from the Trojan horse of the poets, have iffued fo many confummate warriors, whofe domain has extended at least from the banks of the Iliffus to the mouths of the Ganges. On your left are the beautiful and celebrated provinces of Iran, or Perfia; the unmeasured, and, perhaps, unmeafurable deferts of Arabia; and the once flourishing kingdom of Yemen, with the pleafant ifles that the Arabs have fubdued or colonized and farther westward, the Afiatick dominions of the Turkish fultans, whofe moon feems approaching rapidly to its wane. By this great circumference the field of your useful refearches, will be inclofed: but, fince Egypt had unquestionably an old connexion with this country, if not with China; fince the language and literature of the Abyffinians bear a manifeft affinity to thofe of Afia; fince the Arabian arms prevailed along the African coaft of the Mediterranean, and even erected a powerful dynasty on the continent of Europe; you may not be displeased occafionally to follow the streams of Afiatick learning a little beyond its natural boundary. And if it be neceffary or convenient, that a short name or epithet be given to our Society, in order to diftinguish it in the world, that of Afiatick appears both claffical and proper, whether we confider the place or the object of the inftitution; and preferable to Oriental, which is, in truth, a word merely relative, and though commonly used in Europe, conveys no very diftin&t idea.

If now it be afked, what are the intended objects of our inquiries within these spacious limits, we anfwer, MAN and NATURE; whatever is per

4

formed

formed by the one, or produccd by the other. Human knowledge has been elegantly analyfed according to the three great faculties of the mind, memory, reafon, and imagination, which we conftantly find employed in arranging and retaining, comparing and diftinguishing, combining and diverfifying, the ideas which we receive through our fenfes, or acquire by reflection; hence the three main branches of learning are hiftory, Science, and art. The first comprehends either an account of natural productions, or the genuine records of empires and states; the fecond embraces the whole circle of pure and mixed mathematics, together with ethicks and law, as far as they depend on the reasoning faculty; and the third includes all the beauties of imagery, and the charms of invention, difplayed in modulated language, or reprefented by colour, figure, or found.

Agreeably to this analysis, you will investigate whatever is rare in the ftupendous fabrick of nature; will correct the geography of Afia by new obfervations and difcoveries; will trace the annals, and even traditions, of those nations, who, from time to time, have peopled or defolated it; and will bring to light their various forms of government, with their inftitutions civil and religious. You will examine their improvements and methods in arithmetick and geometry, in trigonometry, menfuration, mechanicks, opticks, aftronomy, and general phyficks; their systems of morality, grammar, rhetorick, and dialectick; their skill in chirurgery and medicine; and their advancement, whatever it may be, in anatomy and chymistry. To this you will add researches into their agricul

ture,

ture, manufactures, trade; and, whilst you inquire with pleasure into their musick, architecture, painting, and poetry, will not neglect those inferior arts by which the comforts, and even elegancies, of focial life are fupplied or improved. You may observe that I have omitted their languages, the diverfity and difficulty of which are a fad obftacle to the progrefs of useful knowledge; but I have ever confidered languages as the mere inftruments of real learning, and think them improperly confounded with learning itself: the attainment of them is, however, indifpenfably neceffary; and if to the Perfian, Armenian, Turkish, and Arabick, could be added not only the Sanferit, the treafures of which we may now hope to fee unlocked, but even the Chinese, Tartarian, Japanese, and the various infular dialects, an immenfe mine would then be open, in which we might labour with equal delight and advantage.

Having fubmitted to you these imperfect thoughts on the limits and objects of our future Society, I requeft your permiffion to add a few hints on the conduct of it in its present immature state.

LUCIAN begins one of his fatirical pieces against hiftorians with declaring, that the only true propofition in his work was, that it should contain nothing true; and, perhaps, it may be advisable at firft, in order to prevent any difference of fentiment on particular points not immediately before us, to establish but one rule, namely, to have no rules at all. This only I mean, that in the infancy of any fociety, there ought to be no con

finement,

You

finement, no trouble, no expenfe, no unneceffary formality. Let us, if you please, for the prefent, have weekly evening meetings in this hall, for the purpose of hearing original papers read on fuch fubjects as fall within the circle of our inquiries. Let all curious and learned men be invited to fend their tracts to our fecretary, for which they ought immediately to receive our thanks: and, if, towards the end of each year, we should be supplied with a fufficiency of valuable materials to fill a volume, let us prefent our Asiatick mifcellany to the literary world, who have derived fo much pleasure and information from the agreeable work of Kampfer, than which we can scarce propose a better model, that they will accept with eagerness any fresh entertainment of the fame kind. will not, perhaps, be difpofed to admit mere tranflations of confiderable length, except of fuch unpublished effays or treatifes as may be tranfmitted to us by native authors: but whether you will enrol, as members, any number of learned netives, you will hereafter decide, with many other queftions as they happen to arife: and you will think, I prefume, that all questions should be decided, on a ballot, by a majority of two thirds; and that nine members fhould be requifite to constitute a board for fuch decifions. These points, however, and all others, I fubmit entirely, gentlemen, to your determination, having neither wish nor pretenfion to claim any more than my fingle right of fuffrage. One thing only, as effential to your dignity, I recommend with earneftness, on no account to admit a new member, who has not expreffed a voluntary defire to become fo; and in that cafe you will not require, I fuppofe, any other

qualification

qualification than a love of knowledge, and a zeal for the promotion of it.

Your inftitution, I am perfuaded, will ripen of itself; and your meetings will be amply fupplied with interefting and amufing papers, as foon as the object of your inquiries fhall be generally known. There are (it may not be delicate to name them, but there are) many from whofe important ftudies I cannot but conceive high expectations. And, as far as mere labour will avail, I fincerely promife, that, if, in my allotted sphere of jurifprudence, or in any intellectual excurfion that I may have leisure to make, I fhould be fo fortunate as to collect, by accident, either fruits or flowers which may feem valuable or pleasing, I fhall offer my humble Nezr to your Society with as much respectful zeal as to the greatest potentate on earth.