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Mapa, platas, charts, ate. may ba fiimad at diffarant raduction ratioa. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axposura ara fiimad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar. laft to right and top to bottom, aa many framas aa raquirad. Tha following diagnima iilustrata tha mathod: Laa cartas, planchas, tablaaux, ate. pauvant fttra filmto it das taux da rMuction diff6rants. Lorsqua la documant ast trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un saul clichA. 11 ast fllmA A partir da i'angia supAriaur gaucha. da gaucho i droita. at da haut an baa. an pranant la nombre d'imagas nAcassaira. Las diagrammas sulvants iilustrant la mithoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 '^f.::m~p!"tJk:-mi' Mw:^ sW(^ /j^:-V- -■iv; - . '■/> ' I. ;./ /: •1. , . \« /' r" ;f5,i»s*i-Vi :\^- ■ ■it:^iya- ,t' ABRIDGEMENT « ■♦ ' ■->.•.-. ' OP ■■^^ MODERN WITH AN APPENDIX; AND AN ABRIDGEMENT OP SACRED GEOGRAPHY, •:'■■«! • ".-^ ADAPTED FOR YOUTH. PART I, COMPRISING AMERICA AND EURofe ^ ^ /\ / FiRST EDITION. ":♦».■ f*- ■' '^■^^r ,** QUEBEC : PRINTED AND rUOLISHED BY T. CARY & CO,, FREEMASONS' HALL. 18SC. -.Ji^- '■AiW" Aiip.. |i< U- * - '' g^"^' " "i^fMfwqyWT** • ■ *■! JW -WI ■/••vw::^:,j;^-<^,.r ^f-r ■!*• NOTICE. Such portions of the Work as are printed in small types* are histoncal and statistical notes, which the students are recommended to read with attention j; but it is considered unnecessary to commit them to memory. In the account of the British Isles and America, the English league is used ; in all other parts, the common French league is to be understood. The former is 28 1-6 to the degree ; the latter is 25. The Canada league is about 22 6-10 to the degree. When the Mile is mentioned, in this lYork, the third of the English league is to be understood. 'i^:'rf.-^^^;r. iir >$m^ District of Qvebec. Prothonotary's Office, \ 26th September, 1835. S ■;^*iitm Be it remembered, that on the twenty* sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five, Thomas Cary and George Deabarata, of Quebec, Printers, Stationers, and Co-partners, using trade and commerce under the name and style of Thomas Cary and Company, residing in the City of Quebec, have deposited in this Office, the title of a work, the title of which is in the words following, that is to say : — >* Abridgement of Modern Geography, with an Appendix, *• and an Abridgement of Sacred Geography, adapted for youth ;" the right whereof they claim as Proprietors. W Entered according to Act of tlie Provincial Legislature, Intituled, '> An Act for the protection of Copy Rights,'* by PERRAULT & BURROUGHS, Prothonotary of His Majesty's Court of King's Bunch for the District of Quebec. fA': '■ffS -■\ •!■>■: .Trt 't^:- St are histoi-icai d to read with to memory. English league be understood. Canada league ttioned, in this $ .jMMJi m If ii in L» » H i ■■mr^v i^ mtf- '•■ -i,"'-i3W(rM(«,..>.'.«'-' ■.•»•■ '-« *(-.j» ■,:.tm.,i.>.f P- \'>' * .j t-^ — .-.--.I . — >- .,-..rd.in the fK: (rayl^yrd. in the Cleric's (>f)ue of^t/u Cr^ttrt ofKfrbff'A' Be nth., tor 1/?^: Ih\s-^rtct of S^Fnjtncis -ii- ■■ ■m.^^i^-'y'^v^^:}-^^- \ im- ^^0m,^a^ '^ ^-^ \.** M >-^ ^:- ■■ .'^■ -••^ !''%,;'■'" V ,;.-^' .„/%». K%W4i Mv; i «v«aH;igtf>srni Dt/,. ."W «' tvthe O'tfrt ofJCfhfj^- Jienr/t. tor fJf4: /)fstrtrt of S^Fntrt^is *i ■^^r-n .'¥ S' il^: •4 i >: -IKJ* 'A\ Cord y LM.6< Friirvr.is . «\» i « -!.• 1. "■ ■'■ .,jj ^' '"-\\ ,4' ^'^ ■-;••. ■">-*:■■',■ # '^^■r^l ^'■^^.'•^'■ *» ■;."'.'': i\l •-««ll«" 4 rf >■*■ • • ,C. •-^..A > '\ -^ 1. -^ < Jj-i' .d '^ -. '-^-iiik^lJ >-'"' f I^MKiK; ifjrij^ >.VV !.>• --■'-^■^i mffmiA-M'jm r of Sit^lf Bench,. ^ eUJfiitritt af Sf-fhmcis. y^: \ <* r- ■ M ODERN GEOGRAP'4^. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. "Jairo Baca^^jl 1. Geography is a science, the object of which is a description of the surface of the earth, with its natural and artificial divisions. 2. The Form of the Earth in alnio»t that of a sphere, or ball. 3. The Ancients were of opinion that the Earth was without motion ; but Copernicus, a modern astronomer, has discovered that the movement of the sun, and of other heavenly bodies, round the Earth was merely imaginary, and that, in reality, the Earth performs a two-fold revo- lution ; — ^the one, upon her own axis, in somewhat less than twenty-four hours, or one day : — the other, round the sun, in the space of three hundred and sixty-five days, and nearly six hours, or, in one year. 4. The Axis of the Earth is an imaginary line, upon which she per- forms her daily revolution. 5. The Poles of the Earth arc the two iMints, where th : Ixis penetrates the surface of the terrestrial globe ; and they are distinguished as the Arctic, and the Antarctic Poles. 6. The four Cardinal Points are the North, to be found generally at the top of the Geographical Map:— the South, which is at the bottom : — ^the East, on the right hand of the person examining the Map; — and the West, occupying his left. 7. The Cardinal Points serve to indicate the relative position of the places between them : thus, in order to express that Africa is situated below Europe, it is said to be on the South of Europe : to explain that B IV, f, Asia, upon the map, is ou the right of Europe, it is said to be, on the East uf Europe. 8. The Equator is a circular line encompassing the Earth at an equal distance from the two Poles, and dividing it into two equal parts, called Hemispheres, or half-spheres. The half which is on the side of the Arctic Pdle is called the Northern, and that next the Antarctic Pole, the Southern hemisphere. The Equator is also termed the Equinoctial Line, liecause when the sun appears to describe this Hue upon the Earth by his daily motion, which happens about the twentieth of March, and the tv^nty-third of September in every year, it is the time of the Equinox, the ffl/mer being the Vernal, and the latter the Autumnal : that is to say, ^ is the period when the days and nights are equal in every part of the i^Iobe. 9. The Meridian is a circular line drawn round the Earth, passing through the Poles, and also dividing it into two hemispheres : the one towards the east is called the Eastern, and the other towards the West, the Western Hemisphere. This line is termed Meridian, because, when the sun arrives therein in his apparent daily revolution, it is mid-day at all places situated in the parallel enlightened by that luminary. It is in like manner midnight at all places in the opposite parallel, which is necessarily deprived of the sun's light. 10 The Degrees of Latitude (a) are those lines which are traced upon the ma])s in the same direction as tiie Equator, and are thence called Parallels. They serve to mark the distances, at which different parts of the globe are situated from the Equator. 11. The Degrees of Latitude are reckoned in two ways : from the Equator to the Poles, there being 90 degrees of Northern, and 90 degrees of Southern latitude. 12. The Parallels of Longitude are the lines traced upon maps ia the same direction as the Meridian ; and which, like it, pass through the Poles. Their use is to teach the distance of different parts of the globe from the Meridian agreed upon, which is also called the First Meri- dian (/>). 18. There are two kinds of degrees of Longitude, — the East, which are reckoned from the ilrst Meridian to ISO degrees to the right of it ; and the West, reckoned also from the first Meridian to 180 degrees to the left of the same. 14. The Tropics are two small circles, similar to those which denote the Degrees of Latitude. They are parallel to the Equator, and are distant from it twenty-three degrees, and twenty-seven minutes. The (a) The known world of the ancients extended twice as far in length, or frotn East tu West, as in breadth, or from North to iSouth. Thiis the term longitude was applied tu the first, and that of latitude to the second of these dimensions. (bj With the English, the First IMeridian is that which passes through llie iioyai Observatory ut Greenwich, situated near London. The French, utter iiftving long used as their First Meridian, that which passes through the Island of Feiro, one ut the Canaries, have abandoned n fur the Meri- dian of Paris. V. one situated in the Northern Hemisphere, is called the Tropic of Cancer; the. r T, in the Southern is the Tropic of Capricorn. I These circles arc called Tropics, from a Greek word which signi- fies .<> turn, because the, course of the sun seems there to be arrested, and to turn again towards the Kquator. When the sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer, which happens about the 23d of June, it is then the summer solstice, and the longest day in the year; when he arrives at the Tropic of Capricorn, about the 22d of Decemwr, it is the winter solstice and the shortest day. ,'^s' "i 'i..^ 16. The Polar circles are two small circles placed in each heianSpHii^^.^ at the same distance from the Poles as the Tropics are from the Eqxiajtolfi ^ They are distinguished by the names of the Arctic and Antarctic CirclfeB, which they derive from their position. 17. The two Tropics, and the Polar circles, divide the surface of the globe into five parts, which are called Zones ; The Torrid zone, situated between the Tropics ; the Temperate zone, between the Tropics and the Polar circles, and the North and South Frigid zones, between the Polar circles and the Poles. 18. A Continent is a large extent of land not interrupted by sea. 19. An Island is a portion of land surrounded by sea. 20. When many islands are found near each other, they are designated a group or cluster ; and when they cover a space of the sea sufficiently considerable, they are denominated an Archipelago ; although this term is specially applied to the Greek islands, lying between Europe and Asia. 21- A Peninsula is a portion of land almost surrounded by water, and connected on one side only with the Continent. 22. An Isthmus is a neck of land, which joins a Peninsula to a Continent. 23. Sand-banks, or Shoals, are parts of the sea where the waters arc shallow. 24. Shelves of rocks sometimes appear above the surface of the water, against which vessels are in danger of striking : if these rocks rise high above the water, and the sea breaks against them with violence, they are called Keefs or Breakers. 25. A Cape, or Promontory, is a high point of land which overhangs, and extends itself into the sea. 26. A Mountain is a formation of earth and rock, rising considerably above the surface of the earth. If a number of them are found in suc- cession, they arc called a Chain ; an isolated mountain, having a conic form, is denominated a Peak; the Peak of Teneriffe for example, in the island of that name. 27. A Volcano is a mountain which emits fire. The opening, or mouth of the volcano from which the lava or burning matter proceeds, is called a Crater. 28. A Defile, or Pass, is a narrow passage between two sicep mountains, or between a mountain and the sea. 29. A Desert is a vast extent of sterile and uninhabited land ; when they are met with in elevated plains, a$ in the centre of Asia, they arc r vi. ..-i • I ; designated (from the Russian) Steppes ; and SaTannas or Prairies, when they are composed of low, humid, grassy plains, as on the borders oif some large rivers in America. 30. A Coast is that part of the land which is washed by the ocean. ^ They are sometimes composed of steep and bold rocks, and sometimes formed only by banks of sand ; we have also flat and open coasts. 31. The Sea, or Ocean, is a vast collection of salt-water, which covers nearly three quartei-s of the globe. 82. A Gulf, or Bay, is a part of the sea which extends into the land. A Bay is in general smaller than a Gulf; when it appears but as a small inlet of the sea, it is called a Creek. 33. A Port is usually a small Bay, which the labour of men has ren- dered fit to afford a secure shelter to vessels ; it is called a Harbour, when of small extent ; and a Cove, when capable of receiving only a few vessels. 34. A Road is a part of the coast where vessels may anchor safely, and shelter themselves from the wind. 35. A Strait is a narrow sea enclosed on either side by land, and con- necting one sea with another. Straits take, in some particular instances, the names of Channel, Faro, Bosphorus, Sound, &c. — as St. George's Channel, the Faro of Messina, the Bosphorus of Thrace, and the Sound of Long Island, and the Baltic. 36. A Lake is a large extent of water, generally fresh, which commu- nicates with the sea only by some river, which traverses it or flows from it ; some lakes have not any apparent communication with the sea. — When a lake is very small, it is called a Pool or Pond. 37. A River is a stream of water, which flows on until it unites itself to some other river or to the sea. When it is of inconsiderable extent, it is denominated a Rivulet. 38. The source of a river is the place whence it begins to flow, the mouth is where it empties itself into the sea, or joins another river. 39. The place of meeting of two rivers is called their confluence. 40. The right bank of a river is the shore on the right of a person, who, placed in the centre of the river, would follow the course of the stream ; the left bank is, consequently, the shore on his left. 41. When these expressions are used. Up or Down a river, upwards always signifies the part approaching to the source, and downwards, that owards th*: mouth. 42. A Canal is a sort of artificial river which serves usually to open a communication between two rivers; between a river and the ocean, or even between two seas. It is thus that the Royal Canal of Languedoc, opens a communication from the Mediterranean to the Garonne, and subsequently to the ocean. How is the World divided ? 43. The world is now divided by geographers into five partF^ viz : Europe, Asia, and Africa, on the old I s V I I Vll. iiries, when lers of some the ocean. I sometimes tasts. vhich covers Lto the land, it as a small len has ren- irbour, when only a few >r safely, and id, and con- lar instances, St. George's id the Sound hich commu- >r flows from li the sea. — unites itself Table extent, to flow, the er river, mfluence. ; of a person, course of the • ver, upwards rnwards, that ally to open ;he ocean, or Languedoc, [aronne, and t ■ f} I :ii )hers into the old contiiient,so named because it was the only one known until towards the middle of the fifteenth century; America, which forms the new continent discovered in 1492; and lastly, Australia, compieliending a multitude of islands spread over the great Pacific Ocean, the principal one of which, called New Hol- land, is sufficiently extensive to deserve the name of Continent. It was discovered in the commencement of the 1 7th century by the Dutch, under Tasman. New Division of the Globe The surface of the terrestial globe contains more than twenty«five millions and a half of square leagues. This immense space is divided by nature into two distinct parts, namely : the ocean, which covei-s about three quarters of it, or more than nineteen millions of square leagues, and the land, which occupies a superficies, or surface of more than six millions and a half of square leagues. 44. Races of Mankind The earth contains about eight hundred millions of inhabitants, belonging to three principal races, viz : The Whites, who peopled Europe, the western part of Asia, and the north of Africa, and who have sent colonies to all tUte other parts of the universe. The Taw nyr which comprehends three varieties, vix : the Tartars, who occupy the centre and eastern part of Asia, the Malays, who occupy the south-east, and are spread throughout the Indian Ocean , and the Copper colored, of which the inhabitants of America are composed. The Negroes are divided into two varieties ; one occupying the centre and the south of Africa, — the other, whicli seems to approach the nearest to the brute creation, of any of the human species, ])eopling.New Holland and part of the other islands of Australia. 45. Religions — It is considered that there are four principal religions in the world, viz : 46. I. Christianity, founded on the Old and New Testament, and which inculcates a religion revealed to mankind by our Saviour Jesus Christ, the son of God. It comprehends three principal branches, viz : 47.. I. The Catholic Religion, which acknowledges the Pope for its chief, as being the visible successor of Jesus Clirist. It predominates in the centre and south of Europe, and in South America. II. The Greek Religion, which does not recognize the supremacy of the Pope. It pre- vails in Russia, in a part of Turkey in Europe, and in Greece. III. The Protestant, or Reformed Religion, divided into several branches, and which separated itself from the Romish Church towards the end of the 16th century. It prevails in the North of Europe and America. These diiferent modes of Christian woi-ship comprise 280 millions of individuals. 48. II. The Jewish Religion, whiqh is founded on the Old Testament, but does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Saviour promised to man- B2 i M t * |: if 1 • • t Vlll. kind. It numbers about four millions of followers dispersed throughout the world. 49. III. Mahomedanism or Islamisra, a mixture of Christian, Jewish and superstitious practices, propagated in the 17th century in Arabia, by Mahomet, who was considered by his disciples as the last and greatest of the Prophets, and whose doctrine, contained in the Koran, (or the Book,) is professed in the east of Europe, in the S. W. of Asia, in the north of A/rica, and in the greater part of the islands of Australia, by 180 millions of individuals. 50. IV. Paganism or Polytheism, which acknowledges a plurality of Gods. It is divided into a great number of modes of worship, among which, we distinguish : Brahminism, (o) followed in Hindostan ; Bud- dhism, a kind of reformed Brahminism, spread throughout India beyond the Ganges, and admitted into China under the name of the Religion of Fo ; Lamism,' (6) having for its chief Delai-Lama, prevailing in central Asia and in. a portion of Siberia ; and lastly. Fetishism, (c) or the wor- ship of animate or inanimate creatures, which is found among all savage nations, particularly in the interior of Africa and in the islands of Australia. It is supposed that these diflerent modes of woi-ship comprise nearly 400 milUoos of individuals. 51. SUFERFIcm AND POPULATION OF THE FlYE P\RTS OF THE World. — The land and population of our globe are distributed in the following manner, between the five diviiiions of the world : Superficies in square leagues. Population. America, (a) 1,935,070 40,500,000 Europe, 484,900 231,500,000 Asia, 2,108,800 400,000,000 Africa, 1,475,700 (a) 100,000,000 Australia, 538,200 (/>) 28,000,000 Total, 6,687,670 800,000,000 (a) See number 564. fb) See number 544. (e) Mahe Brun defines this species of barbarous Paganism in the following manner : — '' All that strikes the disordered imagination of a Negro becomes his fetish, or his idol. He adores and consults a tree, a rock, an egg, a fish- bone, the seed of a date, a horn, a blade of grass. Some nations have a a national and supreme fetish. In Ouidab, (Slave Coast^ a serpent is regarded as the god of war, commerce, agricnliure, and fruittulness.— Nourished in a kind of temple, it is served by an order of priests ; young girls are consecrated to it. In Benin, a lizard is an object ol public worship ; in Dahomey, a leopard. Some Negroes give to their fetishes a figure, approaching to the human. Thev appear generally to admit of the existence of a good and bad principle.'' (a) This geographical division is adopted from M. Walkenaer. As may be seen, it gives to America a superficies less than that of Asia, though we are accustomed to say that America is the largest of the five parts of the world ; which is true or false, according to the limits given to it on the north side. (bf Very recent statistics of the globe gi? e but 82 millions to Africa and 21 ffiiJiion« to Australia. •g IX. to Africa and Principal Seas of the Globe, 52. Seas are divided into External seas, or those which surround tlie continent; and Internal sea», or those that are inland. 53. The Exterior seas, are five in number, viz: the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Ocean, or the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Antarctic Ocean. The second and the last were unknown to the ancients. 54. I. The Atlantic Ocean is situated between Europe and Africa, towards the east, and America towards the west. It is called the Atlantic Equinoctial Ocean, between the Tropics :— North Atlantic Ocean, be- tween the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle, and South Atlantic Ocean between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle. 55. The Atlantic Ocean forms five principal seas, viz : The North Sea, between Great Britain on the West, Norway and Denmark on the East, and the Netherlands and Germany, on the South. On the coast of the last mentioned country, it receives the name of German Ocean ; The Scottish Sea, on the North of Scotland ; The Irish Sea, between Ireland on the West, and England on the East; The Sea of the E8quimaux,*between Greenland, on the North-east, and Labrador on the South-west. It forms Baffin's Bay, by which it mingles with the Polar, or Arctic Frozen Ocean ; The Caribbean Sea, to the East of the Isthmus which unites North and South America. 56. II. The Great, or the Pacific Ocean, situated between America on the East, and Asia on the West, extends also to the south of both these divisions of the world. This Ocean, the largest on the globe, was entirely unknown to the ancients. Like the Atlantic, it takes the names of the Great Equinoctial Ocean, the North Pacific, and South Pacific, under difierent latitudes. 57. The Pacific Ocean forms seven principal seas, viz : Bhering's Straits on the North, between the Peninsula of Kamtschatka, on the West, and America on the East. The Sea of Ochotsk, between Siberia on the West, and the Peninsula of Kamtschatka on the North-east. The Sea of Japan, between Mandshuria, on the west, and the islands of Japan, on the East. The Yellow Sea, between Chins on the West, and Corea, on the East. The Blue Sea, to the South of the preceding one. The Chinese Sea, between that Empire, on the North, the kingdom of Annam on the West, and the Philippines, on the East. The Vermillion Sea, between California, on the West, and Ne Hezico on the East. X. MI i I ,,\i 1^. !l ,1^ 58. III. The ladian Ocean is bounded on the North by Asia, on the West by Africa, and on the East, by the islands of the Pacific. It may bie considered as forming a part of the Great Southern Ocean. 59. IV. The Frozen Arctic Ocean, situated at the* North of Europe, Asia and America, occupies all the northern part of the globe. The ancients, who had but a very vague knowledge of it, gave it the name of the Lazy Ocean, because they supposed that its watere were always frozen. The Arctic Ocean forms the White Sea, between Lapland, on the West, and the North-eastern part of Russia in Euroi)e, on the East and South. 60. V. Tlie Antarctic Ocean, eituated on the South of the Great Southern or Pacific Ocean, occupies the most southerly part of the globe. It was entirely unknown to the ancients, and comprehends no particular sea. 61. The principal Interior, or Inland seas, are four in number, viz: the Baltic, the Mediterranean, tlie Red and the Caspian sea. They were all, more or less, known to the ancients. 62. The Baltic Sea, (anciently the Sarmatian ocean,) formed by the North Sea, with which it communicates by the Skager Rack, the Cattegat, the Sound, and the Great and Little Belt, is situated in Europe, it is bounded on the North and West by Sweden, on the East, by Russia, and on the South by P/ussia. 63. The Mediterranean Sea, which derives its name from its centra position, is formed by the Atlantic Ocean^ with which it communicates through the Straits of Gibraltar. 64. The Mediterranean Sea is divided into six seas, viz : The Medi- terranean, properly so called, the Adriatic sea, the Archipelago, the sea of Marmora, the Black sea, and the sea of Azof. 65. The Mediterranean sea has also obtained the appellations of the Sicilian sea, (anciently Inferior, or Tuscan sea,) between the island of Sardinia un the West, Italy on the East, and Sicily, on the South ; the Ionian sea, between Italy and Sicily on the West, and ancient Greece on the East ; and finally, the sea of Candia or Crete, on the No'th of the island of that name. The ancients also gave it the names of the sea of Sardinia, on the West of the island of this name — the sea of Lybia, or Africa, along the coast of Barbary ; and the Great Sea, on the coast of Syria. It obtained this appellation from the Phoenicians and Hebrews, in opposition to Lake Asphaltites. or the Dead Sea, situated on the East of their country. 66. The Adriatic Sea, which joins the Mediterranean by the channel of Otranto, is situated between Italy on the North, the West, and ihe South- west, and the kingdom of lUyria and of Turkey in Europe, on the East : it is sometimes called the Gulf of Venice. The Romans gave it the name of the Superior Sea, in opposition to Inferior, or Tuscan Sea, situ- ated on the West of tlicir country. 67* The Archipelago (ancient iEgcan Sea,^ situated betweeQ Turkey xi. in Europe, on the North and West, the sea of Candia, on the South, and Anatolia, on the East, derives its ancient name from iEgeus, king of Athens, who threw himself into it, believ. ; that his son Theseus had perished in the expedition against the Mi: utaur. The Greeks also gave it the particular designations of the Sea of Myrtos, between Greece and the Cyclades ; the Icarian Sea, around the island of Nicaria ; celebrated by the poets for the fall of Icarus , and lastly, the Sea of Scarpanto, which name it still retains around the island from which it is derived. 68. The Sea of Marmora (ancient Fropontis) is situated between Roumelia on the North and West, and Anatolia, on the South and East ; it communicates with the Archipelago by the Dardanelles Strait. 69. The Black Sea, (ancient Pontus Euxinus,) is bounded by Turkey in Europe, on the West, Anatolia, on the South, and Russia in Europe, on the East and North ; on the South-west, it joins the sea of Marmora by the Canal of Constantinople. Authors do not agree on the origin either of its ancient or modern name. Frequent tempests tender its navigation exceedingly dangerous. 70. The Sea of Azof, (or ancient Palus Maeotis) is entirely surrounded by the southern Provinces of Russia in Europe. On the coast of Crinie«t (anciently the Tauric Chersonesus,) towards the South-west it has re- ceived the denomination of the Putrid Sea; it joins the Black Sea, towards the South, by the Strait I^nikale, or Cassa. 71. The Red Sea, formed by the Indian Sea, with which it is con- nected towards the South-east, by the Strait of Babelmandel, and the Gulf of Aden, is situated between Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia, on the West and South-west, and Arabia, on the East and North. 72. The Caspian Sea, which has no apparent communication with the other seas of the globe, is bounded on the North and West by Russia, on the South by Persia, and- on the East by Tartary. The ancient$« fw a long time thought it a Gulf of the Hyperborean Ocean, aad of a much greater extent from West to East, than from North to South. Th« South-east part, which washes the coast formerly called Hyrc^nia, some^ times received the name of the sea of Qyrcania, ;i ABRIDGEMENT OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA ]. America is a vast Continent, bounded on the North, by the Frozen Ocean, on the East, by Baffin's Bay and the Atlantic ; on the South, by the Straits of Magellan ; and on the West, by the Pacific Ocean. Its greatest length is about 3,^00 leagues, and its greatest breadth, 1,300. 2. About the year 9S2 of the Christian era, some Norvve^t^ians, went to settle in the eastern part of Greenland, called Old Greenland, to dis- tinguish it from the southern part, established, at a later period, by the Danes, and called New Greenland. The ice very soon interrupted all comniunicatiun between them and their country ; and it was not until eight centuries after, in 1881, that an expedition departed from Copenhagen, and traversing Greenland from West to East, penetrated as far as the settlement of the ancient Colony. The expedition found there the descendants of the first planters ; their Religion is Christianity, which their ancestors had carried thither with them ; their language is that of the Norwegians of the tenth century. In lOOS, other Norwegians visited the country to the South>west of Greenland, probably Newfoundland or Labrador ; they gave to it the name of Vinland, from the circumstance of their finding so many wild vines. The colonies who were left in this region perisLed by intestine divisions, or in their wars with the li^quiniaux natives. Notwithstanding these discoveries of the Scandinavians, it may lie said that the existence of tiie New World was unknown to the Europeans until the celebrated Genoese navigator, Christopher Columbus, landed there in 1492. This great man was convinced that, the earth bfing round, if he directed his coui'se steadily towards the West, on leaving Europe, he must either meet with new lands, which he designed before- hand to call the West Indies, or arrive at the Eastern coasts of Asia, [comprehended under the then vague name of East Indies. Columbus ABRIDGEMENT OF TflK u p i ' proposed bis project successively to the Genoese, his fellow-citizens, to Henry VII. King of Kn^Und ; to John II. King of Portugal ; and to Ferdinand II. King of Spain and Arrugon; but none of these powers were willing to grant him the assistance necessary for undertaking '' e expedition. He was going then to abandon it, when the Queen Isabciiii, wife of Ferdinand II., procured for him three indifl'crcnt ships, and apart of the money he had solicited. He sailed from Spai.i o,t ihc 8d of August, 1492, with the titles of Admiral and Viceroy of b'i the r juutries he might discover. When he had been at sea two months, hij crew mutinied, and threatened to throw him into the sea, if he did not consent to return immediately. Columbus promised to relinquish his enterprise, if in three days they did not meet with land. Fortunately, the same night they arrived before the island of St. Salvador, thus named by Columbus, because this discovery had saved his life. Some days later, they sa«v tlio islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, or St. Domingo: Columbus then 'lis- tened to return to the south of Spain, to give an account of ins success. He made three other voyages, in which be discovered sevr-i-al ether islands, and finally a part of the Continent of America, .vliicU he culled Terra Firmn, now Colombia. It was, however, a merchant of Florence, named Ainerigo Vespucci, who had the honor of giving his name to the New World, having visited it, many years after the Genoese navigator, and having published the first geographical maps of it. S. It is not known at what period America was first peopled ; we are also ignorant as to whether the firet inhabitants camu from the north-west of Europe, the north-east of Asia, or even from the coasts of Africa, nearest to Brazil. It is very probable that the origin of the difl*erent American nations may be derived principally from central Asia (a).^ Many antiqui*^!';. discovered in Mexico and the United States, lead to the belief that theie have been successive emigrations from the Old Con- tinent to the New, but at distant intervals of time. The Esquimaux are evidently of the same race as the Samoyedes. 4. America extends almost from one pole to the other : it must therefore pre.sent an infinite variety of (a) " It ii certain that all the American nations, with the exception of the Esquimaux, resemble each other by the similarity of the head, the colour of the skin, the extreme paucity of beard, and by their coarse glossy hair The American race bears, in thifl rpgppct, very close affinity to the Monguls, who occupy the central part of Abia "With respect lo the progress «/ civilisj.ii.'i, M. de .L.amboldt has de- monstrated more clearly and comp !. ihai. any of his predecessors, that America has received from Asia, at least in great pan, its civilisation, laws, religious belief, arts and astronomical notions. " The monastic institutions of the Americans, the choice of religious cymbols, their traditions relative to the formation of the universe, the figures which, in the Mexican calendar mark the divisions of the year, all remind us of Asia, and Thibet particularly." * * * (Malte Brun'i AnnaU of Voyages.) GKOGRAPIIY OP AMERICA' ft/ i ..I aspects, climate und productions. To the North appears an ocean always covered ivith ice, — two im- mense bays, and many lakes which deserve the name of seas ; to the West, is a chain of moun- tains which traverses the Continent from Terra del Fuego to the '\rctic cii'cle } in the centre is the Isth- mus of Panama, which connects North and South America; near this Isthmus is the cluster of the Antillas, composed of a number of islands highly interesting and important, on account of their com- merce with all civilised nations ; to the South, moun- tains of an extraordinary height present themselves ; a long succession of volcanos, in a constant state of erupti(m; and countries, either inundated by perpe- tual rains, or parched by the heat of a tropical sun, but rich in metals, precious stones, and vegetable productions of all kinds. Four superb rivers, issuing from the same region, water the Grand Northern Peninsula, running to- wards the four cardinal points ; three others, of which, one is the largest in the world, situated in the Southern Peninsula, discharge their waters into the Atlantic Ocean. We find in America most of the productions of the Old World, and in addition, a ;reat number of plants, indigenous quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles ; inexhaustible mines of gold ^nd silver, quicksilver, brass, lead, iron, coal, mineral salt, precious stones, marble, and many other mineral and medicinal sub- stances. 5. The total population of America, and the dependant islands, may be estimated at forty millions and a half, of whom about twenty-six millions of souls are Roman Catholics, thirteen millions are Protestants of different sects, and one million and a half Idolaters, (a) Jews and others. (a) The idolatry of th« Baragei of America, it of a mora •nlithtantdl c ABRIDGEMENT OF THE i I I' NORTH AMERICA. 6. North America is bounded on the North by the Frozen Ocean 5 on the East, by Baffin's Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; on the South, by the Isthmus of Panama ; and on the West, by the Pacific Ocean. 7. Bays and Gulfs. — Baffin's Bay, Hudson's Bay, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf of California. 8. Straits. — Behring's Straits, between America and Asia ; those of Lancaster and Barrow, between Baffin's Bay and the Arctic Ocean ; Davis's Straits, between Baffin's Bay and the Atlantic ; those of Belle Isle, between the coast of Labrador and the island of Newfoundland ; and the New Channel of Bahama, between the islands and the Sand Bank of that name, and the Eastern coast of Florida, &c. The principal islands of North America are mentioned in No. Ill, and the following numbers. 9. Mountains. — The chain of Rocky Mountains which extends from Mexico to the Frozen Ocean; the Andes, or Cordilleras of Mexico ; the Mountains of California, the chain of which is united to those of New Cornwall, situated along the coast of the Pacific; and the Apalachlan, or Alleghany Moun- tains, which extend from Florida to Canada. All these Mountains are connected together by transverse chains. The highest point of North America appears to be Mount St. Elias, near the Pacific Ocean, about sixty degrees north latitude, its height is 18,000 feet, (a) The Mountains of Mexico contain immense metallic riches, viz : gold, silver, brass, lead, iron, mineral salt, &c. Many vol- cpste, than that of the Negroes. They all admit the existence of the Great Spirit ; but they believe themselves able to conciUate the Evil Spirit, by ofierings and pravers. (^) ^' See the Appendix, No. VII. GBOGRAPHY OF AMURICA. Jorth by the Bay and the Isthmus of ic Ocean. idson's Bay, Mexico, and en America w, between as's Straits, kose of Belle the island of of Bahama, ank of that kc. ned in No. Ill, Mountains )zen Ocean ; e Mountains ed to those oast of the lany Moun- anada. All >v transverse eanot are there met with. Iron and coal are abundant at the foot of the Alleghany Mountains, where are also found some gold mines. To the £ast of the Rocky Mountains, and to the South of the River Platte, flowing into the Missouri, is a desert ot about 18,000 square leagues, inhabited by buffaloes, wild liorses, elks, roc-bucks, Sec, and various wandering tribes of savages. Salt is found there in quantities, particularly in the bed of the Canadian River, which empties itself into the Arkansas. To the West of the same chain, a similar desert extends* as far as the Gulf of California. The vast region between the Rooky Mountains and Hudson's Bay is, for the most part, composed of swnmps, or uncultivated lands, intersected by rivers and some salt-water Lakes. Wood ist very scarce there, but several banks of pit-coal have been discovered, similar to those on the shore of the Ohio. Swamps are also very frequent between the Rocky Mountains and the AUeghanies. 10. Lakes. — Those of the Great Bear, Slave Lake, and Athabasca, which discharge themselves into the Frozen Ocean, by McKenzie^s River; Great and Little Winnipeg, which communicate with Hudson's Bay; Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, whose waters are carried into the Atlantic Ocean, through the River St. Lawrence; Lake Tim- panogos, upon the Northern frontier of Mexico ; and Lake Nicaragua, which empties itself into the Sea of the Antilles, &c. JLake Superior is the greatest oolleotion of frash water on the surface of the globe ; it is from 80 to 150 fathoms in depth, and three hundred leagues in circumference. 11. Rivers. — ^The MacKenzie River, which has its source in the Rocky Mountains, crosses the Slave Lake, and empties itself into the Arctic Ocean ; the St. Lawrence, which takes its rise from Lake Ontario, swollen by the waters of all the great lakes in that part of the Continent) runs through Lower Canada, receives during its course the Ottawa, and many other very considerable rivers, and finally dis- charges itself into the Gulf which bears its name, being at its mouth 30 leagues in breadth ; the Missis- sippi, the source of which is near Lake Superior, u ABRIDGEMENT OF THK I ■ : ; ,! :. n traverses the United States, making innumerable windings, receives a number of tributary rivers, the most remarkable of which are the Missouri, the Illinois, the Ohio, the Arkansas, and the Ked River; and branching into different channels, falls into the Gulf of Mexico : the Colombia River, which descends from the Rocky Mountains, towards the Pacific Ocean ; the Rio Bravo del Norte, and the Colorado, which run, the one, towards the Gulf of Mexico, the other, towards that of California ; &c. The surce of tlie MacKenzie River resembles that of the rivers of Northern Asia (No. 508); vast, deep, but obstructed by ice three quaiters of the year, it waters an inhospitable region, abounding with white bears, rein-deer, the musk-ox, caribou, foxes, hares, and many other animals valuable for their furs ; near its mouth are considerable numbers of seals, porpoises, and whales. Its shores are frequented by ducks, geese, swans, bustards, and other large birds of passage. Its breadth from Slave Lake to the Ocean, varies from two to four miles. The St. IiAwrence is one of the finest rivers in the world. We may fix its source beyond Lake Superior, about 40 leagues from that of the Mississippi, and 740 leagues from the entrance of the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. A single Fall, that of Niagara, justly celebrated as one of the greatest prodigies of Nature, completely interrupts its navigation.