They depend chiefly on foreign nations for their manufactured articles. Their merchants are mostly of the enterprising christians of the surrounding nations. Their exports are silks, carpets, Morocco skins, galls, coffee, balm, balsam, rhubarb, sal-ammoniac, turmerie, frankincense, myrrh, opium, &c. &c.

Religion. The religion of the Turks is the Mahometan ; but it is said that two thirds of the inhabitants in European Turkey are Greek Christians. The Mufti or Mahometan Pontiff resides at Constantinople. There are various ranks among the Turkish clergy, somewhat resembling the bishop and parochial clergy of the Christian world.

Manners and Customs. The Turks are moderate in eating and drinking, lovers of rest and idleness. Polygamy is a universal practice among them. Either party may dissolve the marriage contract at pleasure. The man seldom sees his bride till after the ceremony, the business being negociated by female friends. The dead are perfumed with incense, and buried in a cloth open at top and bottom, that the deceased may sit up and converse with the angels of death.

Government. The sultan is a despotic sovereign, but strictly subject to the laws of the Koran, which includes the national religion and laws.

Army. The Turkish army consists of 200,000 infantry and 181,000 cavalry. Their navy is ill constructed, and consists of about 15 ships of war.

Cities. CONSTANTINOPLE, the capital of this great empire, is situated on the European side of the Bosphorus. It was built upon the ruins of the ancient Byzantium, by the Roman emperor, Constantine the Great. It became afterwards the capital of the Greek empire, and having escaped the destructive rage of the barbarous nations, it was the greatest as well as the most beautiful city in Europe, and the only one during the Gothic ages, in which there remained any image of the ancient elegance in manners and arts. It is a place of trade, and abounds with antiquities. The wall which surrounds the seraglio is thirty feet high, having battlements, embrasures, and towers, in the style of ancient fortifications. The population is estimated at 400,000, of which 200,000 are Turks, 100,000 Greeks, and the remainder Jews, Armenians, and Franks.

ADRIANOPLE, formerly the seat of the Turkish empire in Europe, is next in dignity. The inhabitants of Sosia are 70,000. Silistria, on the Danube in Bulgaria, contains 60,000 inhabitants. Bucharest, the chief city of Walachia, has the same number. Jasa and Bender have 10 or 12,000 inhabitants each; Belgrade, capital of Servia, has about 25.000 inhabitants. Barjaluka contains 18,000 souls, and Salornia 60,000; Larissa, an inland town, 25,000.

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Antiquities and Curiosities. Almost every spot of ground, every river, and every fountain in Greece, presents the traveller with the ruins of a celebrated antiquity. Out the Isthmus of Corinth, the ruins of Neptune's temple, and the theatre where the isthmean games were celebrated, are still visible.

History. In European Turkey is included the ancient. states of Greece and Macedon. The people of these states, so celebrated in history, for their government. polities and revolutions, were, on the commencement of the Christian era, lost in the general conquests of the Romans. To the last remains of the Grecian or eastern empire, the Turks put a final period by the conquest of Constantinople, in 1453. But their military institutions have now lost their energies, and the zeal of their religious imposture has abated. Their ill compacted empire is sinking under its own weight. The Russians have become far too pow erful for the Turks; and the Turkish empire seems tottering to its fall.

ISLANDS BELONGING TO THE TURKISH EMPIRE, BEING PART OF ANCIENT GREECE.

NEGROPONT, the ancient Euboea, on the eastern coast of Achaia or Livadia, is 90 miles long, and 25 broad. The chief towns in the island are Negropont, called by the Greeks Egripos, on the southwest coast of the island, on the narrowest part of the strait; and Castel Rosso the ancient Craystus.

LEMNOS, or STALIMENE, lies on the north part of the Egean Sea or Archipelago, and is almost a square of 25 miles in length and breadth, and has 8,000 inhabitants,

TENEDOS is remarkable only for its lying opposite to old Troy. It has a town of the same name, and has 2000 inhabitants.

SCYROS is about 60 miles in circumference, and is remarkable chiefly for the remains of antiquity, which it contains; about 300 Greek families inhabit it.

LESBOS, OF MYTELENE, is about 60 miles long, and is famous for the number of philosophers and poets it produced. The inhabitants are 40,000 in number, and were formerly noted for prodigality.

SCIO, or CHIOS, lies about 80 miles west of Smyrna, 1000 miles in circumference. Though rocky and moun tainous, it produces excellent wine. It is inhabited by 100,000 Greeks, 10,000 Turks, and about 3000 Latins. It has 300 churches, besides chapels and monasteries; and a Turkish garrison of 1400 men. The women of this, and almost all the other Greek islands, have, in all ages, been celebrated for their beauty, and their persons have been the most perfect models of symmetry to painters and statuaries. Among the poets and historians said to be born here, the inhabitants reckon Homer, and shew a little square house which they call Homer's school.

