QUESTIONS.

What is its By what 5 What lakes What into the

What is said of the Russian empire? What does it comprehend? whole extent and population? How is Russia in Europe bounded? seas is it bordered? What mountains and rivers divide it from Asia? in Russia? What rivers run into the Black sea from Russia? Caspian? What, into the White sea and Arctic ocean? What, into the Baltic and the gulf of Finland and Riga? What are the extent and population of Russia in Europe? What kind of a surface has it and what does it embrace? What makes the rivers peculiarly navigable? Which is the colder side of Europe, the east or west? What of the soil in Russia and the raising of cattle? What of the agriculture and manufactures and exports? Are ignorance and barbarism extensive in Russia? Is the state of learning improving? Are many foreigners employed as teachers? What of the established religion? The government? What is the sovereign styled? What is the metropolis and where situated, and by whom founded? How is it further described? How populous? How many cities in Europe are larger than St. Petersburg? What is its port? Where is Moscow and how described? Riga? Odessa? Cherson? Astrachan ? How does it communicate with St. Petersburg? Where is Archangel? Abo? What is said of Finland and the Fins ? Where are the Don Cossacks? Where is the peninsula of Crimea ? Where are the following towns: Revel? Novgorod? Kieu? Kazan? Orel? Orenburg ? Minsk ? Smolensk? Kalonga? Toola? Oufa? Twer? Vogolda?

ASIA.

Length, 8,000 ms Breadth, 4,000.-Extent, 16,000,000 sq. ms.-Pop. 600,000,000 (See note, p. 223.)-37 per sq. m.

QUESTIONS.

See map of Asia and of the World.

Is Asia in north or south latitude? In east or west longitude? Between what degrees of lat. and long. is it situated? Ans. Between 20 and 770 north lat. and between 260 and 1900 east long. What cape at the northern extremity of Asia? What peninsula at the southern? What are the boundaries of Asia? What mountains and river on the north-west separate it from Europe? What four large seas border it on the west ? What isthmus connects Asia with Africa? What strait connects the Red sea with the Indian ocean? What gulf between Arabia and Persia? What two small gulfs on the west coast of Hindoostan? What cape and large island at the south of Hindoostan? What large bay between Hindoostan and Birman empire? How is the gulf of Siam bounded on the north? What strait between Malacca and the island of Sumatra ? Ans. Strait of Malacca. What four or five seas on the east coast of Asia, between Malacca and Kamschatka? What gulf connected with the China sea on the north-west? What strait between the Blue sea and the sea of Corea? What channel or strait between the sea of Corea and the sea of Okhotsk ? What on the north-east divides Asia from America ? What large island in the Asiatic ocean, north-west from Siberia? What two small seas south-east from Nova Zembla? What are the extent and population of Asia? How many inhabitants to a square mile? Is Asia equal in extent to the whole of America? Does it contain about half of the whole population of the globe? What is the large northern division of Asia called? What are the bonndaries of Siberia or Asiatic Russia? What four western divisions bordering on the Black, Caspian, Mediterranean, or Red sea? What are the boundaries and capital of Independent Tartary? Of Persia? Of Asiatic Turkey? Of Arabia? What two countries lie between Hindoostan and Persia? What are the boundaries and capital of Afghanistan? Of Beloochistan? In what part of Asia are Hindoostan and Birman empire or Chin India, how bounded and what are the capitals? Why is Talacca a peninsula and how bounded? In what part of Asia is China, how bounded and where is the capital? Chinese Tartary and how bounded? What are the boundaries of Thibet? What vast empire do Thibet and Chinese Tartary belong to? How would you

bound the peninsula of Corea? Of Kamschatka? Which way from China is the empire of Japan? Of what three principal islands is this empire composed? Where is Tonquin ? Cochin China? Cambodia? Between what two seas are Circassia, Georgia and Mingrelia ?

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

PART FIRST.

NATURAL FEATURES-MOUNTAINS-DESERT-RIVERS

CLIMATE-SOIL.

Asia is the largest grand division of the globe, and embraces the most numerous population. It is distinguished for the general serenity and salubrity of its climate, the fertility of its soil, the variety and richness of its plants, spices, gems and minerals, and is unrivalled for the antiquity, importance and interesting nature of its history. It was in Asia, that the original human pair were formed by the Divine hand, and placed in the Garden of Eden, the Paradise of their joys and the scene of their apostacy. In Asia, amidst the general deluge, mankind were miraculously preserved in the family and immediate descendants of Noah, who, from the mountains of Ararat and the plains of Shinar, were dispersed over the face of the earth, to be the first fathers and founders of the nations. In Asia, the venerable Jewish patriarchs performed their pilgrimages, the prophets proclaimed the will of Heaven, the Saviour lived, died and rose again, the apostles began to publish the Gospel and laid the foundations of the Christian Church. Asia is also considered the birth place of literature and of the arts and sciences, which in modern ages, have been brought to greater maturity and perfection in Europe.