—. Ships of 350 tons burthen, ascend as high as Montreal, while the largest Fhips of war, navigate safely from the Ocean to Quebec; and are some* times launched on those great lakes, which may be called the seas of Canada. The breadth of the river at Montreal is two miles, at Quebec, 520 fathoms only, taken frem low water-mark ; between those two Cities, from one mile and a half to three miles (a) ; below Quebec, as far as the Saguenay, from 8 miles and a-half to 15 miles ; and it then in- creases gradually in breadth, until it enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence : at the Western point of the island of Anticosti, it is computed to be 70 miles from one coast to the other. The influence of the tide ceases about SO leagues above Quebec ; at which port, it rises 18 feet at new and full moon. From the end of December until April, the river is covered with ice, sufficiently solid to bear the heaviest carriages. The came may be said of all its tributary rivers, and of the lakes connected with it. The waters of the St. Lawrence, the bulk of which is estimated at • ! fa) What Canadian would not love his country, after comemplnting it for some hours from the dark of one of our steam -boats, on the passage from Quebec to Montreol ? What an enchanting spectacle ! Wliut rich prospects present themselves ! What a succession of fertile, peaceful, and smiling fields, is displnyed on encli shore, os far as the eye can reach ! — The scenery ofl'ers someiliing, perhaps still more grand, diversified, and charming, in descending the river aa far as the Saguenay. ^K GBOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. inumerabie ' rivers, the issoiiri, the Red River ; ills into the ch descends the Pacific e Colorado, Mexico, the jf the rivers of ;d by ice three abounding with , and many other derable numbers snted by ducks, re. Its breadth miles. ivorld. We may roni that of the Gulf of the St. sbrated as one of its navigation. — while the largest ; and are some* :alled the seas of niles, at Quebec, those two Cities, lebec, as far as ind it then in- St. Lawrence : L'omputed to be the tide ceases s 18 feet at new pril, the river is carriages. The lakes connected is estimated at contemplating it , on the passnge cle ! Wliut rich ile, peaceful, and ye can reach !— diversifieil, und 1,672,704,000 cubit feet per hour, are clear, agreeable, and salubrious to drink at all seasons; — They are stored with a great abundance of excellent fish, salmon, sturgeon, white fish, pike, perch, gold llsh, achigans, bar, carp, trout, maskinong^s, shad-fish, eels, small cod-fish, smelts, &c. Near the gulf are found herring, mackarel, large cod-fish, porpoises, seals, lobsters, oystei's, &c. £el fisliing, in autumn, aflbrds abundant supplies to the inhabitants of the parishes below Quebec. Many are also taken in the tributary streams, but fifteen days later than in the river. The largest sturgeon weigh from 100 to 150 pounds. The mouth of the St. Maurice is frequented in winter by small cod-fish, which are taken in nets in great abundance. The large lakes supply the best kind of white lish ; they weigh usually from four to eight pounds each, and sometime? as much as twenty-two pounds. A middle sized trout weighs twelve pounds, but there are some forty-five pounds weight. The Mississippi, properly called (M^-cha-c^ebe, father of the waters,) rises about 2,440 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, into which it empties itself ; but if we give this name to the Missouri also, which much sur- passes it in extent, its entire course will be 3,038 miles, or 1093 French leagues. The current of the Mississippi runs at the rate of three miles and three quarters an hour ; and that of the Missouri four miles and a half. This great river (Mississippi and Missouri), is always dilRcult, and often dangerous to navigate, as much on account of the rapidity of the current, as of the banks of sand accumulated by frequent inundations, from trees under the surface of the water, masses of floating timber, &c. All the rivers, tributary to the Missouri, are closed by the saiid at the time of the periodical increase of the waters in July, and do not open until the following spring. Below Natchez, as far as Ohio, the channel, in the dry season, is only five or six feet deep. The Missouri, from August till February, has only from two to two and a half feet of water. The main breadth of the Mississippi, after its junction with the Ohio, is from 770 to 1,230 fathoms ; it runs through immense savannas and fertile valleys, until within twenty leagues of the Mexican Gulf, and thence traverses sterile marshes. The shores often give way, consisting only of weak banks five or six feet high, and formed by its own alluvion. The navigation of the Missouri is impeded for some time during winter by the ice. In general, the shores of the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the innume> rable streams which flow into them, are low, often marshy and unhealthy, full of musquitous, and rattle-snakes. The river Columbia is formed principally by the junction of the two great rivers which bear the names of two Commissioners, Lewis and Clarke, sent in 1804, by the Government of the United States, to take possession of the country irrigated by its waters. It is navigable for vessels of 800 tons burthen, for the distance of 125 miles, and for schooners 185 miles. The breadth of the Columbia is from one to three miles. It is said that sturgeons of five or six hundred pounds weight, hare been seen there. C 2 ;# r S ABRIDGEMBNT OF THE h V ,!! li \ i 11 12. Climate AND Productions. — The temperature of North i'\merica, like that of the other divisions of the globe, varies with the latitude, and according to the elevation, and relative position to the sea, its lakes^ and mountains. We shall explain in the sequel, ^Nos. 213, 214, and 505,^ why the air Is com- monly colder than in Europe, or Asia, under the same parallel. The climate is also remarkable for the sudden transition, from extreme heat to intense cold, wliich causes many dangerous and fatal maladies. I. Beyond fifty-two degrees of North latitude, the culture of grain is almost impracticable ; towards Hudson's Buy, the land is always frozen, and will not admit even the cuUure of vegetables. Labrador, and the coasts situated still nearer the Arctic pole, are shrouded in perpetual fogs. The forests of Rus- sian America are composed of pines, fir trees, oaks, maple, birch, larch, cypress, sycamore, cedar, &c. — Berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, blueberries, cranberries, &c. ; wild grapes, crab apples, cherries, acorns, nuts, &c,, are the principal fruit of this division of the Continent. The quadru- peds found here are, the white bear, rein-deer (cari- bou), musk-ox, elk, roe-buck, beaver, otter, martin, ermine, the black and brown bear, the wolf, lynx, wild-cat, porcupine, fox, hare, &c. The birds are swans, storks, geese^ ducks, bustards, partridges, owls, eagles, hawks, ospreys, cormorants, and a number of other birds of prey. Seals, sea cows, por* poises, whales, and some other large fish abound on the shores of the ocean. Trout, white, and gold- fish, &c. inhabit the lakes and rivers. Upon the Great Bear Lake, in latitude 66*^ North, Captain Franklin, who passed the winter there, iu 1825, and 1826, remarked the greatest cold experienced, to be — 52 (Fahrenheit=— 87, 1t3 Reaumur). The greatest heat observed was -^ 74 ° Fahrenheit. The snow commenced in the month of October, and continued eight months. The shortest day was two hours and thirty-eight minutes. From the end of August, ths ground was frozen twenty-oue inches deep. Captain Parry found .j5 GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. ?niperature Hvisions of jcording to :he sea, its ain in the ail* is com- , under the arkable for to intense and fatal atitude, the e ; towards , and will Labrador, Lrctic pole, ests of Rus- trees, oaks, edar, &c. — mulberries, rapes, crab le principal he quadru- deer (earl- ier, martin, wolf, lynx, 5 birds are partridges. Its, and a cows, por- abound on and gold- >tain Franklin f d the greatest aumur). The aw commenced The shortest 2ud of August, I Parry found the seasons still more rigorous at Winter Island, situated to the South of the Peninsula of Melville, in latitude 66 ° ^ North, where he wintered in 1822, and at the island of Ooglit, situated to tlie North-east of tlic same Peninsula, in latitude 69-*^! North, where he passed the winter following. These districts are always covered with ice, over which the Esquimaux pursue the numerous tenants of the northern seas. II. At the settlement of Red River, which empties itself into Lake Winnipeg, in about 50° North lati- tude, corn comes to maturity, and barley, oats, peas and vegetables can be raised without difficulty. In the Southern part of Canada, and along the shores of the St. Lawrence, as far as Quebec, Indian corn, apples, melons, and pumpkins are cultivated. In the South-east of Upper Canada, there are peaches, apricots, and a greafc abundance of apples. Pears come to perfection at Montreal, as well as apricots and grapes ; the latter, however, are often obliged to be gathered before they are ripe. The greatest cold experienced at Quebec, is about — 3l| of Fahren- heit, equal to 28^ Reaumur ; at Montreal, — 22 Fahrenheit^ — 24 Reaumur; at Detroit, between lAkes Huron and Erie, Fahren- heit=3 — 14 2^9 Reaumur. The greatest heat in these three cities is about -^-dS Fahrenheit=-|- 28 Reaumur. In liower Canada, the winter begins about the 20th of November, and the spring towards the end of April. In Montreal, in 1881, the result of observation gave sixty-five rainy days, thirty-four of snow, one hundred and sixty-eight of fine weather, and 98 cloudy days. In Quebec, the same year, there were one hundred and six days rain, fifty-six snow, two hundred and seven dry weather, sixteen unsettled, twenty<.5^ven storms, accompanied by thunder, and thirty-five of Aurora Borealis. The westerly winds, (North and South ) prevailed for two hundred and thirty-one days, and the easterly winds, one hundred and eighteen. The snow fell that year in Montreal, nine feet deep ; but the depth usually, is not more than two feet in the fields, and from four to five in the woods. It is said that the cypress of New Hanover, on the North-west coast, measures twenty-four feet in cir- cumference. Canada is covered by immense forests of pine, fir, cedar, maple, oak, elm, walnut, cherry, birch, &c. III. The United States partake of the climate and productions of Europe, (see No. 80). There are still 10 ABRIDGEMENT OF THB «, I ; many primitive forests. The plane, and tulip trees of Ohio, are from forty to fifty feet in circumference; the other trees of the same region are of gigantic height and size. Maliogany grows in Florida. The wild animals and birds of the United States are the same as that we have before mentioned ; besides a great variety of birds, remarkable for the beauty of their plumage, noxious reptiles, rattle-snakes, alliga- tors, &c. The wild turkey is found in all the Southern and Western forests, from the neighbourhood of the Great Lakes, as far as Mexico. The South-east coasts of the Atlantic, are exposed to extreme heats, hurricanes, and storms, accompa- nied by terrific peals of thunder. IV. The vast countries situated to the West of the IJnited States, as far as the ocean, are inhabited by oxen, wild horses, elks, caribou, roe-bucks, wolves, and a variety of other furred animals. The tempe- rature there is mild and agreeable, but the atmos- phere is often unhealthy, particularly in the marshy valleys. The territory of Oregon, watered by the Columbia, appears fertile, but mountainous. V. Mexico, Guatimala.. and the Antilles, unite the productions of the temperate regions, with those of the torrid zone, (Nos. 96, 122, and 123). The inha- bitants are exposed to all the inconveniencies of a tropical climate to insupportable beat, droughts, long-continued rains, epidemic maladies, &c. On the other hand, they have a great variety of fruit, valuable trees, woods for dyeing, and medicinal plants. In Mexico are found, the condor, the Amerif^an tiger, the tapir, and many other indigenous qua- drupeds. Such is a general view of the climate and produc- tions of North America : let us now enter into a particular description of the different countries of which it is composed. ^ GEOGKAPHY OF AMERICA. 11 tulip trees 1 inference 5 [)f gigantic rida. The es are the ; besides a e beauty of kes, alliga- e Southern ood of the •e exposed accompa- ^est of the labited by :s, wolves, le tenipe- the atnios- he marshy ed bv tlie )• , unite the ;h those of The inha- ncies of a droughts, &c. On ,y of fruit, medicinal 13. Divisions. — North America coi principal parts, namely : to possessions, and Russian terri States, and the territory of the South, Mexico and Gua BRITISH POS rehends four British the , to tfhj^t are, hd New 14. The British possessions Canada, New Brunswick, Britain (a). We shall give hereafter^ (No. Ill, and the foUonring numbei-s,) the description of the Americau islands which depend on Great Britain. CANADA. 15. Canada is bounded on the North, by New Britain ; on the East, by the Gulf of St. Lawrence ; (bj on the South-east, by New Brunswick ; and on the South and West, by the States and the territories of the American Union. Canada was discovered by a navigator from St. Malo, named jAcames Carxibr, whom Francis the First, King of France, had commissioned to establish a Colony in the New World. On the 10th August, 1534, he entered a vast gulf to which he gave the name of the Gulf of St. La. WHENCE, in honor of the Saint to whom that day was dedicated. — The following year he explored the river, of which this Gulf is the mouth, for about two hundred leagues, as far as Montreal, called by the natives, Hochelaca. But the first permanent settlement founded in Canada by the Europcians, was that of Quebec, by Samuel de Champlain, in 1608. This Colony, entirely French in its origin, owed allegiance to France, and was generally denominated New France, until the year 1768, when it was ceded to the English by the treaty of Paris. 16. Canada was divided in 1791, by an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, into two distinct Pro- vinces, Upper and Lower Canada. Each of these Provinces received at the same time a Constitution, (a) This term was originally npplied only to the Peninsula of Labrador; use has since extended it to all that part uf British America. aituateU to the North of Canada and the American Union. (bj See the Appendix, No. II. ••> , ' \ i 12 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE and form of Government, consisting of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Executive Council, and a Legisliitive Council ; the latter composed of seven members, at least, for Upper Canada, and of fifteen, at least, for liower Canada ; with a Representative Assembly, elected by the citizens of each Province. The Assembly of Upper Canada was fixed by the Constitutional Act, at a minimum of twenty-five members; and that of KowerCanada, at a minimum of fifty members. This latter number has, however, been since augmented lO eighty-eight. The Governors and Lieutenant Governors, as well as the Members of the Councils, are appointed by the King. The Legisla- tive Councillors are nominated for life ; all the other officers of the administration, exercise their respective functions during His Majesty's pleasure. The elec- tion of the Kepresentatives takes place every four year?, unless the Parliament is sooner dissolved by the Governor, or expires in consequence of the demise of the Crown, LOWER CANADA. 17« Lower Canada is divided from the Upper Pro- vince, by a line commencing near the point of Baudet, on the northern bank of Lake St. Francis, whence it extends, first towards the North-wesI, as far as the Western angle of the Seigniory of Higaud, then North, one fourth North-east, as far as the River Ottawa, which it ascends as far as LakeTemiscaming; thence the line extends due North, to the territory of Hudson's Bay, 18. Lower Canada comprehends three principal Districts, viz : Quebec, Montreal, and Three Rivers ; and two Inferior Districts, viz : that of Gasp^, situated at the Eastern extremity of the Province, and that of St. Francis, enclosed within the two Districts of •t GBOORAPHY OK AMBHICA. 13 Governor, il, and a i of seven f fifteen, at resentative Province. :efl by the wenty-five nnimum of vever, been pernors and ibersof the tie Legisla- 11 the other r respective The elec- every four lissolved by f the demise Upper Pro- le point of St. Francis, rth-west, as of Higaud, as the River miiscaming; ; territory of ee principal iree Rivers ; sp^, situated ,and that of Districts of Montreal, and Three River;*. These five Districts are subdivided into forty counties. The names of the counties are as follow : to the North, descending the Rivtii- Vaudreuil, Ottawa, the Lake of the '. MouutaiuR, Mon- treal, Terrebonne, Lachcnaie, Assomption, Bertnier, St. Maurice, Champlain, Portneuf, Quebec, Montmorency, Orleans, (comprehending the island of Orleans and the adj¢ islands), Sagucnay ; to the South, ascending the river, Gasp^>, Bunaventure, Rimouski, Karaouvaska, I'Jslet, Bellechasse, Dorchester, Beauce, Megantic, Lotbini^re, Niculet, Ya- maska, Drunimond, Slierbrooke, Staustead, Missiskoui, SheiVord, St. Hyacinthe, Rouville, Richelieu, Yercb^res, Chambly, Laprairie, I'Acadie, and Beauharnois. i9. The counties are divided into Seigniories and Townships. The parishes sometimes contain but one Seigniory ; sometimes, on the contrary, a parish is formed of several Seigniories or Townships, either entire, or divided. 20. Mi ■At Cape Rosi the Gulf of lOUNTAINS St. Lawrence, commences a chain of heights of land, extending towards the South-west, as far as the State of Vermont ; it forms a separation between the waters which flow into the River St. Lawrence, and those which discharge themselves into the Gulf, into the Bay of Fundy, or into the Atlantic Ocean ; their greatest elevation is from four to five thousand feet. These mountains, or heights, are connected with the great chain of the Alleghanys, (No. 9). Another chain runs along the northern bank of the river, commencing at Cape Tourment, about ten leagues below Quebec, and extending as far as tfie Ottawa, which it crosses, separating its basin from that of the Great Lakes. Other mountains, or heights, but little known as yet, separate Canada from the territory of Hudson's Bay ; they belong to a chain, extending without interruption, from the Rocky Mountains to the coast of Labrador. The most elevated points which hare as yet been measiiied, with any cert&inty, are the mountains of St. Anne, below Cape Chat, in the 14 ABRIDGKMENT OP THB ^!' Didtrict of Gasp^ : their height is three thousand nine hundred and seventy-three feet. In the District of Montreal there are several detached mountains, such as that of Bela:il, or rather Rouville, which is about one thousand one hundred feet in height, having on its summit a very picturesque lake, abounding with trout ; and those of Yamaska, of Rougemont, of St. Tfa^r^se, or Mount Johnson, that of Montreal, &c, 21, Rivers — After the St. Lawrence, one of the largest aiul most majestic rivers of the earth, (No, 1 1), the principal rivers of Lower Canada, are : North of that river, the Ottawa, or river of the Outaouais, the St. Maurice, the Saguenay, the Betsiamis, the River des Ontardes, the Manicougan, the Moisic, (a) the Manitou (6), the St. J )hn, and the Nitigamiou (c); South of the >t. Lawrence are, the Chamhly, the St. Francis, and the Chaudiere River. The course of the Ottawa is about two hunured leagues in length ; it waters a part of Canada, which is very fertile bnd rich in wood, but as yet thinly inhabited ; it communicates with the Great Lakes, by means of the Rideau Canal, which has la'.ely been Urashed at the expense of the British Government, and which is one hundred and thirty-three miles in length. The Ottawa is frequently as broad as the St. Lawrence ; but unfortunately, rapids and falls imp'>de its navigation. It contains several islands of a tolerable size, and a good number of lakes, such at the Lake of the Two Mountains, of the Chaudiere, Lake des Chats, of Fort Coulonge, and the Lake (> Aluniettes. The country through which tne St. Maurice flows, with a rapid cur- rent, is rather barren. This river takes its source from several lakes situated near the heights which separate Canada from the territory of Hudson's Bay : twenty-iive families of those idolatrous savages called T^tes-de-boules, or Round-heads, are found here, and support themselves by hunting and fishing. A bridge has been built at the expense of the Province, acfoss the mouth of this river, formed of two branches, which will prove of the greatest public utility. Three leagues higher, is the ancient establishment of the Forges of St. Maurice, in a situation where iron is abundant. The Saguenay, from its mouth, or entrance, into the St. Lawrence, *o the first falls, a distance of about seventy miles, has all the character of a large river, its breadth being about two miles, and its depth from ninety to one hundred and forty-seven fathoms. It abounds in salmon and other excellent fish ; and game is plentiful on its banks. The Sa- {a) Thifl river empties itself near the Seven Islands, fb) Half way hftween the Seven Islands and Mingan. (c) Near (he Strait of Bella Isle. I s ',i/ GEOOilAPHY OF AMKRI' \. 15 fic hundred and hed mountains, ut one thousand )ictui'e8que lake* igcmont, of St. one of the earth, fNo. , are : North i Outaouais, tsiamis, the ! Mo'isic, (a) igamiou (c); iibly, the St. Lies in length ; it [ in wood, but as Lakes, by means the expense of and thirty-three le St. Lawrence ; on. It contains )f lakes, such as ke des Chats, of with a rapid cur- rom several lakes the territory of Lis savages called ipport themselves e expense of the ) branches, which Lies higher, is the a situation where St. Lawrence, ''o the character of d its depth from ibounds in salmon banks. The Sa- 8. fb) Half way e Strbit of Belle guenay also, has its source among the heights wi h form th iVorthmi Boundary of the country. At a (iistuiice of ulu.tt one li ./drcd an twenty inilvs in the interior, in the centre of a large swamp or mari«l it forms the Lake of St. John, about thirty miles in length and tvvent ■ five in breadth. The Bctsiamis, the River Des Outardes, (Bustard River,) and »ii« others situated near the Straitv of Bellc-Isle, are all remarkable fur bcautiful falls near their mouth, except the Bctsiamis ; which, for forty- five rniles before it empties into the St. Lawrem>c, expands into a stream, of about a quarter of a mile in breadth, and from ten to twelve feet in depth. The most beautiful of these falls-, is that of the Manitou, which is one hundred and thirteen feet in height. Previous to the year 1825, the River St. John formed the eastern limit of the Province, (see Appendix No. II). The River Chambly, or Richelieu, is navigable for schooners and steamboats, from its mouth at Sorel, to the basin of Chambly, a distance of fifteen leagues ; the splendid Chambly Canal, four kagucs in length, and the expense of wiiich is estimated at sixty thousand pounds, will soon afibrd an easy communication by water, between the St. Lawrence and Lake Champlain, the source of this River. A handsome bridge, on the River Cliambly, connects the small town of St. John with the oppo> site parish of St. Athanase. The valley of this river is the richest and most fertile part of the Province. The St. Francis has two principal sources, viz : — The Lake St. Francis, situated between the county of Mcgantic, and the county of Sherbrooke, and Lake Memphremagog, on the frontier of Vermont. Two or three Canals, at a very trifling expense, would render this River navigable for large boats, from Lake St. Peter, into which it empties itself, to the centre of the Eastern Townships. The ChauJi^re takes its rise in Lake Megantic, near the frontier of Maine ; the Townships through which it flows are clearing rapidly. A great quantity of lumber is annually furnished from thence. This River is remarkable for its falls, distant about two leagues and a half from Quebec ; its waters, precipitating themselves from a height of eighty feet, have worn cavities in the rock, at the foot of the falls, which resemble kettles ; whence it derives its name of Chaudiere, or kettle. A strong and handsome bridge, formed of a single arch, is thrown across its entrance into the St. Lawrence. 22. Among the less important Rivera of Lower Canada, may be men- tioned. North of the St. Lawrence : the River Gatineau, and the River aux Li^vres, the sources of which communicate with those of the St. Maurice, and which flow into the Ottawa ; the North River, another tributary of the Ottawa, the establishments on whose banks are rapidly increasing ; the River of I'Assomption, which waters the pretty village of the same name, and which empties itself into the St. Law- rence, opposite the end of the island of Montreal ; the River Batiscan, known for its iron, and for its forges, at present abandoned; the River St. Anne de la Perade, whicht as well as that which follows, descends from D i \ii AIUlII}f;P:MKM Oh' Tllli I ? the mountains un tliu Nnitli of Qiicl)cc; t]ic JacqucH Curlier, wljcre a grcut niinil>cr()(' cnn'ijrunls tVoni Scotland iuul In-lunil Iiiivc lately (icttlcJ, and u'lin alrviidy I'urnihh a quimtlty of vigi-talilcs and jjuttcr to tliu t|ut'bcc nmrUet ; the St. Cluirlvs, which Hows under tiie ruin|mrt8 of Quebec, and which is ciosscd by Scott's Hndjie, and Dorchehtcr Uridgc ; the River Montniurcncy, celebrated for its falls, two hundred and forty feet in hei;e saw-niills ; the lliver Si. Anne de la CAte de Jicaupre, which presents one of the most inlcrestinf; falls which can be seen, that called le relit Sault, in the parish of St. Joachim ; the lliver du l-ouflVe, ' he mouth of which widens into St. Paul's Uay, remarkable for enormous (iiosbcs of maf^netic iron ; the River of Malbaie, frequented for lumber, S:c.; South of the River St. Lawrence : the River Chateauf^uay, render mI nicmoral-ic by the victory piincd here by three hundred Canadians, o/er the Americans, on the 2r>th of October, 181S; the River of Yamaska, which takes its source near t he Sc>uth-eastern frontier, passes in front of the village of St. Ilyiicintli, and empties itself into Lake St. Peter; the llivec Nicolct, which waters the pretty village of that name, and enters the St. J^awreiicc ifar Lake St. Peter; the River Becancour, on the banks of which res'de some savugcs of the Abcnaqui tribe, and famed for a sturgeon ftsliery near its mouth ; the iicaurivage, a tributary of the Cliaudi(>re, subject to disastrous freshets ; the River Ktehemin, the waters of wi icli serve to put in operation one of the most extensive saw- mills to be found, probably, in British /America; the River du Sud, which waters several fertile parishes, and enters the St. Lawrcr.ce near the village of St. Thomas; the River Quelle, in the entrance of which a great many porpoises were formerly caught ; the Ri/cr du Loup, from which a great deal of excellent timber is procured ; the River des Trois Piitolcs, which is connected by means of a portage with Lake Temis- couata, &c. Towards the Eastern frontier there arc also: the St. John, already a considerable River, previous to its entrance into the territory of New Brunswick, whither it carries the waters of a multitude of lakes and small rivers, abounding in fish and game ; the Madawaska, which flows from Lake Ttmiscouata, and joins the St. John ; the Ristigouehe, which separates Lower Canada from New Brunswick, and the mouth of which, about four miles in breadth, is called the Bay of Ristigouche ; tlie Ma- tapediac, emptying itself into the Ristigouche, &c. 23. Lakes. — Lake Teinii-criiuiiifi^, the f)rincij)ul source of the Ottawa ; Li'ke Abbitibi, the waters of which run towards Hudson's Bay ; Lake St. John, crossed by tlie Saguenay; Lake Champhtin, siiuatetl almost entirely between New York and Vermont, part of which, comprised within Lower Canada, is called the Bay of JVlissiskoui ; Lake Memphremagog and Lake Megantic, on the Sonth-easiern frontier ; Lake GliOr.HAPIIY OF AMKIIICA. 17 icr, wlicrc a iilcly settle J, juttci- to tlic nuupnvts ol' chtci- Uiidgc ; ed luul forty the foot of the c dc Ik-aupi-e, be ^ccn, that V dii l^oufiVc, : foi cuoimous id for lumber, uuy, rendci 'd madiiius, otfcr of Yuniaska, ill front of the it. Peter ; the ue, and enters incour, on the )e, and famed , a tributary Etchcmin, the extensive saw- ,iver du Sud, Law rcr.ee near •ance of which lu Loup, from iver dcs Trois Lake Temis- ohn, already a iiitory of New 5 of lakes and ta, which flows gouehe, which outhof which, Liche ; the Ma- priijcipul e waters ot' St. John, n, situated rmont, part !a, is called magog and tier; Lake Temiscouattt and several others, situated on tlic ter- ritory in dispute between the British and American (jovernments, (Appeiulix No. 1.); the Lake of tlie Two Mountains, near the nioutli of the Ottawa; l^ake St. Francis, Lake St. Louis, and Lake St. Fcter, whi'jh are only so many cniarti^ements of the St. Lawrence, and a multitude of others. 24. Islands. — Tiie principal Islands arc: that of Montreal, situated near the junction of the river St. Lawrence and the Ottawa, thirty-four miles in length and eleven in breadth, rich in commerce, in wheat, in fruit, and stone of the best quality for building ; containing forty-four thousand inhabitants, and di- vided inio nine pari-hcs, besides the City of Montreal, (a) ; — the Island of Jesus, separated from that of Montreal, by a current of water called the River des Prairies, twenty-two miles in length, and six in breadth, fertile in grain, containing three parishes an 4 seven thousand iidiabitants; — the Island of Orleans, situated in the St. Lawrence, three mile>^ and a half below Quebec, more than nineteen miles in length, and five and a half miles in breadth, comj)rising five small parishes, and a population of four thousand five hundred souls. It is remarkable for the excellent quality of its pork, peas, plums, and its cheese, I {rajffini) ; and lastly, the Island of Anticosli, situated I at the mouth of the River St. Lawrence, one hundred and forty miles in length, and thirty-five in breadth, covered with rocks, and stunted pine trees, it is frequented for the salmon which abound in its ii'ivers, and the codfish, which are taken on its vcoast. After these, the most considerable are ; the Island of the Black River, ^ftnd that of Grand Calumet, near the source of the Ottawa ; Isle Perrot, I parish situated near the Island of Montreal ; the Isle du Puds, also a parish ; the Island of St. Ignace, and a labyrinth of other Islands, situ- (a) See the Appendix No. V. M 18 ABRIDGEMENT OP THE ated at the upper extremity of Lake St. Peter; Crane Island, a small parish ; Goose Island, and some others situated below the Island of Orleans ; among these is Grosse Isle, remarkable for being used at present as a Quarantine Station for vessels from sea ; Isle aux Coudres, a parish containing six hundred and thirty inhabitants — some porpoises are caught on its shores; Hare Island, uninhabited; Green Island, on which a light-house, forty feet in height, is erected ; tlie Magdalen Isles, situated in the Gulf, but belonging to Lower Canada, (6) &c. Isle aux Noix, situated towards the upper extremity of the River Chambly, and the Island of St. Helen, before Montreal ; though of small extent, are very important as forts, one being destined to command the entrance of Lake Cham plain, in case of necessity, — the other, to defend the City and port of Montreal. 25. Climate and Productions. — The climate of Lower Canada is very cold in winter, and equally warm in summer, (No. 12) ; but in every season, ex- tremely salubrious. The soil is in general very fertile. Wheat is abundant, as well as oats, barley, buck-wheat, fl ix, peas, potatoes, and other vegetables. Indian corn is chiefly cultivated in the island of of Montreal, along the banks of the River Chambly, and in the Townships, Meloiis, pumpkins, cucum- bers, tobacco, &c , are found in most gardens. — Apples, and plums, are the commonest fruits ; the principal orchards are situated near the mountains in the District of Montreal. The City of Mofitreal is celebrated for its excellent pears, and for its apples, which are probably the best in America. Grapes are cultivated in the gardens with success. — The fields, woods, and meadows, are well furnished with shrubs bearing fruit, such as strawberries, rasp- berries, mulberries, blueberries^ &c. wild grapes, cherries, &c. The last spring frost in Montreal, is at the end of the month of April ; the first frost of autumn occurs towards the end of September. Apple- trees blossom from the fifteenth to the thirty-first of May. The summer apples are gathered in the month of August; those of winter in Sep- tember and October. "Wheat is sown from the fifteenth to the thirtieth of April ; Indian coin in May. The hay harvest is in July ; wheat, in % I (b) See No. 119. GKOnUAlMlY OK AMURICA. 19 Island, a small w the Island of used at present oudres, a parish )oises are caught id, on which a n Isles, situated ity of the River eal ; though of ned to command y, — the other, to The climate , and equally y season, ex- ^enerul very oats, barley, 31* vegetables, he island of ^er Chambly, kins, cncuni- st gardens. — )nest fruits ; ed near the I. The City nt pears, and st in America, ith success. — 'ell furnished 'berries, rasp- wild grapes, August ; Indian corn and potatoes, in October. Red plums rijien towards the middle of August ; diiniHon and white plums, in September. The melons sowed in the open country, begin to ripen towards the end of August , grapes towards the end of October. Maple sugar, which is so abundant as to suffice for the use of all the inhabitants of the country ])arishes, and even many in the citiei), is made from the end of March to tiie end of April ; the annual product is estimated at from twenty-five to thirty thousand quintals. The wheat harvest in 1880, an average year, was three millions four hundred thousand bushels. On the River Chambly, and in the South-eastern Townships, spring commences eight days earlier than in Montreal ; in Quebec, it is about fifteen days later. The navigation of the River between these two Cities, is closed from the conunencement of December to the end of April. The District of Gasp^, surrounded by the salt- waters of the St. Lawrence, the Gulf, and the Bay des Chaleurs, experiences a milder winter than that of Quebec ; but the spring is late, the summer cold and rainy : the inhiibitants occupy themselves less with the cultivation of grain, than of potatoes and vegetables. In return, the sea furnishes them with a profusion of cod-fish, herrings, mackarel, salmon, hallibut, oysters, &c. which they export in conside- rable quantities, (see the Appendix. No. III.) 26. Mines — No gold or silver mines have yet been found in Lower Canada: but iron of the best quality abounds in several situations, (No. 21 and No. 22). Copper and lead ores have been discovered, but none in sufficient quantities to be worked. The most celebrated Mineral Springs are those of Varennes, thirteen miles from Montreal. si i . }U'. he month of April ; eptember. Apple- lay. The summer of winter in Sep- th to the thirtieth n July ; wheat, in 27. CoMMERCJS* — The principal articles exported from Lower Canada, are wheat, flour, timber for building, pot-ash, pearl-ash, cod-fish, salmon, herrings, oil, furs, provisions, &c. ; those imported are : rum, wine, brand v, tea, sugar, molasses, coffee, 1)2 i^ h ^ 20 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE tobacco, salt, dry goods, hardware, &c. &,c., (see the Appendix No. III). The principal manufactures of the country will be found in the Appendix, (No. III.) The inhabitants of the country universally make use of home made woollens. 28. Cities and Towns. — The principal in Lower Canada are : Quebec, Montreal, and the Borough of Tliree Rivers. 29. Quebec, the capital of the Province, and of all British America, a very flourishing and commer- cial City, is situated at the junction of the River St. Lawrence and the Little River St. Charles, on a pro- montory named Cape Diamond. The City rises majestically in the form of an amphitheatre, above the River and the adjacent country, j)resenting on every side the most beautiful views that can be imagi ned. Although its natural position renders it eminently secure, its strength is greatly enhanced by its high and massive walls, its towers, and above all, by its Citadel, the immense works of which excite the admiration of all strangers. The City is divided into the Upper and Lower Town. The St. Roch Suburb alone forms a large parish ; St. Lewis Suburb, and especially that of St. John, extend some way into the country, where there are a number of picturesque sites for country houses, inhabited during the summer season by the most respectable class of the citizens. The Upper Town has five Gates : that of St. Lewis leads to the Plains of Abraham, celebrated for the battle fought there, on the twelfth of September, 1759, decisive of the fate of New France. A plain Monu- ment marks the spot where Wolfe fell. The principal public edifices of the Capital, are : the Catholic and Protestant Cathedrals, the Irish Church, the Church of St. Roch, the Lower Town Church, and several others; the Castle of St. Levis, the residence of the Governor'in-Chief ; the ^Episcopal Palace, now partly replaced by a superb edifice of cut stone, from Cape Rouge, in which are beld the Sessions of the Provincial Parliament ; the Court House, the Jail, the Ordnance Stores, the Old College of the Jesuits, now converted Into Barracks, the Seminary of Quebec, occupying a vast mass of buildiogip the Convent of the Religious Unuliue lAdies, the Hotel Dieu, ., (see the found in the versally make in Lower orough of '€, and of commer- River St. on a pio- City rises re, above Bnting on t can be renders it lanced by above all, ch excite is divided licwis Suburb, ountry, where es, inhabited i* the citizens. to the Plains le twelfth of plain Monu. Catholic and t. Roch, the It. Levis, the , now partly in which are t House, the ow converted Tast mass of s Hotel Dieu, GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 2J and Gencn Hospital ; the Marine Hospital, the Merchants' Exchange, the Bank, the National School, the School of the Society of Education of Quebec, &c. &c. («). The Cjhapel of the Seminary contains the most valuable collection of sacred paintings to be found in the country. The houses in the City are generally built of stone, those in the Suburbs, of wood. The harbour of Quebec is safe, commodious, and sufficiently spacious to contain several hundred vessels. 