What Portions, Then, Of Asia, America, And Africa, Are Still
_Unknown?_ - And What Comparison, In Point Of Extent And Importance, Do
They Bear To What Was _Known_ To The Ancients?
In Asia, the interior
of the vast kingdom of China is very imperfectly known, as well as Daouria
and
Other districts on the confines of the Chinese and Russian empires;
central Asia in general, and all that extensive, populous, and fertile
region which extends from the southern part of Malaya, nearly under the
equator, in a northerly direction, to the fortieth degree of latitude, are
still not explored, or but very partially so, by European travellers. This
region comprehends Aracan, Ava, Pegu, Siam, Tsiompa, and Cambodia. The
south and east coasts of Arabia still require to be more minutely and
accurately surveyed. In the eastern archipelago, Borneo, Celebes, and
Papua, are scarcely known. Though all these bear but a small proportion to
the vast extent of Asia, yet some of them, especially the country to the
north of the Malay peninsula, and the islands in the eastern archipelago,
may justly be regarded as not inferior, in that importance which natural
riches bestows, to any part of this quarter of the globe.
Still, however, we possess some general notice, and some vague reports of
all these countries; but it is otherwise with respect to the unknown
portions of Africa. The whole of this quarter of the world, from the Niger
to the confines of the British settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, may,
with little limitation, be considered as unknown.
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