elevated or extensive, no where exceeding 4000 feet, and not comprehending more than 1,700,000 square miles. In length, the two together extend about 5500 miles from west to east, and vary in breadth from 700 to 2000 miles. Unfortunately, little is at present known of the natural history and productions of this country. The climate, from the great elevation, is very cold, yet a vegetation adorns many parts of it, and the wild horses, in large droves, pasture on the more fertile portions. That it was once the abode of numerous and civilized nations, appears from the remains of temples and sepulchres found on some of the mountains. The present Mongolian population are wandering tribes, professing the religion of the Dalai-Lama, and keeping immense flocks of horses, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats, and therefore, plentifully provided with all the necessaries of life, and, indeed, raised far above many other nations in their habits and customs. being better known. The caravans which have traversed | The most western, the plateau of Iran or Persia, is not so these desolate regions from the remotest antiquity, being constantly exposed to their destructive violence. All travellers who have crossed these plains, have described the precursors and the appearance of the storm in similar terms: a more death-like stillness in the air, a lurid light, and those optical phenomena mentioned in p. 36, announce the approach, and the coming clouds of sand are seen in the horizon. If the direction of the wind brings them towards the caravan, and sufficient time is not allowed for escape, the riders, dismounting from their camels and horses, throw themselves flat on their faces, closing the mouth and eyes to keep out the suffocating particles, and the vapour which carries them. The camels instinctively bury their noses in the sand for the same purpose, while the horse, unless inured to it by experience, and trained to take the same precaution, suffers fearfully, if not fatally. When the danger is passed, and the bewildered fainting traveller rises from his constrained position, he often finds all the known landmarks swept away, which were to guide him on his path, his associates dead from fatigue, heat, or suffocation, or if he escapes these calamities, his provisions, his clothes, his stock, are usually much injured, if not destroyed by the sand, which is so subtile and penetrating, as to enter every package, however closely secured and guarded. We have endeavoured to convey an idea of the appearance of a sand-storm and its effects, in the engraving at the beginning of this paper. THE TABLE LAND OF CENTRAL ASIA. BETWEEN the thirtieth and fiftieth parallels of latitude from the Caspian Sea to Lake Baikal, and from the sources of the Indus to the wall of China, is an immense TableLand, parts of which are the highest spots, not being mere peaks of mountains, on the globe. Generally it consists of an assemblage of naked mountains, enormous rocks, and vast plains, the principal of which latter is the Desert of Kobi, or Shamo. These table-lands form two distinct tracts, differing in extent and elevation: the most eastern, comprising the plateau of Thibet, and the great desert of Kobi or Gobi, rises from 4 to upwards of 10,000 feet above the level of the sea, and contains about 7,000,000 square miles. The desert of Kobi resembles that of Africa, consisting of a mass of barren sand, incapable of cultivation, and nearly destitute of water from the absence of vegetation. THE tribes who overran the Roman empire, and came from the East, the Huns, Avars, and Alani, are supposed to have emigrated from this Table-Land of Asia; and some of the Gothic tribes, as they are called, came from a more limited plain of Europe, Jutland, and Denmark, which, though now peopled, yet preserves some of its natural characters, and is marked out by extensive heaths, which still present an obstacle to all cultivation. Why these un inviting districts should have been so apparently over peopled that emigration was rendered necessary, when the rest of the known world was comparatively under-populated, is a mystery in history which there is no means of fully explaining: it may be partly accounted for by the peculiar nature of the physical geography of this central region, which presents facilities of communication, and varieties of soil and climate, favourable to the spread of population. Its present comparative solitude is due to moral causes, to which we have not space to do more than allude. LONDON: Published by JOHN WILLIAM PARKER, WEST STRAND; and sold by all Booksellers. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. PRICE ONE PENNY. the first settlements in Egypt were made by Misraim, grandson of Ham, 160 years after the flood. Probably most of the early migrations of mankind were made by land; for not only the ocean, but even a channel, or frith, of any considerable extent, would, in the infancy of society, be invested with enough of terror to deter the unpractised wanderer from trying so dangerous a path to discovery. The colony that Misraim led to Egypt, probably preferred to cross the isthmus of Suez, rather than tempt the dangers, fearful indeed to them, of the Mediterranean and Red Seas. We may, however, safely conclude, that the inventive genius of man did not rest very long without attempting to find some way to surmount the obstacles to human intercourse and the settlement of the world, interposed by rivers and arms of the sea, and the still more formidable ones presented by the ocean itself. Doubtless, traditions, and probably some remains of knowledge relative to Noah and the ark, continued long to exist among