SAMOS lies opposite to Ephesus, 30 miles long and 15 broad. This island gave birth to Pythagoras, and is inhabited by Greek Christians. It is supposed to have been the native country of Juno; and some travellers think that the ruins of her temple and of the ancient city of Samos are the finest remains of antiquity in the Levant.

To the south of Samos lies PATMOS, about 20 miles in eircumference, but so barren and dreary, that it may be called a rock, rather than an island. It has, however, a convenient haven; and the few Greek monks who are upon the island shew a cave where St. John is supposed to have written the Apocalypse.

The CYCLADES islands lie in a circle round Delos, the chief of them, which is almost midway between the continents of Asia and Europe. Though Delos is not above

6 miles in cireumference it is one of the most celebrated of all the Grecian islands, as being the birth place of Apollo and Diana, the magnificent ruins of whose temples are still visible. It is almost destitute of inhabitants. PAROS lies between the islands of Luxia and Melos.

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Like all the other Greek Islands, it contains striking and magnificent ruins of antiquity.

CERIGO, OF CYTHERA, lies southeast of the Morea, and is about 50 miles in circumference, chiefly remarkable for being the favorite residence of Venus.

SANTORIN is one of the most southern islands in the Archipelago. Though seemingly covered with pumice stones, yet through the industry of the inhabitants, who are about 10,000, it produces barley and wine, with some wheat. One third of the people are of the Latin church, and subject to a Catholic bishop. Near this island another arose of the same name, from the bottom of the sea, in 1707. At the time of its birth there was an earthquake, attended with dreadful lightnings and thunders, and boilings of the sea for several days, so that when it arose out of the sea it was a mere volcano, but the burning soon ceased. It is about 200 feet above the sea; and at the time of its first emerging, was about a mile broad, and 5 miles in circumference, but it has since increased.

The famous island of RHODES is situated in 36° 20′ N. lat. about 20 miles southwest of the continent of Lesser Asia. The chief town of the same name, stands on the side of a hill fronting the sea, and is 3 miles in circumference interspersed with gardens, minarets, churches, and towers. The harbor is the grand Signior's principal arsenal for shipping, and the place is esteemed among the strongest fortresses belonging to the Turks. The colossus of brass, which anciently stood at the mouth of the harbor, and was 50 fathoms wide, was deservedly accounted one of the wonders of the world. It has 36,500 inhabitants.

CANDIA, the ancient CRETE, is still renowned for its 100 cities, for its being the birth place of Jupiter, the seat of legislature to all Greece, and many other historical and political distinctions. It lies between 35 and 36° of N. latitude, almost equally distant from Europe, Asia, and Africa. The famous mount Ida stands in the middle of this island.

CYPRUS lies in the Levant sea, about 30 miles distant from the coast of Syria and Palestine. It was formerly famous for the worship of Venus, the Cyprian goddess; aud during the time of the crusades, was a rich, flourishing

kingdom, inhabited by Christians. It has 81,000 inhab

itants.

The islands of the Ionian sea, are Sapienza, Stivali, Zante, Cephalonia, Santamaura, Corfu, Fannu, and others of smaller note.

ASIA.

Situation, Extent. THE continent of Asia is situated east of Europe, and lies between the 'equator and 80° of N. latitude. It is about 7583 miles in length from the Dardanelles on the west, to the eastern shore of Tartary; and about 5250 miles in breadth, from the most southern part of Malacca, to the most northern cape of NovaZembla.

Boundaries. It is bounded by the Frozen ocean on the north; on the west it is separated from Africa by the Red sea, and from Europe by the Levant or Mediterranean, the Archipelago, the Hellespont, the sea of Marmora, the Bosphorus, the Black sea, the river Don, and a line drawn from it to the river Tobal, and from thence to the river Oby, which falls into the Frozen ocean. On the east it is bounded by the Pacific ocean, or South sea, which separates it from America ; and on the south by the Indian ocean; so that it is almost surrounded by the sea.

Population. Asia contains 380,098,000 inhabitants. Climate. This immense tract of country stretches into all climates, from the frozen wilds of Siberia, to the sultry regions of India.

Seas, Gulfs, &c. The principal of these are the Red sea, or Arabian gulf, between Arabia and Africa, the gulf of Ormus, washing the southern coast of Persia; the Persian gulf, between Persia and Arabia; the bay of Bengal, indenting the coast of India; the inland seas of Caspian, Aral, and Baikal ; and various other gulfs, bays, and inlets. The Caspian sea is 630 miles long and 260 broad. It has a strong current; is subject to violent storms. Its waters are brackish. It abounds with fish and sea dogs.