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The importance of British India, both in a political and a commercial point of view, made it necessary to give a minute and comprehensive account of that portion of Asia; and, accordingly, three volumes,—the sixth, seventh, and eighth,—have been appropriated to that interesting subject. In these will be found a luminous view of the civil history of Hindostan; exhibiting, in succession, those splendid achievements, both by sea and land, which signalized the early voyages and settlements of the English and Portuguese;—the revolutions effected by the Mohammedan invaders, and the various dynasties established there by that devastating power, the career of which is diversified by such striking vicissitudes of grandeur and humiliation;—and, finally, those still more brilliant events, so glorious to our countrymen, who with a handful of troops subverted all the states which had sprung from the ruins of the Mògul empire, and made themselves masters of a wealthy and fertile territory, containing a population of more than one hundred millions, that still remain in subjection to a government seated at the opposite extremity of the globe. In addition to these historical details, a concise account is given of the present state of British India;—the arts, learning, mythology, domestic habits, and social institutions of the Hindoos;—the labours and present condition of the Missionaries;—the affairs and arrangements of the Company,—including an explanation of the mode and terms on which young men going out to India obtain their appointments;—and a summary of the valuable information recently collected by Parliament respecting the commerce of the country. On the subject of the projected steam-communication with India by way of the Red Sea, which now engages so much of the public attention, some interesting remarks were supplied by the late distinguished officer and historian, Sir John Malcolm, who was surpassed by none in the knowledge of all that relates to the management and resources of our Oriental possessions. To render the information concerning these extensive regions as complete as possible, the Natural History has been fully and methodically treated,—the separate articles being contributed by writers of acknowledged scientific acquirements; so that, by thus directing to one object the talents and learning of many, a more perfect work on British India has been produced, than if the undivided task had been assigned to any one individual.
Next in importance and equal in interest to Hindostan is Arabia, the history of which, Ancient and Modern, forms the thirteenth and fourteenth volumes of the Cabinet Library. The physical aspect and geographical limits of that celebrated peninsula, hitherto so little known;—the peculiar character, customs, and political condition of the primitive race by which it is inhabited;—the life and religion of the false prophet, Mohammed, under whom was achieved one of the most wonderful revolutions that the world has ever beheld;—the rapid and extensive conquests of the Saracens, who, in a few years, spread their dominion, and diffused a taste for arts and learning, from the shores of the Atlantic to the frontiers of China;—the reigns and dynasties of the Caliphs;—the civil government, religious ceremonies, and social institutions of the modern Arabs;—these are the prominent topics illustrated in this work.
Persia is connected, both locally and historically, with the preceding countries; and, in the fifteenth volume of the series, a descriptive account is given of its antiquities, government, resources, productions, and inhabitants. Its ancient and modern history is critically detailed; and a lucid sketch is given of the religion and philosophy of Zoroaster. As this work is the production of a writer who has travelled in that kingdom, the view which is given of its modern state has a truth and freshness which could only be derived from a personal acquaintance with the country. This volume comprises also a description of Afghanistan and Beloochistan. At no very distant interval works will appear, on China, including Japan and Corea, and on Assyria, with the interesting region between the Tigris and the Euphrates; and when to these are added some other sections of the great Eastern Continent, the Asiatic department of the Library, like the African, will be perfect in itself,—forming a complete epitome of the social and religious, as well as of the political and commercial state of those vast and important nations, so many of which are now closely connected by ties of reciprocal intercourse with the British Empire.
America has as yet occupied comparatively less space than the two preceding divisions of the globe; but a survey of its several states, as well as those of Europe, forms part of the plan upon which the Cabinet Library has been constructed. A History of the Scandinavian kingdoms, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and of the adjacent Islands and Dependencies in the Northern Seas, is in course of preparation; and among the contributors to this work the Proprietors may mention Henry Wheaton, Honorary Member of the Scandinavian and Icelandic Literary Societies, who, from his long residence at Copenhagen, in his official capacity of Chargé d'Affaires from the United States, has had access to the best sources of information. Greece and Italy, both Ancient and Modern, are now in a state of considerable progress; and from what has already been accomplished, some idea may be formed by the reader as to the nature and contents of this department of the Library.
This subdivision of the plan is intimately and essentially connected with the preceding. The Adventures and Discoveries of Navigators are not only highly entertaining in themselves, as they abound in perils and disasters, and give rise to extraordinary displays of heroism and intrepidity; but they serve to correct and enlarge our knowledge of history, by throwing new lights on the realities of nature and of human life. To this very interesting and important subject two volumes of the Cabinet Library have already been assigned. The Series opened with a description of the Polar Seas and Regions,—giving a connected narrative of the successive voyages to those remote parts for the purposes of colonization or discovery; a view of the climate and its phenomena; the geological structure and other remarkable features peculiar to the sublime scenery of the Polar latitudes; with a copious account of the whale-fishery. To complete the history of Arctic adventure, the subject was resumed in the ninth volume, which delineates, in the same condensed manner, the Progress of Discovery on the more Northern Coasts of America, including a detail of the numerous expeditions undertaken by the nations of Europe, and particularly by Britain, to trace the extreme limits of that vast continent, partly by land, and partly by coast and river navigation. In these two volumes are contained a full and consecutive view of the various efforts that have been made to explore the Arctic Regions, from the times of Cabot and Cortereal to those of Parry, Franklin, and Beechey.
There is now also in preparation a minute narrative of The Circumnavigation of the Globe, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. This work has a twofold object;—first, to present to the reader an accurate account of the various commanders who have sailed round the world, their achievements and adventures; and, secondly, to describe the progress of discovery in the South Sea, as well as to give a concise view of the actual condition of the interesting communities of Polynesia. This, combined with the Lives of Drake, Cavendish, and Dampier, already published, and with a work on Australasia, now preparing, will complete the account of Oceanica, which modern cosmographers have recognised as a fifth geographical division of the globe. In this department will be exhibited, in a popular and authentic shape, a general survey of all that is most curious or valuable in the annals of naval enterprise.