Among the natural features of Asia, one of the most remarkable is the elevated central region which includes Thibet and Chinese Tartary. This forms an extensive table land, bordered around by three lofty ranges of mountains; on the north the Altay, on the west the Belur Tag, and on the south, the Himmaleh. The Altaian chain is the longest on the globe, next to the grand American chain. It extends about 5,000 miles from the sea of Aral in Independent Tartary, in an east or north-east direction, to the sea of Okhotsk on the Pacific ocean. It separates Chinese Tartary from Siberia, and its greatest height is about two miles or 11,000 feet above the level of the sea. The Himmaleh have the name of being the highest mountains in the world. They extend south-easterly from Independent Tartary, to the north shores of the bay of Bengal, dividing Thibet from Hindoostan. Dawalageri the most elevated peak is about five miles high. The Belur Tag separates Chinese from Independent Tartary and connects the Altaian with the Himmaleh chain.

The Caucasian mountains extend across between the Black and Caspian seas. The Touris chain traverses from west to east the northern part of Turkey. Mount Ararat which stands as a monument of the

universal flood, is in Armenia on the north-west of Persia. The great desert of Cobi or Shamo, is one of the most extensive and elevated deserts on the globe, being about 9,000 feet above the level of the sea, 2,000 miles in length, 500 in breadth, and about 900,000 square miles in extent.

Asia is watered by several noble rivers, the largest of which compare in size with the second class of American rivers, being about 2,000 miles in length. Of this description are the Oby, Yenisei and Lena, in Siberia, the Amoor in Chinese Tartary, and the Kiang Ku and Hoangho, in China. The principal rivers running south into the Arabian sea and the bay of Bengal, are the Euphrates, Indus, Ganges, Burrampooter and Irawaddy, which are not far from 1,500 miles in length.

As the territory of Asia extends from the frozen regions on the north to the equatorial or hot regions on the south, it of course embraces a great variety of climate. The climate of the mountains and high table lands in the centre, is very cold for the latitude and far colder than that of France and other European countries in corresponding lati. tudes. While some elevated tracts further south within the Torrid zone, are favored with a most salubrious and delightful climate through the year. This is true of the lofty plains or vales among the Himmaleh mountains and the table lands of Southern India, where the summers are mild and grateful, vegetation is continually verdant, and the scenes are those of a perpetual spring. The south-western portion of Asia is rendered peculiarly hot and sultry, by the influence of the winds from Africa.

The soil in Asia is equally various with the climate. The Siberian lands on the north consists extensively of barren plains and marshes. The high central tracts of Tartary are rendered so dry and cold by their situation, as to be, to a vast extent, perpetually sterile and desolate. A great proportion of Eastern Asia is fertile, especially China, sustaining an immense population. Southern Asia, on both sides of the bay of Bengal, is generally of an alluvial soil and very luxuriant, and has long been considered the garden of the east. On the south. west in Arabia, there are large tracts consisting of barren, sandy deserts. In Western Asia, much of the land round the shores of the Mediterranean, and the Black and Caspian seas and the Persian gulf, is by nature pleasant and fruitful.

QUESTIONS.

See the map of Asia and the above description.

Which is the largest and most populous grand division of the globe? For what is Asia distinguished? What are some of the great events which have taken place in Asia ? What region of Asia is the most elevated? By what mountains is the large central table land surrounded? How long is the Altaian chain? In what direction does it extend? What two countries are separated by it? What its height? What is said of the Himmaleh mountains? Between what two countries are they? What is the name of the principal peak and how high? How is the Belur Tag de

scribed? Where are the Caucasian mountains? The Taurus? The Ararat? For what is it remarkable? Where are the Ural mountains? The Gauts? The Stannavoi? Where is the great desert of Cobi or Shamo? How is it described? About how long are the largest rivers of Asia? What three rise in the Altay mountains and descend into the Arctic ocean? What three flow into the Pacific ocean from Chinese Tartary and from China? What are the principal rivers running south? What is about their length and where does each rise and empty? Does Asia embrace a great variety of climate? What is said of the climate on the high lands of the centre? What parts of Asia are described as enjoying a most delightful ciim te? What is said of the soil? What kind of lands are on the north? What in the central tracts of Tartary? What of the soil in eastern Asia? In southern Asia ?

