake of a fortune, as with us: Beauty and good fenfe are the only inducements to matrimony there. The men fhave their heads, but wear their beards long: They cover their heads with turban of an enormous fize, and never put it off but when they fleep They fuffer no Chriftian, or other people, to wear white turbans but themselves: Their breeches or drawers are of a piece with their stockings; and they have flippers inftead of fhoes, which they put off when they enter a temple or houfe: They wear fhirts with wide fleeves, not gathered at the wrifts or neck, and over them a veft tied with a fath; their upper garment being a loose gown, fomething fhorter than the vest, The womens drefs pretty much refembles that of the men, only they have a stiffened cap with horns, fomething like a mitre, on their heads, inftead of a turban, and wear their hair down. When they go abroad, they are fo wrapped up that their faces cannot be feen. Genius and Temper.] The Turks feem to have no manner of genius or inclination for the improvement of arts and fciences. They live under the influence of the fame heaven, and poffefs the fame countries the ancient Grecians did, but are far from being animated by the like fpirit. A flothful indolent way of life is preferred to every thing; they faunter away their time, either among their women in the haram, or in fmoking, and taking opium; and though they herd together, you will obferve as little converfation among them, as amongst fo many horfes in a stable. They feldom travel, or ufe any exercife, or rural fports; and have no curiofity to be informed of the ftate of their own, or any other country. If a minifter of ftate is turned out, or frangled, they fay no more on the occafion, than that there will be a new Vizier or Baffa, never inquiring into the reafon of the difgrace of the former minifter; and, as to friendship, wit, and agreeable converfation, they are perfect ftrangers to them. Curiofities.] The ruins of Palmyra or Tadmor, in Syria, the city of I alm-trees, about 150 miles fouth-eaft of Aleppo, are the admiration of every traveller.. As to the antiquities and curiofities in and about Jerufalem, they are too many to be all enumerated. The prefent city is three miles in circumference, much fallen from its ancient fplendor. Nor does it ftand upon the fame ground it did formerly: Mount Sion, where Solomon's temple food, is now almost out of town, which was once in the |