30. Montreal is a huge and handsome City, situ- ated on the island of the same name, at the foot of a mountain, to which Jacques Cartier gave the name of Mont- Royal, at the time of the discovery of the country. Montreal maintains a very extensive trade with the other parts of the Province, and with Upper Canada. It has founderies, and manufactories of nails, wool cards, tobacco, &c. Fruit, as has been before observed, is abundant, especially excellent pears and apples. The public edifices, and the greater number of the houses, are built of stone, procured from the quarries in the mountain. The principal public edifices, are : the magnificent parish Church, one of the largest in America, built by the liberal contributions of the citizens of that City; the Protestant Church, St. James's Church, and some othei's; the Court House, the Jail, the large and small Seminary of St. Sulpice, the Hotel Dieu, the Ancient Hospital, or the Convent of Grey Sistei's, the New Hospital, the Convent of the Nuns of the Congre< gation, &c. &c. The parish Church is of Gethio architecture : it is two hundred and fifty- six feet in length, and one hundred and thirty-three in breadth; capable of containing ten thousand, and if it were necessary, even fifteen thousand persons. The arched roof, supported on each side of the nave of the Church by seven massive and clustered columns, is eighty-four feet in height, from the floor ; the walls are sixty feet. The stalls, balustrades, and other ornaments of the choir, are made of black walnut from Upper Canada. The principal windov/, forty feet in height, consists of painted glass •* the ceiling is painted in fresco. The nave, and the vast rows of galle- ries, supported laterally by columns, contain one thousand three hundred pews. The exterior of this Church, of cut stone, which is almost equal (a) See the work lately published, entitled, " Picture of Quebec." 92 ABUIDGKMENT OF THE ( •! to marble in beauty, oflers to persons of taste a most imposing spectacle. The ex|)ense incurred up to the present time, in the prosecution of this noble enterprise, amounts to fifty-live thousand pounds. The towers are not yet finished. In the New Market is to he seen Nelson's Monument, erected by the City of Montreal, to the memory of the immortal conqueror of Aboukir and Trafalgar. The environs of the City, particularly on the side of the mountain, are embellished by country seats, orchards, gardens, &c. At a short distance from the port, U the entrance of the beautiful La. chine Canal, constructed at the expense of the Province, in order to enable navigators to avoid the passage of the Sault St. Louis. It terminates at the village of Lachine, a distance of about nine miles from Montreal. 31. The Borougli of Three Rivers is built on the Northern bank ol the River, at the mouth of the St. Maurice. From its position, ill adapted for inte- rior commerce, this town augments much less rapidly than the others. There is a very large foun- (lery, which employs the iron taken from the celebrated mines and forges of St. Maurice ; distant about lliree leagues from the town. The principal edifices of Three Kivers, are : the Catholic Church ; the Convent of the Ladies of the Ursulines, which comprises an Hospital; the Court House, and the Jail. Between Three Rivers and Montreal, at the mouth of the River Chambly, is the Borough of Sorel, which was named William Henry, in honour of our Most Gracious Sovereigni King William IV., when he visited this country, in 1787. The little town of Dorchester, commonly called St. John's, is situated on the River Chambly, some distance from Lake Cbamplain. The greater part of the trade between the United States and this Province passes through this town. 32. Besides the touvs, there are several villages in different parts of the Province, that would deserve a particular description, if the limits of this abridgement could permit it. The greater number is situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence, or the Rivers which empty themselves into it : such are the villages of Laprairie, St. Hyacinth, Assomption, St. Eustache, Terrebonne, Napierville, Nicolet, Bouchcrville, Berthier, St. Thomas, &c. ; and in the South-eastern Townships, the villages of Stanstead, Charleston, Sherbrooke, &c. 33. Education. — The principal establishments for spectacle, on of this towers are GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. SS f ted by the Aboukir le side of ens, &c. utiful La- te enable terminates liles from t on the of the or in te- ch less je foun- )m the distant hurch ; the Hospital ; the River im Henry, ., when he , is situated lain. The is Province nt parts of : the limits is situated themselves Issomption, ;, Berth ier, villages of lents for the education of youth in Lower Canada, are the Se- minaries or Colleges of Quebec, Montreal, Nicolet, Yamaska, Chambly, and St. Anne. The three last have been established but a few years ; but already, through the assistance of the Legislature, and the generous efforts of their founders, they deserve to be ranked among the best institutions of the kind. McGill College, founded and endowed by the Hon. James McGill, a rich citizen of Montreal, who died in 1814, is not yet finished. In the mean time, a course of instruction is given, at the expense of the foun- dation, in anatomy, medicine, and chemistry. In the Seminaries or Colleges, the Canadian youth receive, for a very moderate sum, often indeed gratuitously, an education which enables them to fill, with success, all the ecclesiastical, or civil, employments of the country. They are taught English, French, Latin, Gitek, arithmetic, geo- graphy, ancient and modern history, both sacred and profane. Belles Letters, rhetoric, logic, metaphysics, moral philosophy, mathematics, geometry, physics, chemistry, architecture, drawing, music, &c. &c. 34-. After the Colleges, must be placed the Convents of the Ursuiine Ladies in Quebec and Three Rivers, and that of the Ladies of the Congregation in Montreal. Young ladies are taught in these establishments, the English and French languages, arithmetic, geography, history, drawing, music, needle- work, embroidery, &c. ; and above all, the moral and Christian virtues are inculcated. — The ladies of the Congregation have a school much frequented, in the Lower Town of Quebec, and a great number in different parts of the country, generally called Convents. The Provincial Legislature has just established in Quebec, a school for the instruction of the deaf and dumb. There are academies, or primary schools in Quebec, Montreal, Stanstead, Bcrthier, (District of Montreal,) Assomption, and some other villages. The Elementary Schools are gradually multiplying in all the country parishes. 35. PopriLATioN AND liELiGioN. — Details ou thesc matters will be found in the Apj)endix, No. IIL No. IV. and No. V. 30. Indians of Lower Canada. — The principal savage nations still inhabiting Lower Canada, are 24 ABUIDGEMKNT OF TIJK the Iro(juois, the Algonquiiis, the Huroiis, the Abe- nakis, the Micmacs, and the Moutagnez. The Iroquois are united in villages at Sault 8t. Louis, and at !:»t. Regis, on the frontiers of the United States ; the Algonquins with the Iroquois, and a i'ew Nipis- sings, at tl>e Lake of the Tnvo Mountains ; the Abenakis, at St. Francis, near Lake St. Peter ; the Hurons, at Lorette, near Quebec ; the Micmacs, at llistigouche, near the entrance of the river of the same name ; tiie Montagnez have no fixed place of residence ; they wander among the mountains of the North, living entirely by hunting and fishing. They come to the posts, to trade with the whites, situated on the St. Lawre.jce, at the entrance of the principal Rivers of the North-eastern shore ; such as Tadous- sac, Portneuf, Mingan, St. Jeremie, Betsiariiis, &c. 37. Those who live together in villages, cultivate maize or Indian corn, and a few vegetables for their support ; but most of iheir time is employed in hunt- ing the beaver, the musk-rat, &c. They have churches, and lui^sionaries who reside with them regularly. The British Government distributes to them every year, j)resents of clothing, fire-arms, trinkets, &c , in order to make sure of their fidelity tn case of war, and also, in return for their past services. The Moiitagnez have chaj)els at Tadoussac, Portnjuf, cS;c., vvlierc tliey meet every year the missionary who is sent to tliem. More than half of this nation, however, which comprises about three hundred fami- lies, arc still pagans. The total number of savages in Lower Canada, may be estimated at from five thousand to five thousand five imndred souls. VVVE'tl CANADA. ?iS. Upper Canada is bounded on the North, by the territorv of Hudson'.* Bav : o»; the East, bv Lower CEOGTIAPIIY OF AMERICA. 35 e Abe- The iis, and States ; Ni|)is- s ; the er ; the lacs, at • of the phice of s of the , They situated rincipal fadous- kis, &c. juUivate for their in hunt- ey have li them bates to e-ariiis, fidelity eir past vC where More than id red fanii- itimated at It bv the Lower Canachi; on tlie South and West, by a line which commences at the village of St. Uegls, on the right bank of Lake St. Francis, whence it extends through the centre of the River St Lawrence, of Lake Onta- rio, the River Niagara, Lake Erie, and the water communication between it and Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Rain River and Lake, as far as ilie Lake of the Woods, (see the Appendix, No, L and No. II). 39. Division. — This Province is divided into eleven Districts, named as follow : Eastern, Ottawa, Bathursl, Johnstown, Midland, Newcastle, Home, Niagara, Gore^ London, and Western. The Districts are divided into twenty-seven Counties, and the Counties are subdivided into Townships. There are no Seigniories. 40. Mountains. — Upper Canada is traversed from the South-east to the North-west, by a chain of iieights commencing on the North of Lake Ontario, and extending beyond Lake Superior, as far as the Rocky Mountains. In the neighbourhood of L^ike Ontario is another chain much less elevated, extend- ing from the Bay of Quinte to the Falls of Niagara. On the Northern shores of Lake Superior, and a part of Lake Huron, are mountains of granite. In other parts, the land of this Province is generally fiat. 41. Lakes. — Besides those which we have named in explaining the boundaries of Upper Canada, there are Lake Nipissing and Lake Simcoe, which empty themselves into Lake Huron ; Lake St. Clair, be- tween Lake Huron and Lake Erie ; and several others less remarkable, which empty themselves either into the Great Lakes, the River St. Lawrence, or the Ottawa. ! 26 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE Lakes. Length. Breadth. Superior, ISO leagues. 48 leagues. Huron, 84 " 80 »♦ Erie, 82 " 21 ♦' Ontario, 70 " 20 " The length, iircadth, depth and circumference of the four Great Lakes, are as follow : — Common depch. Circumference. 80 to 150 fathoms. 500 leagues. 60 to 100 " 380 " 13 to 17 " 180 " 60 to 90 ♦' 160 " Between the two last mentioned Lakes, is the famous cataract of Niagara ; for three quarters of a mile, the waves dash against the rocks with a dreadful noise ; then, at once, thecurrent whirls itself in an immense mass of water round a small island, placed in the centre of the basin, and precipitates itself from a height of one hundred and sixty, or, according to others, one liundred and seventy-two feet, into an abyss, whose depth it is impossible to sound. The roaring of this cataract is heard at a distance of forty miles ; the vapour which rises from it, and in which appear all the brilliant coloui-s of the rainbow, is sometimes seen at a distance of seventy miles. 42. Islands. — The Lukes of Upper Canada contain a great number of Islands, often infested by rattle- snakes. The most considerable are : Isle Royale, in Lake Superior, and the Island of the Great Manitou- lin, in Lake Huron. The peninsula of Prince Edward, comprises a rich and fertile country, containing eleven thousand inhabitants. 43. Rivers. — The River St. Lawrence ; the Ottawa ; the Spanish River, and Moon River, which flow into Lake Huron ; tlie French River, and the Severn, which connect Lake Nipissing and Lake Simcoe with Lake Huron ; the Thames, which empties itself into Lake St. Clair; the Grand River, into Lake Erie; the Trent, into the Bay of Quinte, at the Eastern extremity of Lake Ontario; the Ma- dawaska, the Mississippi, and the Rideau, which empty themselves into the Ottawa; and several others. 44. Canals. — The Welland Canal, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, forty-four and a half miles in length, and of a sufficient depth and breadth to afford a passage to most of the vessels in use on the GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 27 ir Gieat erence. igues. ti it it taiact of the rocks n immense basin, and according lose depth 2ard at a in which s seen at a contain r rattle- Dyale, in lanitou- Lile country, ?r ce; the which and the lucl Lake which a River, Qninte, the Ma- which several reen Lake lalf miles readth to se on the Lakes ; the Rideaii Cartal, one hundred and thirty- three miles in length, a military work of the highest importance ; j*:k1 the Grenville Canal, on the Ottawa, common to both Provinces ; its length is seven miles and three quarters. 45. CLiMATE.-^The climate of Upper Canada is milder than that of the Lower Province; the air is generally salubrious, with an occasional exception in the immediate neighboi*hood of the Lakes, where strangers are exposed to the ague, a malady which may, however, be avoided, by taking proper precau- tions against the fogs and changes of temperature. The Lakes are frequently the scenes of terrible hurricanes, which ravage the shores, sweeping down in their progress trees and edifices. The vrinds cause the level of the Lakes to vary considerably ; on Lake Superior, the difference is from five to six feet. 46. PnomicTioNs. — Wheat constitutes the prin- cipal agricultural wealth of Upper Canada ; to which must be added, Indian corn, rye, barley, oats, peas, and potatoes. Apples, melons, and gourds are every where abundant; pears, peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, sweet nuts, and tobacco thrive well on the South-western side, where tvild grapes, also, come to perfection. There is a great abundance of horned cattle, swine, horses, wild turkies, quails, starlings, &c. The greater part of this fertile Province is still covered with immense forests of oak, walnut, maple, pine, fir-trees, &c. There are rattle-snakes, and serpents froni seven to eigfht feet long, but per- fectly harmless. The Lakes furnish fish and game, (No. IS). The most importatit mines ai*e those of iron, situated near Lake Erie, 47. Commerce, — The principal articles of com- E 28 20 ABKIDGEMISNT OF THE merce in Upper Canada are grain, flour, pot-asli^ pearl-ash^ timber, salt meat, furs, &c. 48. Towns. — Kingston, at the entrance of Lake Ontario, the principal commercial mart between Montreal and Upper Canada, built of fine stone, with an excellent harbour, capable of containing a nume- rous fleet; Toronto, late York, the capital of the Province, situated at the other extremity of Lake Ontario ; Niagara, on the river side, nine miles below the Falls; Brockville and Prescott on the St. Law- rence; Queenston, where a beautiful monument has been erected to the memory of the gallant General Sir Isaac Brock, &c. 49. Population and Religion. — The population of Upper Canada is rapidly increasing : in 1814, it consisted of ninety-five thousand inhabitants, and in 1829, it amounted to one hundred and ninety-eight thousand, four hundred and forty, almost entirely English, Scotch, Irish, and Americans; besides the remnants of several savage nations or tribes, occupy- ing the Northern parts of this Province. The actual population is about two hundred and eighty thousand, divided into five principal sects; which are, the Me- thodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Members of the Established Church, and Roman Catholics : the last mentioned have two Bishops and about twenty Churches. NEW BRUNSWICK. 50. New Brunswick, which was separated from Nova Scotia in 1785, and erected into a Province, with a Constitution similar to that of the two Ca* nadas, is bounded on the North, by Lov/er Canada ; on the East, by the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Nova )S GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. S9 t-asb^ Lake tween ', with lume- >f the ' Lake below Law- ent has lencral ulation 1814, it , and in y-eight entirely des the )ccupy- e actual ousand, he Me- of the be last twenty id from Irovince, two Ca» ;anada ; id Nova Scotia ; on the Soutli, by the Bay of Fundy j and on the West, by the State of Maine. 51. Division. — ^This Province is divided into ten Counties, which send twenty-six Members to the Legislature. Names of the Countiei : St. John's, Westmoreland, King's, Queen's, Charlotte, York, Sunbury, Northumberland, Kent, Gloucester. 52. Bays. — New Brunswick is surrounded by many remarkable Bays : the Bay of Chaleurs, which separates it from the District of Gasp^, in Lower Canada ; Miramichi Bay, to the South of the pre- ceding ; the Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia ; and Scoodie or Pass- amaquoddy Bay, which separates it from Maine. 53. Rivi^Rs. — The St. John, which has its source in the hills which divide Canada from the United States, and empties itself into the Bay of Fundy ; the St. Croix, or Scoodie, which falls into Scoodie Bay, separating New Brunswick from Maine ; the Miramichi, which opens into the Bay of the same name ; the Ristigouche, and the Nipisiguit, which fall into the Bay of Chaleurs ; the Richibuctou, which empties itself into the Straits of Northumberland ; and the Petitcoudiac, which falls into Chignecto Bay, at the North-eastern extremity of the Bay of Fundy, &c. The St. John i« navigable for steam^boats from the sea, as far as Fre- dericton, a distance of about eighty miles ; the lower part includes a number ot bays and lakes, formed by tributary streams. Towards its mouth, the river contracts itself to the breadth of four hundred feet, and precipitates itself across enormous rocks, which barrier vessels may clear with the assistance of the tide. 54. Climate, &c. — ^The climate of New Brunswick is nearly the same as that of Lower Canada, but the 30 wVURIDGRMENT OF THE cold it) \vit)t(ls of Hour, ten thousand horned cattle, besides fresh uie^t, gutter, fruit, iSi^c. 56. Towns. -r-The small Qty of Fredericton, agreeably situatcid o" the St. John, twenty-seven leagues from the sea, is the capital ; it iias four churches or chapels, a college, an academy, a public Jibrary, a pr'mting establisiiment, and a population of about two thousand five hundred souls. The trommcrcial City of St. John, at the entrauce of the same river, is peopled by twelve tl^ousand iuJjiAbitauts; there are seven or eight churches, a court-house, a (b) Under diia title, it is proposed to name only, the arliclea of export- ation generally, nearly in the order of their importance. 1 GROGllAPIIY OF AMERICA. 31 purts ; ot the icn in tic* soil rivers. I well, [ints is lie, fir, erring, oal are [jaiiese, ;almon, aster of e, coal, lie as in No. V.) lie jwrts of sixty-seven (lies; four rom othei" B hundred built, was itcd States ned cattle, Icricton, ly- seven I as four public lulation The le of tlie kbitnuts; bouse, a of export- niarine iiospiial, a bunk, an exchange, four or five printing establishments, &c. St. Andrews, at \Uv mouth of the River St. Croix, contains tliree thousainl inhabitants, whose principal trade is in timber uud ship-buil'iing. 57. Population : about one hundred thousand in- habitants. They are composed of the descendants of Anglo-American colonists, and loyalists who retired thither, about the time of the war in 1775 ; Emi- grants from Ireland, Scotland, and England ; Acadians, of French origin ; some hundreds of savages, Micmacs, and other tribes; besides a small number of Negro families. There are from twenty- five to thirty thousand Roman Catholics, the rest are of the English Church, Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. NOVA SCOTIA. 58. Nova Scotia is bounded on the North, by the Straits of Northumberland, which separate it from Prince Edward's Island ; on the Nortli*east, by the Gut of Canso, which separates it from Ihe Island of Cape Breton ; on the East and South, by the Ocean j on the West, by the Bay of Fundy ; and on the North-west, by New Brunswick. Nova Scotia, formerly known by the name of Acadia, is the fust European colony, a;ffer that of the Norwegians, (No. 2) wjiich was estal)lishcd in North America. It was discovered, as well as Newfound- land, in 1497, by Sebastian Cabot, an Englishman, native of Bristol, even, as is sup|K)6ed, before Columbvis had seen the Western Continent But Acadia was not occupied by Europeans until 1604, at which period, De Monts and Poitrincourt, under the authority of King Henry IV. ot France, founded a French establishment upon the Eastern coast of tiie Bay of Fundy, which they called Port Royal, but to which the English gave the imnie of ^nnapolh, in honor of Queen AoiUQ. Thi^ establish- ment, now only a village containing four or five hundred inhabitants, was the chief place of the country, until the foui^dation of Halifax, in E3 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE I; Hi ! 1750. Acadia became the theatre of a long succession of disastrous wars between the English and French, during vvliich the Acadians and Indians were constantly the unfortunate sufferers, until the taking of liOuisburg by the English, in 1758. The same yeur, Nova Scotia re- ceived a Constitution, modelled on that of the United Kingdom. It then comprehended Newfoundland, Cape Breton, and New Brunswick. Newfoundland was detached from it in 1767 : Cape Breton, which, since 1 7CS, had formed a Province of itself, was re-annexed to Nova Scotia, in 1820; while the Government of New Brunswick was erected only in 1785. (No. 58). 59. Divisions. — Nova Scotia comprehends five large circuits, wliich are divided into ten counties ; these again are subdivided into districts and town- ships. Names of the counties : Halifax, Sydney, Cumberland, Hants, King's, Lunenburg, Queen's, Annapolis, Shelburne, and Cape Breton. 60. Bays, &c. — This Peninsula is surrounded by bays, harbours, basins, and roads where vessels may navigate in perfect safety. The principal River is the Annapolis ; the largest Lake is called Rossignol. Tiie Shubenacadie Canal connects Halifax Bay with Minas Basin, or the Atlantic Ocean with the Bay of Fundy ; another severs'the Peninsula, joining Green Bay to that of Chignecto. The tide rushes with great violence through the Gut of Canso, into the Bay of Fundy ; in Minas Basin, it rises sometimes as high as sixty feet. 61. Climate and Productions — These are si- milar to those of New Brunswick, (No. 54) with this difference, that lumber is more scarce, and a greater number of the inhabitants is engaged in agricul- ture. The most fertile parts are those situated in the vicinity of rivers ; the coast along the Atlantic is almost sterile ; in the interior^ the soil is often rocky and of an indifferent quality. Tliere are many apple and fruit trees. Two mineral substances, coal and iron, promise to yield immense profits to Nova GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 33 isastrous ians aud iking of :otia re- lom. It unswlck. ch, since Scotia, d only in Is five mties ; town- , Hants, ad Cape ded by els may Liver is psignol. iy with I Bay of J Green ;anso, into h as sixty are si- ith this greater gricul- ated in antic is |n rocky |y apple al and Nova Scotia. There is also found in abundance, plaster of Paris, lime and mill-stones, and slate. Brass, lead, and manganese, also exist, as well as some salt- pits. 62. Trade. — Fish, seal-oil, skins, &c. ; different kinds of timber j plaster of Paris, mill-stones, coal, lime ; salt beef and pork, butter and cheese, horned cattle ; barley and oats in grain, and in meal; vege- tables, furs, apples, &c. In 1827, the number of vessels entered into the port of Halifax, was 1,673, /Of 173,000 tons burden. Cleared, 1,742, burden 187,000 tons. Total value of the iaiportatious d^l, 448,000; of exportations, ^27,500. 63. The Capital of Nova Scotia is Halifax, on the Bay of Chebucto, containing sixteen thousand inha- bitants. It is the centre of the commerce carried on between tlie Northern Colonies, the United States, and the West Indies. Amongst the public buildings of this City, that in which the sittings of the Legislature are held, and the Uonian Catholic Church, built in the Gortrlc style, arc most admired. There are seven or eight churches, and a college. The port of Halifax, one of the finest and largest in America, is one of the principal stations of the British squadron in that part of the world, notwithstanding the arsenals have been removed to Bermuda. The other towns are : Liverpool, or Port Rossignol, at the entrance of the River Mersey, the second commercial town in Nova Scotia ; Pictou, in the neighbourhood of some fumous coal niine;, is inhabited in great part, as well as the district which surrounds it, by very industrious Scotch Highlanders. It has four churches and a college ; Windsor also pos. sesses another college, &c. 64. Population, about one hundred and twenty thousand, (without including Cape Breton,) and divided, as regards origin and religion, similarly to that of New Brunswick. (No. tiT)% 34 ABRIDGEMENT OP THE ii ;fi NEW BRITAIN. 65. New Britain comprehends, 1st. the Peninsula of Labrador, situated between Hudson's Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence; 2d the territory of Hudson's Bay, which belongs to ji society of £lnglish merchants, known by the name of the Hudson's Bat/ Company, and which includes f Appendix No. II.) all the countries watered by Hudson's Bay and Straits, or by the rivers and lakes which fall into them ; 3d. tht North-West territory, between Hudson's Bay and the R".ssian possessions, (Appendix No. I.); 4th. the Arctic Regions, situated to the East of the latter, and to the North of the others. 66. Although the sovereignty of these countries appertains to the King of England, there are but few posts on che coast of Labrador, and the Hudson's Bay territory, which are inhabited by British subjects. All the rest, as far as the Frozen Ocean to the North, and the Pacific to the West, is occupied by a number of savage, and principally idolatrous nations, amongst whom the Esquimaux are the most remarkable, for their character, manner?, and figure. QJ* The fisheries and fur trade attract many navi- gators from Europe and the United States, towards these cold regions. But the trade with the Hudson's Bay Indians is reserved exclusively to the Company. The principal port on these coasts is that of Nain, where there is an establishment of Moravian Brethren. The Esquimaux are belo\7 the middle stature ; tlie men are ordinarily about five feet three inches high, and the women five fee^. They are of tt deep brown colour, their hands and feet small, faces round and full, i ! I n insula ay, the cej ^'\ gs to (i. I name iicludes red by d lakes rritory, essions, situated of the )un tries but \2\V [udsoii's ubjects, ! North, number [mongst 3le, for y navi- ;o wards udson's mpany. that of oravian ordinarily liey are of and fuUt GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 35 « 1 with small black eyes inclined inwards ; noses very slightly raised ; short, close, regs'/iar teeth, white in youth, but decayed amongst women advanced in years, perhaps by the habit of chewing seal-skin, of which they make their boots ; long, black, stiff, glossy hair, always full of ver- min, which the Esquimaux eat, — the husband and wife sometimes amuse themselves for several hours, in rendering this kind of mutual service to each other. They have univei-sally the custom of tattooing their faces, hands, arms, and legs, by means of a needle and thread, steeped in a mixture of lamp-black and seal oil. Amongst many tribes, the men are accustomed to introduce a bone, or piece of shell through the gristle of the nose, and the under lip is pierced on each side of the mouth, to receive into it a round bone, in the centre of which is a small piece of glass. The habits worn by the Esquimaux are composed almost entirely of skins of rein-deer, seals, and other animals. The upper garment has a hood attached to it, in which the mother always carries her child — One of their distinguishing ornaments is the girdle, and sometimes fringe of wolves, rein-deer, and foxes teeth, lynx-bones, &c. Their habitations in summer are tents made of skins ; in winter round «abins of ice. Seal oil serves them in lieu of combustibles. Their utensils are of stone, whalebone, wood, horn, ivory, &c. The men have each a pointed two-edged knife, seven inches long, and two inches and a half broad. For taking seals and whales, they make use of harpoons and lances attached to long ropes. The bow and arrow, spear, and dif- ferent kinds of snares, serve them for capturing beasts and birds ; but some are familiar with the use of fire-arms. The form and construction of their canoes is well known. Their beasts of burden are dogs, which they harness in wooden sledges, with runners of whale-bone. The dogs bear a close resemblance to the wolves of these regions ; they are ordi- narily two feet high ; and howl instead of lurking. Fish, particularly seals, the flesh of the rein-deer, and game, constitute the food of the Esquimaux ; they eat and drink almost continually as long as their provisions last ; and thus, for want of foresight, they often l)erish in winter from famine. Their amusements consist in dancing, singing, playing on a wretched kind of tambourine, archery, leaping a rope, making grimaces, &c. — Their worship is a gross idolatry; and they have but a confused idea of the Great Spirit. They practise polygamy, the men having in geneml two wives, who are better treated than amongst other Indian nations. — The custom of adopting children is very general, but it is confined almost always to boys ; young girls who lose their relations, and infirm old men, are often left to their unfortunate fate. The Esquimaux in burying their dead, but slightly cover the body, believing that the deceased would sufler from too heavy a weight being placed over them. By the side of tlie corpse they deposit some of the articles which belonged to him in life, as canoes, nets, axes, boots, &c. Travellei's report that the Esquimaux are much addicted to acts of theft ; that they are little acquainted with the obligations of decency ; that they are characterised by ingratitude and indifference, even towards their nearest relations. It must be added, that their intercourse with the whites rarely tends to improve their character. i 1« 36 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE 1 I ■; i 11 h j! i The total number of Esquimaux inhabiting the East of the Rocky Mountains, including those of Liabrador, does not exceed seven or eight thousand. The other savages of Newr Britain amount to about twenty- five or thirty thousand. The fixed population of LAbiador is about one thousand two hundred Esquimaux, three thousand English, Irish, natives of the island of Jersey, Canadians, &c. ; with some small estab- lishments of Moravian Brethren, who occupy themselves in trade, and with the conversion of the natives. But the fishing season draws thither eighteen or twenty thousand English subjects, fifteen or eight<;en thou- sand Americans; and almost as many natives of France. A few schooners from Quebec make an annual voyage to the coast of Labrador, and return with cargoes of oil, salmon, skins, &c.. The American fishery on the Labrador coast, in 1829, employed five hundred vessels ; the produce was one million quintals offish, and three thousand tons of oil ^Value, di'610,000. The value of their whale fishery in 1831, was estimated at £1,580,000. The chief town of the Hudson's Bay territory is the factory of York, situated at the mouth of the Nelson River, which has its source in Lake Winnipeg. The number of whites, and of Half-breeds, throughout the territory, including also the colony founded by the late Earl of Selkirk, (App. No. II.), is about five or six thousand. The colony, or settlement of the Red River, is peopled by three thou- sand and seventy inhabitants, principally Half-breeds, or Bois-hruUs, of whom one thousand seven hundred and fifty are Roman Catholics, and one thousand three hundred and twenty Protestants. They have a Ro- man Catholic Bishop and two Priests, from the Diocese of Quebec, who have become voluntary exiles from their country, for the conversion of the Criques, Assiniboines, and other savage nations of the North- Wesl. Their means of subsistence have been furnished partly by the Roman Catholics of liower Canada, and partly by the Hudson's Bay Company. The chief seat of the mission, which includes three parishes, is Assiniboia, where a Catholic Church is built. Several schools have been established for the instruction of the Bois-hruUs. The lands in the vicinity of the Red River are tolerably fertile, (No. 12) ; but the inhabitants subsist principally by hunting the buffalo, in the prairies of the South-West, accompanied in summer by a missionary. They are obliged to be constantly on their guard against the Sioux, a ferocious tribe who still retain the custom of scalping their pri- soners. The fur trade of the North-West was long monopolised by a society, the principal stock-holders of which resided in Montreal, distinguished by the name of the North-West Company. Frequent and fatal quarrels occurred between the traders and vauageurs of the North-West Company on one side, and those of the Hudson's Bay Company on the other.—. Some years ago several law-suits were instituted in the Courts of Lower Canada, against different individuals, of both companies, who were accused of having committed, themselves, or been the cause of, murders in the Upper Country. Finally, on the 26th of A{arch, 1821* the Comr eight twenty- 8 about h, Irish, 1 estab- ^e, and I thither en thou- A few abrador, yed five nd three r whale of York, inliake hout the Selkirk, "ee thou- ir«/^«, of lies, and ve a Ro- >ec, who irsion of th-Wesi. } Roman !ompany. Bsiniboia, ablished ile, (No, jfialo, in ssionary. Sioux, a eir pri- society, oguished quarrels [:)ompany other.— f liower ho were murders :he Comi pan> of the North-West was united in perpetuity to that of Hudson's Bay. The Value of the furs, exported by the Company in 1831, was two hundred and three thousand, three hundred and sixteen pounds. The list of articles mentions one hundred and twenty-seven thousand beavers and otters, fifty-eight thousand lynxes, three hundred and seventy-six thousand musk-rats, nine thousand foxes, and six thousand wolves. 68. To the East of Baffin's Bay is Greenland, separated from the Continent of America by Baffin's Bay and the Frozen Ocean. The country is remarkable only for its steep mountains always covered with snow. The miserable life of the Esquimaux, who Inhabit it, is passed in the pursuit of seals, sea-cows, and whales ; in hunting the white bear, foxes, hares, &c., and fowling. Their domestic animals are rein-deer and dogs, which supply the place of horses and cows. The milk of the rein- deer is their ordinary drink. Many centuries ago, the Danes and Norwegians established themselves on the coast of Greenland, on account of the whale fishei7, (see No. 2.) It is computed that there are five thousand inhabitants in Eastern, or Independent Greenland ; and sixteen thousand in the Western pait. — The total population of twenty-one thousand includes ten thousand Esquimaux, who are idolaters, and one thousand Moravian Brethren. RUSSIAN AMERICA. 69. The Russian possessions in America, are bounded (Appendix No. I.) on the North, by the Frozen Ocean and Bhering*s Straits ; on the Ea&t, by New Britain ; on the South, by the parallel of 45" 40', N.; and on the West, by the Pacific Ocean. Russian America includes also the Aleutian Isles (No. 516), several clusters situated along the North- West coast, and the factory of Bodega, on the coast of New California. 70. Productions, &c. — We have spoken (No. l!3), of the forests which cover the declivities of the mountains in this part of the Continent, never en- tirely free from snow and ice. In summer, avalanches frequently fall, more terrible even than those of the Alps (No. 366^. The climate is scarcely so cold as that of New Britain under the same parallel. Fish and game aboirod in all parts. The different factories established by the Russian American Company, make annually eight hundred thousand francs by ' i :' 1 I 38 ABRIDGEMENT OP THE !;■ H ill '.I ; the exportatior. of furs. The chief settlement of Russian America is New Archangel, a small port situated on the North- West coast, in the island and on the Straits of Sitka. £t contains about twelve hundred inhabitants, a fortress, a gov inmcnt house, a Greek Church, lh hospital, and a cove for ship- building. The total population of Russian America, may be thus divided : Free natives, fifty thousand ; .tives of the colonies, ten thousand ; Creoles, one .i3usand; Russians, four hundred ; Christians of the Greek Church, sixteen thousand four hundred; ido- laters, thirty-five thousand. 71. The savages who inhabit this region are divided in^o tribes, whu distinguish themselves by the names of certain animals : there is, for instance, the tribe of the Eagle, that of the Wolf, the Crow, the Bear, &c. The voyageurs often give them the general name of of Koulioujis. They are almost continually in a state of hostility towards each other. — The vanity of the phiefs, and the love of plunder, are the pi'incipal causes of their warfare, which they wage with great fury. The war- riors paint themselves black, in order to inspire more terror ; and place skulls upon theli' heads, ornamented with the symbol of the tribe. They are great lovers of ceremonies. In times of peace, they send ambas- sadors to each other. At the death of a chief they sacrifice slaves upon his funeral pile. All that part, which borders on the sea and Blieri.ig's Straits, is peopled by Tchouktches : they are divided into two tribes ; the Stationary and the Wandering. The former subsist by fishing, the latter by hunting the rein-deer. A considerable number of Esquimaux inhabit the interior, towards the Rocky Mountains. THE UNITED STATES. 