his descendants. These would suggest the practicability of forming structures which would form a safe means of conveyance across rivers and arms of the sea, as the ark had over the waters by which the world was covered. The first attempts at ship-building and navigation after the Deluge, were probably the construction of rafts and canoes, and the guiding of them, with more or less skill, over the rivers that impeded the huntsman in his pursuit of the chase, or the channels and arms of the sea that interrupted the communication between the occupants of opposite shores. Under these circumstances it would soon be found that the water, instead of impeding the intercourse of men with one another, furnished far better means and far greater facilities for carrying on that intercourse, than the land. Hence maritime intercourse between comparatively distant cities on the same coast would arise, and the commodities of one would be exchanged for those of the other. The conve nience of water as a means of transporting these commodities would become more and more obvious, as their commercial operations became more extensive, and this would excite increased attention to the arts of ship-building and navigation. In the course of the voyages thus made, new discoveries would from time to time occur, and these would stimulate the spirit of enterprise to more active efforts, and give it a higher tone. In this way we may safely conclude, that the foundation was laid for the advancement of commerce, and for the many splendid discoveries, which have attended and rewarded the enterprise of subsequent ages. Like all other arts the arts of ship-building and navigation were at first very imperfect. Naval operations which, in subsequent ages, would have been considered as unworthy of mention, were, in the earlier ages of antiquity, regarded with such wonder that the conducters of them were deified, and the names of the ships themselves transferred to the constellations of heaven. With many of the great principles and operations in navigation, which are now considered as the very elements on which that science is founded, the ancients were wholly unacquainted. The property of the magnet, by which it attracts iron, was known to them, but that more important property, by which it points to the poles, had entirely escaped their observation. They had no other means of regulating their course than the sun and stars. Their navigation of course was uncertain and timid. They seldom ventured far from land, but crept along the coast exposed to all the dangers and retarded by all the obstructions incident to a course so circuitous and so liable to interruption. A voyage which would now scarcely require weeks, then required months for its completion. Even on the calm waters of the Mediterranean they ventured to sail only in summer, and few indeed were the hardy spirits that did not shrink back as they thought of encountering the wild waves of the Atlantic. Winter laid an embargo on all their maritime operations. To put to sea at that season would have been deemed the height of rashness. The art of ship-building appears to have made much more rapid progress than that of navigation. The account of the commerce of Tyre, given in the twenty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel, affords strong evidence that the Tyrians had made no small advances in this art, and it is reasonable to conclude that the naval and commercial operations in which the Tyrians and other ancient nations were engaged, would stimulate them to devise. various means of increasing the strength, and speed, and conve nience of their ships. The Romans transported from Egypt to Rome obelisks formed out of a single stone, of a length and size so enormous, that it is questionable whether they could have been put on board any modern ship whatever. This fact shows that the Roman ships must have been large and strong, and that a considerable degree of skill must have been exhibited in their construction. The following account of one of the ancient ships is given by Athenæus. "It had forty ranks of oars, was four hundred and twenty-seven English feet in length and fifty-seven in breadth, and nearly eighty feet in perpendicular height from the taffrel to the keel. It was furnished with four rudders, or steering-oars, forty-five feet in length, and the longest of the oars by which it was impelled, were in length equal to the extreme breadth of the vessel. The crew consisted of upwards of 4000 rowers, and at least 3000 other persons employed in the different occupations connected with navigating so immense a fabric." The earliest mode of conducting commerce was doubtless by caravans, which as appears from Scripture were known as early as the days of Joseph, and the merchants to whom he was sold probably belonged to a caravan. The earliest commerce with India, of which we have any authentic account, was carried on in this way by the merchants of Arabia and Egypt. The Mediterranean and Red Seas were the scene of the first commerce carried on by water. This would naturally be the case, as those seas border on the countries where the human race was first planted, countries in former days distinguished for the richness and variety of their productions. The first people of whose maritime commerce we have any authentic and distinct account, are the Egyptians. They are said, soon after the estabishment of their monarchy, to have opened a commerce with the western coast of India, though of the extent of this commerce we know but little. It appears, however, that its flourishing period was short, for pursuits of this kind were by no means congenial to the spirit of that proud and