In the south-west part? In Western Asia?

PART SECOND.

RACES-LANGUAGES-NATIVE CHARACTER-CIVILIZATION-EDUCATION AND LEARNING.

Several of the Asiatic tribes resemble the European race, or the people of the United States, in personal form, complexion and features. Of this description are the inhabitants of Western Asia, or all the nations located west of the river Oby, the Belur Tag mountains and the river Ganges. The nations of Eastern Asia or those east of the Oby, and the Ganges for the most part belong to what is called the Mongul or Asiatic race. The personal appearance of these people, especially the Chinese and Japanese, may be described as follows. Their stature is lower than that of the European race and their form less regular and comely. The hair black, strait and coarse; the face square and flat; the complexion of the skin, yellow, tawny or olive, with high cheek bones, flat nose and small black eyes.

The most radical and prominent languages of Asia, are the Chinese, Tartar, Malay, Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit and Bali. In these lan guages most of the sacred and other books are written. And, though they are not all extensively spoken in their original purity, they are the parents of most of the vernacular tongues, or are blended with the nu. merous dialects in common use. The number of the different Asiatic dialects, is estimated at about 1,000.

In respect to the native character of the people of Asia it may be remarked, that many of the more northern nations are constitutionally hardy, active and brave; while the nations of southern Asia have in general, been characterized by comparative indolence, effeminacy and weakness; so that from age to age, they have been exposed to the vio. lent and successful incursions of the tribes of the north. The south. ern Asiatics, however, are represented as excelling the northern, in natural ardor of feeling, sprightliness of imagination, literary taste, and ingenuity in arts and manufactures.

With regard to knowledge and civilization in this quarter of the globe, it may be said, that the nations along the shores of the Arctic ocean are generally in the savage state, having no fixed dwellings, and but little acquainted with agriculture and the arts, living a wandering life and subsisting usually by fishing and hunting. But the Asiatic na. tions in general belong either to the barbarous or to the half civilized

class of mankind. The people of Tartary, and the greater proportion of Siberia and Arabia are reckoned among the barbarous tribes. They are accustomed to the pastoral manner of life, are nourished chiefly by the milk and flesh of their cattle, live in moveable tents, and go from place to place as suits their convenience. They have some insti tutions of government and religion and some knowledge of the me chanical arts, but make little or no use of books or a written lan. guage.

The half-civilized nations are those of Turkey, Persia, China, Japan, Hindoostan, Burmah, Afghanistan and Beloochistan. These have some books and learning, some forms of government, religion and law, and are well skilled in some of the useful arts; but they are generally averse to modern improvements, strangers to true politeness and refinement of manners, and are rude and barbarous in many of their customs. Woman is here the slave of man. The general state of education and learning in Asia, is much inferior to what is found in Europe. In the Mahometan countries, as Arabia, Persia, Afghanis tan and Turkey, there are numerous schools under the instruction of the Moolahs or priests, and the leading object in those schools is to teach the young how to read and write the classical Arabic of their bible, the Koran; but whether they are made to understand the meaning of the language, or not, is often esteemed a matter of indifference. Thousands thus learn to read and write letters and words, but remain in gross ignorance; and still greater multitudes are destitute even of such an education.

In Hindoostan, Burmah, China and especially in Japan, instruction in common schools is encouraged.

QUESTIONS.

Which of the Asiatic tribes resemble the European race, in their personal appearance? Which belong to the the Tartar or Chinese race? What description is given of their persons? What are the most prominent languages of Asia? What is supposed to be the number of the different dialects? What is the natural character of many of the northern nations of Asia? What of the southern Asiatics? In what respect do the latter excel the former? Which of the Asiatic nations are generally in the savage state? Which are reckoned among the barbarous tribes living a wandering, pastoral life? Which are the half civilized nations of Asia ? What is said of the general state of education and learning here, compared with what it is in Europe? In what countries are there many schools under the care of the Moolahs or priests? What is the leading object in those schools? Do many learn to read the letters and words of the Koran without understanding their meaning? In what Asiatic nations is common school education encouraged?

PART THIRD.

AGRICULTURE-PRODUCTS OF THE SOIL-MANUFAC TURES-NAVIGATION AND COMMERCEGOVERNMENTS.

From various causes, the art of Agriculture, among most of the Asiatics, has long been in a low and declining state. The corrupt and