POLAND.

Of

POLAND was a large and flourishing kingdom: it is now parted between Russia, Austria, and Prussia. these divisions, Russia has the largest share. Nothing can be imagined more iniquitous than the dividing a kingdom in this way, and destroying its independence.

Poland, when a separate kingdom, was bounded on the north by the Baltic-Sea; south, by Hungary; west, by Germany; and east, by Russia.

Poland is in general a level country, with much marshy ground. It is tolerably fertile, and produces an abundance of corn, which is sent to other countries. The only mountains are the Carpathian, between Poland and Hungary. The principal rivers are the Vistula, the Niemen, the Dnieper, and Dniester: all of these have been mentioned in other places.

Warsaw, on the Vistula, is the capital. Thorn and Wilna are large cities.

The Poles are a brave and lively people; and very unwillingly submit to their masters. Four or five years since, they tried to become free, but the Russians were too strong for them, and are now treating the brave Poles with great severity: many of the noblest and richest have been sent to Siberia, far away from their families and friends.

Russia has two or three islands in the Baltic-Sea of no consequence; and Nova-Zembla and Spitzbergen in the Arctic Ocean; these are dreadfully cold and barren places, in the midst of perpetual ice and snow.

TURKEY.

We now arrive at a beautifully pleasant and fertile country, which would be quite an earthly paradise were it well governed, and cultivated properly, this is Turkey, which like Russia has larger dominions in Asia than in Europe. It is of Turkey in Europe we now speak.

TURKEY is bounded on the north by Hungary and Russia; south, by Greece and the Archipelago; east, by the Black Sea and the Archipelago; and west, by the Gulf of Venice. It is divided into seven provinces. It has many mountains: the principal are the Balkan, which stretch nearly across the country. The Danube is the largest river, which falls by three or four mouths into the Black Sea.

Constantinople the capital of Turkey was built by Constantine, the first Christian emperor, more than fifteen hundred years back. It is seated on the Bosphorous, a narrow strait that separates Europe from Asia. When seen from the sea no place looks so pretty as Constantinople; but when people enter it they are sadly disappointed. The streets are narrow and very filthy; the houses are built of wood and are small and mean. Fires are frequent in this town, and do great mischief. The palace and gardens of the Sultan or Turkish emperor are very beautiful. Adrianople and Jassy are large towns. Saloniki is a port with a great trade.

Turkey, we have said, is a beautiful country; the finest fruits of the earth grow there; the ground brings forth fruit abundantly, and would do so much more were it not for the laziness and bad management of the Turks. The air is in most parts very warm.

The Turkish sheep, called the Wallachian sheep, have very fine fleeces.

We We get from Turkey figs, currants, rhubarb, and silk. Gold is found in some parts of the country, but the people do not well understand the working of the mines.

The Turks are of the Mahometan religion, and despise all others. (Who Mahomet was, we will tell you in the account of Arabia.) They are proud and ignorant-most proud people are ignorant. They dislike work, and are fond of sitting cross-legged, smoking tobacco; this causes so many of their fires, as they are careless where they throw the ashes of their pipes. The Turks are forbidden by their law to drink wine, and many of them chew opium instead, which makes them tipsy, and by-and-by gloomy, stupid, and often mad. Their houses and furniture are in general very shabby, and they do not sit on chairs, but on carpets on the ground. Their churches are called mosques, and are fine places. Their burying grounds are very pretty, at some distance from the towns. Friday is their sabbath, and is accounted the luckiest day in the week.

Turkey has several islands in the Archipelago and the Mediterranean Sea: all these are pretty and fruitful. Candia, formerly called Crete, is the largest: it is in the Mediterranean Sea, and has a high mountain in the centre, called Mount Ida. The Cretans had in ancient times a bad character as liars: this we hope is not now the case. Titus, of whom we read in the New Testament, was the first bishop of Crete. Rhodes is a small but pleasant island in this sea, and has been very famous.

GREECE.

GREECE was for some hundreds of years governed by Turkey, and with great rigour. Happily, it is now become an independent kingdom. It is bounded on the north by Turkey; south and west, by the Mediterranean Sea; and east, by the Archipelago. Though but a small country, it was the most celebrated of any in the ancient world. It is very beautiful, and more so than Turkey, producing nearly the same fruits, but like Turkey, it is but badly cultivated, though the Greeks are a more active and industrious people than the Turks. Greece is divided into three parts; Continental Greece, the Morea, and the Grecian Islands. The Morea is a small peninsula joined to the continent by the isthmus of Corinth, and famous for mulberry-trees, on the leaves of which a vast number of silk-worms feed. The mountains of Greece are tolerably high, but the rivers are few and small.

There are several towns in Greece, but none of any great size. Athens, the capital, was far more celebrated in ancient times than it is now. It was here the Apostle Paul delivered that fine address on Mars' hill which we read in the seventeenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Corinth, on the isthmus, was formerly a splendid place, and had games of running and wrestling every five years, called the Isthmiangames. The brass made at Corinth was valued even more than gold. In the New Testament are two epistles or letters of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians.

The principal islands of Greece are Negropont, Naxos, Delos, Paros, and Antiparos. From Paros comes fine white marble, called Parian marble. At Antiparos there is a curious grotto, which people visit by torch-light.

The Greeks manufacture silk and cotton goods, but in no great quantities. They are a clever, lively people, yet sly, and sometimes treacherous. Greece has been for many years in a very unsettled state, which we hope will not much longer continue.

Cape Matapan in the Morea is the most southerly part of Europe, as the North Cape in Lapland is the most northerly.

A few islands of Europe yet remain to be noticed. In the Mediterranean Sea are four small islands; Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, and Formentera. These are called the Balearic islands. The people were much renowned in old times as excellent slingers: the little boys were taught to sling by their mothers, who every morning put their breakfasts in a tree or some high place, and made them sling them down before they ate them. The Dalmatian isles in the Gulf of Venice belong mostly to Austria; and the Ionian islands, from whence we get currants, are protected by England, and lie in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Greece. The Azores are far away in the Atlantic Ocean, and belong to Portugal: the largest is St. Michael's, from whence we get oranges.

The religion of all the countries of Europe is the Christian, except Turkey, which as we have told you is a Mahometan country. Russia, Austria, and Turkey, are empires, and the government is absolute in each; that is, the will of the emperor is law. Most of the kingdoms of Italy, with those of Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark, have absolute governments; this may also be said of many of the German states. Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, and Greece, are kingdoms; but the power of the kings is not so great as in absolute governments; these are called limited monarchies. Switzerland, and San Marino in Italy, are republics, where the people themselves govern.