PREFACE. To the philosopher, the antiquarian, and the naturalist, ASIA is, in several respects, the most important Quarter of the Globe. It includes kingdoms, of which, till lately, the names were nearly all we knew; their extent of territory and population, their modes of government, internal resources, produce, manufactures, and wealth, all lying buried beneath a cloud of obscurity, which European ingenuity had not been able to pierce. Until of late years, this was the case with the vast empire of China; but the embassy of Lord Amherst, and the intercourse opened by commerce, together with the residence and travels of individuals in such parts as Oriental policy had rendered accessible, have, in a certain degree, unveiled the mystery, and given new life to enterprise and inquiry. Our acquaintance with that empire has also been considerably increased, by the enlargement of our Indian territory in the kingdom of Nepaul on one side, and in our approaches towards Persia on the other. M171838 The accounts we now possess of Egypt and the Holy Land will also be found more copious and accurate than any of prior date. It is worthy of remark, that the Travels of Dr. Clarke, Mr. Legh, &c. though terminating in Asia, commenced in Europe; but it should be considered, that any division would have interrupted the order, which, by being preserved, throws much light upon various circumstances and events which form a connexion with the whole. |