72. The United States are bounded on the North, by the British possessions ; on the East^ by the Atlantic Ocean ; on the South, by the Gulf of M'exico, and the Mexican States ; aiid on the West, by the Pacific Ocean. The first permanent settlement made by the English in America, was that of James River (No. 78), in 1607. The new colony received the name of Virginia, in honor of Queen Elizabeth, a desigontion applied for a long time afterwards to all British America. Seven years after nt of port 1 and welive touse, ship- erica, sand ; ;, one of the ; ido- )es, who re is, for he Bear, )ulioujis. other. — principal ?he war- nd place e. They ambas- ves upon raits, is ^ationary hunting rards the forth, ky the df of IWest, [ica, was Mved the applied after GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 39 the Dutch established tliemselves at New York. Massachusetts was colonised in 1620, by some Puritan^' from Plymouth, in England, driven by alleged religious pei'secution to abandon their native country. Some Swedes and Finlanders settled, in 1627, on tlie banks of the Delaware. Connecticut was first settled by some Puritans from MassacVusetts, in 1683 ; and Maryland, at the same epoch, by English Roman Catholics, under tlie conduct of Lord Baltimore. Some Puritans, persecuted by their brethren in Massachusetts, went over to Rhode Island, in 16S5, and settled New Hampshire in 1637. The Virginians, in 1663, spread over North Carolina, and penetrated in 1670, into the Southern State of the same name. New Jersey was founded about the beginning of the seventeenth century, by somu Swedes and Dutch, and became an English colony in 1670. Pennsylvania was at first occupied by Swedes, but this colony did not prosper until the celebrated William Penn arrived there, in 1681, with a great number of English Quakers, and made a solemn treaty with the natives, who sold their lands to him. The most recently established of the thirteen primitive colonies was Georgia, settled in 1732, by one hundred and sixty English colonists, under the conduct of General Oglethorpe. The Spaniards made themselves masters of Florida in 1564, after having destroyed a colony of French Huguenots, who had settled them- selves there some years before. Louisiana was established in 1699, by M. d'Ibberville, a Frenchman from Canada ; it was afterwards considered as forming part of New France. New Orleans was founded in 1717. At the peace in 1763, the French ceded to Great Britain all the country East of the Mississippi; but at the same time, by a secret treaty they had granted the rest to the Spaniards, who gave to Louisiana the name of West Florida. In 1801, this Province was restored to France. Finally, in 1808, the Government of the United States bought Louisiana for the sum of sixty millions of francs. 73. Divisions. — The United States, at the time of their separation from Great Britain, were only thir- teen in number : at present they reckon twenty-four, besides some Territories which do not enjoy the privilege of local governments. The names of the different States, with their capital cities, are : KORTHBRN STATES. Capitals. Maine Augusta. New Hampshire Concord. Vermont Montpelier. Massachusetts Boston. Connecticut Hartford & Newhayen. Rhode-Island Providence. F i'€l if; ill; w i- 40 ABRIDGEMENT OF TH£ ■I *■ Si ■ il I '! ii I- ii ii ■i . MIOOLR STATES. New York Albany. New Jersey Trenton. Pennsylvania „^ Harrisburg. * Delaware Dover. Ohio Columbus. Indiana Indianapolis. Illinois Vandalia. Missouri Jefferson City. SOUTHERN STATES. Maryland Annapolis. Virginia Richmond. Kentucky , Frankfort. North Carolina Kaleigh. South Carolina Columbia. Georgia Milledgeville. Tennessee Nashville. Alabama Tuscaloosa. Mississippi Jackson. Louisiana New Orleans. The Northern States are called N'ew England, having been originally almost entirely peopled by Emigrants from Great Britain. 74. The Territories are thoi,e of the North West^ between the Mississippi and Lake Superior ; to wit : Michigan, which contains the Lake of the same name; Missouri, comprehending all the country West of the States and Territories ah'eady named, as far as the Rocky Mountains; Arkansas, on the River of the same name, to the Nortii of Louisiana ; Florida, to the South of Georgia ; and the little District of Co- lumbia, on the Potomac River. The country to the West of the Rocky Mountains is called the Terri ^ tory of Oregon, (Appendix, No. I.) South Carolina is divided into Districts, and Louisiana into Parishes : the other States into Counties. The subdivisions bear the name of I'ownships in the Northern States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio ; and that of Villages or Towns in the other States. 75. Mountains. — The Apalachian or Alleghany Mountains, to the East, and the Rocky Mountains, to the West: all the immense valley comprised between these two chains is watered by the River Mississippi, GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 41 31'igiually I West, .0 wit : ; name; Vest of far as r of the ida, to of Co- the Terri ^ Parishes : name of msylvania eghany :ains, to between .issippi, and its numerous tributary branchei:. (See No. 9, and the Appendix No. 7«) Many secondary chains of mountains are attached to the Alleghany : such are the Green and White Hountains, separated by the Basin of the River Connecticut ; the Blue Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia ; the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky, &c. The Ozark Mountains extend from Red River, which flows into the Missis, sippi, as far as the mouth of the Missouri, and thence by high grounds as far as the neighborhood of Lake Superior. They abound with lead and copper. 76. Lakes. — The ])rincipal Lakes of the United States are the same as those of Canada, with Lake Michigan in addition, whicli discharges its waters into Lake Huron. Lake Michigan is one hundred and seventeen leagues long, twenty- seven broad,and three hundred and thirty-three in circumference: and is sufficiently deep to receive the largest vessels. 77. Bays, — Those of Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Massachusetts, New York, Deiaware,' Chesapeake, Apalachia, Mobile, &c. The Gulfs, or rather the Sounds, are those of Long Island, Albemarle, and Pamlico. 78. Rivers. — The Mississippi and its tributaries, the Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, a:!d Red River; the Wabash, which flows into the Ohio ; the Con- necticut takes its rise in Lower Canada, and falls into Long Island Sound ; the Hudson rises near Lake Champlain, and falls into the Bay of New York; the Delaware rises in the State of New York and falls into Delaware Bay ; the Susquehannah rises in the same State, and empties itself into Chesapeake Bay ; the Potomac and James Rivers, which descend from the Alleghany Mountains, and flow also into Chesapeake Bay ; the Columbia, at the West of the Rocky Mountains, &c. 79. Canals. — Several Canals have been con- 1 li •III' lii< It L- I /'.(. 42 ABRIDGEMENT Or THB sti'uctcd and are still in pro£^i'cs<], in different part^uf the United States, for the purpose of uniting the waters of one river with tliose of another, with a lake, or with the Ocean. By this means the inhabi- tants, most distant from the maritime towns, can convey with facility tlieir commodities to each other, and receive in return the ai tides of which they may stand in need. One of tlie mo-^t important is the Erie Canal, three hundred and fifty miles lon^, be- tween Lake Erie and the Hudson Kiver; this Canal has cost five millions of dollars. During the last few years, however, Rait-roads have superseded Canals, which arc thonglit preferable, because they are kept in repair at less expense ; and more particularly on account of the extreme celerity with which carriages laden with passengers, or merchandise, can be transported from one place tu another, at a speed surpassing even that of the swiftest steam-boat. I ' I :Hii li n ': I hi ' -i 80. Climate, Soil, and Productions. — In the valley of the Mississippi, the soil is generally very rich in vegetable productions of all kinds. The same may be said oi" the country East of the Alleghany Mountains, with the exception of the low and sandy lands on the shores of the Atlantic, from New York to New Orleans. The climate is rather cold in the Northern States; to the West of the Alleghanies, it is more uniformly mild and temperate ; in the South, particularly near the sea coast, the excessive heat in July, August, and September, occasions many dan- gerous maladies. The productions of the soil vary wMth the climate : in the North, and throughout the States generally, grain is cultivated, wheat, Indian corn, barley, buck wheat, &c. ; the varieties of fruit are in abundance, viz : apples^ pears, peaches, apri- cots, quinces, chesnuts, &c. Towards the South, a number of other more rare productions are found : tobacco in Maryland and Virginia ; rice and cotton in the Carolinas, the sugar-cane, figs, oranges, citrons^ pomegranates, olives, &c. in Georgia, Flo- GEOGUAPHY OF AMERICA. 43 arts of ig the ivitb a nhabi- (i, can other, ?y may is the lor, be- Canal ipei'seded repaii' at 1 celerity , can be n. that of In the y very The bghany sandy V York hi the nies, it South, leat in y dan- vary ut the ndian ' fruit apr*- uth, a ound : cotton angesj Flo- rida, and Louisiana; the vine in Indiana, and some other phiccs. The principal wealth of the Northein States is derived from their pastures ; ia the Middle and Western States, from the culture of grain ; in Maryland and VirjfiniH, from tobacco and wheat ; and in all the States situated to the South of Virginia and Kentucky, from cotton. 81. Mines. — Gohl niincs^ are found in Virginia, the Carolina^, and Georgia ; copper, near Jjake Superior ; the lead mines in the State of Missouri are the richest and most extensive in the world ; coal is obtained in Pennsylvania and many other parts ; iron is found in almost all the United States, &c. Marble and slate are abundant, particularly in Penn- sylvania, Vermont and New York. Tuere are many mineral springs ; the most celebrated are those of Saratoga and Ballstown, in the State of New York. The most important salt-pits are those of Salina, near the Erie Canal, and the Grand Kanhaway Kiver, in Virginia. Gypsum, or plaster of Paris, copperas, (sulphate of copper,) alum, cobalt, petrol springs, &c., are also found in the United States. 82. Commerce. — No country in the world, with the exception of Great Britain^ possesses a commerce so extensive as the United States. The principal articles of exportation are, cotton, wheat, Indian corn, and other kinds of grain ; meat and biscuits, manufactured produce, tobacco, wood, pot and pearl ash, gold and silver coin, fish, rice, salt beef and pork, &c. &c. (See Appendix, No. VI.) 83. Manufactures.— In all parts of the Union, but particularly in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, there are manufactories of cotton, woollen, linen, iron and copper, glass, crockery- ware, &c. &c. 84. Cities. — ^Washington, agreeably situated on F3 f. M f !!'■ 44 ABRIOGRMKNT OF TIIK A M >1 ii^ll III: the Potomac, in the District of Columbiu, is the sent of Govcrniiieut of the United States, its plun is vast and reguhir, althoui^h it contains only twenty one thonsand inhabitants (a). The annual Sessions of ConG^iTss are held in tlie Capitol, the tincst edifice in the United States. There is at Washington a mag- nificent murine arsenal. The other principal cities are : New York, next to London, the most commercial city in the universe, and the most populous in America ; Phila- delphia, formerly the capital, has an industrious population — it is large, regularly built, containing many public edifices for objects of science, benevo- lence, and other pursuits ; Baltimore, ihe centre of Catholicism in the United States^ and seat of an Arch- bishop ; Boston, the most interesting city of the Union, and the second in point of trade ; New Orleans, the emporium of the South- Western States; Charleston, whose inhabitants are distinguished for their politeness and urbanity, is rich from its trade in cotton and rice, but often unhealthy from the yellow fever ; Cincinnati, on the banks of the Ohio, has increased with a rapidity almost incredible ; Albany, capital of the State of New York, formerly settled by the Dutch, a flourishing city, situated near the junction of the Great Erie and Champlain Canals with the Hudson River, &c. The streets of New YoiK at night, are lighted with gas ; the most magnificent is ttiat of liroadiomj^ three miles in length and eighty feet wide. The finest of its edifices is the City Hall, built of marble and cut stone. New York, Boston and Philadelphia are celebrated as being the chief seats of fashion, fine arts, and literature, &c. The port is constantly crowded with an immense number of merchant ships, besides ninety or one hundred steam-boats, plying in all directions. The wealthy citiiens have country houses on Manhattan Island, on which New York stands, and Long Island, separated from the city by a channel only a quarter of a leag* across, called the East River. Philadelphia is, perhaps, the first city in the States for the variety, richness, and superiority of its manufactures. The finest public edifice (a) In ihe Appendix No. IX. will be found the population of most of (he towns containing above twenty thousand inhabitants. \ GKOGIlArilY OK AMKIUCA. 45 ic sent is vust ty one ions ot* itice in i n)ag- Yorl<, in the Phila- istrious taining lencvo- ntre of I Ai'ch- of the 1 New States; lied for rade in yellow Ohio, (lible ; merly i near Canals the most ghty feet rble and trated as The port )s, besides wealthy ew York el only a ^! t variety, : edifice ost of ihe is the Bank, entirely comtructed of marble, on the plan of the temple of Minerva at Athens. The hydraulic niachineH and aqueducts of this city •re admirable. Lately, a vast penitentiary of cut stunc ha* been erected. In Baltimore, amongst the most striking objects, may be named the Metropolitan Ctithulie Church, the Unitarian Church, and the column of White Marble erected to the memory of Washington. In summer the heat is overwhelming and dangeroux, and intermittent fevers are prevalent. Bustun pusRCKscs a greater number of literary establishments, libraries, philantiuopic societies, Kchools, and well arranged hospitals, than almost anj other city of the Union. The suburb, or rather, the town of Char- lestown, contains a considerable marine arsenal, called the Niivy Yard, and several coves for ship-building. Amongst the edifices of Boston, those most worthy of notice are the Churches, the State-houiie, which commands a magnificent view of the |K)rt and environs; Faneuil Hall, where public meetings are held ; the Theatre, Custom-house, Exchange, and a fine Observatory. The port o( Boston is handsctiie, spacious, and well defended by Fort Inde|icndence. Extreme industry and activity may he remarked in all the great cities of the United States. The buildings arc generally of brick, some of cut stone, and others with marble front. , and ir(< baleoni - and ^'alleries. The churches are very numerous, on account of the divei ' v of religions ; their architecture is elegant, though often irregular, [he streets arc wide, clean, well paved and lii^hted, provided with water cou; es and fire-engines: public gardens, squares and walK. \Unted with fir.v trees, contribute to render the air salubrious. In most of the large cities of the Union are a number of schools, hospitals, poor-houses, and orphan asylums, commercial societies, banks, religious and literal y associations, superb museums of natural history, picture galleries, &c. Some of the Orphan Asj/lums and Hospitals, in places where the Romish persuasion prevails, are attended by the Sistera of Charity. It would be impossible to enumerate the smaller towns which are rapidly growing into importance throughout the States, and which the necessities of an immense internal commerce, multiply every year as if by enchant, nient, particularly in the Western States. Those whose population borders on twenty thousand souls, are : Provi- dence, a manufacturing town, an ' -hlcf town of Rhode Island ; Brooklyn, in Long Island, separated fro;j * ew York by the East River ; and Richmond, the capital of Virginia, containing extensive manufactories of glass, cotton, sugar, &c — also, an ordnance foundry. The towns containing a pojyulation of from ten to fifteen thousand inhabitants, are: Portland, in Maine, where an extensive trade is carried on in wood and fish, itt harbour, one of the finest in America, is cele> bi-ated for a light-house, eighty-five feet high ; Salem, an ancient town, five leagues from Boston, is rich from its manufactures, fisheries, and trade with the East Indies; New Haven, on the Gulf of Long Island, possesses one of the most ancient and flourishing colleges, called Yale m ■m m 46 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE College ; Hartford, delightfully situated on the Connecticut, contains a college, and a celebrated institution for the Deaf and Dumb ; Buffalo, on Lake Erie, at the entrance of the Grand Canal ; Rochester, situated at the junction of the Grand Canal with the Gennesee, which empties itself into Lake Ontai'io; Utica, on the same Canal, one hundred miles from Albany, a distance which may be partly performed on the rail- roads ; Troy, upon the Hudson, six miles from Albany, famed for its iron and cotton manufactories, and its excellent schools ; Newark, principal town of New Jersey, famed for its shoes, carriages, and cider ; Pittsburg, situated where the confluence of the Alleghany and Monongahela form the Ohio, contains many founderies and manufactories, and is connected by means of a Canal with Lake Erie, coal is abundant in the vicinity ; Norfolk, with an excellent harbour, near the mouth of the James River, the principal rendezvous of the national marine; Louisville, on the banks of the Ohio, &c. About sixty other towns might be added, containing a population of from four to ten thousand inhabitants, and continually increasing. ^ I ■ i •< ' li I! ill, ; I > 85. Population. — The actual population of the United States amounts to thirteen millions, of which more than two millions are Negro Slaves. To this number must be added about four hundred thousand Indians, who inhabit the country near the Mississippi, and all those situated lo the West of this River as far as the Ocean, (a). The standing army consists of ten thousand men. The navy of twelve large ships of the line ; one frigate of sixty guns ; twelve frigates of forty-four, and one of thirty, many smaller vessels ; and several on the stocks. The commercial marine is immense; and comprises a great number of the finest ships that can be seen. 86. Religion. — In the United States there is no religion established by law : the most numerous sects are the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Con- gregational ists, Episcoj)al Protestants, Universalists, Lutherans, &c. The Roman Catholics form about one-thirtieth of the entire population. 87. Education is no where more generally diffused than in the United States. Schools are very nume- rous in all parts of the country, and Academies, a (a) In the Appendix Not VI. will be found detailed statiaiics of the United States. GKOGUAPHY OP AMERICA. 47 contains Buffalo, situated empties ed miles lie rail- * its iron )rincipal ittsbui'g, la form )nnected vicinity ; :s River, , on the lation of of the which ro this [)U!iiancl issippi, r as far of twelve igates of al on the a great ; IS no mcrous is,Con- 'salists, about iitFused nume- miesy a IcB of the superior (lesscription of scliools, in the cities and large towns. There are besides sixteen Universities of more or less eminence in the difterent States, fifty Colleges, and thirty Tlieologlcal Seminaries. The most celebrated literary institntions are : Harvard University at Cambridge, near Boston, and Yale College, at New Haven in Coinieeticnt. Many establisliments for the education of young ladies might also be named ; particularly the Convent «)f the Sisters of Visitation, at George- town, in the District of Columbia, where a number of pupils arc received. Schools for the instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, in most of the large cities, — the national military school at West Point, on the Hudson River, — schools for the study uf law, medicine, &c. &c. 88. Government. — The United States form a Federate Republic. Kach particular State is inde- pendent of the other, enacting and governed by its own laws, in all that regards only its local interests ; it is the duty of the General Government, or Congress;, to defend the country in case of war, to regnlate its commerce, and treat with foreign powers, &c. The Government of the United States is composed of a President, Vice President, Senate, and a House of . Representatives. The President and the Vice Presi- dent are named every four years, by electors, who are themselves chosen by the people. The Senate is composed of members chosen every six years, by the Legislatures of the diflerent States, each of which sends two members to Congress. The Representa- tives are chosen every two years by the people : their number is regulated according to the population of each State. The Provincial Leiiislaturcs nre composed of a Governor, a Senate, or Legislative Council, and a House of Representatives, (those of Rhode Island and Vermont arc excepted, which have no Senate). Many States have also a Lieutenant Guvcruur. 89. Some of the natural curiosities of the United States, worthy of attention, are : 1st. In New Hampshire, the Notch, or defile of the White Mountains. 2d. k.i New York, the Falls of Niagara; the Fall I M m t-vr I 48 ABRIDGEMENT OP THK ( ■ of the Mohawk River, near Albany ; the Mineral Waters of Saratoga and fiallstovvn. 3d. In Virginia, the Natural Bridge over the River Cedar, in the County of Rockbridge. This bridge is ninety feet long and sixty broad, having a solid thickness of from forty to sixty feet. It is raised two hundred feet above the River over which it passes. Its form is a regular arch, elegantly supported upon two pillars, or hutments, at the extremities. There is another bridge of this description in the County of Scott. In Virginia, are also some caverns, three hundred, four hun- dred, and even nine hundred feet in depth, resplendent with spars. 4th. In North Carolina, Mount Ararat, or the Pilot Mountain, in the County of Stoke. It is a vast mutilated pyramid, several thousand feet in height. Above it, is seen another which resembles a clock, three hundred feet high, the base of which is only two hundred feet in diameter. — 5th. In Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, are subterranean passages, several thousand miles long, in which the aboriginal natives, as it would appear, deposited their dead, and from whence is now taken a large quantity of nitre or salt-petre. i^'i !'■' I' i: I I MEXICO. 90. Mexico is bounded on the North by the United States ; on the East, by the United States and the Gulf of Mexico ; on the South-east, by Guatimala ; and on the South and West, by the Pacific Ocean. Mexico was discovered and annexed to the Spanish Empire by a band of adventurers under the command of Fernando Cortez, in 1519. It was then a flourishing nation, the origin of which may be referred, through several revolutions and migrations of nations from the North, as far back as the seventh century (a). (a) " Velasquez, Governor of Cuba, desirous of rendering his adminis- tration illustrious by discoveries of new lands, undertook a small expedition, which he confided to Fernando Cortez. The latter set sail, in 1519, with six hundred men, eighteen horses, and a few pieces of artillery, coasted the Peninsula of Yucatan, and landed at Tabasco, where he discovered the rich and powerful Empire of Mexico. He afterwards founded the colony of Vera Cruz ; where he renounced the authority of Velasquez, and resolving on a most daring enterprise, he burned his tieet and marched direct to Mexico. To great boldness, he added 'the resources of wisdom and policy. On his march he gained over as many by his policy, as hesub- d.;ed by bis arms. At !en:»« ■ m i> ' m It I 36 ABUIDOKMUNT OF T»K 'i wild nninials still nnmerons arc the rcin-decr, foxe?, wolvcis, beavers, &c. There is excellent eharcoal, plaster, lime, red-ocre, salt-pits. The inhabitants cultivate only a few |)otaioes and other vegetables, devoting tlicniselves entirely to the fishery of the cod- fish, seals, whales, &c. There ure no roads on the inland ; t]ie nniil is conveyed by packet boats from one village to the other. 1 13. CoMMKRCE. — Fish oil, seal skins, firs, and timber in small (piantities. In 1831, the vessels entered were eight hundred and forty-five, 90,000 tons ; cleared eight hundred and twelve vessels, 86,000 tons. The list uf the exportations comprehended six hundred and fifty-seven thousand quintals, and three thousand barrels of fish, thirteen thousand tons of oil, and six hundred and eighty-two thousand eight hundred seal skins; supposed value of exportations, f£707iOOO. 1 14. Newfoundland has been celebrated since its discovery, for the cod fisheries on its shores and the Banks, situated on the south east-enrl of the island. The first called the Great Bank is thirty-three leagues distant from Newfoundland : it is one hundred leagues in length and sixty-six in breadth, the sea in this place is from fifteen to sixty fathoms in depth- The second called the Green Bank, is eighty leagues in length and forty in breadth. These fisheries employ every year more than twenty thousand pei-sons, and vessels from England, France, and the United States, amounting to about 60,000 tons burthen. The annual profit may be estimated at a million of pounds sterling. The fishing commences about the 10th May, and cu nues to the end of September. The seal fisheries which are greatest in March and April, have attained a high degree of importance within a few years. The polar ice advances towards the south accompanied by numerous troops of seals which are found lying on the ice in a torpid state, and are destroyed in thousands with clubs or fire arms. It requires all the courage and experience of the hardy mariners of Newfoundland, to engage in these enterprizes. The schooners are enabled to leave the port by cutting a passage through the ice, but they are afterwards constantly in danger of being crushed between these immense floating fields to which they give the name of seal-meadows. Accidents arc not uncommon. Among the animals of Newfoundland are distinguished a peculiar race of dogs, remarkable for their size, their long and silky hair and especi- ally by their large webbed feet which render them excellent swimmers ; their fidelity and value is recognized in all parts of the world. I CEOGUAPIIT OF AMERICA. 57 coaii itantft ibles, f cod- packet , and , 90,000 he list cl" ^housaiul ns of oil, I skins ; lice its !i(l tlie and. tant from xty-six in in depth* ngth anil d pei-sons, Hinting lo ifttcd at a the 10th attained advances which are thousands )eri«:nce of nterprizes. e through crushed c name of :uliar race nd especi- Rwinmiers ; 115. Capita' St. John, contaiiiini^ about ten or fifteen thoiisami souls, well su|)|)lied with shops, gro- cery stores and taverns built of wood. This town has been several times ravaged by fire. It has several churches, a seminary, a catholic bi.^hop, two or three benevolent societies, and some printing and newspa- per establishments. The most remarkable villages arc Grace Harbour, one of the most celebrated rendezvous for those engaged in the lisheries ; Ferryland which was the chief scat of the catholic colony settled there by Lord Baltimore in 1621, thirty-eight years after the establishment of the i&land by his countrymen ; Plaisance, formerly chief seat of the French in Newfound- land ; Bonavista, so named by Cabot ; etc. Population of the island, seventy-five thousand, the greater numper of whom are Irish catholics; the others are English, Scotch, Americans, &c. Since 1832, Newfoundland enjoys the advantage^J of a Colonial Legislature. At some distance south of Newfoundland, in the Atlantic Ocean, are the islands of St. Pierre, I'Anglis, and Miquelon belonging to France, Population chiefly fishermen, six hundred. The French governor resides in the island of St. Pierre. 1 16. Cape Breton is separated from Nova Scotia by the Gut of Canso. It is one hnndred aud ten miles in length, and sixty-six at its greatest bre?dth. The coast is steep, rocky and without any considerable opening on the side of the gulf of St. Lawrence, but indented by a great many bays and harbours where it is washed by the Atlantic. A vast lake, named Bras-d'Or, communicating with the Ocean, extends into the interior of the island, and divides it almost from one extremity to the other. The climate is like that of Gaspe, but more humid. The soil is very good for the cultivation of barley, buck^wheat and vegeta- bles. The mists are unfavorable to the culture of wheat. Pasture is abundant, coal, gypsum, iron, and at * V,': il I '. I- it H ■i « 58 ABRIDGEMBNT OF TUB tl & ' C4 ABRIDGEMENT OP THE 1^' I:! t it '■; I if I I of three thousand three hundred leagues. There are several chains of mountains, from which descend a multitude of rivers in every direction. The soil of this island, if well cultivated, would produce more sugar, cotton, coffee, &c., than all the other West India islands put together. But the Negroes, who are become its sole masters, are extremely indolent, and incapable of using properly the liberty which they enjoy. Capital, Port-Kepublicain, formerly called Port-au-Prince. The best mahogany is obtained from St. Domingo. Population, Negroes and Mu- lattoes, nine hundred thousand : whites, about thirty thousand. 132. Jamaica contains a superficies of seven hundred leagues, and is traversed by a chain of moun- tains, called the Blue Mountains. A large portion of the island is covered with forests, from which are obtained timber fit for building, mahogany and other precious woods. • • .The royal palm tree here grows to the height of one hundrt. j and forty feet. Capital, vSpanish-town. Jamaica is the most important of all the British possessions in the West Indies. Popu- lation, four hundred and fifteen thousand. 133. Porto-Rico has a superficies of four hundred and sixty leagues. This island is agreeably diversified by hills and valleys ; it is subject to hurri- canes. Caj)ital,St. Juan-of-Porto-Kico. Population of the island, two hundred and thirty thousand. CARIBBEAN ISLANDS. 134. These islands extend from North to South, from Porto-Rico to the Continent of America. Tliey are divided into the Leeward Islands, on the North ; and the Windward Islands, on the South. (1 GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 65 re are •end H poil of more • West !, who lolent, which rnierly itained [1 Mn- ; thirty seven iiioun- portion ich are (\ other grows ;japital, , of all Popii- four reeablv > hurri- )ulation d. Sonth, T!iey North : ;. LEEWARD ISLANDS. 135. The Virgin Islands, East of Porto..Rico, are very numeroui ; they are fertile in sugar and cotton ; tlie principal ones are, St. Thonnas, St. John, Santa Cruz, Tortola, Virgini Gorda, aud Anegada. Anguilul — thus named, ou account of its serpentine or tortuous form. St. Martin's — its principal riches consist in salt mines. St. Bartholomew — it contains neither wells nor fountains ; if rain water becomes scarce, the inhabitants go fur it to St. Christopher's. Barbuda — land low and fertile ; it is from thence that the best cocoas are obtained. Saba — a small island dependent on St. Eustatius ; the interior of thi.« island is gained by following a road cut in the rock, so narrow as oi.tV to aSbrd a passage for a single person. St. Eustatius — is an enormous pyramid rising from the bosom of the ocean, and covered up to its summit with tobacco plantations. Sy. Christopher's or Kitt's — mountainous ; in the interior of the island is Mount Misery, three thousand seven hundred feet in height It is the most favorable place for the cultivation of the sugar cane : ninety quintals of sugar have been obtained annually from a single acre of land. Nevis— another isolated mountain, rising from the ocean in the form of a cone ; it is an extinguished volcano. Antigua — fertile, but subject to frequent drought. Hont-Serrat — two-thirds of this island are mountainous and sterile. GuADALOUFE — IS composed of two islands, separated by a small strait called the Salt River — the Eastern part is called Grande-Terre ; the Western, Basse-Terre ; a volcano is to be seen, called the Souffrierc, it exhales a thick black smoke, mingled with flames. 1y GBOORAPHV OV AMERICA. 67 runii island lly one super- nes to r tbe Tri- moLit in Tri- r^inceut, xibbcan ; islands of Nan- on the ;. Hose, aiiotte's . on tlie les, (No. th by a; on n; on West, as the chains ?ra& on East. innu- ey are owards the West, and passing through the isthmus of Panama, joins the Cordilleras of Mexico ; the other forms the Venezuelan chain, which runs along the sea coast, and terminates at the Gulf of Paria, in front of the island of Trinidad. 141. Bays. — All Saints, the Assumption, St. Mat- thias, St. George, the Grand Bay, and that of Panama, &c. Gulfs. — Darien, Maracaibo, Paria, Guaytecas, and Guayaquil. Straits. — Those of Magellan and Lemaire. 142. Lakes. — Those of Maracaibo, in Colombia, of Les Patos, on the coast of Brazil, of Titicaca, in Bolivia, &c. The rains cause the formation of several other extensive Lakes, which disappear at the dry season. 143. RivBRS — ^The River Amazon, or Maranon, the largest in the world, takes its source in the Andes of Peru, a short distance from the Pacific Ocean : it traverses the whole Continent, receiving in its course the waters of ten or twelve large rivers, and at length empties itself into the Atlantic, under the equinoctial line, by a mouth one hundred and eighty miles in breadth. It is more than one thousand leagues in length : and is navigable to the foot of the Andes. The rich and fertile valley of this majestic River embraces a superficies of three hundred and thirty-three thousand square leagues. The Rio de la Plata, or Silver River^ is another large River formed by the junction of the Paraguay with the Parana and Uraguay; it falls into the At'« lantic Ocean at Buenos Ayres, through a mouth one hundred and fifty miles in width. The Orinoco takes its rise in Colombia, which it traverses, and falls H3 ,»; \i I ■ IS" . \ il 68 ABRJtnOEMBNT OF TttB .'li I I into the Atlantic by fifty different cUannela. Its length is estimated at thirteen huodDcd und eighty miles. This Hinrer commMnioaAes with the Amaflcoisi thiJQUgh the Cassiquiare, one of its ttributaries. The other Rivers are the Magdalen, tlie San- Fran- cisco, the Parnaiba, &c. No division of the globe is watered by so many rivers and large streams. No considerable tliver fells into. the Pacific Ocean, because the Andes are only fifty or two huurlced miles distant from it» 144. The Islands are : — The island of Joannes or Marajo, at the mouth of the Amazon ; the Falkland Islands, East of Patagonia ; Terra del Fuego, separated from the Continent by the Straits of Magel- lan, which obtains its appellation of the Land of Fire, from the volcanic eruptions of its mountains ; Staten Island, East of the preceding one j the Archipelago of Madre de Dies, West of Patagonia, and that of Chiloe, at the Southern extremity of Chili ; the Island of Juan Fernandez, one hundred and forty leagues from the coast of Chili, where Selkirk, a Scotcii mariner, was left, whose adventures suggested the well-known novel, Robinson Crusoe ; the Archipelago of Gallapagos, under the equinoctial line. East of Colombia, &c. ^ .. , 14^. Climate, &c, — South America from its form and position resembles the Great African Peninsula, being situated, like it, almost entirely under the torrid zoncc But whilst the latter is covered with deserts of burning sand, without rivers, and with mountains which, bordering its coast, concentrate on the interior the rays of an always vertical sun ; the first is full of mountains whose declivities and table lands present every variety of climate, of rivers, of majestic forests^ and plains or savannahs covered with GBOORAPHT OF AMBRICA. 69 Its ghty rran- )be is cean, miles aes or kland 'uego, iagel- fFire, Staten pelago hat of ,; the I forty Scotcli ed the pelago ?,ast of ts form insula, eu the d with with rate on n ; the d table vers, of ed with d etternal verdure. On a level with the Ocean, auil iti the plains of the interior ueaL* the eqiiatoi?, thje air i» unwholesome and the heat excessive.. Elsewhere, the temperatiute,. more salubrious, varies accordiik^ to the latitude, aad especially according; to the eifva- tiou of the place. North of ihe equinoctial line, the winter or rallier the rainy season,, lusts from April to September; on the South, it commences in October and finishes in March, but towards the extremity of the Continent it continues from March or April, to August. The nights in the last mentioned region are much colder in summer than in winter. The plienomena of earth- quakes, common to all South America, arc more frequent near the equator. 146. Productions. — South America unites the plants and fruits of xMexico (No. 93), the Antillas, (No. 123), and Europe (No. 215), besides a variety of other indigenous plantf?, with a number especially used for medicinal purposes, and for dyeing colors : such as the cocoa tree, the cinnamon, pepper, sarsa- parilla, vanilla, scarlet dye, an infinite variety of balsams, Brazil and logwood, bark, sassafi*as, aloes, fine smelling incense, gums, barks, resins and medi- cinal herbs. The mineral kingdom is rich in gold and silver, copper, quicksilver, iron, antimony, sulphur, nitre, lead, loadstone, and marble of every sort and colour. It produces also precious stones, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, amethysts, granites, alabaster, and rich crystal. The most remarkable animals are the jaguar, or American tiger, which, in size and ferocity is little inferior to the Asiatic tiger ; the cougar, which is not so thick and strong as the jaguar, but equally ferocious; the puma, or Ame- rican lion, which is smaller than the lion of Africa ; the panther, the leopard, the ounce, the lama, which [M ■I i\ ? II i4 70 ABRIOOBMBNT OV THE is about four feet high, and five or six feet lon^^ the neck like that of the camel, to which the anin^al itself bears a strong resemblance, excepting the hiit>ch on the back. The paco or vicunna, is u species of animal subordinate to that of tbn lama, in the same degree as the ass is to the horsfv Both the lama and the vicunna inhabit the most mountainous districts, and seem to be most vigorous and thriving where the climate is coldest. The horse, and the ox, become wild, range the Pampas, or pla' % in immense herds. Among the birds, always beaut.ful in tropical climateSj may be cited the parrots, the bird of Para- dise, the humming-bird, beautiful swans, and many others. Total population, about fourteen millions, com- posed almost the same as that of Mexico, (No. 102)« DIVISIONS OP SOUTH AMERICA. 147. Up to the end of the last century, Spain pos- sessed Terra Firma, Peru, Chili, and Paraguay; Brazil was a Portuguese colony ; Guyana was divided between Spain, Portugal, France, Holland, and Eng- land; the country of the Amazons, and that of the Patagouians, was inhabited by idolatrous savages. At the present day, neither Spain or Portugal pos- sesses an inch of territory on this Continent ; part of Guyana still belongs to the English, the Dutch, and the French ; the country of the Amazons is compre- hended in the New Empire of Brazil ; and Patagonia is still in the same state. The following are the divisions of this great penin- sula: on the North, Colombia, recently divided into two Independent Republics, those of New Grenada atid Venezuela ; on the Eust, Guyana and Brazil ; on GEOGRAAIIY OF AMERICA. 71 the West, Peru and the Republic of Bolivia ; on the South, tlie United Provinces, the Bandu-Orientai and New State ot Uraguay, Paraguay, Chili, and Pata- gonia. COLOMBIA. 