Next to the history of the United Kingdom, the history of France claims the attention and investigation of the stu dent, both on account of its connection with the history of these islands, and on account of the relative importance of that state in Europe. Under the article FIrANCE will be found a sketch of its history, as full as the limits and na ture of this work will allow, accompanied by a statistical account of that country, which, as we have already remark ed, ought always to be read in conjunction with history. The early portion of the history of France admits of and requires elucidation, from a knowledge of the manners, laws, &cc, of the ancient German tribes, nearly as much as the early history of Britain ; the article GERMANY, there fore, may be profitably consulted for that purpose. After the affairs of France cease fora time to be intimately inter woven with the affairs of England, its history becomes connected with, and therefore may be elucidated by, the history of Austria under the Emperor Charles V. and by the histoi y of Italy. During the 17th and the early part of the 18th centuries, the history of France requires a re ference to the histories of the Netherlands and of Spain. From the commencement of the war between Britain and France in 1744 to the present time, the histories of the two countries are mutually illustrative of each other.
The history of Spain, perhaps, both on account of its re lation to the histories of Britain and France, and on account of the importance of that kingdom in the scale of Europe, at least during a certain period, next claims the investiga tion of the student. Besides the article SPAIN, the article ARABIA may advantageously be consulted, in elucidation of the manners, customs, &c. and the early history of the peninsula. After the expulsion of the Moors, the histories of France, Spain, and Italy, from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 16th centuries, are intimately con nected. As the discovery of the new world happened at that period, the articles AMERICA, MExrco, and PERU, ought to be consulted for an account of the transactions of the Spaniards there. Soon afterwards the history of this country becomes connected with that of the Netherlands. After the separation of the United Provinces from Spain, its history may be chiefly elucidated by the histories of Portugal, Italy, France, and Britain. The history of Por tugal admits of little elucidation from the history of any other country except Spain ; the articles AFRICA and ASIA, however, may be consulted for a brief account of their discoveries and settlements in these quarters of the globe.
As an introduction to the history of the German king doms and states, the article GERMANY ought to be perused: this will prepare the way for the history of Austria, illus trated in its progress by the histories of Switzerland, Ita ly, France, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, and the Ne therlands : the history of Prussia, illustrated by the history of Brandenburgh, Russia, Austria, and France ; the history of Bavaria, Saxony, &c. The account of the Reformation, given in the article ECCLESIASTICAL History, ought to be consulted, with reference not only to the history of Germa ny, but also to those of Britain, France, and the Nether lands, during the 16th and part of the 17th centuries. The history of Russia will receive elucidation from the histo ries of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, and Persia. The article SCANDINAVIA ought to be consulted
for a general view of the manners, customs, laws, &e. and early history of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. These countries, besides mutually illustrating the history of one another, will receive elucidation principally from the his tory of Russia and Germany. Under the article N•THEn LANDs, will be found the history of that country, not only while it remained undivided, but also of the United Pro vinces, and of the new kingdom, which has reunited the whole seventeen provinces. That portion of the history of this country, which properly relates to the United Pro vinces, will receive elucidation from the history of Spain, France, and England, during nearly the whole of the pe riod, from the establishment of their independence till they were merged in the kingdom of the Netherlands. The comparatively pacific history of SWITZERLAND admits of illustration, in no important degree, except from the his tory of Austria, during the very early period of the esta blishment of its independence, till, like nearly all the other states of continental Europe, its history becomes involved in the revolutionary history of France.
The general account of ITALY ought to be consulted previous to the histories of Naples, Sicily, Venice, Tusca ny, the Popcdom, &c.; and these will be elucidated by the histories of France, Spain, Austria, and Turkey. The his tory of the Popedom, indeed, both in its ecclesiastical and civil character, is so intimately connected with the history of all the European kingdoms, (except Russia and Poland,) till the Reformation, that it ought to be studied carefully ; for this purpose the article EoeLrsinsTicAL History may be consulted. The history of Poland will be elucidated principally by that of Turkey, Austria, and Russia.
Respecting the histories of the kingdoms of Asia, Afri ca, and America, our notices must be very short. Of course, before the history of any particular country in any of these divisions of the globe is studied, the description of that particular division, under its proper head in this work, ought to be consulted. Turkey, from its connection with the histories of Austria, Poland, and Russia, claims perhaps the first notice. The history of Arabia, illustrat ed by the life of Mahomet, is an interesting object of stu dy, not only on account of the conquests and literature of the Arabs, but also from the connection of their history with that of the Peninsula. Though the history of CHINA has little or no connection with the history of any European state, yet the peculiarities of its inhabitants must render its history interesting Under that article will be found not only an accurate and well-proportioned abridgment of the history, but also a very faithful and detailed description of the manners, language, institutions, &c. of that singular country. Since the middle of the last century, the history of INDIA has become so intimately connected with the his tories of France and Britain, and that country at present forms so large and valuable a portion of the British empire, that its modern history ought to excite considerable inter est, even though its ancient history, and the character of its inhabitants, and their laws, institutions, &c. did not put forth strong claims to our attention. For an account of the histories of the other kingdoms of Asia, ive must barely refer our readers to the articles of PERSIA, BIRMAN EM