they had under the Ruffian government on the banks of the Wolga, and the laick, at a small distance from the Cafpian fea, and, in a vast body of 50,000 families, they paffed through the country of the Hafacks. After a march of 8 months, in which they furmounted innumerable difficulties and dangers, they arrived in the plains that lie on the frontier of Carapen, not far from the banks of the river Ily, and offered themfelves as fub*jects to Kien-long, Emperor of China, who was then in the 36th year of his reign. He received them graciously, furnished them with provifions, clothes, and money, and allotted to each family a portion of land for agriculture and pafturage. The year following there was a fecond emigration of about 30,000 other Tartar families, who allo quitted the fettlements they enjoyed under the Ruffian government, and fubmitted to the Chinese fceptre. The Emperor caufed the hiftory of the emigrations to be engraven upon tone, in four different languages.

The British court sent an Ambassador (Earl Macartney) to the Emperor of China, to establish and promote a friendly intercourse between the two nations, in the year 1792, who returned in 1794, without fuccefs.

INDOSTAN, HINDOOSTAN, or INDIA on this fide the GANGES.

ΤΗ

Situation and HIS fine country, one of the Boundaries. S most celebrated in the world for its antiquity, population and opulence, is fituated between 660 and 92° 30′ of eastern longitude, and be-" tween the 8th and 36th degrees of northern latitude, and is confequently partly in the torrid,. and partly in the northern temperate zone.

It is washed on the southwest, by that part of the Indian Ocean called the Arabian Sea; on the southeast, by another large inlet of the fame ocean, called the Bay of Bengal; and bounded on all other fides by Perfia, Independent

Independent Tartary, Thibet, and India beyond the Ganges.

The principal divifions of this country, as they flood in 1782, are as follow, viz. The Briti poffeffions; States in alliance with Britain; Tippoo Saib's territories; Mahratta States and their tributaries; and the territories of the Subah of the Deccan.

British Poffeffions.] The Britifh poffeffions contain about 150,000 square Britifh miles (which is about 18,000 more than is contained in Great Britain and Ireland) and about ten millions of inhabitants. They confift of three diftinct governments, viz.

Government of Calcutta or Bengal-On the Ganges. Government of Madrass-On the coaft of Coromandel, Government of Bombay-On the Gulf of Cambay. Air and Seafons.] The winds in this climate generally blow for fix months from the fouth, and fix from the north. April, May, and the beginning of June, are exceffively hot, but refreshed by fea breezes; and in fome dry feafors, the hurricanes, which tear up the fands, and let them fall in dry fhowers, are exceffively difagreeable.

Rivers.] Of the rivers of Indoftan three far exceed the reft in magnitude and utility; the Indus, the Gan ges, and the Burrumpooter.

The Ganges is one of the finest rivers in the world. It is revered by the Hindoos as a deity that is to wash away all their stains. The entire courfe of the Ganges is 2100 miles.

Population, Inhabitants, Religion, &c.] The Mahometaris, who are called Moors, of Indoftan, are computed to be about ten millions, and the Indians about 100 millions.

The original inhabitants of India are called Gentoos, or, as others call them, Hindoos, and the country Hindooftan. They pretend that Brumma, who was their legiflator both in politics and religion, was inferior only to God, and that he existed many thousand years before our account of the creation.

The foundation of Brumma's doctrine confifted in the belief of a Supreme Being, who created a regular gradation of beings, fome fuperior and fome inferior to man; in the immortality of the foul, and a future state

of

of rewards and punishments, which is to confit of a tranfmigration into different bodies, according to the lives they have led in their pre-existent state,

The

The Hindoos have, from time immemorial, been divided into four great tribes. The first and most noble tribe are the Bramins, who alone can ociate in the priesthood, like the Jewith tribe of Levi. The fecond in order is the Sittri tribe, who, according to their original inftitution, ought to be all military men. third is the tribe of Beife, who are chiefly merchants, bankers, and banias or thopkeepers. The fourth tribe is that of Sudder, who ought to be menial fervants; and they are incapable of railing themselves to any fuperior rank.

Befides this divifion into tribes, the Gentoos are also fubdivided into cafts, or smaller claffes and tribes; and it has been computed that there are eighty-four of thefe calls.

The custom of women burning themselves upon the death of their hufbands, ftill continues to be practifed among fome of high caft and condition, though much lefs frequently than formerly.

