being able to put him to death, banished him to Patmos to work in the mines. Here he is supposed to have preached salvation to the miners; and to have wrote the book of Revelations called the Apocalypse. From this circumstance the Isle of Patmos is called the Monastery of the Apocalypse, whose towering clifts are so beautifully gilded with the last rays of the setting sun.

Mines, are caverns under ground where silver and other metals are dug. In some places in the world, poor people are confined all their lives in digging for silver and gold.

The Hindoos are called so from Indoo or Hindoo, which in the Shanscrit language, signifies the moon, from which, and the sun they deduce their fabulous origin. Hindostan, the domestic appellation of India, is derived from Hindoo and stan, a region, and the river Indus takes its name from the people.

The Hindoos have, from all antiquity, been divided into four great tribes, each of which comprehends a variety of inferior casts. These tribes do not intermarry, eat, drink, or associate with one

another, except when they worship at the temple of Juggernaut, where it is held a crime to make any distinction.

The first and most noble tribe, are the Brahmins, who are the priesthood. They are not excluded from government, trade or agriculture, though they are strictly prohibited from all menial offices. They derive their name from Brimha, who, they allegorically say, produced the Brahmins from his head, when he created the world. The second in order is the Sittri tribe, who, according to their original institution, ought to be all military men, because Brimha is said to have produced them from his heart, as an emblem of that courage which warriors should possess.

The name of Beish is given to the third tribe, These are for the most part merchants, bankers, and shop-keepers, and are said to have sprung from the belly of Brimha, the word Beish signifies a provider or nourisher.

The fourth tribe is that of Sudder, who are menial servants, incapable of raising themselves to any superior rank: they are supposed to have sprung from the feet of Brimha.

If any of the four tribes be excommunicated, he and his posterity are forever shut out from the society of every person in the nation, excepting that of the Hari cast, who are held in utter detestation by the other tribes, and are employed only in the meanest and vilest offices. This circumstance renders excommunication so dreadful that any Hindoo will suffer torture and even death, rather than deviate from one article of his faith.

The Chinese are inhabitants of China. As foreigners, or people of other countries, have never been allowed to travel much in China, we are not very much acquainted with that country. We do know, however, that it is very populous, or full of people; and that parents, who have more children than they know how to support, are allowed to throw their infants into the rivers or streets; and it is said, that in Pekin, a very large city, carts are employed every morning to go round, and pick up the children, who have been thrown out the night before, and carry and throw them, dead or alive, into one pit together.

The Chinese are Idolaters, and their temples or meeting-houses, are called Pagodas.

In China the men and women dress very much alike. The men frequently wear petticoats, and women frequently drawers. The richer people dress much in silks, and the poorer people in cottons. It is the custom of the Chinese to keep the feet of their female children bound so tight, that they may never grow. Few of their feet are more than five inches long, or two inches broad. Such a miserable and unnatural foot is thought to be indispensable to female beauty.

The Turks live in Turkey, a large country in he east of Europe and west of Asia. Their chief city is Constantinople. Instead of a hat, they wear a piece of cloth bound about their heads, which is called a turban. They sit with their feet under them, on mats or cushions, and do not use chairs.

The Turks are ignorant and cruel. The men are allowed to have several wives apiece, whom they treat more like brutes than like companions. In religion they are Mahometans, that is, they believe in Mahomet, a man who lived about twelve centuries ago, and pretended to be a greater prophet than Jesus Christ. The writings of Mahomet, called the Koran, teach that heaven is a place of animal enjoyments; and that those who die in fighting for that religion, will immediately go to such a heaven. A Turkish meeting house is called a mosque, and distinguished by an emblem in the form of a crescent, or new moon, with the horns upward.

No person is infallible. To confess our errors is only to acknowledge that we are wiser to-day than we were yesterday.

The Sedan chair is a small portable carriage used by the ladies of Japan in making their morning visits. The empire of Japan consists of the islands of Niphon, Jesso, Kiusiu, and several smaller ones adjacent. These islands are situated in the Pacific Ocean, in Eastern Asia. It is a rich, populous, and remarkable empire, holding no intercourse with any nation, except the Dutch and Chinese. The climate is mild and healthy and the soil productive. Agriculture is held in high estimation, and no portion of the soil except the most barren wastes, is left uncultivated.

The Japanese are the most civilized people in Eastern Asia, and are remarkable for their industry and ingenuity. They excel most nations in the manufacture of silk and cotton goods, and in Japan and porcelain ware. Great attention is paid to ducation; and they have several schools for the