is one of the three general parts of our continent, and one of the four of the whole earth. It is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean sea, the Archipelago, the Black Sea, the Palus Mecotis, the Don, and the Dwina, which fall into the White Sea; and from Africa, by the Arabic Gulph or Red Sea, and the Isthmus of Suez. All the other parts are surrounded by the ocean. The late discoveries show that it does not join to America, though it extends very near it. It is situated between 44 and 196 degrees of east longitude, and 1 and 74 degrees of north latitude. From the Dardanelles to the most eastern shore of Tartary, it is 4740 miles in length; and from the most southern point of Malacca to the most northern point of Nova Zembla, it is 4380 miles in breadth. It may be divided into the following parts: Turkey in Asia, Arabia, Persia, the Mogul's Empire, with the two peninsulas of the India; Tibet, China, and Korea; Great and Little Bucharia, with Korain; Tartary, Siberia, and the islands. The principal governments are generally monarchial. Turkey, Persia, the Mogul's Empire, and China, are subject to single monarchs; the rest are divided among several sovereigns. Siberia is subject to the Russians; Little Tartary to the Tartars of the Crim; Great Tartary, partly to the Russians, partly to its own monarch, and partly to China. Great Bucharia is subject to the Persians; and Little Bucharia, partly to the Tartars, and partly to the emperor of China. As to the number of the potentates, there are seven emperors, thirty kings, besides petty princes, and the rajahs of India. The emperors are, the grand signior, the great mogul, the emperor of Japan, the khan of the Eluth Tartars, the emperor of Russia, the emperor of China, and the shah of Persia. The principal kings are, the sheriffs of Mecca and Medina; the fellars of Yemen, or Arabia the Happy; the grand lama of Tibet; the kings of Vipone, Ava, Siam, Tonquin, Cochinchina, Korea, Ceylon, Borneo, &c.

The principal religions of Asia are, the Christian, the Mahomedan, the Pagan, and that of Confucius. The Christian religion is professed in some parts of Asiatic Turkey, part of Little Tartary, the north-west part of Persia, and by the Russians in Siberia. The Mahomedan is established in Arabia, Persia, Little Tartary, Bucharia, and the Mogul's empire. It likewise begins to spread along the coast of India, and in the islands. The Pagan religion, by which we understand that wherein images are used, or wherein the worship of the Deity is mixed with that of idols, is professed by the bulk of the inhabitants of the Mogul's empire, in both the peninsulas of India, in China and Siberia, in the islands of Asia, in all Western Tartary, in Tibet, and in all the countries between India and China. The religion of Confucius is established in China. Formerly the religion professed in Tartary was downright Deism, as appears from the history of Jenghiz Khan; but the inhabitants of that country are now sunk in the grossest superstitions.

The languages of Asia are so many, that we cannot pretend pretend to enumerate them all; and therefore we shall only mention the chief. The principal of Turkey in Europe, are the Grecian and Turkish; the Armenian is spoken in part of Turkey in Asia and Persia; the Arabic is the only tongue in Arabia, and is spread over part of Turkey in Asia, as a learned language. The Persian is used in Persia, and the court of the great mogul. The Indian is spoken in India, by the ancient inhabitants of that country. The Malayan language is common on the coast of India, and in some of the islands; the Siamese in Siam; the Tibetan in Tibet; the Manchew in China and eastern Tartary; and the Tartarian in Great Tartary. Besides these, there are several distinct languages in Siberia and the islands of Asia. The characters they make use of in writing are almost as different as the languages, having each characters of their own, except the Chinese, which are used in Japan as well as China, as also in Tonking and Cochin-China.

The chief rivers of Asia are, the Euphrates and Tigris, in Turkey; the Indus and Ganges, in India; the Kiang and Hoang-ho, in China; the Sir Amu and Wolga, in Western Tartary; the Saghalia Ula or Amur, in Eastern Tartary; the Irtish, Oby, Jenica, and Lena, in Siberia. The lakes are, that prodigious one called the Caspian Sea; and near that another very large one, but lately known to us, called Aral, or the lake of eagles. The Baykal is in Siberia, the Kokonor near Tibet, and the Tong Ping in China. The chief mountains are, the Taurus in Turkey and Persia; the Imaus, between India and Tibet; and the Altay, in Tartary.

The Asian islands are very numerous, innumerable that some reckon 150,000; but of this there is no certainty. However, they may be divided into those of the east, west, south, and south-east. Those that lie on the east of Asia are, the islands of Jefio or Yeddo, and Japan, with several small ones on the coast of Korea, the island of Formosa, and the Philippines. Those on the west, are the island of Cyprus, in the Mediterranean; Scanderoon, off Natalia, and the isle of Rhodes, off Phifchio, on the same coast. Those on the south are, the isles of the Maldives, in the Indian Sea; the isle of Ceylon, off cape Komorin; with a great many small ones in the gulf of Bengal. Those on the south-east are, the isles of Sandi, as Sumatra, the isles of Java, Borneo, &c., the Moluccas, the isles of Kumba, Timor, &c. See all these articles in their proper places.