ISLANDS BELONGING

TO

ASIATIC RUSSIA.

Isles. THESE were formerly divided into the Aleutian, Andrenovian, and Kurilian groups, with the Fox isles, which extend to the promontory of Alaska in North America. The Aleutian isles, on the east of Kamtchatka, were multiplied by the early navigators as they saw them in different directions, but are now reduced to only two worth notice, Beering's isle, and Copper isle. The Andrenovian isles may be regarded as the same with the Fox islands, being the western part of the same range: if they must be distinguished, the Andrenovian, form a group of six or more isles, about 500 miles to the southeast of Beering's*. It appears that the Fox and Andrenovian isles are a kind of elongation of the American promontory of Alaska, and may more justly be reserved for the description of North America, late English navigators having dispelled many doubts concerning the real position of these isles. Beering's isle and Copper isle, are both uninhabited, and do not merit particular descriptionf.

Kurilian. The Kurilian isles extend from the southern promontory of Kamtchatka towards the land of Jesso and Japan, being supposed to be about twenty in number, of which the largest are Poro Muschir and Mokanturu. Several of these isles are volcanic; and some contain forests of birch, alder, and pine. Most of them swarm with foxes of various colours. Even after the discoveries of La Perouse it is difficult to distinguish what particular isles in the south of this chain are implied by the Russian appellations. If Matmai be the land

Coxe, Russian Disc. 25. but he says the north-east.

†The Andrenovian isles have almost vanished from English maps and charts, which only admit the Aleutian or Fox islands; and the Russian navigators must have erred grossly in their observations.

of Jesso, Tshikota may be Staten Land and Kunassyr the Company's Land; but it seems more probable that this last is Ourop, and that Jesso is Etorpu. The discoveries are too imperfect to admit of decision; and it would even appear that the Russian navigators had, with their usual confusion, described the same islands under different names. The inhabitants of the Kirulian isles seem to be of similar origin with the Kamtchadals; and in the interior of some, is a people called hairy Kurilians, from what circumstance is not explained.

CHINESE EMPIRE.

IN the last century the Chinese emperors, of the Mandshur race, extended this wide empire over many western countries, inhabited by wandering hords of Monguls, Mandshurs, and Tatars; and established such firm influence over Tibet, that the Chinese empire may now be considered as extending from those parts of the Pacific ocean called the Chinese and Japanic seas, to the rivers Sarasou and Sihon in the west*, a space of eighty-one degrees, which taking the medial latitude of thirty degrees, will amount to nearly 4,200 geographical, or 4,900 British miles. From north to south, this vast empire may be computed from the Uralian mountains, latitude fifty degrees, to the southern part of China, about latitude twenty-one degrees, being twenty-nine degrees of latitude, 1,740 geographical, or nearly 2,030 British miles.

Divisions. This empire therefore consists of three principal divisions; that of China proper; the territory of the Mandshurs and Monguls, on the north and west; and lastly the singular and interesting region of Tibet or Tibbet. These countries are not only so wide and important, but are so radically different in the form of government, in the manners, and other circumstances, that it will be proper to describe each apart.

This supposes that the great hord of Kirguses, who only pay homage to China, are included. But the mountains of Belur Tag, and the Palkati or Balkash lake, seem never to have been passed by the Chinese. About 200 British miles of medial length may, in this case, be subtracted.

PART I.

CHINA PROPER.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY.

NAMES. EXTENT.—BOUNDARIES.

ORIGINAL POPULATION.—PROGRESSIVA GEOGRAPHY. HISTORICAL EPOCHS-ANTIQUITIES.

