Discourses Delivered Before the Asiatic Society; And Miscellaneous Papers on the Nations of India. with an Essay by Lord Teignmouth. Selected and Ed.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1824. Excerpt: ... DISCOURSE VIII. DELIVERED FEBRUARY 24, 1791. ON THE BORDERERS, MOUNTAINEERS, AND ISLANDERS OF ASIA. Observations on the Idumeans, their arts and sciences.--The written Abyssinian language.--The Islands near Yemen.--On the Sanganians.--Origin ol that singular people called Gipsies.--Inhabitants or the Indian islands.--People of Tibet.--Tartars.--Armenians.--Greeks.--Phrygians.--And Phoenicians. GENTLEMEN, We have taken a general view, at our five last annual meetings, of as many celebrated nations, whom we have proved, as far as the subject admits of proof, to have descended from three primitive stocks, which we call for the present Indian, Arabian, Tartarian; and we have nearly traveled over all Asia, if not with a perfect coincidence of sentiment, at least with as mach unanimity as can be naturally expected in a large body of men, each of whom must assert it as his right, and consider it as his duty, to decide on all points for himself; and never to decide on obscure points without the best evidence that can possibly be adduced. Our travels will this day be concluded; but our historical researches would have been left incomplete, if we had passed without attention over the numerous races of borderers, who have long been established on the limits of Arabia, Persia, India, China, and Tartary; over the wild tribes residing in the mountainous parts of those extensive regions; and the more civilized inhabitants of the islands annexed by geographers to their Asiatic division of this globe. Let us take our departure from Idume near the gulf of Elanitis, and having encircled Asia, with such deviations from our course as the subject may require, let us return to the point from which we began; endeavouring, if we are able, to find a nation, who may clearly be show...