self-sufficient people, who regarded themselves as superior to all other nations, and their country as superior to all other countries Thus considering themselves the first of men, they looked down with contempt on other nations, and were disposed to stand at a haughty and repulsive distance from them. Sea-faring men were regarded by them with a feeling bordering on contempt. Their manners and institutions differed widely from those of other nations. Possessing a character, and cherishing a spirit, so entirely the reverse of that which commerce is calculated to form and to foster, it is not strange that they soon retired from the theatre of commercial enterprise, and left it to be occupied by a people possessing more of that free and social spirit which commerce requires. THE miseries of indolence are known only to those who have no regular pursuit; nothing in view, however eager, or arduous; nothing by which time may be shortened by occupation, and occupation rendered easy by habit.BISHOP MANT. To endeavour to gain the perfect happiness promised in the next world, is the surest way to gain the greatest happiness this present world can bestow.-LA HARPE. SEEK not proud riches, but such as thou mayest get justly, use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly. -BACON. THE lands and houses, the goods and chattels, which the parent bequeaths to his child in the hour of death, are scattered, and consumed, and swallowed up, by the rude assault of time; but the imperishable inheritance of a sound, religious education, is a treasure, which, throughou the fiercest changes and storms of life, bears the richest and surest of fruits. THE world is much mistaken in the vale of a septre or a crown; we gaze upon its brightress, and get its brittleness; we look upon its glory, and forgets frailty; its weight. we respect its colour, and take o notice But if all those gay things which we fedly fancy to ourselves, are really to be found in greats, yet still he pays too dear, that pawns his heaven for he that buys dred years' pur a short bliss, gives not twenty, or an h -SANCHOTT. chase, but (if mercy prevent not), etery The Conisborough estate subsequently passed from the family of Warren to Richard, Earl of Cambridge, who assumed the name of Richard of Conisborough, in consequence, it is said, of the castle having been his birth-place. After his death it passed into the hands of his grandson, King Edward the Fourth, and remained in the possession of the crown for more than two centuries, when it was given by James the Second to Lord Dover. It afterwards became the property of the family of its present possessor, the Duke of Leeds. AMONGST the many noble examples of the archi- | narrative which they give must be looked upon as tectural skill of our forefathers, which yet remain in fabulous*. this country, there are few which possess a higher claim upon our interest than the majestic Castle of Conisborough, which, after a lapse of nearly one thousand years, still uprears its head; a visible relic of another time; a connecting link between the past and the present. If even the most insignificant memorial of former ages affords materials for thought to a reflecting mind, how much more should a ruin like that of Conisborough, which has by many been considered the most important of the few remaining strong-holds of our Saxon ancestors yet to be found in this country, engage the attention of the lover of history and antiquities. Of late years, however, Conisborough has acquired an interest of a new, and it may be safely affirmed a lasting character, from its being chosen by Sir Walter Scott for one of the principal scenes of his romance of Ivanhoe. first Eal of W The origin of this Castle is unknown. Tradition assigns a very remote antiquity, whilst several modern ancquaries seem disposed to attribute the foundation of the present structure to William, the rren, to whom the surrounding estate wasgranted William the Conqueror. It is, however, disputable, that a strong-hold of some sort existed here during the times of the Saxons. Geoffrey of Sonmouth, and some of our old historians, indeed, preceding the Son invasion Britain, but the ave carried bak its origin to a period The historical records of Conisborough Castle are unusually scanty and imperfect, and the period when it fell to decay, like that of its origin, can only be guessed at. The plan of the structure, which must once have been of considerable extent and importance, is irregular, though rather inclining in form to an oval. The entire strong-hold, which crowns the summit of an elevation, was surrounded by an extensive fosse or ditch, still in many places forty feet deep, but now destitute of water, and full of According to these writers, "Hengist, the first Saxon invader, being defeated in this neighbourhood by the British Commander Aurelius Ambrosius, in the year 487, was obliged to take refuge in walls. Near the entrance to the castle is a tumulus, which is said this castle, and hazarding a second engagement, was killed below its to cover the body of this chief; but Turner, the eminent historian northern counties at alb of the Anglo Saxons, as well as other writers of high authority, are of opinion that he never, at any time, penetrated into the lofty oaks and elms: on the northern side, however, | five or six feet in diameter and height;" its mouth is where the entrance was placed, the fosse is completely filled with rubbish. Before the invention of artillery, the castle must have been almost impregnable, but in later times, in consequence of the superior height of the neighbouring eminence on which the village of Conisborough is situated, it must have