For the better understanding the geography of this division of the earth, the courses of the rivers, the di rection of•the chains of mountains, and the climate and relative situation of its various kingdoms, it is neces sary to attend to a peculiar feature on the configuration of its surface. The central regions of the Asiatic con tinent rise into a vast and highly elevated plain, extend ing some thousands of miles in every direction ; and standing aloft like an immense table, supported on all sides by high and precipitous mountains, which over look the surrounding countries. From this vast eleva tion, the highest region probably of the old hemisphere, and the greatest extent of continued elevated land on the surface of the globe, the rivers of Asia flow as from a common centre, in every direction, to all the sur rounding seas; and the numerous kingdoms stretch themselves around in gradual descent. On the south of this high central region, the vast plains of India gra dually descend to the great Southern Ocean. From their exposure they receive the fiercest rays of a tropi cal sun, and are sheltered by the elevated front of the high tract behind from every northern blast. On the west of this extended elevation lie the countries which formed the ancient Persian empire, and which in like manner descend gradually, though more irregularly, towards the setting sun, and the territory of Europe. On the east is the immense empire of China, descend ing with the rivers to the Eastern Ocean. And on the north is Siberia, descending without interruption to the Frozen Sea. From this unfavoured region, the high country to the south intercepts the heated air which might otherwise advance from more fervid clinics ; while the gradual descent towards the north exposes it unprotected to every blast which may ascend from the icy regions of the pole : and thus the climate of the nor thern parts of Asia is rendered as much too cold in pro portion to their latitude, as those of the south are too hot.
Asia has been divided, with respect to the progress of civilization, into two regions, the civilized, and the barbarous. To the former of these divisions belongs, with the exception of part of Arabia, all the south of Asia, including the empire of China, of India, and the ancient Persian empire, extending to the Hellespont ; and to the latter all the central and northern parts, Which constitute by far the most extensive portion of this vast continent. This is such a division as in any other quarter of the world would have been •subject to frequent change ; but in Asia its boundaries have re mained nearly the same from the remotest periods of authentic history. Here the state of society has been more stationary than in any other part of the earth. With the last of the divisions just mentioned, that great proportion of the Asiatic continent known by the name of Tartary nearly coincides. This general appellation has been applied to the countries known to the ancients as the middle, the north and east of Asia, and has like wise been extended to all the modern discoveries in those quarters ; thus comprehending the whole of those vast regions lying between Thibet, China, and the Arctic Ocean, and between the Black Sea and the ut most bounds of north eastern discovery. The northern parts of this division, however, have now acquired the name of Siberia, while the southern only retains the appellation of Tartary.
These divisions, however, are imperfect and indefi nite, and rather adapted to the purposes of philosophic investigation, than of geographical description. And
as no other great natural or political divisions more ob viously present themselves, Asia has generally been di vided in no other way than according to the different countries of which it is composed. The vast extent of the Russian empire stretches, as we have already men timed, along the whole of the north of Asia, to the most eastern boundary. In the west of Asia are situated the Asiatic part of the Turkish empire, tile country of Ara bia, and the kingdom of Persia. The centre of the Asi atic continent is occupied by the vast and elevated re gion of Tartary. In the south of Asia is the country of iIindostan, the states situated on the coasts of Mala bar and Coromandel, the peninsula beyond the Ganges, the empire of the Birmans, the kingdom of Siam, Ton quin, Cochin-China, and the peninsula of Malacca. And in the east, the immense empire of China, consisting of China proper, and Chinese Tartary.
It has been usual to comprehend under the general name of Asia, the whole of the numerous and extensive islands scattered over the immense extent of the Pacific Ocean ; though from their distance many of them have no connection with the Asiatic continent, except in the arbitrary arrangements of geographers. Being discover ed by degrees, the greatness of the discovery at any one time never was such as to suggest the idea of a new division ; and they were therefore gradually added as discovered to Asia, whence the progress of discovery in these parts commenced and extended. But when the great Southern Ocean was more fully explored, the extent of land found in that quarter, and its distance from the other continent pointed out, the necessity of a separate division, which accordingly has been proposed by some eminent geographers, is beginning now to be generally adopted, under the names of Australasia and Polynesia. Under Australasia, or Southern Asia, they comprehend all the countries to the south of Asia, viz. the continent of New Holland, the islands of New Guinea, of New Zealand, of New Britain, of New Caledonia, Van Diemen's Land, Re. And under Po lynesia, (a name derived from a Greek term, signil'• ing many,) is included the numberless islands situated between Asia and America ; the Pclew Isles, the La drones, the Carolines, the Sandwich Isles, the Mar quesas, the Society Isles, and the Friendly Isles. After the detachment of these two remote extensive groupes, the islands of Asia, like those of Africa, Europe, and America, become sufficiently distinct and appropriate, and are reduced to such as proximity of situation natu rally attaches to the Asiatic continent. They obviously divide themselves into those of the Mediterranean, and those of the Pacific Ocean. In the Mediterranean are situated Rhodes, Cyprus, and the isles of the Grecian Archipelago. In the Pacific Ocean is the island of Cey lon, at the extremity of the Indian peninsula. The is lands of the Indian or Oriental Archipelago, under which are comprehended the isles of Sunda, or the Su matrian chain, the chief of which are Sumatra and Ba tavia; the island of Borneo ; the Manillas or Philip pines, of which the principal are Luzon, and Minda nao ; the Celebezian Isles, and the Spice Islands, in cluding the Moluccas. The Japanese Islands, on the Sea of China, forming the empire of Japan. The large and lately discovered island of Tothosk, in the Sea of Kamschatka, with many others too small and unimport ant to be enumerated.