GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF THE WORLD, AND OF THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS. INTRODUCTION. AMONG all the sciences, there is not one more interesting and essential than that of GEOGRAPHY; for without a knowledge of GEOGRAPHY, no person can appear in SOCIETY with respectability, or read even a daily NEWSPAPER with profit. GEOGRAPHY is a description of the EARTH.-In every Geographical description, two things are to be considered; namely, the form of the EARTH, and its position in the HEAVENS. The materials of the description are surveys and astronomical observations, whereby the properties of places are determined. The properties of places are either terrestrial or celestial. The terrestrial properties are figure, dimension, and situation. The celestial properties are the rising and setting of the stars, the vicissitudes of day and night, the variety of the seasons, and other phenomena. The manner of describing the EARTH is two-fold; namely, by a MAP or a GLOBE, and by Explanation or Treatise. The natural figure of the EARTH is that of a GLOBE, from which it differs only in size; so that the GLOBE may properly be called the EARTH in miniature. VOL. 1. The MAP OF THE WORLD, which is given above, has a two-fold object; it represents the WORLD as known before the DELUGE, and as it is known at the present time. The HISTORY OF THE WORLD before the FLOOD is very short, and principally confined to the "Creation of the World," and the FALL of the first PARENTS OF MANKIND. All that we know of this period is to be found in the BIBLE; for what is found in PROFANE WRITERS, is little more than a confused heap of palpable absurdities. It may, however, be gathered from the writings of Moses, that the WORLD before the FLOOD was very populous, and the manners of the inhabitants extremely licentious. The length of their lives was remarkable; but whether the ARTS and LETTERS flourished among them cannot now be known. It is, however, imagined, that they excelled in AGRICULTURE, and had made a very considerable progress in the study of NATURE. The only places that are described by MOSES, as existing before the Flood, are the TERRESTRIAL PARADISE, or GARDEN OF EDEN; the LAND OF NOD, and MOUNT ARARAT. B The situation of the GARDEN OF EDEN, however, where our first parents were placed, has been much disputed; the most probable conjecture is, that it was seated between the Euphrates or Pison, and the Tigris or Gileon rivers, north-west of the Persian Gulf, a little north of the present Bassorah. The AUTHORS that have treated this subject with the best reputation, are HUET, BOCHART, CALMET, and WELLS. The first city built upon the EARTH was ENOCH, the founder of which was CAIN; but nothing certain is known of its site, further than it was situated north-east of the GARDEN OF EDEN, supposed to have been in or near latitude 32o, N.; and longitude 49o, E.; about midway between it and the present ISPAHAN. In settling the CHRONOLOGY of this first age of the WORLD, the only authority upon which we can rely, is that of MOSES. The first profane writer who wrote a History of the Ante-diluvian World, was SANCHONIATHON, a Phænician, who also wrote a complete History of the PHŒNICIANS. ADDRESS. BEROSUS, a Chaldean, who lived in the days of ALEXANDER THE GREAT, is said, also, to have written a HISTORY from the CREA-AT the time when the value of KNOWLEDGE is so very generally TION of the World, and to have divided the series of the Chaldean KINGS, before the FLOOD, into ten generations. According to his method of counting, his Chronology comes very near to that of MOSES, admitted, to attempt to prove so obvious a truth by much argument, would naturally appear superfluous; for, happily, there are not many to be found, in the present day, who are so ignorant, as not to be apprized of its inestimable WORTH. The design of this work is to call the attention of mankind to those objects most worthy of their regard, and to shew what branches of KNOWLEDGE are the most useful, and what are merely ornamental; at the same time, to give a brief, but comprehensive view of the whole, and to point out the best and the most ready means of attaining them. The EDITOR is well aware that several works of a similar form and price, and admirably conducted, are in course of publication, the end of which is to diffuse general information. His intention, however, is to go more extensively into the same beneficial pursuit ; but by a new, direct, and more certain road, one which is left un P 3 Philippine Isles. explored. R Russia S 1 Siam S 2 Sumatra T 1 Turkey T 2 Tartary T 3 Tibet T 4 Timor M 6 Madeira Islands S 1 Soudan S 2 Sennaar S 3 St. Helena T 1 Tunis T 2 Tripoli T 3 Timbuctoo WESTERN HEMISPHERE. N. A.-NORTH AMERICA. B 1 British Posses sions B 2 Bermudas R S C 1 Canada U M 1 Mexico M 2 Martinique Newfoundland Russian Posses sions To explore the regions of KNOWLEDGE, then, it will be our PLAN, to set out by a consideration of the first fruitful TREE that we may meet with in the journey; and before collecting its fruit, to inquire into its history, to learn its origin, its progress, and its uses: hence, the STUDENT will be led to commence at the bottom of the TREE, to climb upwards, and to gather the fruit as he proceeds, as a deserved reward of his labours. It must be remembered, that EDUCATION, in all the branches of ART, should be made analogous to the gradual and direct process of NATURE, as in rearing the germ of the ACORN throughout its advances until it becomes the majestic ОAK. In like manner, it should be made to resemble the work of the BUILDER, who begins at the foundation of the STRUCTURE; who makes each course of STONE OF BRICK to answer the double purpose of filling its own proper station in the BUILDING, and of preparing directly and immediately for the next course. If we have not wholly misunderstood the dictates of PHILOSOPHY, this gradual, direct, and constant progress should appear in all works like the present, thus expressly dedicated to the purposes of INSTRUCTION. To begin, then, with the foundation, and, of course, with that which is most essential to the STRUCTURE we would raise, we want a primary GUID, containing the principles of general science, written in such a manner, and with such observations and remarks as may form a KEY to the whole. With this preparation, |