The Kanzas news., 1858-03-20

=
climate; but the mountain slopes in the south
are more genial and fertile. Mr.. Atkinson,
at all events, found many picturesque scenes,
and has done something TO modify the pop
uIar idea, which has been founded upon
Madame Cotton's pathetic story of Elizabeth
rather than upon authentic geographical re-
search. $50 =
1t is, of course. impossible to estimate
with precision the population of this vast
continent; but the ablest writer's agree that
600 millions is an approximate to the truth.
Exclusive of European settlers, there appear
to be three principal races, with very distinct
characteristics. The Caucasian group of
nations, occupying Western and South
Western Asis and including the Georgians,
Armenians, Arabians, Persians, and Hin
docs; the Mongolians, including the Tartar
tribes, the Turcomans, Tibetians, Chinese
and Indo- Chinese; the Coreans and the Ja-7
panese; and the Malays, chiefly located In
the East Indian Archipelago.
A few statistics relative to the political
divisions of Asia must not be omitted, and
will be most clearly given in a tabular form,
as follows
POLITICAL DIVISIONS. SQUARE MILES POPULATION.
Russia, 4,s00,000 100000
China, 1000, 900 $4,000, 900
England, $4,000 119,120,0O0
England, ,42l $40 46,O19,OOO
Persia, 100000 9,0O0, 600
Turkey, 100000 100000
These numbers are, of course, not quite
exact, but are very near approximations to
the truth; and from them We may obtain
few interesting facts. Thus, the population
of Asiatic Russia averages little more than
one to the square mile, while China gives
20; the States under British rule or protec-
ton show about 80, Persia nearly 10, and
Turkey "a.
The earliest authentic records connected
with the history of Asia are the Mosaic
writings, and the works of the early Greek
historians, who, however, were acquainted
with but little beyond the principal military
events connected with the Babylonian and
Persian empires. The expedition of Alex
ander opened up new districts to European
investigation; and in the middle ages, the
Byzantines and Egyptians occasionally pen
etrated eastward and picked up some scanty
hometanism contributed greatly to the ad
vance of geographical knowledge; and Ara
bic writers produced many works of travel,
some OF WHICH are Sllll cAtdHI. 1uS Icll-
gious zeal of the Crusaders, and the COM
mereial spirit of the republics of Venice and
Genoa, produced farther accessions of in
formation; and the invasion by the Tartar
hordes of Central Europe, and the political
intrigues consequent on their retreat, con-
tribuled to the same end. Of all Euro
pean travellers, the Venetian, Marco Polo,
who travelled throughout the greater por
ton of the continent in the thirteenth CEN
tury, and whose information has been prov
ed to be wonderfully accurate. rendered the
best service to geographical science. Since
then the political and commercial expedi
tons so much facilitated by the discovery
by the Portuguese of the passage round the
Cape of Gond Hope, have gradually opened
up the entire East to our knowledge. The
Jesuit missionaries III China obtained access
to the official records of that wonderful en-
pire, and there found very complete maps
and histories. which they published. Peter
the Great completed the discovery of Sibe-
ria, and, of course, annexed it. The great
British possessions in the South date from
the establishment of the factories at Madras,
| in 1859; and since then,- 1.-THE indomitable en-
ergy and easy conscience of the Anglo-Sax-
ons have subdued the entire Indian penin-
sula, after many attempts by the Dutch,
Portuguese and French to emulate their
achievements.