148. Cciombia was formed from the Spanish pos- sessions known under the names of New Grenada, Caraccas, and Spanish Guyana, it is bounded on the North, by the Caribb n Sea 5 on the East, by Guy- ana ; on the South. "azil and Peru; on the West, by the Great Occai 149. Mountain, anu Rivers. — The Andes of Colombia are divided into two principal chain.s on the East and West, besides seme other intermediate chains. The country beyond these mountains on the East and South is composed of immense plains, watered by the Orinoco, the Maranon, and their tri- butary streams. The liigh valleys of the Andes are watered by the Magdalen, the Cauca, the Atrato, &c. 150. Climate. — Colombia offers a great variety of climate, arising chiefly from the difference between the level of the various soils. Temperate, cold, and even freezing on the table lands, and on the declivities of the Andes ; the atmosphere is burning, suffocating and pestilential, on the sea coast and in some of the deep valleys of the interior. In general, as in most tropical countries, there are only two seasons, the rainy and the dry. During the rainy season, the Orinoco inundates the immense plains through which it flows, during the highest flood, to an extent of from eighty to ninety miles. n it ul I 151. The Productions of South America, rich ^%. ^>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■-1^ 12.5 |50 '■^" nni^H 2.0 u h4 1^ 1.8 1.25 U iiiji/) •^ 6" ► m '"^^J °^:> ■f Photographic Sdaices Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 A^ I/. ■2 ADRIDGBMENT OE THE t- and abundant wherever the soil is sufficiently watered, are su^tjur, coffee, tobacco, cocoa, dyeing woods, indi- go, bark, and other medicinal plants, &c. The cocoa of Caraccas is the best known ; the tobacco and coffee are also of excellent quality. On the table lands, are cultivated wheat, niaize^ and other bread stuffs. The ]>laini of the Orinoco are inhabited by a great number of wild inules, oxen and horses. The chief food of the inhabitants of Colombia, and of all South America is the manioc (No. 9S), the root of which, prepared, serves them instead of bread. The most important alimentary resources after the niHuioCi are yams, potatoes, bananas, rice and maize. 152. Mines. — In Colombia are found mines of gold, silver, platina, copper, emeralds, &c. 153. CoMMKRCE. — Cocoa, indigo, tobacco, coffee, live animals, skins, &c. 154, Capital of New Grenada, Bogota, on the Andes. Four leagues from this City, the River of Bogota precipitates ilself from the summit of a rock five hundred and eighty feet in height. The cele- brated City of Quito, situated at a height of nine thousand five hundred feet, is the capital of the pro- vince of the Equator; it is exposed to dreadful earth- quakes : more than forty thousand persons perished, in a single instant, during that of 17^7. Near Quito is tlic famous peak of Chimborazo, the highest mountain in America (a). Caraccas, situated amongst the mountains on the Northern coast, is the seat of the Government of Venezuela; it was destroyed in 1812, by an earth- quake which caused the death of twelve thousand of its inhabitants. The sea ports are : Carthagena, on the Caribbean Sea 5 Porto-Bello and Panama^ on the isthmus of Pa- (a) See Appendix, Ko. VII. GEOGRAPHY OP AMERICA. ered, indi- The )acco lable Dread of wild South es them *tcr the es of :offee, w tlie er of rock cele- f nine J pro- earth- •ished, 50, the 3n the ent of earth- and of ibbean lof Pa- for •1^ 73 nama, tormerly enriched by tlie • exportation of precious metals ; Guyaquil, Maracaibo, &c. — The situation of all the ports is very unhealthy. 153. Population. — Total, three millions, of whom about two hundred thousand arc independent abori- ginals, divided into fourteen tribes. These inhabit, principally, the forests and mountains contiguous to the Orinoco. 156, Government. — Colombia achieved the con- quest of her independence in 1821. The difference between the Constitution adopted by this Republic and that of the United States is, that it is not Jede* rate. There are twelve departments which, instead of having each a separate legislature, are governed by Intendants named by the President for a limited time. The departments comprehend thirty-seven provinces, whose Governors are also nominated by the President. The provinces are subdivided into cantons, and the cantons into parishes. Another dif- ference is, that the people of Colombia do not exercise in si direct manner, the right of sufTrage. — They choose, every four years, electors, who are afterwards to name the President, the Vice President, the Senators, and the Representatives. in 1831, Colombia was divided into three indepen- dent States, New Grenada, Venezuela, and the Equator. The latter appears now to be dependent on the first. The voicanic soil of Colombia seems to be less frequently agitated by internal convulsions than the people who inhabit it, are by political revo- lutions. The same may be said of almost all the South America. people GUYANA. ■M: J. <5 / 15J, Guyana, which formerly comprehended all 74 ABRIDGEMENT (JP THE the land between the Rivers Orinoco and the Amazon, contains only an extent of two hundred leagues of sea coast, by a depth of about one hundred and twenty. It is divided into three parts, namely : 1st. English Guyana, traversed by the Hivers Essequibo, Demerary, Berbice, capital, George-Town, formerly Stabrceck, on the River Demerary, which gives its name to the whole colony : total population, eighty thousand inhabitants. 2d. Dutch Guyana, or Suri- nam : capital, Paramaribo, whose streets are bordered with orange trees, lemon trees, and tamarinds ; this City is built on the River Surinam, remarkable for a species of eel, which has the power of communicating an electric shock : total population, seventy-five thou- sand inhabitants. 3d. French Guyana, on the East and South of the preceding one; capital, Cayenne, on the island of the same name ; total population, sevcntv-five thousand inhabitants. m In all Guyana, there are scarcely six thousand white colonists ; the others are Negro slares, free Negroes, Mulattoes and aboriginals: the latter are about twenty thousand in number. The coast of Guyana is low and swampy, and covered with impene' trable forests. The interior is full of marshes. The climate hot and unhealthy. The rainy season lasts eight months. The soil produces abundance of sugar, coffee, cocoa, indigo, cotton, pepper, aloes, oranges, figs, &c. &c. *i Value of the commerce of English Guyana: importations, iE450,000 ; cxportations, ^1,627/ the latter comprehend among other articles, 737,000 quintals of >r, 1,940,000 lbs. of coffee, and 2,S20,000 gallons of rum. BRAZIL. 158. Brazil is bounded on the North, by Colombia, Guyana, and the Atlantic Ocean ; on the East, by the isame Ocean; on the South, by the United Provinces, Paraguay, and tfj^e New State of Uraguay ; on the West, by the Republic of Bolivia, Peru and Co- lombia. ard In I of an GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA* 75 sazoiiy lies of d and ': 1st. quibo, rmerly ves its eighty r Suri- irdered s; this e for a icating e thou- ie East lyenne, ilation, nists ; the wriginals : h impcne* [e hoi and produces s, oranges, * £450,000; er articles, 2,320,000 >lombia, t, by the ovinces, on the ind Co- 159. Mountains. — The Brazilian Mountains^ or the Andes of Brazil, run parallel with the sea coast from the tenth to the thirty-second degree of South latitude. In the interior are some elevated plains, sandy and sterile, occupying all the centre of the peninsula. 160. Rivers.— The River Amazon, with its nume- rous tributary streams, waters this vast country, the finest in 8outh America ; there are also the two Rivers Parnaiba, the San Francisco, the Parana, the Paraguay, &c. In many of these Rivers gold is found, particularly in those which run towards the equator, and fall into the River Amazon. 161. The Climate varies according to the latitude: in the South, it is mild and temperate ; in the North, the heat is excessive : moderated nevertheless, by the coolness of the mountains and forests which cover nearly the whole of Brazil. 162. The soil is generally extremely fertile : the productions are, in the North, cotton, sugar, coffee, tobacco, cocoa, indigo, ipecacuanha, and a quantity of medicinal plants ; in the South, wheat, and other grain, fruits, &c. In some places there are innumerable herds of wild buffaloes. The forests abound in Brazil WQod^ which is the best dyeing wood, and in an immense variety of other kinds, equally rare and precious. 163. But the richest productions of this country, are its gold and diamonds; which abound particularly in the province of Minas-Geraes, towards the sources of the Rio Francisco and the Rio Grande. There are also mines of silver^ iron^ pewter^ leady &c. ! f',: tt '4i 76 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE n Among the indigenous animals, may be remarked, the jaguar, or tiger, the monkey, the crocodile, the rattle- snake, the ostrich, the colibriy the parrot, some magnificent butterflies, &c. « 164. Commerce. — The Northern parts furnish cotton, coflee, sugar, tobacco, and Brazil wood ; the central parts, gold and precious stones ; and the South, wheat ; together with the skins, horns, hair, and tallow of the buffalo, &c. 165. Capital. — Rio Janeiro, or St. Sebastian, situate at the end of a vast bay, forming one of the finest and safest ports in the world. Principal Cities, San Salvador, Pernambuco, Para, &c. 166. Population. — Five millions, half of whom are negroes or raulattoes, nearly all slaves; a third, independent savages, and a sixth, whites of Portu*- guese origin. Their army consists of thirty thousand men. The navy, in 1830, had two ships of the line, eight frigates, andthirty-four inferior vessels. 167. Government. — Brazil, formerly a Portu- guese colony, declared itself independent in 1822, and forms at present a constitutional monarchy. The Sovereign takes the title of Emperor. The principal territorial divisionsare called provinces and Comarcas, or districts. PERU. 168. Peru is bounded on the North, by Colombia; on the East, by Brazil ; on the South, by the Republic of Bolivia ; on the West, by the Pacific Ocean. 169. Mountains, Rivers, &c. — The Andes, which traverse Peru, from North to South, form two prin- GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 11 cipal chains, thirty to sixty leagues distant from each other. The Eastern, which is by far the most ele vated, is called the Grand Cordillera; that on the West, tlje Cordillera of the Coast, Between the latter and the Pacific Ocean, is the country of the Yalles, composed of dry and sandy deserts, without signs of vegetation, and uninhabited, except along the banks of the torrents which descend from the mountains. The part of Peru comprized between the two Cordilleras is a succession of table lands, elevated eight or ten thousand feet above the level of the sea. On the East of the Andes are immense plains, intersected by forests!, and watered by some of the tributary branches of the Maranon. Peru is subject to earthquakes. Its mountains are full of volcanoes, which burn with internal fire, while the summits are covered with everlasting ice and snows. From the nature of the country Peru is deficient in means of internal communication. The roads often pass by precipices which mules alone can tread with safety. In the most mountainous parts, the rich are often carried on the backs of the Indians, sometimes for fifteen or twenty days successively, across the unin- habited forests. This want of practicable roads is common to all South America, to Guatimala, and even to Mexico, 170. The climate, the soil, and the productions are nearly the same as in Colombia. In the province of Valles it never rains or tbunders. During the winter, or from the month of July to November, the ground is covered by day with a kind of mist, which in the night dissolves into a plentiful dew. Elsewhere, the year is divided between the rainy and the dry season. Among the quadrupeds are remarked, the lama, the vicnna, and tho alpaco; among the birds, the condor, which for size and strength^ com-, bined with rapidity of flight and rapacity, deserves the pre-eminence over ^\l the feathered creation. According to Humboldt, th^ axit of tbw t ^ . 78 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE ! bird acroM the winga is nine feet, and its extreme length three feet and a half. In the eastern plains, are found enormous serpents, innumerable insects, &c» 171. Mines. — The mines of Peru have always been celebrated, since the discovery of the New World. A great number are of gold and silver, without reckoning those of mercury, copper^ lead, emeralds, &c. They are chiefly situated in the region of perpetual snows, which causes them to be worked to more disadvantage than those of Mexico. 172. Commerce. — Gold, silver, wine, brandy, sugar^ pimento^ Jesuits* bark, salt, wood. &c. 173. Capital. — Lima, on the river Riniac, two leagues from the sea. For three centuries, this City has been the grand mart of all the mineral riches of South America. It has been several times destroyed by earthquakes. Principal Cities, Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Inca ; Truxillo, built by Pizarro, &c. Total population of Peru, one million seven hundred thousand inhabitants. 174. Government. — Peru, before it was conquered by the Spaniards, led by the infamous Pizarro, (a), (a) " South America possessed its Empire, rich, powerful, and civilized, as well as North America; it was Peru, whose Sovereigns, greater and more magnificent than the Emperors of Mexico, reigned over a people still richer and more civilized than the Mexicans. Ihese two great states separated from eoch other by savage and unconque'ed tribes, were igno- rant of each others existence ; and while Heruun Cortez and his soldiers were employed in reducing that of the North, three individuals were endeavouring to discover that of the South.— Francis Pizarro, Diego Aimagro, and the Priest, Fernando Lucques, united in Panama for the prosecution of this enterprise. For five years tlieir efibi ts were unsuc- cessful. At last, after great and even heroic perseverance, Pizarro was enabled to effect a landing in 1531, and did not hesitate tj penetrate into the country, followed only by two hundred and 8)xty foot, sixty horse, and twelve small pieces o( cannon. Many circumstances conspired to assist bim, two brothers contended for the throne, in consequence of which, a et and lerable [ways New ilver, lead, egion orked •andy. ;, two s City bes of troyed ncient 'O, &c. indred pered o, (a), civilized, eater and sople slill at stales ere igno- BoldierB were Diego for the re unauc- arro was :rate into orse, and to assist which; a GEOORAPHT Or AMERICA. 79 formed a powerfil and civilized Empire, whose So- vereigns, named Incas, called themselves the children of the sun. Since 1821, this province, sided by Colombia, has succeeded in shaking off the Spanish yoke, and in constituting itself a Republic. It is di- vided into eight intendancics. BOLIVIA. 175. The Republic of Bolivia, or High Peru, is civil war had been kindled. Pizarro mrrched directly against Ataliba the conqueror, who was encamped near the coast of Caxamalca, with a nunneruus army. The Peruvians, of a character more effeminate and un» warlike, and not so well armed as the Mexicans, were as much astonished as they had been when ihey beheld the horses and firearms, ot which they had not the slightest idea : they were vanquished as soon as attacked. In vain a generous multitude devotpd themselves to death to save their monarch ; the Iiica was taken prisoner by Pizarro himself, who either attacked him treacherously, during a conference, according to lom* writers, or defeated him fairly in the held, according to others. Ataliba was not long iu their hands before he began to treat of his ran- som : offering as much gold as could be contained in the vast hall in which he stood, piled as high as his hund, which he elevated to the full length of his arm above his head. Nut content with these enornnous masses ofgold, which the imagination can hardly conceive, these ferocious and avaricioua brigands were not satisfied until they had steeped their hands in the blood of this innocent and unfortunate Monarch. With him perished the benefit cent dynasty of the Incas and the Golden Age of the Peruvians. This flourishing Empire was overthrown ; and the tigers who had destroyed it begun to tear themselves lo pieces over its ruins. It must have been at least some consolation for the unfortunate Peruvians, to see themselvea revenged on their tyrants by their own fury. Almagro having taken arms against Pizarro, was vanquished and beheaded. His partisans, in revenge, assassinated Pizarro, and decla't^'j the son of Almagro their Viceroy, who, a short time after, was defeat ' ?)y a Governor sent from Spain, and beheaded. Notwithstanding thit, another Pizarro, the brother of the former, continued the civil war ; be beheaded a Governor who was sent to curb him ; and was himself, soon after conquered, taken prisoner and put to death. Finally, it was only after seventeen years of similar troubles, in 1548, that this unfortunate country obtained some repose, after the violent death of almost all those who had discovered or conquered it. We shudder at the crimes which we have just read, though we have noticed but a few of them; from those that are presented in the detailed history of the arrival of the Spaniards, we are tempted to believe that all the crimes, all the vices which render men odious, had departed from the old world to come and desolate the new, and we might add that they had banished all the virtues by the voyage, if there had not been among them one being, beneficent and hutnane, charitable and religious, who was always opposed to his com- panions, who combated the executions, and often exposed himself for the victims— this man was Bartholomew Las Casas. I 3 80 ABRIDGEMENT OV TUB I . bounded on the North-east, hy Brazil ; on the South • east, by tlie United Provinces ; on the South-west, by Chili and the Pacific Ocean ; on the North-east, by Peru. ♦ 176. This province, which had at first formed u part of Peru, and which has since, been comprized in Buenos-Ayres, followed the fate of this govern- ment, which, in 1810, shook off the Spanish yoke. — In 1825, Upper Peru declared itself a Republic, and took the name of Bolivia, in honor of Bolivar, the author of its independence. 177- The aspect, the climate, &c. of the Republic of Bolivia, are the same as those of Peru. Its moun- tains contain abundant mines of gold and silver : many of mineral substances, such as sulphate of iron, of magnesia, &c. On the frontier of Peru, is Lake Titicaca, studded with islands, in one of which was formerly a magnificent temple consecrated to the sun. 178. Capital. — La Plata; principal Cities, La Paz, and Potosi ; all three situated near the celebrated mines of the same name. — Total population, one million three hundred thousand inhabitants. This Republic is divided into six departments. UNITED PROVINCES. ft 180. The United Provinces are bounded on the North, by Upper Peru ; on the East, by Paraguay, the New State of Uraguay, and the Atlantic Ocean ', on the South, by Patagonia 5 on the West, by Chili. 181. Mountains, &c. — The Andes separate the GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 81 This United Provinces from tho Ilepiiblic of Chili ; the country on the Eust of the Andeti ih mountuinous to the distance of one hundred to one hundred and fifty leagues ; farlhci* on ure ttie Prairies, whicli, on ttie North, are exposed to the inundations of the Para- guay and its branches, and which, on the South, are called Pampas^ the name of u species of sale lierh of considerable height, which thev produce; on the East of the rivers Paraguay and Parana, the soil is not so levels but more fertile, and better watered. • 182. Lakes. — Lake Mini and Lake Los Patos, which communicate with each other and with the Ocean. Rivers : the Paraguay, the Parana, &c. whose waters unite to form the river called Uio de la Plata, or Silver RiveVy because it served as a vehicle for the mineral riches of Potosi, Lu Paz, and several other provinces now comprized in the Republic of Bolivia : the Colorado, the Rio Negro, &c. 183. Climate. — In the prairies and on the mari- time coast, the heat is excessive In summer ; in the mountainous parts, the climate is temperate, salu- brious and agreeable^ 184. The vegetable productions are nearly the same as those of Brazil and Peru. The principal riches of the Inhabitants of these countries, consist in their pastures : although the soil h very fertile, especially on the East of the Paraguay, the cultivation of the land is almost entirely aban- doned, except in the vicinity of the cities. The Pampas are inhabited by an innumerable multitude oi buffaloes, horses, mules, sheep, goats, &c. The number of buffaloes nre estimated at twelve millions, and the horses at three millions. In the United Provinces ate tound many of the wild 82 ABRIDflBMBNT OF TUB onimala of Africu, the lion, the tiger, the pantlier, the monkey, the ostrich, the crocodile, enormous serpen tSj &Ct 185. CoMMBRCB. — Hides, tul low, and beef ; wool, of sheep, vicunas, &c. ; horses, mules, live vicunas; the skins of lions, tigers, wild dogs, &c. &c. 186. Conveyances —Mules are used in the Upper Provinces, and oxen in the Pampas. The mules carry a load of about three quintals and a half; they are in troops of fifty or a hundred ; at night the con- ductors unload them and leave them at liberty to graze until the day following, when they are collected and continue their journey. The oxen are harnessed in pairs to the number of six, and draw a kind of rude chariot, surmounted by a canopy of skins, under which the conductor is placed. These vehicles carry about thirty-six quintals. To traverse the Pampas, caravans are formed of from thirty to forty of these chariots. The oxen travel ten leagues in a day. 187. Capital, — Buenos Ayres, so called from its good and salubrious air. This City is situated on the right bank of the llio de la Plata, sixty leagties from its mouth. The breadth of the river in this place is ten leagues, but vessels from sea can only approach within three leagues from the banks, ^or want of sufficient depth of water. Principal Cities, Santa Fe, Mendoza, Corrientes, &c. Total popu- lation, about eight hundred thousand inhabitants, half of whom are civilized aboriginals. 188. A class of men very numerous and singular, in the United Provinces, are the shepherds, or rather the keepers of the flocks. They inhabit the Pampas: GBOGRAAIiy OF AMERICA. 83 inther, »i*uious wool, cuiias; Upper mules f; they le cuii- erty to tllected ruessetl kind of skins, rehiclea I'se the ;o forty es in a ^'om its ted on leagues in this an only iks, "or Cities, popu- its, half ngular, • rather am pas: euch one ha? lusestancia or pasturage, the superficies of which is hometimes from four to five leagues. The hut of the keeper of the flocks ^ built ot earth and covered with thatch, is g' nerally situated at the foot of an embudon which is almost the only tree thai grows in the Pampas. Racing, and hunting on horse- back constitute his principal occupation ; he is accustomed to it from infancy, and it is certain that there is not in the world a cavalier more skilful or vigorous. His dress is a piece of square stuff, having but one opening through which to pass the head ; the rest hangs negligently round the body. It serves as adress, a bag, a saddle, and a bed. He carries in his be!t a large knife, and a lasso, which is a leather thong about fifteen fathoms in length, provided atthe end with a ring, to enable him in case of necessity to form a running noose promptly : the other extremity is attached to the bridle of the horse on which he is mounted. While the horse is at full speed he throws this rope with such astonishing dexterity, as to seize the animal he is in pursuit of by the neck, for he seldom indeed misses his aim. 189. To these keepers of the flocks, and a great portion of the inhabitants of these provinces, the oxen are what the rein deer and the camel are to the Lap- landers and Arabians : their flesh constitutes their chief food ; their skins are exported, and this expor- tation amounts to more than a million of pieces; with their horns are made vases, spoons, combs, mugs and jars; with their hides, cords, thongs, mattrasses, sometimes huts ; their fat serves instead of oil ; with the tallow are made soap and candles ; the bones are used for fuel in many places where wood is scarce ; they make them burn by means of the tallow; the skulls answer for chairs in the huts ; and with the milk they make a quantity of ragouts and cheeses. '*!' ll'l i 84 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE PARAGUAY AND BANDA-ORIENTAL. iii 190. On the borders of the Uruguay and the Para- guay were formerly the celebrated Missions of the Jesuits, who, without any violence or constraint, had civilized and united into a Republic the Guarinis, an aboriginal tribe, composed of about one hundred thousand individuals. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, the Guarinis were transferred to the yoke of the Spanish Governors. At present, the former pro- vince of Paraguay constitutes an independent state, subject to a chief who is absolute, and who has taken the title of Dictator. This country, situated between the United Pro- vinces and Brazil, is two hundred leagues in length and seventy in breadth. It is very rich in grains, cotton, sugar, tobacco, in fruits, such as raisins, figs, olives, oranges, &c. Capital, Assumption, on the left bank of the Paraguay. Total population, two hun- dred and fifty thousand. Paraguay produces that precious herb, called matte^ or tea of Paraguay^ which is the favorite drink of the inhabitants of South America. The late province called Oriental-Banda, had been from 1814 to 1828, the subject of serious disputes between the United Provinces and Brazil. Finally, by a treaty of Peace dated August 27th, 1828, the Banda-Orientul was declared independent. It has since constituted itself a Republic, under the title of New Oriental State of Uraguay Its aspect, climate, productions, &c. are the same as the neighboring provinces. Capital^ Monte-Video, on the left bank of the Rio-de-la-Plata. Total population, 70,000. CHILI. 191. Chili is a narrow strip of land, comprised between the Cordilleras, which separate it from La GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 86 Para- ii the , had is, an [idred f the )ke of • pro- state, taken Pro- ength rains, i, figs, he left hun- araguayt i been sputes inally, IS, the It has iitle of imate, boring t bank 00. 1 prised on) La Plata and the Pacific Ocean : it is bounded on the north by the desert of Atacama, which separates from the Republic of Bolivia ; and on the south by Pata- gonia and the Gulf of Guaytecas. 192. Mountains, &c. — The aspect of Chili is ex- tremely picturesque. The summits of the Andes are every where filled with volcanos, and covered with eternal snows. Below these, towards the west, are several ranges of mountains, much less elevated, sur- rounding table lands, which are fertile and well watered. The passage from one table land to another is very hazardous : it is necessary to surmount almost perpendicular pathways, precipices and torrents, with- out number, which rush from the Andes to the sea. The sea-coast offers very little more than sterile and arid plains. The desert of Atacama » a sea of sand, in which neither shrubs, plants^ or any thing living are to he seen. The traveller, who is imprudent enough to enter it, has nothing to guide him but the whitened bones of the mules who have perished in endeavoring to traverse this dreadful solitude. 193. Climate. — In that part situated north of the river Maule, which falls into the ocean, near the 35th parallel of south latitude, there is no rain during two- thirds of the year ; and the provinces around the desert of Atacama, is totally without rain. The sky, from the month of November to the month of May, is con- stantly serene, and without a cloud. The heat is not excessive, being moderated by the proximity of the Andes. On the south of the river Maule, the tempe- rature is more variable, and rain is frequent enough. In general, the climate of Chili is very healthy, 194. Productions. — ^The northern part is destitute of vegetation^ particularly beyond the 32nd parallel ; < m m ! :'|l ' m ?! H 86 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE f but very rich in mines of gold and silver, mercury, copper, tin, lead, salt, antimony, coals, &c. The cop- per mines of Chili are esteemed the best in the world. In the southern part, wheat, maize, sugar, cotton, wine, figs, and all the productions of the finest coun- tries in Europe, are found in abundance. . The vin« and the oUve succeed better in Chili than in any other part of South America. The forests of Chili contain enormous trees, some precious on account of the lasting quality of the wood, others useful from their gums and resins. The animals are the same as in Peru. There are many 'vicunas, lamas, black-headed swans, &c. 195. Commerce. — Gold, silver, copper, tin, flour, wheat, hemp, skins, meat, wool, figs, grapes. Along the coast of Chili whales are caught. 196. Capital. — San-Iago, ou a table-land, which seems to extend along the foot of the Andes, as far as the isthmus of Panama on the north, and the straits of Magellan, on the south. Principal Cities : Valpa- raiso, Conception, &c. 197» Population, 1,400,000 inhabitants, compris- ing the independent savages, or Araucanos^ a fierce and warlike nation, whom the Spaniards have never been able to subdue. They occupy that portion situ- ated on the south of the river Biobio, and several of the islands in the Archipelago of Chiloe. 198. The governmentof Chili is republican, under a first Magistrate, called a Director. It contains nine- teen districts, besides the territory of the Araucanos, divided into four provinces. GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA. 87 rcury, ecop* world. ;ottoii$ coun- ther part 1 account rums and -vicunas, , flour, which IS far as traits of Valpa- ompris- a fierce ^e never on situ- veral of 1, under IS uine- lucanop, PATAGONIA. 199. Patagonia is a country but little known, comprehending all the southern point of the conti- nent. It was discovered in 1520, by Magellan. This region is covered with mountains and salt plains, in which herds of vicunas, horacs, guatiaques, a species of lama, abound. (No. 146.) The inha- bitants, to the number of two hundred thousand, comprehending those of Terra del Fuego, belong to ditFerent savage tribes, among which the Pa- tagonians are remarkable for their tall stature ; they have great bodily strength, but possess a mild and peaceable character ; their faces are broad, and noses flat, mouths large, lips thick, teeth white, hair black, and complexion copper-coloured ; their thighs and legs very short in proportion to their sta- ture. Their dress consists of the skins of the vicunas, guanaqueSf and other animals, sewed together like a square mantle : the furry side is turned inward : the other is painted in blue and red figures. Their head- dress consists of a kind of cap or turban, ornamented with plumes. When they go to war, they wear a cuirass of fur and a head-piece of leather. The bow, the string and the lance, the iron of which is replaced by a very pointed bone, are the principal arms of all the tribes of Patagonia. The first navi- gators had represented the Patagonians as a race of giants ; but from the most faithful reports, it appears certain that their common height is only from six to seven feet. The common size of the womeii is five feet and a half; their com • plexion is not so tawny as that of the men ; they also wear cloaks ; their h.iir is disposed in tresses, hanging on their shoulders, and termi- nated by little bells or pieces of copp'-r ; their arms and hands are ornamented with bracelets ; they wear in their hats feathert of copper, and necklaces made with shells. K m %-f} ;1,. m 88 ABRIDGEMBNT &C. The Patagonians are Shepherds, and lead a wandering life. They adore a terrible god, who appears to be the genius of evil, and whom they call Gmtechu. At the time of their marriage the women are plunged into the water several times. The condition of the sex here is very miserable. The Patagonians exchange fun for the different articles of commerce sold to them by other nations. Ens of the Geography of America. GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 89 tW GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE ABRIDGED. 200. Europe is bounded on the north by the Fro- zen Ocean ; on the east by the Uralian Mountains, Ural river, and the Caspian Sea ; on the south, by Caucasia (a), the Sea of Asoph, the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmora, and the Mediterranean ; and on the east, by the Atlantic Ocean. Its greatest length is about one thousand two hundred and fifty leagues, and its greatest breadth, nine hundred. 201. Europe is the smallest of the three great di- visions of the old world, it contains neither the high mountains, vast rivers, or immense forests of Ame- rica; nor are its productions in general either varied or remarkable. But it infinitely surpasses the rest of the globe in power, commerce, and civilisation. Almost absolute mistress of the Ocean, it possesses in the new world a territory equal in magnitude to it- self, nearly one half of Asia, a considerable portion of the coast of Africa, and the greater part of the islands yet discovered ; so that it may claim, not only all the finest monuments of antiquity, all the master-pieces of science, arts and literature, but also the animal, vegetable, and mineral riches, of every soil and cli- mate. It is supposed that Europe vra$ first peopled by the Gomerites or Celts, descendants of Gomer* eldest son of Japhet, and grandson of Noah, about two thousand years before the Christian era. From Asia I I' i (a) See No. 309, note (a), and No. 488, note {b ) f 90 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE Minor, they extended along the Caspian Sea and Euxine or Black Sea ;. from thence into Greece, and all the regions north and south of that famous country. Europe has therefore been generally peopled for about thirty eight centuries. Rt i POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF EUROPE. 202. Europe is now divided into fifteen principal portions, four of which are to the north, six in the centre, and five to the south. The four northern divisions are : 1st. The British Isles J 2nd, Denmark ; 3rd. Sweden and Norway ; 4th. Russia in Europe. The six in the centre : 1st. France ; 2nd. The Swiss Confederacy 5 3rd. The Low Countries ; 4th. The States of the German Confederacy ; 5th ; Prussia; 6th. Austria. The five southern are : l3t. Spain ; 2nd. Portugal ; 3rd. Italy ; 4th. Turkey in Europe ; 5th. Greece. 203. Seas : The Atlantic Ocean, which washes the western shores of Europe, and separates it from Ame- rica — it is known by different names, as we have already stated in the preliminary observations (No. 53.) and the Frozen Ocean. Inland Seas : The White Sea, the Baltic, the Me- diterranean, sea of Marmora, the Black Sea, sea of A soph, and the Caspian Sea. The Mediterranean is the largest of all the internal Seas ; it is seven hundred leagues lung, and its extent nearly three thousand leagues. The depth of the water to the south of France and Italy, is from one thousand to fifteea hundred fathoms. The Caspian Sea is the only inland sea which has no visible communi- cation with the Ocean. The sea of Asoph is rather a collection of vast marshes, than a tiea ; its muddy waters are so shallow, that in most places they are navi- gable only by ordinary vessels. 204. Gulfs : Those of Bothnia, Finland, and Riga, whcih form the Baltic Sea ; the Zuyder-zee, in the EOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 91 Low Countries ; tlie Bay of Biscay, between France and Spain ; those of Lyons, Genoa, Venice, Tarento, &c. in the Mediterranean, &c. 205. Straits : Those of Waigatz^ to the north of Russia ; the Skagen-Rack and the Cattegat, situated to the north of Denmark, and south of Norway and Sweden ; — this channel fornif^, ac the entrance of tlie Baltic, three distinct straits called the Sound, the great and the little Belt ; St. George's Channel, between Ireland and the principality of Wales ; the Bristol Channel, to the west of England ; the straits of Dover, between England and France ; the straits of Gibral- tar, which connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Me- sica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Candia. After the above, the most remarkable islands or groups of islaadi, are : those of Kalgouwa and Waigatz, in the Frozen Ocean, to the south of NoTa-Zembla ; the LoSbden isles, on the coast of Norway ; those of Aland, Dago, Oesel,Gothland, Oland, Bornbolm, Hugen, Funen, &c. in the Baltic ; the islands of Sylt, Heligoland, Tezel, &c. in the German ocean ; those of the province of Zealand, in the Netherlands or how Countries ; the Feroe isles, the Shetland isles, the Orkneys to the north, and the Hebrides to the west of Scotland ; the Isles of Man and Angle- sea in the Irish Sea ; the Scilly isles at the south west extremity of Eng- land ; those of Aldeiney, Guernsey, Jersey and Wight, in the British Channel ; those of Ouessant, Grouaix, Belle-tie, Noirmoutier, R§, Ole- ron, &c., on the coast of France ; the Balearic islands, the principal of which is Majorca, to the south of Spain, in the Mediterranean ; the Hieres, near Toulon in France ; the island of Elba, north east of Cor- sica ; the Lipari isles to the north, and Malta to the south of Sicily ; the lUyrian islands, in the gulf of Venice ; the Ionian islands, west of Greece ; Negropont, in the Archipelago, to the east of the same country ; the Cyclades, south of the above ; Lemnos, and some others north of the Archipelago, &c. &c. In treating of the different countries of Europe, we shall have oc- casion to give some particulars relative to most of these islands. 208. The islands of Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey, Heligoland, and Malta, belong to the English ; Iceland, the Feroe isles, and Bornholm, to the Danes ; Spitzbergen and Aland, to the Russians ; Candia, JLemnos, and many others situated in the Archipelago, to the Turks ; Corsica belongs to the French ; the Ionian islands compose an independ- ent republic, under the protection of England ; and the others belong in general to the continental powers, to whose territories they are ad* jaceut. 209. Peninsulas : In Europe are reckoned three large and three small peninsulas. The former are Sweden and Norway, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea ; Spain and Portugal, commonly cal- led The Peninsula, between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic ; and Italy* surrounded by the waters of the Mediterranean ; the three smaller are, Jutland, between the north sea and the Baltic ; the Morea or Peloponnesus, in Greece, which is joined to the conti- nent by the isthmus of Corinth ; the Crimea, between GBOGRAPIIT OF BUROPB. 93 Cor- the Black sea and the sea of Asoph, joined to Russia by the isthmus of Perekop. 210. Mountains : The principal chains of moun* tains in Europe are the Scandinavian Alps between Norway and Sweden ; the Ural mountains between Europe and Asia ; the Pyrenee "^ between France and ijp&in 9 the Alps between France and Italy ; the Ap- ennines which run through Italy ; the Carpathian mountains separate Hungary from Galicia ; the Hse- mus in Turkey, &c. Mount Blanc, in the Alps, is the highest mountain in Europe, its sum- mit being fifteen thousand six hundred and sixty-five feet ubove the level of the sea. The mountains of Sweden are covered with perpetual snow from the height of three thousand feet to their summits ; the Alps, Pyrenees, and Apennines, do not experience this temperature till the height of seven or eight thousand feet. The Carpathian mountains are richer in gold, silver, copper, and mineral salt, than any other European chain. The mountains next in note are, the Grampian in Scotland ; the range of Cheviot hills between England and Scotland ; Jura between France and Switzerland ; the Vosges on the east, and the Cevennes in the centre of France ; the Asturias, the Sierra-Nevada, &c. in Spain ; Olympus, Athos, Pindus, Parnassus, &c. in Greece, &c. The height of the Sierra-Nevada surpasses even that of the Pyrenees ; in some places it is about eleven thousand feet high. Volcanoes : The three celebrated volcanoes of Europe are: Mount Etna in Sicily; Vesuvius in Italy, near Naples ; and Mount Hecia in Iceland. 