been greatly reduced in consequence, to which we may attribute its ultimate desertion. The remains, as far as they can be traced, extend about 700 feet in circumference; but the chief object of interest is the magnificent tower; the subject of our engraving; in describing which we shall avail ourselves of the substance of a very curious paper which appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine for the year 1801. This noble round tower is strengthened by six massive square buttresses, running from the base to the summit at equal distances. Eighteen feet from the ground, both the tower and buttresses expand, sloping gradually to the width of four feet, in order to give greater strength to the base The tower is situated at the south-eastern extremity of the castle, two-thirds of it being within the walls, which rest against it. The other face forms of itself the outward wall, and here the entrance, which is twenty-four feet from the ground, and ascended to by a flight of thirty-two steps, is situated. On a level with this door is a floor, on which we enter through the wall, which is here fifteen feet thick, and at each buttress twenty-three feet. It is an undivided apartment, twenty-two feet in diameter, of circular form, as is the whole interior of the structure. The wall is quite plain, and wholly destitute of any aperture for light except the entrance. In the centre of the floor is a round hole, resembling the mouth of a well, which, however, forms the only entrance into a lower apartment, or dungeon, from whence, according to tradition, there was a subterraneous passage from the castle. Ascending by a flight of twenty-five stone stairs from the entrance-passage, lighted by two loop-holes, we reach the level of another apartment, but the floor has entirely fallen away. The fire-place, which is deserving of minute attention, is surrounded by a triple pillar on each side, with carved capitals supporting a chimney-piece twelve feet long, now partly ornamented with ivy. Opposite, is a large arched window, ascended to by three bold steps. The only other objects in this room are a closet, and a niche and trough in the wall, which is here 134 feet thick. An ascent of thirty-four steps leads to the next room, which has also a fire-place. Few persons ascend further than this, as the upper room is exceedingly difficult and dangerous of access, being only to be reached by venturing along a narrow ledge scarcely nine inches broad. On at last gaining an entrance, (says the writer,) the certain antiquity of the chamber, and the idea that here, perhaps, our warlike ancestors had offered up their prayers, or buckled on their armour, or taken their repose, filled us with a pleasing awe and veneration, that was heightened to superstition by a charming sound like that of an Eolian harp, which we both distinctly heard at several intervals, unable to conjecture how it was occasioned. This beautiful room is of hexagonal proportion, and the ceiling is composed of a series of arches "decorated in the Gothic manner." It is very imperfectly lighted, there being only one large loop-hole or aperture in the wall, six feet in height, which diminishes in width from six feet on the outer wall of the tower, to thirty inches in the inner. The ceiling and other parts of this interesting chamber have been richly ornamented with carved-work, which is now much defaced; but the room is sufficiently perfect to afford a vivid idea of the state of the castle in the olden time. Our antiquaries next ascended by a flight of twenty-five stone-stairs to the summit of the tower, which commands a prospect of exceeding richness and beauty, over field and flood. The buttresses, as depicted in our Illustration, rise several feet higher than the walls; in one of them appear steps; three others each contain a large arched alcove, whilst in a fifth is" a broad place exactly resembling an oven, two feet square, and is on a level with a passage, which seems to have run round the tower. The wall is here ten and a half feet thick, so that it diminishes eighteen inches at every floor. The height of the three rooms we have described is 52 feet, and the total height of the buttresses 86 feet, but they have formerly been of loftier elevation. The village of Conisborough is of very high antiquity; by the Britons it was called Caer Conan, and by the Saxons Cyning, or Conan Burgh, both signifying a royal town; it must once have been a place of some importance, as it is handed down that it was the seat of a civil jurisdiction, which comprised twenty-eight towns. This picturesque village stands, as we have already stated, on a lofty elevation, about six miles to the south-west of Doncaster, overlooking a rich and wooded country, through which the river Don meanders with a life-like effect. The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter, is an ancient and remarkable structure, exhibiting the several characteristics of the Norman, the early English, and the later or decorated styles of architecture; so that it has evidently been built at different periods. The monuments are not destitute of interest, and a singular stone, carved with hieroglyphics, has frequently excited the attention of the antiquary. The following account of a feast in the olden time, is framed and hung up in a room at an inn in this village; it exhibits a curious example of the change which has taken place in the value of money. The expenses of Sir Ralph de Beeston and Sir Gunon de Baldriston of Conisborough, on Monday, the morrow of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, in the fourteenth year of King Edward the Second, A.D. 1321. TIME speeds away-away-away: |