Book Description

Excerpt from Lights and Shadows of Asiatic History The physical features of Asia are very striking. It presents every variety of climate, from the dreary confines of the polar world to the heart of the tropical regions. Its rivers yield in magnitude only to those Of the Western Continent; its towering mountains sur pass all others in elevation; its immense salt lakes, or inland seas, its wide deserts, its extensive plains, are among its distinguishing features. The natural productions of Asia are not less striking than its geographical features. It abounds in the rich est minerals, and yields every variety Of precious gem. The vegetable kingdom presents us with the choicest fruits and flowers, with costly gums and fragrant spices. Nor is the animal kingdom less remarkable and diversified. From this region we have derived the horse, the peacock, the pheasant, and our ham-door fowls. Every thing in Asia seems to have been formed on a scale of magnificence and profusion, in which all that is grand is blended with all that is beautiful. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.