211. Rivers and Streams: The Volga, the largest river in Europe^ takes its rise from the Valdai mountains, in the government of Tuer, in Russia ; and after an irregular course of about six hundred and fifty leagues, empties itself into the Caspian sea by sixty-five different outlets. It communicates by a canal with Lake Ladoga, which forms a water con- veyance for commercial purposes, from the Baltic to the Caspian sea. I 'i m i V ]- 1 i 94 ABRIOCiEMENT OF THE I ■ The depth of the navigable channel of the Volga u in general not more than fram six to fifteen feet. The waten, which are of an indif- ferent quality, supply an immense quantity of fish. The Don, formerly called theTanais, and the Dnie- per, also take their rii^e in the Valdai mountains ; the Don empties itself into the sea of Asoph, which receives more than five hundred small rivers, — its waters are distasteful and unwholesome. The Dnie- per empties itself into the Black Sea ; all the islands in. this river which are not covered with water, swarm with serpents. The Danuhe is the second river in Europe ; it takes its rise at the foot of the mountains of the Black Forest, in the north of Switzerland, runs through Germany, Austria, and a part of Turkey, and falls into the Black Sea by two outlets. The Rhine rises in mount St. Gothard, in the Alps of Switzerland ; it passes through Lake Constance, part of Germany, the Netherlands, and after separat- ing into four branches, discharges itself into the North Sea. 212. The most remarkable rivers after the above are : the Petchora, which runs into the Frozen Oceun ; the Dwina, which falls into the White Sea ; the Duna, the Niemen, the Vistula, and the Oder, empty themselves into the Baltic ; the Elbe and the Weser, into the German Ocean ; the Seine into the British Channel ; the Loire and the Ga- ronne into the Bay of Biscay ; tiie Douro, Tagus, Guadiana, and Gua- dalquiver, into the Atlantic Ocean ; the Elbe and the Rhone, into the Mediterranean ; the Po, into the gulf of Venice ; the Marizza, into the Archipelago ; the Dniester, into the Blaek Sea ; the Oural, into the Caspian Sea ; the Theiss, Drave, and Save, flow into the Danube ; the Kama, into the Volga, &c. 213. Climate : Europe being situated almost en- tirely in the north temperate zone, generally enjoys a mild temperature, which is favorable to the deve* lopment of all the faculties of man, and the production of agricultural riches. There is however io Europe a great diversity of climates, caused by ¥ GEOGRAPHY Or KUROPE. 06 difference of latitude and other local circuniNtanccH. The easterly and north easterly winds, which pau over Siberia, bring cold weather ; but those countries that are defended by mountains in this direction, such as Italy, Bohemia, and Hungary, have a more mild and equal climate. The winds from the south and south-east on the contrary, which pass over the burning deserts of Africa, cause heat, although moderated by the Mediterranean, and by the mountains whioli border the southern part of Europe, as well as the north of Africa. Nearer thereto, Spain is ex- jiosed to scorching and unhealthy winds. 214. Some of the finest countries in Europe, those even where the vine, the fig tree, and orange tree are cultivated, are situated under the same parallel of latitude as some of the extremely cold regions of America. For example, the latitude of Franco is nearly the same as that of Lower- Canada; Paris is even two degrees or fifty leagues farther north than the City of Quebec, and the finest districts of Lombardy, enjoying perpetual verdure, are situated nearly in the same | arallel as Montreal. The cul- tivation of grain ceases in America, about fifty-two degrees north lati- tude, whilst in Norway, barley and oats are raised at seventy degrees. This difierence of temperature is attributed to the proximity of Canada to fiaflin's and Hudson's Bay, almost always froxen ; to the great lakes ; and lastly, to those forests which still cover the American Continent, (a). 215. Soil and Productions : The soil of Europe produces wheat and other grains in abundance, the vine, and all the fruits of temperate climes, vegeta- bles, silk, flax, cotton, &c. Agriculture is carried there to the highest perfection, particularly in £ng- land> the Netherlands and Switzerland. Norway, Sweden, and Russia, are interspersed with vast forests, which furnish an immense quantity of timber to other countries of Europe. Beasts of prey are very rare. Horses, oxen, sheep, and other domestic animals of Europe are superior to those found elsewhere. There are few silver or gold mines, but several of iron, copper, lead, coal, minetHl salt, &c. 216. Languages : The principal languages of Europe are the Italian Spanish, Portuguese and French, which are formed from the Latin ; the i (a) Travellers have observed that the olimato of North America, east of the rocky mountains, is similar to that of Europe, under the eama latitude. ABRIDGEMRNT OP THIS Gertnaa, FIcroUht Dutcbt Daniib, Swediib, and Norwegian, from the Teutonic ; the £uKliih, participate! both theie tourcei ; the Huuian, Hungarian, Polish, and Bohemian, from the Sclavonian ,£rM or Gaelic, (Scotch) Iriih, Welch, and the dialect of the Laplanden, are derived from the Celtic ; modern Greek, formed from ancient Grecl and laitljr, Turkiib, from the Tartarian dialect. 217. Population and R^umon : We had at first cum|)ute(l the popuhition of Europe at about two hun- dred and twenty millions ; a more recent estimate how- ever, brings it to two hundred and thirty-one millions and a half ; of whom one hundred and eighteen millions are Roman Catholics, fifty-two mill'ons nnda half of the Greek Church, fifty-five mil!ioii^> ui'tVo- testants of different 8ect9, two millions and a half Jews, three millions Mahometans, and half a million Idolaters and others. The Roman Catbolici are spread principally oter the southern coun- tries of Eurape; the Protestants in the north; the members of the Greek Chui'ch, in Rusvia, Turkey and Greece ; the Jews, in Poland, Turkey, Germany and Holland ; Mahometans, in Turkey and Greece ; the Idolaters inhabit the east and north-east extremities of Europe. The population of Europe increases about one million annually. BRITISH ISLES. 218. The British Isles are composed of Great Bri- tain, which comprehends England, properly so cal- led, the principality of Wales and Scotland ; Ireland to the west of the preceding, the Hebrides to the west of Scotland ; the Orkney and Shetland Isles to the north of the same ; and some other islands scattered over the surrounding seas and channels. Scotland, Ireland, and the principality of Wales, formerly independent kingdoms^ have been succes- sively united to th , fViv-,. of Eiij^land; they form at present only one uovernment, called. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 319. The Government of the British Isles is a constitutional monarchy, consisting of three distinct branches, the lining, the House of Lords, and CBOr.RAPIIY OP KUROPK. •7 rrom the KuMiao, Gaelic, I derived d lastly, It first } hun- ehow- lillions ghtcen s :ind u re jrVo- a half iiillion irn coun- n of the 1 Poland, Greece ; >pe. ily. at Bri- so cal- Ireland le west to the attered Wales, tuccefi" orm at United aonarchy, lOrds, and the Houie of Comroona. The King ii chief, not only of the state, but also head of the Church. He has the right of making war and peace, (<(7ro1uding alliances and treaties, levying troops, ^mnting titirs of nobi- lity, proroguing, assembling, adjourning, and dissolving Parlianirnt, making all the civil and military appointmenti, conferring the principal ecclcfiiastical dtgnitiesi, granting pardon to criminals, or mitigating their punishment, convoking the national and provincial synods, which, by his content, regulate the internal government of the church. He attains his majority at the age of eighteen years, and on this event he must approve of all the J^aws enacted during his minority. The responsibility of the ministers of the King renders his person inviolable. The crown is here- ditary, and the rights of succession extend to female heirs. The eldest son of the King is styled Prince of Wales. 230. The House of Lords is composed of the Lords spiritual and tem- poral of the United Kingdom. The Lords spiritual are the two Arch- bishops of Canterbury and York, twenty-four English bishops, and four fiom Ireland. The temporal Lords comprise all English Peers, the number indefinite, being increased at the will of the Sovereign ; sixteen Peers elected to each parliament by the nobility of Scotland ; and twenty-eight by those of Ireland. The latter are chosen for life. 221. The House of Commons has at present (a) six hundred and fifty- five members chosen by the people, of whom four hundred and seventy- one represent England, twenty-nine the principality of Wales, fifty Scotland, and one hundred and five Ireland. The peculiar province of the Commons is principally to propose laws, impose taxes, grant subsidies, and enquire into private as well as public grievances. 222, The Population of the British Isles is not less than twenty-five millions ^ (A) of which number one third professes the Uomish form of religion, the re- maining two thirds are Protestants of different sects. Th«» majority in England are Episcopalians, in Scot- land, Presbyterians, and in Ireland, Roman Catholics. The standing army in 1815 was as follows ; infantry, two hundred thousand ; cavalry, thirty thousand, and artillery, fifteen thousand ; be- (a) Since the Reform in 1832. (6) The census of 1831 computes that of England to be thirteen milliona eighty- nine thousand ; Wales, eicht hundred and five thousand ; Scotland, tvvo miiiions three hundred and sixty-six thousand ; and Ireland, seven millions seven hundred and thirty-four thousand. The army and ):avy amounted to two hundred and seventy-seven thousand individuals. Total twenty*four millions two hundred and seventy one thousand. I 98 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE r'' sides three hundred and eighty thousand attached to the incorporated and local militia corps. The naval force was more than one thousand ships of war and one hundred and forty thou and men. In 1827* the army amounted to but ninety thousand men, and the navy about thirty- four thousand ; the number of ships of war was reduced to six hundred and six, twenty-eight of which carried from ninety>eight to one hundred and twenty guns ; and one hundred and thirty seven, from fifty to eighty- four guns. The commercial marine is at least of two millions eight hundred thousand tons burthen. The total population of the British Empire, including its vast colonies, in the five divisions of the globe, and the tributary kingdoms of India, amounts to more than one hundred and fifty millions of individuals. ENGLAND AND THE PRINCIPALITY OF WALES. 223. England, to which Wales is annexed, is hounded on the north by Scotland ; on the east by the North Sea or German Ocean ; on the south by the English Channel ; and on the west by St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea. It was anciently called Albion,dunng the time of the Romans, Britam,wh\ch name continued to the year 829, when it received that of England, or land of the Angles, one of the Saxon tribes. Its form is triangular, and its greatest length four hundred and twenty-five miles, from Berwick- on-Tweed to the Land's End. The greatest breadth thence to the South Foreland is three hundred and forty miles. It contains fifty thousand five hundred and thirty-five square miles, or thirty-two millions three hundred and forty-two thousand four hundred acres. 224. Divisions : England is divided into forty counties, and Wales into twelve, as follows, viz : Six in the north : Northumberland, Cumberland, Durham, Westmore- land, York, and Lancaster. Sixteen in the centre : Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Shrop- shire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Herefordshire, Worcester- shire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Monmouthshire, Gloucester- shire) Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Ruckinghamshire. GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 99 orporated thousand 1827, the ut thirty- hundred hundred to eighty- hundred t colonies, of India, uals. .ES. xed, is east by 3Uth by reorge's ^ called t,wbich red that e Saxon t length erwick- breadth red and lundred millions lundred to forty viz : Westmore- ire, Shrop- Worcester- Qloucester- Nine to the south : Somersetshire, Wiltshire, Surrey, Kent, Devon- shire, Dorsetshire, Hampshire, Sussex and Cornwall. The twelve counties in Wales to the west of England, are, Anglesea, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Caernarvonshire, Merionethshire, and Mont- gomeryshire, in the north ; Cardiganshire, Radnorshire, Pembrokeshire, Caermarthenshire, Glamorganshire, and Brecknockshire, to the south. The subdivisions are into towns, boroughs and pa- rishes. 223 Aspect, Soil, &c. The soil is in general very fertile, and presents every where an agreeable diver- sity of hills, valleys, and plains, well watered and cultivated with the greatest care. There are some mountains, principally on the borders of Scotland, in Wales, and in the county of Cornwall. The least fer- tile parts are the counties adjacent to the Cheviot hills, in the north, and some of those on the eastern coast. 226. Rivers : The Thames, the largest river in England, takes its rise in the county of Gloucester, flows through London^ and empties itself into the German Ocean ; the Severn rises in North Wales, and falls into the Bristol Channel ; the Humber, formed by the junction of the Trent, the Aire, and the Ouse, discharges itself into the German Ocean. There are several other rivers, whose outlets form bays, or large, safe, and commodious ports. 227. Lakes : The lakes in England are not large ; the most considerable is that of Derwent, one league long, and the third of a league in breadth. Its wa- ters are subject to violent agitations, without any apparent cause. 228. Canals : These are numerous in every direc- tion, so as to afford facilities for water communication between London and almost every county in England. The mjst important are the Grand Trunk, one bun- ' 'I P^ i 11] I 100 ABRIDGEMENT OP THE I wards, with a stocking or hose of red and white plaid. The principal material of the dress is a woollen stuff crossed with different colours, call- ed tartan. On the head is a small bonnet, ornamented with an eagle's plume. I8I.ES DEPENDANT ON SCOTLAND. Shetland IsJea are eighty-six in number, forty of which are inhabited ; the others are entirely barren, or serve only for pasturage. For five or six months in the year, the inhabitants are deprived of all intercourse with other parts, by fogs, continual rains and tempests. The longest day is nineteen hours and a quarter. The twilight in summer continues all night. The light produced by the Aurora fiorealis is equal to that of the full moon. These isles are noted for a breed of small hoi'ses, muck , y and study The ?'orth, and, oc- ted that diK, and actories, i of the e of the tafe and r to the :ity upon I cotton ; f of in- ities in , and nguished costume, called a he shoul- If down- principal urs, call- eagle's labited ; ir five or irse with bt day is Inues all that of i, much CiKOI.llArtIV or . UUOPE. esteemed in Kngliiad. Tiie iiiiiahitiinta mv. ncdi;^ ing. The article!) nrcumiiicico hic, lUh, woitUvit cloth, &c. Population, twoiity-oigitt thousuiul. 260. The Orknetf Isles are HepumfiMl rrnin Scotlmul by the Pcntland Frith. The sua hero is ko iuiputiiouH, tlitit tlic xpray from the wuves which break against the rocks, in olbi'tviiblu iit mure than the distance of a league. They are thirty in number, the urentcr |Hirt of them inim- bited. The climate is the stunu us in the Slietland Isles. The inhabi- tants export beef, pork, butter, titull's and ilsh. Muinltuul, the princijml of the Orkneys, contains nine purishe:<. Total population, thirty thousand. 261. The IIrbridrh : There nro more thiin tlirec hundred of these islands, but eighty-six only are inhuhited. The atmosphere is very cold, with constant fogs. They furnish in general good pasturage, but scarcely a tree or even a shrub is seen. Commerce : horned catt'c, sheep and fish. Population : seventy-thouMind inhabitunts, of the race of High- landers. 262. In the little isle of StalTa, one of the Hebrides, is the celebrated cave of Fingal, the greatest natural curiosity in the British Isles. The sides of the grotto are composed of ranges of basaltic columns), at the bottom of which are the rcnuiins of other columns that have been broken. The vault is divided into compartments, and ornamented with beautiful stalactites. The length of the grotto is three hundred and seventy-one feet, the breadth fifty three, and the height one hundred and seventeen. This august temple of nature has the sea for its base. All the art and all the ingenuity of man could not raise no majestic or so durable a struc- ture. IRELAND. 263. Ireland is situated to tlie west of Great Bri- tain, being separated from it by tbe Irish Sea and St. George's Channel. The greatest length is about two hundred and eighty miles, and the breadth one hundred and eighty ; its entire superficies is three thousand six hundred thousand square leagues. 264. Ireland formed formerly five kingdoms ; at present it is divided into four provinces, which bear (a) A kind of potash procured from burnt iea>weed, and other marine plants, used in the compositioH of glasi. no ABRIDGEMENT OF' THE the nnmc of four of those kingdoms, Ulster, Leitistcr, Connaught and Minister. Tliese |)rovinces ure sub- divided into thirty-two counties, namely : In Ulster : Donegn), Londonderry, Antrim, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Munagimn, Armagh, Down and Cavun. In Connaught : Leitrini, SI: go, Mayo, Roicommon, and Gulway. In Leinster: Jjoutli, Longford, Mcatli, Wcktmeatli, Dublin, King's County, Kiidarc, Wicklow, Quccji'k County, Kilkenny, Curlow, and Wexford ; and in Mun&ter : Clare, Tipperary, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, and Waterfurd. 265. Mountains : The highest are the Mourne mountains, in the county of Down^ and the Nephin and Croagh Patrick, in the county of Mayo. There are some others wiiich contain valuable minerals. 266. Lakes are numerous .* the most considerable is Lough Neagh, in the province of Ulster, six leagues long and three wide ; the finest is the lake of Killar- uey in Kerry ; il is surrounded by precipices, cas- cades, tufts of trees, &c., and interspersed with charm- ing Islands, in one of which the ruins of an Abbey, built in the sixth century, is still seen. 267 : Boos : The bogs, which disfigure the aspect of this interesting island, form a striking figure in its geographical description. They are covered with a thick turf, which servos for fuel where wood and coal is not abundant. Their waters have an anti-putrifying quality. In work- ing them, traces of ancient forests, gold, pearls, coins, arms, fragments of musical instruments, symbols of pagan worship, animal fossils, &c. are met with. Some of these bogs are very extensive : the bog of Allen, in the province of Lcinstcr, is seventy miles long. Several have been ren- dered capable of culture by draining. 268. Bavs : O.i the Irish coast are a great number of bays, ports, harbours, roads, &c., which afford the greatest facilities to navigation and commerce ; amongst others, may be named, the bays of Belfast, Dundalk, Dublin, on the east ; Bantry, Dingle, Gai- way, Donegal, and the mouth of the Shannon, in the west ; the liarbourb of Wexford, Watcrford, &c. I I GBOORAPIIY OF EUROFE. Ill (ei lister, re sub- 'crnianaRh, litrim, Sli er : Clare, Mourne Nephin There ;rals. iiderable ; leagues f Killar- ces, cas- 1 charm- 1 Abbey, interesting Tiiey are and coal is In work- fragments nils, Sec. are }f Allen, in been ren- number fford the mierce ; • Belfast, le, Gal- 1, in the cc. S69. Rivers : The principal is the Shannon, which takes its rise from Lough Allen, in the County of Leitrim ; it divides the province of Connaught from that of Leinster, and taking its course through Mun- ster, where it forms several lakes, empties itself into the Atlantic by an outlet nine miles wide. The other rivem of note are the Lee, which falls into Cork harbour ; the Barrow, the Nore, and the Suir, into the bay of Waterford ; the Liffy, the lioyne, the Bann, &c. 270. Canals : A grand canal has been opened from the port uf Dublin to the Shannon, which forms a navigable communication from St. George's Chan- nel to the Atlantic Ocean. There is al!»o 1 id between the same and the bay of Carlingfcr.i ^ ; 27 J. Climate, Soil, and Productions . at- mosphere is less cold and humid than that of England. The soil is extremely fertile. The vegetable produc- tions are, varieties of grain, hemp, flax, &c., and pota- toes, on which the poorer classes principally subsist. The pastures are the most luxuriant that can be seen. A prodigious number of pigs are raised, besides cattle, sheep, horses, &c. It appears that serpents, vipeis, moles, and toads, are strangers in Ire- land, and that the frogs which are found there, have been imported from England. 272. Mines : Gold and silver are found in Ireland, also mines of copper, zinc, antimony, iron, and coal. The richest coal mines are in the County of Kilkenny. 273. Commerce : Grain, iinen, pork, salt meat, hams and bacon, butter, horses, horned cattle, sheep, woollen cloth, hides, herrings, whisky, &c. 274. Capital : Dublin, situated in the interior of the bay of that .lame, upon the river Liffey, two M i 9 112 ABRIDGEMKNT OP TUB miles from the sea; it is the second city in the Bri- tish (lominionSj and the residence of tlie Irish Vice- roy ; it contains an University, has two Archbishops, one of the Church of England, the other ot tliat of l\ome ; numerous manufactures, &c. The public edi- fices are generally built in imitation of those of Lon- don, to which they are little inferior in beauty and magnificence. Principal Towns : Cork, at the mouth of the River Lee, furnishes meat, butter, and taliovv, almost sufficient for the entire supply of the army and navy of England. Waterford sends seventy vessels annually to the Newfoundland ilshcry ; Belfast ranks next to Dublin for it; ma- nufactures and commerce ; Limerick, on the Shannon, is a strong and populous city ; &c. 275. The Population of Ireland is about eight millions of individuals, of whom more than four-fifths are of the Church of Rome. 276. Natural Curiosities : The famous Giants' Causeway, in the county of Antrim, on the northern coast of Ireland ; it is a prodigious mass of basaltic columns, the tops of which form a superb pavement, which slopes gradually till it reaches the Ocean. The cavern of Dun- more, in the county of Kilkenny, has been penetrated to a quarter of a mile's distance, where a subterranean river is met with, which runs to the depth of one hundred feet : one part of the cavern resembles a vast gothic building fallen into ruins ; another, a magniiicent temple, from the roof and sides of which hang thousands of stalactites, which have a brilliant eflect when the light is introduced. (a) DENMARK. 277. Denmark is bounded on the north bv the Skagen-Rack, which separates it from Norway ; on the east, by the Cattegat and the Sound, which se- parate it from Sweden ; on the south, by the Baltic and the river Elbe, separating it from Germany ; and on the WTst by the North Sea. (a) Many of these caverns are met with in England, particularly in Derbyahire. GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 113 I Bri- Vice- I at of c edi- Lon- y and 'urnishes y of the mnually it; iiia> ong and eight -fifths ', in the rodigious avement, of Dun- iiter of a runs to es a vast )le, from h have a 3y the ly ; on ih se- Baltic nanv ; lularly in 278. Division : The states of Denmark consist of 1st, JiiUand ; 2nd, the Duchies of Sleswick, Holstein, and Lauenburg ; Srdj the ishuids of Zealand, Fnnen, and a number of others in the Baltic ; 4tli, Icehuid ; and 5th, The Feroe Isles. 279. Aspect, &c. Denmark is but a continuation of the vast plains wliich border the Baltic Sea to the east and south. The greatest inecjuality of soil in the Duehv of Holstein does not exceed one thousand feet ; tiie same may be said of the Danish Islands si- tuated in the Baltic ; the mountains of Funen, and those of Zealand, are only hills. There are a great number of long narrow bays, which afford safe and convenient anchorage for shipping, but the rapid cur- rents and shoals render the navigation of the islands dangerous. Jutland is covered with marshes, lakes and heaths. 280. Rivers : The most remarkable is the Elbe, which takes its rise in Bohemia, and falls into the North Sea. It is navigable for vessels from its mouth as far as Hamburg in Germany, a distance of about twenty-five leagues : its breadth in this part of its course, is from three to six miles. 281. Canals : Those most worthv of attention are the canal of Steckenitz, which unites the Elbe to the Baltic ; and that of Sleswig-Holstein^ between the Baltic and the North Sea. 282. Climate AND Productions: The climate of Denmark is less cold than its latitude indicates ; the thermometer varies in winter from three degrees to eleven below, and in summer ranges from twelve to eighteen above the zero of Reaumur. The country is often covered with vapours and damp fogs. The 114 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE ' summer begins in the month of June, and ends in the middle of August. The cultivation of grain suc- ceeds well, likewise vegetables, flax, and lienip. Fruits are nearly the same as those of Canada, and are a considerable article of ex])ortation to Sweden and Russia. The rich pastures of this country supply ample food for horses, horned cattle, and sheep. The horses of Holstein are much famed. The waters yield an abundance of oystei's, lobsters, porpoises, herring?, salmon, &c. 283. Commerce : Fish, timber, horses, horned cat- tle, pigs, butter, tallow hides, oil, pitch and tar, skins, eider-down, apples, &c. The eider-down is the down of certain northern birds, particularly the Kea-duck, called eidet\ the plumage of which is very soft and flexible. The eider-down comes principally from Denmark, Norway, and the is- lands of the north. It is sometimes obtained by sportsmen who shoot these birds, but more frequently by plundering their nests, in the clefts and cavities of the precipices which border on the Ocean. Nothing can be more hazardous than tiie undertaking of the sportsman who goes to col- lect this down, so much sought after as an article of luxury. Suspended over the waters by means of a rope, he ascends to a fearful height. If the cord breaks, or the plank upon which he is mounted gives way, he falls, and finds a miserable death in the rocks below. 284 : Capital : Copenhagen is one of the most famous cities in £urope, and also one of the finest ports in the world. It is situated on a gulf of the island of Zealand. The buildings are of brick, white stone, and Norwegian marble. There are twenty churches, twenty-two hospitals, an university, a great number of literary societies, a royal library of two hundred and fifty thousand volumes, manufactories of cloth, cotton, leather, brandy, delf ware. &c. Principal Towns : Altona, on the right bank of the Elbe,— the most commercial nnd manufacturing town in ihe kingdom, and next to Copen- iiugen in point of population ; Flensburg, in Sleswick— its port is fre- quented by eight hundred vessels annually, two hundred and fif'^y of which belong to the place ; Elsinore, or Elsineur, upon the Sound, \ GEOGRAPHY OF EUIIOPE. 115 ids in 1 suc- lenip. , and veden horned B watei** ion, &c. ?d cat- d tar, larly the flexible, d the is- oot these lefts and ig can be es to col- uspended ight. If way, he ? most ! finest of tlie white vvenly I great of two ctories -the moRt to Copen- !t is fre- fif^y of e Sound, eight leagues from the capital, has an excellent roadstead, where ves- sels in passing the Suund, cast anchor tu take in provisions, and to pay the toll to which tliey are subjected before entering the Hultic ; Rus> I'ilde, the ancient capital of Denmark, but now the burial place of its Kings, &c, ^S5. The Population of the states of Denmark, is two millions of sonis, the greater part Lutherans. The government is an absolute monarchy. The army, in 1825, amounted to sixty thousand men ; the navy con- sisted of four ships of the line,, seven frigates, and eighteen inferior vessels. 286. Feroe ls!cs: They were discovered in the ninth century by some Norwegians, who established themselves there. They gave to them the name of Fnrceer^ from the word faurt which signifies sheep, that animal being sole master of the soil. There are thirty-five islands, seventeen of which number are peopled. The climate is not rigorous ; the frosts in winter continue only a month, but the summer does not last lunger than the two months of July and August. The productions are barley, rye, and vegetables. Horses, cattle, and sheep are raised. The inhabitants occupy themselves in the whale and herring fishery, &c., and in knitting worsted stockings, one hundred and twenty thousand pairs of which are exported annually. Population : six thousand. 287. Iceland, or icy land, is a large island situated near the frigid zone, to the north-west of Europe. It iscelebrated for its volcanic moun- tains, from the chief of which. Mount Hecla, issue stones and torrents of lava to a prodigious distance. There are also hot springs which throw into the < jr volumes of boiling water, sometimes to the height of one hundred feef . Potatoes are the principal article of culture. Tiiere are some do- mestic animals, and n'mierous troops of wild rein deer, sea birds of all kinds, eagles, swans, ducks, &c. abound on the sea-coasts, — lakes and marshes. Commerce : fish, oil, eider down, hides, tallow, worsted stock, ings, &c. Population : fifty thousand. Laflanb. 288. Tlie northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Russia, compose the country of Lapland, which extends east to west from the White Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and north to south from the Frozen Ocean to the 64th parallel of latitude, the shores of the gulf of Bothnia excepted, which are inhabited either by Swedes or Russians. That part which lie* near the gulf of Bothnia, is an extensive plain covered with pine, fir, a»d birch trees. The interior is furrowed by ravines r'nd valleys, rocks rat Lev iM 2 116 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE than mountains, which rise in the north and west, to the lici^ht of the Scandinavian mountains, and descend in the east to the level of the White Sea. Lapland possesses many rivers, lakes, and morasses. The climate is excessively cold : in winter, the sun disappears for the space of two months in Finniark or Norwegian Lapland. The soil produces bar- ley, rye, potatoes, cabbages, and radishes, in the maritime and southern parts. The rocks and elevated plains are covered with moss and lichens, which serve to nourish certain animals, particularly the reindeer. The raspberry, mulberry, &c. abound every where, and make amends for the want of fruit trees. The mountains yield vast quantities of iron ore , copper, lead, zinc, arsenic, rock crystal, &c. are also found. The wild animals are, reindeer, bears, wolves, foxes, beavers, otters, martins, glut- tons, &c. Tiie lemmings, (or mountain rats,) may also be remarked, which, it is said, travel by thousands fiom south to north, and are drown- ed in the rivers and lakes rather than abandon that direction. 289. The most useful animal to the Laplanders, and that which con- stitutes their principal, and ordinarily, their only support, is the reindeer. It serves as a beast of burden, supplies them with milk, and is a chief article of food. They are harnessed in light sledges, constructed in the form of a boat, which they draw with incredible swiftness. 290. The Laplanders are of small stature, commonly four feet and a half high, with hollow cheeks, large faces, pointed chins, beards rather thin, and in scattered tufts ; stiff, black hair, and yellowish complexion, rendered darker by smoke. Their cloathes are the skins of the reindeer. They acquire an extreme agility and great strength, hunt wolves, foxes, hares, &c., shod in snow shoes. At present, the greater part profess Christianity, but they mingle with it many pagan superstitions, witch- craft, jugglery, &c. They seek after intoxicating liquors with the same ardour as the savages of North America. In general, they live to the age of fifty or sixty years. 291. The Laplanders are divided into two classes — the shepherds or mountaineers, who subsist on the produce of their flocks of reindeer ; and the fishermen, who pass the summers on the borders of the rivers, gulfs and lakes, occupied in fishing, and the winters in the forests, where they live on dried fish, or by hunting, and not unfrequently on the bark of the pine tree, which they reduce to powder, and mix with the fat of the reindeer. The shepherds have tents, which they transport from one place to another when the pasturage for their flocks is exhausted. The fishermen have wooden huts or mud cabins. 292. The principal trafiic of the Laplanders is with the Swedes and Russians. This takes place at Toruea, and other towns on the gulf of Bothnia. They exchange skins, furs, dried fish, venison and glrves, for fiannels, cloth, berap, cupper, iron, and various utensils, but particu^ GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 117 : and a s rathei- plexion, eindeer. foxes, profess witch- larly for spirituous liquors, raeal, srlt and tobacco. Population : sixty tiiousaud. SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 293. Sweden and Norway, (ancient Scandinavia,) form one large peninsula, bounded on the north by the Frozen Ocean ; on the east by liussia and the Baltic ; on the south by the Baltic, the Cattegat and Skagen-Rack ; and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. 294. Norway was an independent kingdom until 1387, when it was united to Denmark, and continued to be so till the treaty of Kiel in 1814, at which epoch Norway was definitively annexed to Sweden. It has, nevertheless, preserved its own laws, as well as the national diet, consisting of the clergy, nobility, burghers, and peasants. 295 Divisions : Sweden is divided into three large regions : in the south, (iothland ; the centre, Swe- den proper ; and the north, Nordland, including Swe- dish Lapland ; these three regions are subdivided into twenty-four districts. Norway is also divided into three regions : the south or Soedenfield ; the middle or Nordenfield, and the north, or Nordland, including Norwegian Lap- laud ; these again are subdivided into sixteen districts and two counties. 296. Mountains : The vast chain of Koelen or Scandinavian mountains, extends from the Skagen- Rack to the Icy Sea, and separates Norway from Sweden ; its different branches occupy all Norway and a considerable part of Lapland. These mountains contain much mineral treasure, such as copper, iron, lead, cobalt, alum, black lead, &c. There are some I 118 ABRIDUEMENT OF THE gold and silver mines, but those of iron and copper are the most importunt. Sweden contains mountains entirely composed of iron ore, frequently very valuable. The mines of Danemova, in the ancient province of Sniulaud, furnish the best iron there is in the world. 207. Lakes : The largest in Sweden is the VVe- ner, thirty-five leagues long and twenty in breadth. There are besides the Wetter, the Maeler, the Hyel- mar, &c. The largest lake in Norway is the Mioes, twenty leagues long, and two in breadth ; it is crossed by the river V^orm, which falls into the Glommen. The Atlantic coast is varied with islands, and gulfs, which advance very fur into the land. The whirlpool of Maelstrom, at the south-west extremity of the Lofioden Isles, is very remarkable, but its dangers are much exaggerated by some who have affirmed that the largest vessels are drawn into it from several leagues distance, and engulpbed. 298. Rivers : Amongst the numerous rivers which rise in the Scandinavian mountains, and flow towards the gulf of Bothnia, are the Tornea, which forms the boundary between ilussian and Swedish Lapland, the Lulea, the Umea, the Dal, &c. The principal river in Norway is the Glommen, which falls into the Skagen-Rack, after a course of one hundred and fifty leaguv^s. 299. Canals: The soil of Sweden is peculiarly adapted to the formation of canals — they are conse- quently numerous. The most worthy of attention is the canal of Goeta, which, assisted by several small lakes, opens a passage between Lake Wetter and the Baltic Sea. 300. Climate : The cold is intense in winter, throughout this peninsula, except on the sea coasts. GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 119 The rivers, lakes and gn\f% of Bothnia freeze four or five feet thick. The long winter is succeeded by a spring, or rather thaw of some days, followed by so warm and dry a summer, that the harvest is fre- quently got in eight weeks after the seed is sown. The longest day is eighteen hours and a half at Stockholm, nineteen hours at Bergen and Christiana, and two months in the north of Fin- mark. The climate of Norway is in general more rigor- ous than that of Sweden ; vet on the southern coasts they have sometimes a second crop in the same sea- son. Those parts which border on the Atlantic Ocean experience saline exhalations, fogs, rains, and tem- pests, which injure vegetation and render them un- healthy. SOI. In Sweden and Norway, as well as in the north of Russia, the winter is the season for commerce, gaiety and festivities. The country farmer carries his produce to the city markets, and to the fairs, which are held in certain places on the ice. To render these journies agrea« bie, they travel in caravans or three or four hundred sledges together. Driving in light carioles, racing on the ice, sliding down artificial moun- tains of snow, dancing, feasting, and exhibitions, are the amusements of the inhabitants of the town. The principal occupations in summer are fishing, navigation, felling woods, and cultivating the ground. 302. The soil of Sweden is not very productive ; the southern provinces cultivate rye, barley, oats, vegetables, and some wheat ; those in the middle, flax, hemp, hops and potatoes ; in the north, the crops are very precarious, which obliges the poor to mix the bark of the pine tree with their food to pro- cure sufficient nourishment. Tobacco is cultivated successfully at Stockholm, and in all parts south of that city. The north of Sweden is covered with immense fo- rests, from whence is procured a great quantity of timber, planks, staves, &c. 120 ABRIDGEMiiNT OK TIIK il i 303. Norway is still lesi^fertile than Sweden. The vegetable productions there are nearly the same. In the southern parts, apples, peaches, apricots, melons, &c. sometimes come to perfection in the gardens. The valleys in Norway afford pasture to numerous flocks of cattle, horses and sheej). The wild animals are all those that have been named in speaking of Lapland. The bear of these countries is very ferocious and cunning, but the Norwegian, armed with a knive, attacks and kills him on the plains, and on the ice, where he sometimes retreats in winter. Different kinds of timber, particularly pine, fir, and oak, are the staple commodities of Norway. The Or tree, which grows to the height of one hundred and sixty feet, is valuable for masts and building. It is preferred to that of any other country. 