Names. THIS distinguished region is by the natives styled Tchon-Koue, which signifies the centre of the earth, as they proudly regard other countries as mere skirts and appendages to their own. After the conquest of the northern part by the descendants of Zingis, it was styled Cathay, a name loudly celebrated in travels, poetry, and romance; while the southern part was known by the appellation of Mangi. The origin of the name of China, or Tsin, seems uncertain, but the connexion between this word and the Sine of the ancients appears imaginary, the country of the Sinx being shewn by Gosselin to be much further to the west. The Mahometan travellers of the ninth century, published by Renaudot, (the authenticity of the work being now undoubted,) called this country Sin, but the Persians pronounce it Tchin*.

Extent. China proper extends from the great wall in the north, to the Chinese sea in the south, about 1140 geographical, or 1330 British miles. The breadth from the shores of the Pacific to the frontiers of Tibet may be computed at 814 geographical, or nearly 1030 British miles. In square miles the contents have been estimated at 1,297,999, and in acres at 830,719,360f.

Bounnaries. On the east and south, the boundaries are maritime, and to the north they are marked by the great wall, and the desert of Shamo; the confines with Tibet on the west seem to be chiefly indicated by an ideal line, though occasionally more strongly

* English translation. Remarks, p. 40. f Macartney's Emb. iii, Appen.

VOL. II.

marked by mountains and rivers: particularly, according to D'Anville the river Yalon, which falls into the Kian-ku, the country of Sifan lying between Tibet and China, on the south of the Eluts of Kokonor.

Original Population. The population of China seems wholly aboriginal, but the form of the features appears to imply intimate affinity with the Tatars, Monguls, and Mandshurs; yet the Chinese probably constitute a fourth grand division, not strictly derived from either of these barbaric races.

Progressive Geography.

The progressive geography of China, as known to the western nations, is not of ancient date, whether with D'Anville we suppose the Sine to have been in Cochin China, or with Gosselin place them in the western part of Siam. The most ancient external relation which we possess, is that of the two Mahometan travellers in the ninth century, who surprise us with accounts of barbarism and canibalism little to be expected: but the Arabs are so fond of fables, that implicit credit may be safely withheld from several passages. Yet these travellers impart high ideas concerning the Chinese empire, and mention Canfu, supposed to be Canton, as a city of great trade, while the emperors resided at Camdan, which seems to be the city also called Nankin, or the Southern Court, in contradistinction from Pekin or the Northern Court. This wide empire continued, however, obscure, to the inhabitants of Europe till the travels of Marco Polo appeared, in the thirteenth century. Yet the work of this traveller remained so unknown that Pope Pius II, in his description of Asia*, is contented with the more imperfect account by Nicola Conti, a Venetian traveller of his own time who visited Cathayf. Haitho the Armenian, who wrote his book on the Tatars about the year 1306, begins with an account of Cathay; and Oderic of Portenau described his voyage to China 13184. Our Sir John Mandeville visited China about 1340; and Pegoletti gave directions for the route in 1335||. But in the following century there seems to have been a strange and unaccountable intermission of intercourse and research, if we except the travels of Nicola Conti abovementioned; and so perishable was the knowledge acquired as to have escaped even a learned pontiff. After this relapse of darkness, the rays of more genuine and authentic knowledge gradually emerged by the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, and the subsequent enterprises of the Portuguese.

HISTORICAL EPOCHS. The Chinese history is said to commence, in a clear and constant narration, about 2,500 years before the birth of Christ. The founder of the monarchy is Fo-Hi; but the

* P. 18—28. Edit. Paris 1534. Pius wrote about 1450.

f Cathay had been before faintly known to Europeans, from the Travels of John de Piano Carpini 1245, and of Rubruquis, 1251. The account of the latter in particular is interesting, as he visited Cathay by the route uf Karakum, the capital of the Mongul empire, placed by D'Anville on the Ongui Muren, but by Fischer in his history of Siberia on the east side of the river Orchon, abour 150 British miles to the north-west.

Forster's Disc, in the north, p. 147.

Ibid. 150. The original is to be found in a work entitled Delia Decima, edelta altrc %ravezze Lisbona e Lucca, 1776, 4to.