The Gentoos are as careful of the cultivation of their lands, and their public works and conveniences, as the Chinese; and remarkably honeft and humane. There is fcarcely an inftance of a robbery in all Indostan, though the diamond merchants travel without defenfive

weapons.

Their perfons are straight and elegant, their limbs finely proportioned, their fingers long and tapering, their countenances open and pleasant, and their features exhibit the most delicate lines of beauty in the females; and in the males, a kind of manly foftnefs. Their walk and gait, as well as their whole deportment, is in the highest degree graceful.

The Gentoos marry early, the male before fourteen, and the female at ten or eleven years of age. A man is in the decline of life at thirty, and the beauty of the women is on the decay at eighteen. At twenty-five they have all the marks of old age. We are not there fore to wonder at their being foon ftrangers to all perfonal exertion and vigour of mind; and, whatever may

be

be the caufe, a recent traveller among them obferves, it is certain, that death is regarded with lefs horror in India, than in any other country in the world. The origin and the end of all things, fay the philofophers of India of the prefent times, is a vacuum. A ftate of repofe is the ftate of greatest perfection; and this is the state after which a wife man afpires. It is better, fay the Hindoos, to fit than to walk, and to sleep than to wake; but death is beft of all.

Fort St. George, better known by the name of Madrafs, is the capital of the English East India Company's dominions in that part of the East Indies, and is distant foutheastward from London, about 4800 miles.

Near Bombay are feveral islands, one of which, called Elephanta, contains the moft inexplicable antiquity perhaps in the world. A figure of an elephant, of the natural fize, cut coarfely in ftone, presents itfelf on the landing place, near the bottom of a mountain. An easy flope, then leads to a ftupendous temple, hewn out of the folid rock, 80 or 90 feet long, and 40 broad. The roof, which is cut flat, is fupported by regular rows of pillars, about ten feet high, with capitals, refembling round cushions, as if preffed by the weight of the incumbent mountain. At the farther end are three gigantic figures. Befides the temple, are various images, and groups on each hand, cut in the ftone; one of the latter bearing a rude refemblance of the judgment of Solomon; alfo a colonnade, with a door of regular architecture; but the whole bears no manner of refemblance to any of the Gentoo works.

The PENINSULA of INDIA beyond the GANGES, called the FARTHER PENINSULA.

Miles.

Length 20007

Breadth 1000

between {92° & 109° E.lon.
& 30° N. lat. Į

Boundaries.] T

}

Sq. Miles

741,500

HIS peninfula is bounded by Thibet and China, on the North; by

China and the Chinese Sea, on the Eaft; by the

fame

fame Sea and the Straits of Malacca, on the fouth; and by the Bay of Bengal and the Hither India, on the west. The fpace between Bengal and China is now called the province of Mecklus.

The name of India is taken from the river Indus, which, of all others, was best known to the Perfians. The whole of this peninfula was unknown to the ancients, and is partly fo to the moderns.

Rivers. The chief are Sanpoo or Burrumpooter, Domea, Mecon, Menan, and Ava, or the great river Nou Kian.

Bays, &c.] The Bays of Bengal are, Siam, and Cochin China. The ftraits of Malacca and Sincapora.

Soil.] The foil of this peninfula is fruitful in general, and produces all the delicious fruits that are found in other countries contiguous to the Ganges, as well as roots and vegetables; and, in Ava, a quantity of faltpetre, and the best teek timber, or Indian oak, which, for fhip-building in warm climates, is of much longer duration than any European oak. Teek fhips, 40 years old, are no uncommon objects in the Indian feas. This peninsula abounds likewife in filks, elephants, and quadrupeds, both domeftic and wild, that are common in the fouthern kingdoms of Afia. The natives drive a great trade in gold, diamonds, rubies, topazes, amethyfts, and other precious ftones. Tonquin produces little or no corn or wine, but is the most healthful country of all the peninfula.

Hiftory.] The firft conqueror of the whole of this country, was Jenghis Khan, a Tartarian Prince, who died A. D. 1226. In 1399, Timur Bek, by conquest, became Great Mogul. The dynasty continued in his family till the conqueft of Tamerlane in the 15th century, whofe defcendants have poffeffed the throne from that time; but Kouli Khan, the famous Sophi of Perfia, confiderably diminished the power of the Moguls, carried away immenfe treasures from Delhi; and, fince that event, many of the Rajahs and Nabobs have made themfelves independent.