304. Commerce of Sweden : Iron, steel, copper, timber, new vessels, alum, potash, turpentine, &c. CoMMERCw OF NoRWAY : Timber, iron, codfish, herrings, potash, fish, oil, pitch and tar, cattle, &c. 305. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is built U|)on two peninsulas and several small islands, at the junction of Lake Maelcr, with an inlet of the Baltic. The situation of this citv is verv romantic, but it IS considered unhealthy, which may be attri- buted to the exhalations from the waters and marshy lands which surround it. Tlie trade carried on is very extensive. Like other great capitals, Stockholm possesses many fine public edifices, literary societies, an academy of sciences, others of the line arts, history, antiquity, &c ; benevolent, agricultural and commercial societies ; ma- nufactories of iron, copper, glass, earthenware, woollen, silk, cotton, tobac* CO, sugar refineries, &c. The most important manufactures of Sweden, and of Norway like- wise, are those of iron, copper, glass, and potash. GEOGRAPHY OF EUIIOPE. 121 . Tlie e. Ill lelons, IS. aerous :aking of cunning, n on the le, fir, y. The indred It ».«( iopper, &c. odfisli, J &c. built ds, at of the lantic, attri- naisliy on is edifices, , history, ies; nia- n, tobac> vay like- 306. Principal Towns ov Sweden : — Gothenburg, at the mouth of tliu river Gotliu in the Cali?gat ; Mahno, u])on the Sound, famed for i\ woollen and glove manufactures ; Carhcrona, on the Baltic, a strong- ly fortified sea-port, and the principal depot of the Swedish navy ; Calmar, to the north of Carlsrrona, a strong town, where was con- cluded in 1397, the fatal act of union which put the Crown of Denmark in possession of Sweden and Norway ; Upsal, fifteen leagues north of Stockholm, celebrated for it University, in which are sixty professors and eight hundred pupils. Its Cathedral, of gothic structure, covered with sheets of copper, is the largest and finest church in the Kingdom ; Fahlun, to the north-west of Upsal, a manufacturing town, in the en- virons of which are the most considerable copper mines in Sweden, besides some mines of gold and silver, &c. Towns in Norway : — Christiana, the Capital, ou the gulf of the same name, has an excellent harbour, and carries on a considerable trade. The meetings of the Constitutional Assembly, calif *! the Storting, are held there, annuully, in the refectory of the grand College : Bergen, the ancient capital, and the most populous town, is situated in the middle of a bay, on the Atlantic Coast. It has an extensive trade in timber, leather, and, above all, in dried and salt fish, with which it supplies Spain and Italy ; Drontheim, about one hundred leagues north of Bergen, was for a long time the royal residence — in the neighbourhood are the best copper mines in Norway ; Kongsberg, to the west of Christiana, on the river Lowen, celebrated for its silver mines, and manufactures of toys ; &c. Swedish Isles. 807. Oland : Thirty leagues long, and three or four broad, has rich pastures and meadow lands, and feeds a great number of cattle. Popu- lation, twenty-two thousand. Gothland : The climate of Gothland is much milder than that of Sweden — its forest-^ are lich and extensive, and abound with game ; there is much arable land, and a good supply of cattle ; the goats there attain to an unusually large size ; a river on this island runs for some distance in a subterranean channel, and reappears by a large opening of twelve feet, through which it empties itself into the sea. Population, thirty-three thousand. The little island of Huen, at the entrance of the Baltic, may be remarked as having been the residence of Tycbo-Brahe, who caused an observatory to be constructed there. The island of St. Bartholomew, in the West Indies, belongs to Swe- den. Population, sixteen thousand. The Norwegian islands are important only as places for pasturage, for hunting and fishing. 308. PopuLATiox of Sweden, three millions ; of Norway, one million one hundred and twenty thou- 122 ABRIDGKMKNT OP TUB sand. Total, four millions one hundred and twenty tliousand individuals. The established religion is Lutheran. The Swedish government is an absolute nionarchv. The combined naval force of Sweden and Norway, consists of tweNe ships of the line, thirteen frigates, and sixty smaller TesseU. The mili- tary and naval forces united, amount to sixty^four thousand three hun- dred men. RUSSIA. 309. Russia in Europe, formerly called Muscovy^ is hounded on the north by the Frozen Ocean ; east, by the river Kara, the Ural mountains, and the river Ural ; south-east and south, by the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus, (a) the sea of A soph, the Black Sea, and Turkey ; west, by Austria, Prussia, the Bailie, the gulf of Bothnia, and Sweden. From north to south, its extent is six hundred and sixty leagues, and the breadth, three hundred and sixty, being eqoal to the half of Europe. This immense territory does not amount to more than one quarter of the Russian possessions, which comprise the third of Asia, and a consider- able extent of the American coast, east of Bhering Straits, forming thus the largest empire in the world, and nearly one seventh of the whole ha- bitable globe. 310. Russia can scarcely be said to have emerged from a state of barbarism before the commencement of the 18th century, in the Reign of Peter the Great, who introduced the arts and sciences, crested a ma- rine, and established manufactures. He augmented his possessions by the acquisition of Esthonia, Livonia, and Courland, maritime pro- vinces of the Baltic. Catherine II. afterwards raised Russia to the rank of the first powers in Europe ; she caused nearly two hundred towns to be built ; gained possession of a great part of Poland, and wresting vast provinces from the Turks, made the southern limits of the empire, the Dniester, the Black Sea, the Sea o^ Asoph, and Mount Caucasus. The Emperor Alexander in 1808, depriv ^.d the Swedes of what remained to them of Finland, and the Turks of Bessarabia, a province between the Dniester and the Prutl.. In 1814, he acquired the new Kingdom of Poland, which will be f poken of in a separate article. (a) FrequKHtly called the country of the Caucasus* (iEOGAAPIlY OF EUROPE. 12S twenty igiuii is Absolute i of tweWe The inili- tbree bun- \Iuscovy, m ; east, the river Sea, tlie Sea, and lUic, the to south, , and the ^al to the quarter of a consider- terming thus te whole ha- a state of the Reign |:e8<;d a ma- possessioDS iiitiine pro- to the rank [red towns to nesting vast empire, the ■casus. The ] remained to between the Kingdom of 311. Divisions : Russia in Europe is divided into forty-seven f^overnmenta, besides tlie province of Bes- sarabia, and the vice-government or province of Bialy- stock on tlic Nieinen ; their names are as follows : 1st. Countries of the /lalticl St. Petersburg, Finland, Esthonia, Li- vonia, Courland— live governmoiiti. 2nd. Grand Rusaain : Moscow, Smolensk, Pskow, Tver, Novgorod, Olonetz, Archangel, Wologda, Jaroalaw, Kostroma, "Wladimer, Nishnei- Novgorod, Tambow, Riaian, Tula, Kaluga, Oral, Koursk, yfotontz — nineteen governments. 8rd. Little Ruaaia : Kiof, Tiobernigow, Pultowa, Charkow of the Ukraine— four governmenti. 4tb. Southern Ruaaia t Ekaterinoilaw, Toherkask, Taurida, the County of the Cossacks on tko Don, Province of Bessarabia — four go- vernments, and one province. 5th. Weatern Ruaaia: Wllna, Grodno, Province of BialystocktWitepsk, Moghilew, Minsk, Volhyuia, Podolia— seven governments, and one province. 6th. Governmenta bordering on Ruaaia : Kason, Viatka, Perm, Sim- birsk, Penza, Orenburg, Saratow, Astraoan— eight governments. 312. Mountains: Russia in Europe is composed almost entirely of plains. The most considerable mountains are the Ural, which contain rich mines of gold, silver, copper, and abundance of iron. Between St. Petersburg and Moicow, the Waldai hills deserve atten- tion ; their greatest elevation is only one thousand two hundred and fifty feet ; they extend in a north-westerly direction as far as Laponia. There are some mountains also in the Crimea. In the south-east, on the borders of the Caspian Sea, ara immense plains of sand impregnated with salt. 313. Lakes : The largest in Russia, and even in Europe, is Lake Ladoga, sixty leagues long and twenty six broad ; the northern banks contain some quarries of fine marble ; its waters are clear and full offish ; in some of its islands are a few solitary convents. The waters of this lake fall into the gulf of Finland by the Neva, a river navigable for vessels drawing only two fathoms of water, and subject to inunda- tions, caused by the westerly winds. I!24 ADRIDOEMENT OK TIIK Next to the above, the most considerable hikes are, the Onega, Peipus, Saima, llmen, &c., all commu- nicating with each ottier or with the gulf of Finland ; to the north of this gulf are a numbc^r oi others ; in other parts of Russia, there are few lakes, but many marshes. 314. RivBRS : The Wolga, the Don or Tanais, the Ural, Dnieper, the Dniester, the Kama, the Petchora, the Dwina, the Duna, or southern Dwina, the Nie- men, &c. ; all these rivers have many tributary streams ; their courses are in general smooth and even, and they are perfectly navigable, except in some places where the channels are not sufficiently deep. A kind of flat veisel is much used, which draws but little water, simi- lar to the barges and Durham boats in Canada. 315. Climate and Productions: The countries north and east of the gulf of Finland, and still more those in the vicinity of the Ural mountains, have an extremely rigorous climate ; in favorable situations, barley, rye, oats, and vegetables are cultivated. Berry bushes supply all the fruit they possess. The iuhabi* tants subsist principally by hunting and fishing. To the south of the gulf of Finland, as far as the 50th parallel of latitude, the temperature becomes milder, and permits the culture of grain, and some fruit, s\ich as apples, pears, cherries, &c. Southward of this latitude, the climate and productions differ little from those of other countries in temperate regions. Crimea is extremely fertile, and produces wheat in abundance, wine, oil, honey, &c. A great part of Russia in Europe is covered with forests of pine, firs, oak, &c. The provinces in the south-west, — Ukraine par- ticularly, are very luxuriant ; they furnish corn, ruit, honey,wax, tobacco, cochineal, cattle, horses, &c. GBOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 12: likes are, comuju- Fiuland ; hers ; in »ut many inais, the Petchora, the Nie- tributary 00th and except in ifficiently I water, »inii- countries still more , have an situations, ed. Berry le inhabi- lintc. To the 50th es milder, :)nie fruit, thward of iffer little •egions. wheat in rered with raine par- nish corn, horses, &c. The wild animalt in Ruuia are the lame as those already named in the description of Laplund, Norway and Sweden. 316. Articles of traffic : Hemp, tallow, furs, timber, iron, copper, flax, hempseed and linseed, pitch and tar, wax, honey, isinglass, flsh and linseed oil, soap, down, musk, rhubarb, and other drugs, &c. Russia carries on an extensive fur trade with China, whence the cara- vans bring back tea, silk, cotton, gold, &c. ; with Independent Turtary, whence is procured Indian silk, sheep skins, coins, &c. ; with Pursia, which supplies the principal material fur the silk manufactures, &c. The Russians in general have made but little progress in manufac- tures. The most important is that of whisky, of which they consume a great quantity. Those in which they have made the greatest improve- ment, are leather, particularly Russian leather, jewelry, carriage build- ing, rope works, sail cloths, soap, candles, and linseed oil. 317. Capital: St, Petersburg, at the mouth of the Neva. Of all the Capitals in Europe, none at first sight so much strikes the beholder, from the length of its streets, the beauty of its quays, built of granite, and the canals, as well as the number and magnificence of its public structures. The most ad- mired are the Imperial palace, the church'of Notr^- Dame at Kasan, and the equestrian statue of Peter the Great, wrought in bronze, the pedestal of which is a solid rock of granite, three millions of pounds weight. There is an university, several scientific establishments, manufactures, &c. In 1826, there were at St. Petersburg, eleven wards, fifty-five dis- tricts, six large bridges, and twenty-four small ones, four hundred and fifty public buildi/igs, nine thousand houses, and more than three hun- dred thousand inhabitants. The commerce carried on in this city, is equal to four-tifths of that of the whole empire ; its imports amount to one hundred and thirty millions of rubles, or d^9,250,000 sterling, and the exports (a) to little less. 318. PRINCIPA.L Towns : Moscow, the ancient Capital, situated about the centre of the empire, on the river Moskwa, or Mosqua, is the largest (a) We have just learnt that the exports of the whole Russian empire in 1827, amounted to two hundred and fifty-four millions seven hundred and seventy thousand rubles. r^ 126 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE city in Europe, next to London, its circuit being eight leagues and a half. The Emperors are always crowned there. In this city are more than three hundred churches, and a population of two hundred and forty- seven thousand individuals ; an university, several literary societies, and many manufactures. This city is composed of four successive enclosures, each surrounding the other ; the centre part contains the Kremlin, A remarkable bell of four hundred thousand pounds weight, has been buried in the earth since 17S7. Moscow carries on an extensive interior com- merce ; its merchants travel through the whole empire, and their operations extend in different directions to Fekin and London, Samar- cand and Hamburg. This famous city was consumed by the Russians in 1812, on the arrival of the victorious army of Napoleon ; it has, however, been rebuilt with improvements. Kasan, near the mouth of the Kasanka, four miles above its jui^c- tion with the Wolga — the ancient Capital of a Tartarian kingdom — the seat of a small university, and a place of considerable trade ; Kiof, on the Dnieper, possesses an university, and the earliest Christian church in Russia ; Astracan, on the Caspian Sea, in an island formed by the Wolga, fifty-two miles from its mouth — its situation is cold, disagreeable, unhealthy, and subject to inundations — a considerable traffic is carried on with India and Persia — the Bramins resort hither, and lead a life of celibacy ; their principal occupation is usury ; Odessa, on the Black Sea, exports wheat, timber, wax, furs and skins, from the Ukraine, and governments in the south-west, and imports wine and fruit from the Medi- terranean — leather and silks from the Levant, &c, ; Tula, in the government of the same name, has manufactories of arms, hardware, &c. ; Kronstadt, in an island at the bottom of the gulf of Finland, a fortress and priucipal military post — the large Khips anchor there, and send their cargoes to St. Petersburgh by lighters ; Riga, on the Duna,|a strongtown, and the second port in Russia — commerce here is principally conducted by means of foreign vessels ; Archangel, on the Dwina, the principal port frequented by the English and Americans in their com- merce with Northern Russia — the inhabitants live there on fish, fresh, dried, or salted ; &c. &c. 319. Population : In Russia in Europe it is com- puted there are about fifty-two millions of inha- bitants^ without including those in the new kingdom of Poland. Of this number, about forty-two millions are of the Greek Church, six millions of the Church of Rome, and the rest Lutherans, Mahometans, Jews, and Infidels. This population comprehends a multitude of people who differ in man- ners and language, the greater part but half civilized ; the Russians a tJ thi GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 127 ind a half, more than aad forty- :ieties, and enclosures, •emliDf A )een buried iterior corn- and their on, Samar- i the arriTal rebuilt with ve itsjuijc- ngdom — ^the ■ade ; Kiof, stian church :med by the lisagreeable, is carried on id a life of n the Black Ukraine, and ,m the Medi- [ula, in the 5, hardware, f Finland, a r there, and the Duna,*a a principally Dwina, the n their com- n fish, fresh, it is coni- of inlia- kingdoiii millions le Church ms, Jews, differ in man- the Russians form the great mass of the inhabitants ; the Cossacks of the Don, and those of the Black Sea, are of the Sclavonian origin ; the ^inlanders occupy Finland ; Courland, Livonia, and Esthonia, are peopled princi- pally by Germans ; the Tartarians are spread in the southern and east- ern governments ; the Laplanders inhabit the north-west, and the Samu- yedes, who resemble them in their stature and manner of living, the north-east. The Laplanders, Russians, and Finlanders, make frequent use of warm and vapour baths. It is not uncommon to see them, on quitting these, plunge into a nieghboring river, or roll themselves in the snow, without experiencing any ill consequences. '; The total population of the Russian empire may be estimated at sixty-four millions. The annual increase is from five to six hundred thousand. The land array amounts to one million of men ; but not more than seven hundred thousand of them are regular troops, with forty-eight thousand who compose the imperial guard. The Russian navy consistii of about thirty-two ships of the line, twenty frigates, and two or three hundred gun boats. 320. The Russian Government is an absolute mo- narchy ; the Sovereign, who is at the same tinje head of the Greek Church, bears the title of AutO' crat Emperor^ and Czar of all the Russias. Many of the Ru*jsian peasants are styled serfs, and are the property either of the crown or of the nobles. RUSSIA y ISLAlMDS. 321. SpiUbergen : An island or group of islands, extending to within nine degrees and a half of the pole. For four months during the winter the sun remains hid under the horizon ; the country is always covered with snow. It is said that the only tree which grows there is the dtvarf willow, which does not exceed two inches high. "White bears, sea cows, foxes, reindeer, sea birds, &c. are found there. The whale, which abounds in these seas, occasions the resort of many navigators towards this inclement region, where they sometimes winter. Nova Zembla : A large uninhabited island, separated from the con- tinent by the straits of W^aigatz. The hunters and fishermen of Arch- angel visit it during summer. Solowetzkoi, in the White Sea, contains a little tt)wn with a Convent, and furnishes talc in large masses. The Akmi Isles, at the entrance of the gulf of Bothnia, possess a mild climate and fertile soil ; they export to Stockholm timber for fuel, eider-down, and six thousand tons of herrings annually. Population ; thirteen thousand. N 2 m r r 128 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE DoL^o : Has much valuable timber, the soil in the ./est is sandy ; in the east, the fields, meadows, orchards, &c., are feitile and luxuriant. Population : fifteen thousand. Olandy or Crane Island : The largest in the Baltic next to Zealand ; it contains rich forests ; the inhabitants occupy themselves in agricul- ture, hunting sea calves, and in collecting fragments from wrecks. The fishermen are expert in swimming and diving. Population : thirty-five thousand. l!''J I \ POLAND. 322. Poland was formerly one of the principal powers of Europe ; its boundaries are Prussia, the Baltic, the Duna, and Russia to the north ; the governments of Smokr.cko and Little Russia, to the east ; Turkey and the west. Carpathian mountains, to the south ; and Germany to the 32S. Towards the close of the last century, Russia, Prussia, and Aus- tria took advantage of the troubles which agitated Poland, and rendered themselves mastei-s of it. Of its thirteen provinces, nine fell to the lot of Russia, three to Prussia, and t^o to Austria ; and the kingdom, peopled by fifteen millions of inhabitants, ceased to be reckoned amongst the powers of Europe. In 1807, Napoleon created the grand duchy of Varso v ' Warsaw, out of the Prussian division, and gave its sovereignty . :.« King of Saxony. On the fall of bis empire the major part of this duchy was erected into a kingdom subject to the Emperor of Russia, who then took the title of King oj Poland. The Emperor Alexander, the same year, gave a constitution to the Poles, of which neither he nor his suixessor observed the articles ; and this treatment, in addition to the tyrannical conduct of the Grand Duke Constantine, caused a general insurrection in November, 1830. A disastrous war followed, in which the unfortu- nate Poles, after several fierce engagements, and a brave defence, were obliged finally to lay down their arms, and submit to the law of the victor. NEW KINGDOM OF POLAND. 334. It is bounded north and east by Prussia ; north east by the river Niemen ; east by the government of Grodno and the Bug, a branch of the Vistula ; and south by Galicia, or Austrian Poland. 325. Division : The (a) new kingdom of Poland ('<) The new kingdom of Poland was incorporated with Russia in 1832 GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 129 is divided into eight departments or tvamodats, go- verned by a Vice-roy in the name o\ the Emperor of Russia. The names of the waiwodats, are : Augustowa, Cracow, Kaliscb, Lublin, Masovia, Flock, Sendomir, Podlacbia or Siedlica. S26. Aspect, &c. : The name of Poland (Polska) signifies a plain. The country is, indeed, very flat, and subject to inundations, containing some lakes and many marshes. The rivers are the Vistula and its branches, the Niemen, the Wartha, &c. The Polish winter is as rigorous as that of central Sweden, not- withstanding a difference of ten degrees in the lati- tude. The southerly winds, which pass over the Carpathian mountains, are extremely cold. At War- saw, the westerly winds, during three quarters of the year, bring airy weather and heavy unwholesome va- pours. The soil produces rich harvests of corn and other grains. Balls of fire, mock suns, falling stars, and other phosphoric and elec- trical phenomena, frequently appear in Poland. There are many forests, which afford shelter to wolves, wild boars, bears, foxes, deer, lynxes, &c. Bees are very numerous in this country. The rivers are full of fish ; vast ponds have also been excavated, in which different kinds are kept, particularly carp. The ravages of the small-pox are dreadful in Poland ; the deaths average six or seven out of ten, and those who recover are often dis- figured in a frightful manner. There is no country in Europe where so great a number of blind people are found. 327. Commerce : Corn and other grain, horned cattle, sheep, furs, woollens, honey, bees* wax, &;c. 328. Capital : Warsaw, or Varsovia, on the Vis- tula, which is crossed here upon a floating bridge one thousand six hundred feet long. It has an uni- versity, some manufactures, and a great number of breweries. At a quarter of a league's distance from ill I Is !(' '? '( 130 ABRIDGEMENT OF TilK the town are plains, in which the clergy and nobi- lity formerly assembled on horseback to elect their king. Principal Towns : Opposite the Capital is the suburb of Prague, which derives the name of town. It is rendered famous by tlie visit of a Russian army in 1794, commanded by the barbarous General Suwarrow, who caused more than half of its inhabitai:ts to be massacred — the Vis- tula carried the dead bodies as far as Russia ; Lublin, the second town in the kingdom, thirty-six leagues south-west of Warsaw — German, Russian, Armenian, Greek, and Turkish merchants, meet at the fain here — a la- ge Jewish synagogue is in this town ; Plock, on the Vistula, is a trading town, and has a good citadti ; &c. 329. Population, four millions; of whom three millions four hundred thousand are Roman Catholics, and four hundred thousand Jews. In Poland, the number of nobles to the plebeians, are as one to thirteen. REPUBLIC OF CRACOW. 880. This small Republic comprehends the city of Cracow, the ancient capital of Poland, situated on the Vistula, and Us territory nine*^^y.four square leagues in extent. It was declared free by the Congress of Vienna, and placed under the protection of Russia, Austria and Prussia. The country is fertile in grain ; apples, plums, cherry and chesnut trees are cultivated, and even peaches and almonds. Population : one hun- dred thousand. The town contains an univei-sity, and a cathedral, re- markable for a number of monuments *. amongst others, that of the brave Sobieski, and the tomb of St. Stanislaus, who was assassinated there at the foot of the altar. NETHERLANDS OR LOW COUNTRIES. 33L The Netherlands are bounded north and west by the North Sea or German Ocean; east by the States of the German Confederacy ; and south by France. 332. The Netherlands were conquered in the fifth century by the Franks, and made part of the French monarchy until the time of the last GEOGRAPHY OF EC7ROP£. 131 (1 nobi- ct their Df Prague, he visit of Suwarrow, —the Vis- scond town — German, the fairs he Vistula, »m three atholics, iiid, the one to the ancient niue*y-four Congress of ind Prussia, lesnut trees : one hun- thedral, re- sf the brave there at the IIES. and west t by the south bv itury by the e of the Ia»t descendants of Charlemagne. They were then formed into ten small states, the principal of which were united successively to the dominions of the house of Burgundy. From this house they passed into that of Austria, in 1447, under the Archduke Maximilian. Charles Y., his (jrandson, having acquired the rest of the Lnvy Countrie.«, saw himself sovereign of seventeen provinces. Philip II. his son, lost the seven northern provinces, which in 1579, chose William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, as their Chief, under the title of Stadtholder, that u to say, gunr dian qf the country ^ and formed a federal republic, styled, the United Pro' mnc«8f or The Republic of Holland. The southern provinces, or Belgium^ took up arms at the same time, but they were again placed under the dominion of the King of Spain, and called the Spanish Netherlands. In 1714, they were ceded to the Emperor of Germany, and took the name of Austrian NetheitbXds, Holland, on the invasion of the French in 1795, shook off allegiance to the Stadtholder, and was called the Ba- taziian Republic. At a latev period, it was erected into a kingdom by Napoleon, in favour of his brother Louis, and a short time after incor- porated with the French Fmpire, together with Belgium, divided into ten departments. In 1814, the Congress of Vienna reunited Holland, Belgium, and the grand duchy of Luxemburg, under the dominion of William, Prince of Orange, who received the title of King of the Nether- lands. Finally, in 18S0, the Belgic provinces revolted, declared them, selves independent, and oflered the Crown of Belt^ium to Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg, who is now the reigning Prince. 333. Divisions : The Dutch provinces are ten in number, namely : North and South Holland, Zealand, Utrecht, Guelderland, Overy«seIs, Drenthe, Groningen, Friesland, and North Brabant. There are nine Belgic provinces, including the duchy of Luxemburg, as follows : South Brabant, Hainault, Namur, Liege, Limburg, Antwerp, East Flanders, West Flanders, and Luxemberg. 334. Aspect, &c. : The maritime provinces are sandy plains, and so low that the inhabitants are obliged to cut deep dikes, to prevent the inundations of the sea; a considerable part of the soil is below the level of the Ocean. The inland provinces, es- pecially in Belgium, offer a pleading variety of hills, valleys, and fertile plains, all in the highest possible state of cultivation. 132 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE I i ' M 335. Gulfs : The Dollart, between the province of Groningen and Hanover ; the Zuyder Zee, or south seoy between Norr»ern Holland and Friesland • both are the results of inundations of the sea, which in the thirteenth century swallowed up a great num- ber of villages, Lakes : The sea of Haerlem, which is connected with the Zuyder Zee ; and the Bies-Bosch, in North Brabant : this last was caused by the rupture of se- veral dikes in 1421, when seventy-t vo villages, con- taining a population of one hundred thousand indi- viduals, were destroyed. 336. Rivers : The most remarkable are the Rhine, the Maese and Scheldt, which descend from France and Germany into the Ocean. 887. Islands : There are two principal groups : that which com- poses the Province of Zealand, at the mouth of the Scheldt, and that situated at the entrance of the Zuyder Zee> Amongst these, the Island of Texel is remarkable ; its chief production is tobacco ; large flocks of sheep are also raised there, and excellent green cheese made from their milk. This island is also celebi'ated for s'iveral naval engagements near jits coasts. I 338. Canals are innumerable, particularly in the Dutch provinces ; they afford facilities for carrying off the water, and connect the towns with each other and with the sea. It is customary in summer to travel from town to town on these canals, in covered boats, each drawn by a horse at a moderate quick pace. In winter, it is an amusing sighc, to see men, women, and children, skating along the frozen roads, frequently with heavy burdens on their heads, and at so rapid a rate that the eye can scarcely follow them. 339, Climate and Productions : The climate is damp, foggy, and strangers find it unhealthy, although the natives appear robust and hale. The duration ot GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 135 rovince See, or island * which kt Dum- finected 1 North B of se- es, con- id indi- Rhine, France hich com- , and that the Island re flocks of iVom their nents near J in the carrying ;h other ese caaalSf pace. la sn, skating leir heads, imate is 1 though •ation ot the wintei* season is about four months. The inland provinces enjoy a more equal and agreeable tempera- ture. The produce is wheat and other descriptions of grain, flax, hemp, madder, tobacco, juniper, vege- tables, fruit, &c. The vine is cultivated successfully in Luxemburg. The vast marshy meadows in Holland are full of horned cattle of an unusually large size. The wool procured from the sheep is remarkably fine. The butter and cheese of Holland are much esteemed. Their horses are heavy, but excellent as draught horses. There is scarcely any country where gardening is brought to such perfection as in Holland ; a thousand delightful plants are cultivated, but tulips and hyacinths are what they prize above all, and this passion is carried to such an excess that they will sometimes give for a flower a sum that would support twenty families for a year. There are some forests, particularly in Flanders and Luxemburg, but turf and coal are used for fuel more commonly than wood. The mineral productions of the Netherlands, are : iron, lead, and coal mines, quarries of marble, &c. 340. CoMMbRce OF Holland : Butter, cheese, brandy, gin, linen, woollen, cloths, silks, calicos, hides, leather, linseed, linseed oil, rape seed, madder, earthenware, French wines, fish oil, 'iried cod-fish, herrings, and a variety of articles brought from the East and West Indies, and from Africa, such as spices, tea, coffee, sugar, indigo, cochineal, porce- lain, tobacco, rice, salt, &c. &c. Until the close of the last century, Holland enjoyed an unlimited com- merce ; it was called the Storehouse of Europe , all the productions of the old and new world were found there, and generally at very moderate prices, manual labour and the expense of transporting goods being at so low a rate. The continental war, however, destroyed their maritime forces, deprived tliem of many of their colonies, and threw their principal manufactures into the hands of England. 'Hi I m M 134 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE li I .; .i ■■ 1 ! I Commerce of Belgium : Wlieat and other grains, rape and linseed, madder, butter, iron, hardware, fire-arms, sabres, cloths, leather, beer, soap, candles, mineral waters, essences, fine linen, lace, carpeting, &c. &c. The linens of Holland, the laces and carpets of Brussels, the cloths of Leyden and Utrecht, the silks of Amsterdam and Anvers, have long been luiversally known and esteemed in Europe. 341. Amsterdam^ the capital of Holland, on the gulf of Ye, is surrounded by immense meadows, inter- spersed with villages and country seats, and divided bv the little river Amstel, into the old and new town. This, capital, encompassed by ditches and fortifica- tions, has nothing to fear from the approach of an enemy ; and is enabled by means of sluices, to lay all the adjoining country under water. A number of canals, bordertJ by trees, traverse it, forming ninety islands, connected \i ith each other by two hundred and eighty bridges, of these the Amstel is considered the best constructed. The miry and brackish water of the canals, joined to the humidity of the atmos- phere and of the soil, render it an unhealthy abode. Three thousand vessels enter the port annually. Am- sterdam possesses many manufactures. Among the public edifices of Amsterdam, the most remarkable, is tbe King's palace— an ancient City Hotel, erectet^ on fourteen thou sand piles ; it is the most magnificent construction of that kind ii Europe. m 342. Principal Towns in Holland : Rotterdam, next to the capi- tal, the most commercial and populous ; the Hague, one of the finest cities in Europe, has been up to the present time, together with Brus> sels, the residence of the Court and States General ; Utrecht, celebrated for its uniyersity and literary societies ; Leyden, the seat of an university, a strong and formerly a commercial town ; Gronin^en also possesses an university, one of its bridges is considered a masterpiece of architecture ; Haerlcm, a very strong town, famed for its manufactures, printing type founderies, and above all, for its tulip gardens— the church of Bavoii at Haerlem, is celebrated far an organ case composed of eight thousand th< GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 135 grains, dware, iindlcs, peting, I cloths of long been on tlie ;, inter- divided V town, jrtifica- 1 of an ) lay all nber of r ninety Hundred isidered h water atmos- V abode. 'r, Am- arkable, is teen thou- at kind in the capi- the finest with Brus- celebrated universityf assesses an chitecture ; inting type )f Bavon at thousand tubes or pipes, the harmony of which is superior to any thing that can be imagined ; &c. &c. 343. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is situated partly on an eminence, and partly upon an agreeable and fertile plain, in South Brabant : it possesses an university, several scientific establishments^ benevo- lent institution!^, manufactures^ &c. The most admired buildings arc the church of St. Gudulc* a hand- some ediflce in the gothic style, and the f/otel-de-ViUet an ancient and fine gothic structure, with five hexagonal towers, and a turret three hundred and sixty-six feet in height, surmounted by a gigantic figure of St. Michael, in copper, seventeen feet high, and veering round with the lightest wind. The city is watered by several fountains embellished with sculptures. Its promenades are delightful. Four leagues from Brussels ate the celebrated plains on which tiie armies of Europe assembled to oppose, and finally to overthrow the power of Napoleon. These are the plains of Quatre Bras, La Belle-Alliance^ Mont-Saint- Jean^ and "Wa- terloo, places which recall tu mind a sanguinary conflict sustained with heroic courage, aud in which victory at length, faithless to him who believed he held it securely, decided in favour of the allied powers. On this r emorable battle field, a column has been raised two hundred feet high, on which stands a huge figure of the Belgic Lion, in cast iron. 344. PRiKapAL Cities of Belgium : Ghent, the capital of East Flanders, situated at the confluence of the Scheldt, the JLys, and two smaller rivers, which divide the town into twenty-five islands, joined to- gether by upwards of three hundred bridges, in point of strength, is the second city in the Netherlands ; Antwerp, upon the Scheldt, in former times the greatest place of trade in Europe — ihe cathedral church is an elegant building, five hundred feet long, two hundred and thirty broad, and four hundred and fifty-one to the summit of the vane — the vaulted roof is supported by one hundred and twenty-five pillars, forming two hundred aud thirty arches ; several paintings by Rubens, and other great masters of the Flemish school, adorn the portal, choir, and chapels — the peal of bells is the finest in Belgium ; Liege, on the Maese, possesses an univer- sity, is the emporium of the merchandize of the Netherlands, France, and Germany — it is celebrated for its manufactures of arms, cannon as well as muskets, clocks, cloths, &c. ; Bruges, Tournay, Louvain, &c. — the last mentioned famed for its university, and for its beer, said to be the best in Europe ; &c. &c. 345. Population of Holland, about two millions three hundred and fifty tbousaud, the greater number o 136 ACRIDOEMENT OP TUB i'l of whom are Calvinis^ts ; tlie Dutch colonics contain about ten millions, chiefly Infidels, or Idolaters. Population of Belgium, inrliulinfif the diiciiy of liuxemburg, three millions nine hundred thousand, almost all Roman Catholics. FjivcATioN : The number of students in the diflerent universities throughout Holland, in 1827, nmounted to one thousand five hundred and forty; and iu Belgium, to six thousand four hundred and ei(>hty. The total number of pupils in the schools, as well as colleges, ivas com- puted to he two hundred and eighty thousand five hundred and seven- teen in Holland, and three hundred and llfty-four thousand one hundred and thirty-one in Belgium. The army of the King of the Netherlands, in 1S29, consisted of forty- two thousand three hundred men. The naval force was composed of one hundred and thirty-one vessels, twelve of which were ships of the line, and thirty-three frigates ; both, however, have been cousiderablj augmeuted since the revolt of the Belgians, (ti.) FRANCE. 346. France is bounded, north by the English Chan- nel, Belgium and Germany ; east, by Germany, Switzerland and Italy ; south, by the Mediterranean and Spain ; and west, by the Atlantic Ocean. Its greatest extent from north to south is about two hun- dred and twenty leagues, and from east to west two hundred and twelve. S47. Division : Previous to 1789, France was di- vided into thirty-two provinces or governments, eight in the north, seventeen in the centre, and seven in the south ; it is now divided into eighty-six depart- ments, which take their names eithr from the rivers which water them, some mountain or remarkable fea- ture they may present, or the seas which they border. The names of the ancient provinces, with those of the departments they contain, are as follow : — (a) The Dutch army in 1831, numbered seventy-two thousand men; that of the Belgians, forty^eight thousand. CEOCIIAIMIY OF EUHOPC. 137 hy of usand) ivcrsities hundred 1 eitjUty. was coni- nd seven* ; hundred of forty- composed lips of the iisiderably I Clian- ;rniany, •ran can an. Its vo hnn- cst two was di- F, eight even in de pan- ic viveis ible fea- border. ,6 of ihe isand men ; IN TII8 NOnTH. Provlni'f*, Depart mcnta. 1. French FUndcri, Th« North. 2. Artois, Straits of Calais. 8. Picardy, Somme, 4. Normandy, Lower Seine, Euro, Calvados, Orne, and the Channel. £. Isle of France, •.... The Oise, Aisne, Seine and Oiite, Seine, Seine and Murne. 6. Champagne, Ardenncn, Marne, Aube, Upper Marne, 7. Loraine, Mouse, Moselle, Meurthc, Vosgcs. 8. AUace, Lower Rhine, Upper llliinc. IN THB CENTRE. 9. Bretagne, Finisterre, the North Coast, Morbi- han, lie andVilaiiie, Lower Loire. 10. Maine, Mayennc, Sarthe. 11. Anjou, „., Maine and Loire. 12. Poitou, , Vendee, the Two Sevres, Viennc. 13. Aulnay, Lower Charentc. 14. Saintonge and Angoumoin, ... Charente. 15. Touraine, .,,,„ Ind re and Loire. 16. Orleunais, ,„.. Eure and Loir, Loir and Clicr, Loi-^ ret. 17. Berry, Indrc, Cher, 18. Limousin, Upper Viennc, Corri;ze. 19. Marche, , Creu^c. 20. Nivernais, Ni^vre. 21. Bourbonnais, Allier. 22. Auver^ne, , Puy-de-Dome, Cantal. 28. Burgundy, Younei C6te-d'Or, Sa6ne and Loire, Ain. 24. Franche-Comtdt Upper SaAne, Doubs, Jura. 25. Lyonnais, Loire, Rh6ne. XN TIlC SOTTTH. 26. Guienne and Gasconyi Gironde, Landes. Dordo^ne, Lot and Garonne, Gers, Higli Pyi'ca> Mces, Lot, Tarn and Garonne, Aveyron. 27. Beam, The Low Pyrenees.^ 28. Comte de Foix, Arri^ge. 29. Roussillon, The Eastern Pyrenees. 80. Languedoc, ..................... Upper Garonne, Tarn, Aude, Her- rault, Gard, Loz^re, Upper Loire, Ardc:che. J33 ABRIDGEMENT OF TUB !li I i V ' 11 SI. Dftupliiny, IstVe, Dr/yme, IIikIi Alps. 12. PruTcuve, Vancluie, Moutbii of the Rhoiifi Low Ali>8, Yar, Corse. The (Icpnrtments are subdivided into circuits or ftrromiissetneiits^ these again into cantons 3 and the cantons liilo communes, 348. Mountains : The chief mountains in France are the Alps, which divide it from Italy, and the Py- renees, between France and Spain ; the next in ini- ])ortance are the Jura, whicli divide Franche-Conite from Switzerland ; the Vosges, extending to the north of the Jura as far as Germany, and to the north* westj under the name of Ardennes, as fur as Belgium ; the Cevennes, connected on one side with the Vosges, and on the other with the Pyrenees, two smaller branches of this chain traverse the kingdom from east to west, from which four of the principal rivers in France take their rise ; besides the above there are several lesser elevations. 349. Rivers : The Loire and the Garonne, which fall into the Atlantic ; the Rhone, into the Mediter- ranean ; the Seine falls into the English Channel ; the Rhine separates France from Germany ; the Maese runs northward through Belgium : the Somme falls into the English Channel ; the Dordogne, which joins the Garonne — after their junction, they take the name of Gironde I the Sa6ne falls into the Rhone; at Lyons 5 the Allier, the Cher, and the Vienne, which fall into the Loire ; the Marne and the Oise into the Seine ; &c. The longest of these Rivers is the Loire : its course is two hundred and twenty leagues. 350. Canals : The most remarkable in Europe is the roi/al canal of Languedoc, which connects the GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 139 Rhone, lits or id the Prance he Pv- m ill iin- Conite to the to the far as le with es, two ngdom •incipal I above which [editer- kunnel ; y ; the Somme , which ake the Rhone ; ?, which into the hundred urope IS ects the Me(!itcrnuiean with tlic Ocean, hv means of the Ga- ronne ; its lent>^th is about forty leagues. Tiici'e are aUo tbe Canal or Orleans, bet\Teen the Seine and the Loire ; that uC Bur)(undy, wliicb unites the Seine with the Sa6ne and the Doubi ; tliu canal ul* St. (^uentin, between the Scheldt and tbe Soairoe ; that of Uurcc], which carries the waten of the river Uurcq to Paris, and formi a line ul' connection between the Seine and the Somme ; &c. 851. Lakes : The largest is that of the Grand Lieu, near the mouth of the Loire, two leagues and a half long, and two broad. There are many natural or artificial pieces of water, 6(inip of them very extensive ; that of Villers^ in the department^if Cher, Ik bix leagues in circumference. 3.^2. ThvI Climate of France varies according to tlie latitude and local circumstances. In Paris, the winter is of three months duration ; the greatest cold exj)eriei ced i from twelve to thirteen degrees below, and the greatcbt ?'eat about twenty above the zero of Reaumur. Kains are very frequent in the northern provi i:*es, and uj on the sea coast. In the south, hard f -osts are very rare, and when they occur do much damage to the fruit trees. The at- mosphere there is genera 11 v more clear and serene, and the weather warmer, 'fhe provinces in the mid- dle of France enjoy a mild, agreeable and salubrious climate. 353. Soil and Productions : The soil of France is fertile. Its productions are, in the north, wheat, flax, her. p; apples, cherries, and other common fruit, horses, taUle, cider, beer, butter and cheese ; in the centre, wines, corn, chesnuts, nuts of all hinds, al- monds, pears, plums, &c. ; in the south, wines, olives, si He worms, maize, figs, oranges, pomegranates, ci- trons, almonds, a quantity of excellent plums, capers, madder, tobacco, &c. ; in all parts we meet with rye, buck-wheat, barley, oats, luxuriant pastures, apples, honey, bees* wax, &c. 02 t 11 'Ill Ik 140 ABRIDGEMENT OP THE ■ffl! . i The most esteemed wines are those from Champagne, Burnrundyt Liyons, Dauphiny, Bordelais and Languedoc. Normandy furnishes the best apples and the best cider in the world. Two hundred and fifty kinds of vines are cultivated in France, the annual produce of which is about eight hundred and nineteen millions of gallons. The quantity of wheat grown is about one hundred and thirty- three millions of Canadian bushels. One twelfth of the soil produces little or nothing, being either mountainous or sandy. The wild animals are not remarkable ; the principal are the lynx, shamois, wild goat, marmot, wolf, fox, polecat, weasel, hedge-hog, water rat, some otters, &c. 354. Mines : They are of iron, coal, lead, copper, sulphate of iron or copperas, manganese, antimony, arsenic, mineral salt, &c. There are about two hun- dred and forty mineral springs, in general much fre- quented. Many of the provinces contain rich quarries of marble, alabaster, gra- nite, slate, chalk, &c. The gypsum of Paris, known by the name of Plaster of Paris, is exported into all parts of Europe, and even to Ame- rica, as is aiso the mill-stone of Fert^-sous-Jouare, (department of Seine and Marne. S § J^ ill 1 'J ( I 355. CoMMERCB : In wines, brandy, and liqueurs, articles of fashion, silks, woollen and cotton stuffs, linens, household furniture, books, paper, printing type, jewelry, hardware, olive oil, vinegar, grains, fruit, salt^ hats, laces, tapestry, &c. &c. The exports of France may be estimated at six hundred and ten mil- lions of francs, and its imports at five hundred and fifty-five millioas. 356. Capital : Paris, on the river Seine, the most populous city in Europe, next to London, and next to Rome, the most distiguished by the number of it» magnificent edifices. The most admired cathedrals and churches are, the Hotel des Invalides, St. Gene- vieve, or the Pantheon, Notre-Dame de Paris, St. Sulpice, &c. ; and of other public buildings, the Lou- vre, the Palais des Tuileries, the Exchange, the Pa- lais Royal, that of Luxemburg, the Chamber of Peers,, .1 GEOGRAPHY OV EUROPE, 141 rjjundy, ilies the nee, the illionsof i thirty- produces he lynx, g, water opper, itiiony, o hiin- t;h fre- ster, gm- name of to Ame- of Seine |ueurs, stuffs, riming grains, ten mil- ioBs. le most next to r of its hedrals Gene- ris, St. e Lou- the Pa- ' Peers^ the Palais Bourbon, occupied by the Chamber of Depu- ties, &c. The museum of the Louvre, which contain^} a superb collection of paintings, sculpture, and anti- quities ; the museum of natural history ; the library of the King, one of the largest in the world ; the gar- dens, particularly that of the Tuileries, and the Jar- dins des plantes ; the public squares, the gates, the walks, the bridges, the quays of Paris, all attract the admiration of those who visit this famous metropolis of sciences, arts and literature. In 1829, there were thirty-eight Roman Catholic churches, besides some chapels, four Protestant places of worship, one Greelt church, and one Synagogue ; nine public libraries, collections in all the ditlerent departments of science and the arts ; celebrated schools for theology, law and medicine ; public lectures in every branch of useful knowledge ; seven colleges, a number of celebrated schools for different professions ; the Ecole Polytechnique, thirty-seven private institutions, the royal in- stitute, and twenty-three literary societies, besides a great number of benevolent institutions, &c. &c. S57. The Population of Paris, in November 1831, was seven hundred and seventy thousand souls. Amongst the numerous manufactures of Paris, that of the Gobelins is distinguished; it exhibits imitations of beautiful pictures, in webs of the finest silk and worsted ; the manufacture of scarlet cloths of Ju- lienne, carpets, jewelry, plate glass, watches, clocks, mathematical and astronomical instruments, &c. &c. Printing and bookselling constitute two of the prin- cipal branches of its commerce. In the environs of Paris, is the Palace of Vei-sailles, built by Louis XIV. ; its chapel, gardens and fountains, are ch^S'iV centres ; St. Cloud, another superb royal residence ; St. Denys, celebrated for its ancient abbey, tomb of the Kings of France ; Viocennes, the castle of which served long for a state prison ; Funtainbleau, fifteen leagues south-east of the capital, is the resort of the sovereigns of France for the purpose of hunting ; Bonaparte first resigned there the imperial dignity ; Pius YII. was also detained there for eighteen months a prisoner ; &c. 858. Principal Towns : Lyons, at the confluence of the Saone ami the Khone, the second towa in France in point of extent, population, and s 142 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE commerce, celebrated for its extensive fabrics of silk, manufacture of gold and silver brocade, and laces, bats, &c. Of the public buildings tbe most noted are the town hall, that of Bellecour, and the hospital of the Rhone, fitted to receive eleven or twelve thousand sick, tbe Cathe- dral, one of the oldest churches in France, famed for its clock, besides many relics of Roman antiquity, &c. ; Marseilles, upon the Mediter- lanean, a town of considerable importance, and the central point for the trade i\ith the East ; Bordeaux, on the Garonne, whose port is capable of containing one thousand vessels — it carries on an extensive trade la wine, &c. ; Rouen, on the Seine, celebrated for its cotton and linen manufactories, called rouenneries ; Nantes, on the Loire, where many vessels are built ; Lille, a large and strong city, in the department of tbe north — its citadel is the work of the celebrated Yauban ; Toulouse, oQ the Garonne, at the extremity of the canal of Languedoc, trades ex- tensively with Spain ; Strasburg, near the Rhine, one of the strongest and most commercial towns in the kingdom — tJie tower of its cathedral is four hundred and seventy-five feet in height, built of hewn stone, and cut with such nicety as to give it at a distance some resemblance to lace work ; Metz, at the confluence ot the Seille and Moselle, a large and iincient town ; Amiens, on the river Somme — its cathedral is a master- piece of gothic architecture ; Orleans, occupies an elevated plain, on the banks of the Loire— it has a magnliicent catbedralf trades exten- sively ID grain, wine, brandy, &c. &c. 859. The most inrportant sea-ports for commerce are Marseilles and Bourdcaux ; for naval stations, Brest and Toulon. The others are Dun- kirk, on t!i<^ German Oi^ean ; Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Havre de (rrace, Cherbourg, St. Malo, on the English Channel ; Nantes^ La RochcUe, Rochefort, Bayonue, ^c. on the Atlantic ; dec. m h '■ 1 360. Population : Thirty two millions, (a) of whom tvventy-i«even millions five fiunclred thousand belong to the Church of Rome, and the remainder to different Protestant communions. The government is now a constitutional monarchy, resembling that of Great Britain. Tlte population of the French Colonies in America, Asia, and Africa, amounts to live hundred and eight thousand souls. The military force, in January, 18S3, amounted to four hundred and twelre thousand one hundred and seventy-one men, fiftyfour thousand of vrhom were cavalry ; the naval force consisted of two hundred and seventy-nine vessels, one hundred and thirty-five of which are now laid up ; the number of seamen was fourteen thousand four hundred and thirty-two. fa) In 1832, thiriy-two millions five hundred and sixty thousand nine hundred and (hirty-fuur. facture of buildings hospital of tlie Catlie- :k, besides } Mediter- lint for the , is capable i trade ia and linen here many tartmeDt of Toulouse, trades cx- e strongest :athedral is stone, and ace to lace 1 large and s a master- I plain, on ides exten- Tseilles and s are Duii- Havre de Nantes, La , (a) of housand linder to eminent ing that and Africa, undred and tr thousand undred and re now laid undred and susand nine GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 143 361. Educatiov : The University of France presides over most of the literary establishments in the kingdom ; twenty-six academies are sub- ordinate to it ; each of these comprehends a royal college, and has like- wise the superintendance of the primary and secondary institutions, and boarding schools in its district. In 1829, there were thirty-eight royal colleges, three hundred and twenty secondary, and one thousand three hundred private seminaries, institutions, and boarding schools. There are six Roman Catiiolic theological colleges, two for the study of Pro- testant theology, nine law colleges, three for medicine, and eighteen secondary schools for the study of medicine, seven for the sciences, and eight for polite literature. The total number of pupils of the Uuiver- eity of France, is one million three hundred and thirty-seven thousand. ISLANDS BELONGING TO FRANCE* 862. 1st. In the Mediterranean : Corsica, to the north of Sardioa, the extent of which is four hundred and ninety-iive square leagues. It is altogether mountainous. The soil, though stony, and but little culti- vated, produces olives, excellent wine, oranges, lemons, figs, chesnuts, silk-worms, &c. Among the metallic treasures are copper, lead and iron ; also mines of saltpetre and alum, &c. On the coast is a coral fishery. Ajaccio, the capital, is a strong city, with a spacious and com- modious port, and celebrated as the bfrtb-place of Napoleon Bonaparte. Coi-sica forms one of the eighty-six departments of France. Population : one hundred and eighty-six thousand. Camarque : An island or group of islands at the mouth of the Rhone* abounding with cattle, sheep, and horses. The isles of Hy^re^, south-east of Toulon, are fertile ; they produce principally oranges, fruit trees, and aromatic plants. 2nd. On the Atlantic Shores : Ouessant, or IJshant, surrounded by other small islands and by rocks, otherwise fertile. Population : one thousand eight hundred. Grottix contains a population of two thousand persons, who subsist by agriculture and fisiiing. Belle-isle, cloathed with rich pastures, exports annually eight hundred draft horses. Population : eight thousand. NoirmoutierSf has an industrious population of seven thousand five hundred. Jsle d' Veu, or Isle Dieu, possesses much granite rock, thinly covered with earth, and peopled by fishermen. Jsle de R4 produces corn and vines — has neither timber nor hay, and it said to be without fresh water. Population : three thousand. Oleron, derives some wealth from its wines and salt pits. Fopula* latioQ : five thousand. v.l •mmm 144 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE SWITZERLAND. ■ ¥j i :. I ■'w 363, Bounded on the norlli and west by Germany ; on the south, by Italy, and on the west, by France. 36i, Division : The Swiss Confederacy is com- posed of twenty-two cantons, nine of which are Ca- tholics, seven Prote?tant, and six mixed, (a) The Catliolic cantons are, Solcure, Fribourg, Lucerne, Zug, Scliwcitz, Undervvalden, Urj, Tesin, and Valaib ; the Trotestant are, Basle, Berne, Vaud, SchaQ'hausen Zurich, Geneva, and Neufchatel ; the mixed are, Argau, Claris, Thurgau, St. Gall, Appeuzell, and Grisons. 365. Mountains : Switzerland is the most moun- tainous country in Europe ; the Jura ridge extends from south-west to north-east, from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance — this chain is from ninety to one hundred leagues in length, and from fifteen to twenty broad ; the Alps form two principal chains to the south and south-west, the different branches of which oc- cupy an extent of eight hundred square leagues. The Alps are divided into the high, mean, and low Alps. The high Alps rise above the line formed by the snov , (6) or about eight thousand feet ; in all this region, are seen only summits covered with snow or ice, and detached scraggy rocks ; in sheltered places lichens grow, and a few plants like those of Siberia — the highest cliffs exceed fourteen thou- sand feet — of this number are Mount Blanc, which towers over all the mountains in Europe ; the Cervin penetrates the clouds in the form of a triangular obelisk ; Mont Rose, an assemblage of gigantic peaks, which compose a vast amphitheatre three thousand fathoms in diameter, &c. The mean Alps are comprised between the snow line and the ^.imit of the trees, the elevation is about six thousand feet ; it is there; the finest and rarest alpine plants are met w»tli. Tlie low Alps comprehend the region situated below the boundary of the trees to the level of the plains; they are covered with rocks, lakes, rivulets, cascades, timber, and excellent pastures. There are several passes or defiles through the Alps ; amongst others, the passages of Mount St. Gothard, and the magniHcent route of the ■ (a) Two new cantons bnve been added lately lo the Confederacy. (b) That is to say, snow cloudd do not form above thia limit. GEOGRArriY OP EUROPE. 145 rmany ; France. is coni- are Ca- Scliweitz, re, Basle, latel ; the id Gi'isons. it raoun- extends eneva to J to one 3 twenty he south lich oc- iies. The high it thousand now or ice, row, and a irteen thou- 3ver all the the form of mtic peaks, n diameter, nd the limit there; the comprehend level of the timber, and )ngst othej-s, ■oute of the eracy. 1 Simplon, constructed at an immense expense by Eonupartc, to facilitate Ills military cxpcilitions in Italy. Tlie hospitable nionasttry of the great St. Bernard, between the Va- lais and tlie Val d'Aoste, is the highest habitation in Europe. In the Valais mountains are many idiots, unfortunate beings, disfi- gured by enormous guttural swellings, deaf and dumb, and in a state of imbecility, witich would render it doubtful whc-thei' they belonged to the Immau race. ^QQ. AvALANCHKS : The falls of snow, l^nown by this name, are terrible phenomena of nature in the Alps. Whilst the soft and ])0wdery snow which co» vers the trees remains, avalanches must be expected ; but they are most dangerous when a thaw takes place. These fails are announced by a stunning and fearful noise, similar to that of thunder, so that the traveller has often time to save himself by flight. Such formi- dable falls of snow and ice, have occasioned num- berless misfortunes to the inhabitants of the Alpine ridge. 36/. Glaciers : Avalanches of snow fall inces- santly from the summits of the mountains into the high valleys; there they lie one upon the other, in compact beds, through which the water penetrates, tluring summer, without melting them entirely. The winter transfornis them into solid masses of ice, many hundred feet tlick. Thev reckon more than four hundred of these glaciers in Switzerland, many of which are six or seven le!»gues in length, and a half league or more in breadth. From these inexhaustible reservoirs, the principal rivers in Europe are sup- plied. 368. Lakes : The largest of those are the Geneva and Constance ; the former occupying a superficial extent of forty-four square leagues, and the latter thirty eight. The othersi are those of Neufchatel, Zurich^ Lucerne, Lugano, &c., &c. Their limpid 146 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE waters clear as crystal, supply pike, trout, salmon, eels, &c. 360. Rivers : The Rhine, the Rhone ; the Aar falling into the liliine ; the Limmat, the Reuss, the Sane or Sariiu\ hUJ into tht Aar ; the Tesin or Te- sino, which flows into the Lake Maggiore in Italy ; and aianv othtt?. ! i:l ' li vSTO, Aspect, &c. : There are few countries which exhibit so many i)icturesqrie and sublime scenes as Switzerlasui. The well cthtivaced fields and rich pas- tures at tl.e base of the mountains, contrast with their frightful jirecipice? anu summits crowned with perpe- tual snow and ice. The most fertile as well as the most |)opulous part, is that situated between the Alps and the Jura, from the shores of Lake Geneva to those of the Rhine and Lake Constance. It presents a divereified surface of hills, mountains, extensive and pleasant valleys, meadows watered bj numerous ri- vulets, the surrounding banks covered witli vines, beautiful lakes, &c. The mountains are inhabited by rather a numerous but poor population, subsisting more on the produce of their flocks than the cultiva- tion of the ground. They live in houses constructed in a very simple manner, either of wood or stone, and covered with a large roof considerably raised, the better to resist the rains, snows, and avalanches. 371. Climate and Productions : The climate of Switzerland is cold ; above the surface of the plains, or the vine region, a mild temperature is en- joyed, but at the same time subject to sudden changes from heat to cold, frosts, fogs, &c., which often des- troy the hopes of the agriculturist and vine dresser. The vegetable productions are grain, timber, wines, liemp, flax, apples, pears, cbesnuts, ^c« The harvest GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 147 salmon, the Aar luss, the or Te- ll Italy ; 3s which icenes as rich pas- ith their h perpc- 1 as the the Alps eneva to presents nsive and erous ri- th vines, ibited by ubsisting 1 cultiva- istructed or stone, y raised^ anches. climate ; of the ire is en- changes ften des- i dresser, r, wines, e harvest most to be depended on, is that of potatoes and other vegetables. Their cattle, which are of a remarkable size, con- stitute one of their principal sources of wealth. The horses are not handsome, but hardy, and capable of enduring great fatigue. Many mules are raised in the mountains. The butter and cheese made in Switzerland are of the best quality ; that of Gruyeres, a little village in the canton of Friburg, is universally known. The wild animals are in general the same as in France : the great eagle of the Alps measures sixteen feet from the extremities of the wings ; it carries o^ in its talons, large dogs, goats, &c. 372, Mines : The mountains of Switzerland abound with porphyry, marble, alabaster, &c., all kinds of metals, rock crystal, sulphur, mineral waters, &c. Many valleys contain turf and other combustible matter, which serves for fuel in places where wood is scarce. 37^' Commerce : In cattle, cheese, butter, tallow, hides, hemp, flax, clocks and watches, cotton, mus- lin, stockings, straw work, tobacco and snufT. 874. Cities ; Geneva, on the Lake of the same name, is the most populous : many scientific establishments are there met with, amongst others, a rich museum of natural history. This city is famed for the manufacture of clocks and watches, &c. ; Berne, the capital of the most considerable canton, stands in a salubrious spot — the women there wear their hair in long tresses ornamented with ribands, which descend to the knees ; Basle, on the Rhine, is the most commercial city in Switzerland it has suffered repeatedly from severe shocks of earthquakes ; Zurich, the beauty of whose scenery is striking, as seen from the promenades and ramparts— extensive manufactures are carried on in cotton, straw hats, soap, ac. ; Lauzanne, where strangers resort in crowds, attracted by the beauties of Lake Geneva; St. Gall, an industrious and trading city ; Schaffhausen, on the Rhine, one league from the famous cataract, where the river falls from the height of seventy feet ; &c. &c. 375. Population, two millions seventy thousand individuals, of whom seven hundred and seventv-five p 1'^ i it I 148 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE thousand arc Roman Catholics, nine hundred Ana- baptists, two thousand Jews, and the remainder Cal- vinists. 376. GovEUNMENT : Each canton is a distinct republic, except Neufchatel, where the government is monarchical, and the cantons of Underwalden and Appenzell, which are each divided into two separate republics J so that the Confederation is composed of twenty-four states (a) independent of each other as regards their internal affairs. The general interests of the country are directed by the Diet, whose annual sittings are held successively at Berne, Zurich, and Lucerne. When the Diet is not assembled, the can- ton bearing the name of those three cities, preside alternately, for the period of two years, over the affairs of the wliole. The inhabitants of ihe canton or prin- cipality of Neufchatel recognise the sovereignty of the King of Prussia ; they take the oath of fidelity, as soon as the Prince has sworn to respect the rights, liberties and customs of the country. He, however, exercises a very limited power. Army : In S\vitzerland, every citizen as soon as he attains the age of twenty yea;'s, becomes a soldier ; he is armed, clothed according to the uniform of his canton, and enrolled into a company. In case of war, each canton furnishes its quota, making a total of thirty-three thousand seven hundred and iiftv -eight men. Language : French is spoken in the cantons bordering on France, Ita- lian, in those south of the Alps, avd German in all the others. GERMANY. 377. Germany is a vast country, bounded on the north by the German Ocean, Denmark, and the Bal- tic ; east by Poland, Galicia and Hungary j south by Croatia, the gulf of Venice, Italy, and Switzerland; and west by France and the Netherlands. ^a) Twenty-six, including the two new cantons. (No, 364 Note.) GEOGRAPHY OP KUIIOPE. 149 Ana- r Cal- listinct uiiient en and jparate losed of ither as iterests annual cb, and he can- preside le affairs or prin- ty of the lelity, as p rigbts, lowever, s the age of iding to the ase of war, ee thousand Trance, Ita- rs. >d on the the Bal- south by tzerlaud; (64 Note.) 378. Germany, heretofore an Empire, wai divided into nine circles : Aus- tria, Liower Rhine, Bavaria, Upper Saxony, Franconia, Swabia, U|)per Rhine, Westphalia, and Lower Saxony. This division did notcompreliend Prussia, properly so called, which has been a kingdom since 1701. Tliu nine circles, just named, were subdivided into more than three hundred petty states, governed by secular or ecclesiastical Princes, each inde- pendent in the limits of bis own territory, but subject in particular cases to the orders of the Emperor. The general government, or Diet, was composed of three colleges : that of the electors, who claimed to themselves the right of naming the Eri'.peror, that of the Princes, and of the Imperial Cities. Since the year 1439, the Emperor has been chosen from the House of Austria. In 1806, by the influence of Napoleon, the ancient constitution was abolished and superseded by the Confederacy of the Rhine. The Emperor of Germany renounced this title, and assumed that of Emperor of Austria ; the duchies of Bavaria, Wirteniberg, and Saxony, were erected into kingdoms. The Congress of Vienna, in 1815, established the German Confederation, such as it now exists. It is formed of thirty-nine states of unequal power, but united for mutual defence and their common interests. The aQ'airs of the states are regulated by a permanent Diet of seventeen members, held at Frankfort on the Maine, in which the Representative of Austria presides. On questions touching the fundamental laws, a Diet of sixty-nine members is con- voked, in which each state is represented in proportion to its importance. 3/9, The German Confederation inchides many of the rich possessions of Prussia and Austria^ those even in which ttieir capitals are situated, but other- wise none of the states proper to these two great powers ; tbese states are, belonging to the former, the grand duchy of Posen, Western Prussia, Eastern Prussia, and the principality of Neufchatel, in Swit- zerland ; to the latter, Galicia, Hungary, Transyl- vania, Sclavonia, part of Croatia, Dalmatia, the Kingdom of Venetian Lombardy, &c. In order to avoid too frequent repetitions, some details will be here given on the physical geography of Germany, and the countries depending on it, except the King- dom of Venetian Lombardy, a description of which is included in that of Italy. S80. Mountains : The principal chain is tha Alps, whicli^ under different names, extend eastward i I m m ]50 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE I! 1 m as far as Hungary, and soutli-cast to the borders of Turkey; the Carpathian mountains, strt-tching from east to west from the Rhine as far as the Dniester ; their different branchefi encompass Hungary, Mo- ravia, Bohemia, and are re-united by the mountains ofStyria, Saltzburg, Swabia, &c. to the great alpine chain. The country situated to the south of the Car- pathian ridge is mountainous, or composed of ele- vated plains ; that to the north is in general a succession of level plains, which join those of Poland, Denmark, and the Netherlands. All the streams flowing south of the Carpathian mountains fall into the Danube or the Gulf of Venice ; those on the north discharge themselves into the German Ocean, or the Baltic. The greatest elevation of the Carpa- thian mountains, is estimated to be nine thousand three hundred feet. Hungary is composed of two immense plains, one to the west, adjoining the archduchy of Austria ; the other to the south, terminated towards the Da- nube and the Theiss by vast morasses. 381. Lakes : Those of Constance and Neufchatel ; Balaton and Neusidler, in Hungary; the Frisch Haff and the Curisch Haff in Prussia, communicating with the Baltic; and a number of others less ex- tensive. If 382. Rivers : The Danube and its tributary streams ; the Rhine, the Ems, the Weser and the Elbe, which fall into the German Ocean ; the Oder, the Vistula, and the Niemen, into the Baltic ; the Warta into the Oder ; the Moselle and the Maine^ into the Rhine ; &c. 383 Climate and Productions : The climate of all* these countries may be divided into three great the yiel of win fam fore Tht part GKOGRAPHY Of EUROPE. ijl era of r from ester ; , Mo- ititains alpine le Car- of cle- eral a *olaiul, treams \\\ into on tlie Ocean, Carpa- lousand plains, Lustria ; the Da- fchatel ; Frisch nicating less ex- ributary and the 16 Oder, Uic ; the e Maine^ i climate ree great circles, wIjIcIi will also admit of some sub-divisions : the first is that of the nortlicM'n plains, where the teni- [)eraturc is humid, cold, and varies according to the wind; the inltabilants cultivate wheal, vegetables, flax, hemp, hops, apples, cherries, &c. The second zone embraces all the middle of Germany, from the &Ist to the 48th parallel of latitude, with Gulicia and the north of llungiiry ; the climate here is salu- brious, and the temperature more equal ; but the elevation of the soil diminishes the degree of heat, which would otherwise be felt in this latitude when on a level with the Ocean, in favorable situations the vine is cultivated, and very generally apples, pears, apricots, peaches, chesnuts, and almonds. Galicia, however, must be excepted — a cold and damp region, but fertile in the production of grains and vegetables, The third comprehends the Alps, whose summits and valleys experience the extremes of cold and heat, and the south of Hungary, where the climate is warm and very unhealthy. The third zone, in addition to the productions already named, furnishes maize, diHcrent kinds of wine, madder, saf- fron, wood, SiCi tobacco, rice, silk-worms ; and south of the Alps, olives, oranges, figs, citrons ; &c. Garden vegetables abound in Germany, and some attain a degree of excellence unknown in other countries ; the cabbage for example, is exported to distant parts, uiider tlio name of snuer-Uruut, diOerciit kinds of turnip!!, carrots, pens and beans. Barley and bops are very im- jMrtant objects of culture, being required in brewing beer, of vvbicii the Germans make great use. The total produce of the vine-yards yields five hundred aud forty thuumud millions of gallons, two-thirds of which quantity k fut'uivtlied by Hungary, reputed to have the best wines in Europe. The wines of Moselle and the Rhine are also much famed. About one-third of the hurface of these countries is occupied by forests, composed of oaks, bctfch trees, pines, ash, elm, fir trees, &c. The most considerable now in Germany is the Black Forest, situated partly in the grand duuhy of Baden, and partly in Wirtemberg. Cattle, horses, sheef), and poultry, are raised in great numbers, pigs abound in Westphalia, Bavaria^ P '2 ^4 >x % SI i hi, ' !|l - W I i'M', ' I 152 ABl'.rDGRMENT OF TUB ' the centre of Hungary. The phiins of Hungary afford pasture for more thiiu two millions of oxen, of a very strong breed ; they have liair and horns of an extraordinary length, and are distini(uished by their grey colour. The forests and heaths are stocked with game, and the rivers and lakes with fish. The wild aDimali are the tame at in France. 384. Mines : The mountains of Moravia, Silesia, and eastern Bohemia, contain some mines of iron, lead, arsenic, quarries of marble, fine stone, &c. ; Styria possesses rich mines of the best iron ; Ca- rinthia, an Illyriau province, has vast lead mines ; the town of Idria, in the archduchy of Austria, a valuable mine of mercury ; Hungary derives much wealth from her mines of gold, silver, iron, lead, mercury, rock crystal, immense stores of salt, &c. But the chain which peculiarly merits the name of metallic, is that pai't of the Carpathian mountains which separates Bohemia from the plains of Saxony, being abundantly supplied with silver, copper, tin and iron ore ; in both these countries, every variety of metal, marble, granite, and fine stone, is found. Turf and coal pits are very common in Germany. A greater number of mineral springs and baths are met with here than in any other part of Europe. The salt mines oF Bochnia and Wielleska, in Galicesia, are the richest in £urope. The former is a vast subterranean cavern, ten thousand feet loDgt seven hundred and fifty broad, and in some places from one thousand to one thousand two hundred feet deep. Some pieces of black, broken wood are occasionally met with in it. There is so little humi- dity over the surface of the rock, that dust collects. The salt>pits of Wielieska extend underneath the whole town, and even beyond it. They contain chapels, stores for the casks filled with salt, and lodging for miners and their horses. The number of workmen is commonly V • mm a a K o 1;: OEOGRAl'liY OF BUROPEi 153 Tlie 11 two \f have nuntain3 Saxony, per, tin variety bund. ermany. aths are )pe. the richest n thousand from one es of black, ittle humi- salt-pits of beyond it. ,nd lodging commonly !S KTen hundred. It ii not true that penoni pan their whole livei there, although travfillen have auerted it. 385. Commerce of Germany : Different kinds uf grain, linseed, and linseed oil, tobacco, horses, cattle, butter, cheese, honey, bees' wax, wines, linen, cloth, silks, cottons, jewelry, wood utensils, metals, ivory, goat skins, woollen, timber, cannon, bullets, bombs, stoves, hardware, copper, porcelain, earth- enware, glass, beer, salt of tartar, wood for dying, &c. Oxen, grain and flour, wines, woollens, and metals, are the principal exports of Hungary. Those of Galicia arc salt, wheat, cattle, horses, leather, woollens, bees' wax, honey, hydromel, &c. GERMAN CONFEDERATION. 386. The boundaries of the German Confederation are the same as those of (Jermany, (No. 377.) except that instead of extending eastward as far as the Vis- tula, it is bounded in that direction by Western Prus- sia, the grand duchy of Posen, and the new Kingdom of Poland. 387. Divisions: The German Confederation is com- posed of thirty-nine states, (No. 378.) the names, population, and capitals, or chief towns of which, are as follows : States. POPULATIOK. CAflTALB. S u Q f Bohemia, 3,800,000 Prague, Moravia and Austrian Si- lesia 2,000,000 Brunn. Archduchy of Austria and Saltzburg, 2,060,000 Vienna. Tyrol, 800,000 Inspruck. Styria, 860,000 Gratz. .Illyria, 1,200,000 laybach and Trieste. «'■ ,1 ■ 154 ABRIDGEMENT OF THK States. ■Poinerania, U9 "2 ^ CI q en 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. II. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 1". 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Brandenburg, Silesia, Province of Saxony, Population. 900,000 1,560,000 2,200,000 1,440,000 Province of "Westphalia, Prov. of Juliers, Cleves and 13erg, Province of Lower Rhine, Holstein and Liauenburg , Kingdom of Bavaria, Kingdom of Hanover, Kingdom of Wirtemberg, Kingdom of Saxony, Grand Duchy of Baden, Grand Duchy of Hesse- Darmstadt, Electorate of Hesse-Cassel, Grand Duchy of Mecklen- burg Schwerin, Duchy of Nassau, (a) Grand Duchy of Lux- emburg, Duchy of Brunswick, Grand Duchy of Holstein Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Saxe Weimar, Republic of Hamburg, Duchy of Saxe Coburg Got'ha, Duchy of Saxe Meinengen, Duchy of Saxe Altenburg, Grand Duchy of Mecklen- burg Strelitz, Principality of Li[po Detmold, 1,250,000 870,000 1,360,000 Capitals. Stralsund, Stettin, end Coslin. Berlin. Breslau. Merseburg, Nordbauten and Magdeburg. Minden, Munster, and Arneberg. Cologne and Dutseldoif. Aix-la-Chapelle, Cob- lentz, and Treves. 420,000 Gluckstadt and Rutze- burg. (a) Claimed at ihe same lime by H 4,000,000 1,580,000 1,540,000 1,420,000 1,145,000 Munich. Hanover. Stutgard. Dresden. Karlsruhe. 710,000 601,000 Darmstadt. Cassel. 437,000 340,000 Schwerin. Weisbaden. 298,000 246,000 Luxemburg. Brunswick. 245,000 Oldenburg. 225,000 150,000 "Weimar. Hamburg. Gotha and Coburg. Meinengen. Altenburg. 146,000 132,000 105,000 78,000 Strelitz. 73,000 Detmold. olland and Belgium. 1 We no Fl- ab po ex of a nu &c J. ttin, ond )rdbausen jburg. ister, and tusseldoif. le, Cob- TlCTCS. d Rtttze- burg. GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. Statks. Population Capitals 23. Republic of Frankfort, 62,000 Trankfort. 24. Fiincipality of Schwartz- burg Rudolstadt, 58,000 Rudolstadt. 2$. Principality of Anhalt- Dessau, 67,000 Dessau. 26. Principality of Waldeck, 55,000 Corback. 27. Republic of Bremen, 49,000 Bremen. 28. Principality of Schwartz- burg-Sonderbausen, 48,000 Sonderhausen. 29. Republic of Lubeck, 44,000 Lubeck. 80. Duchy of Anhalt-Bern- burg. 38,000 Bernburg. 81. Principality of Hohenzol- lern-Sigm^ringen, 38,000 Sigmaringen. 82. Duchy of Anhalt-Koethen,> 34,000 Koethen. S3. Principality of Reuss< Schleitz, 28,000 Schleitz. 84. Principality of Reuss->Lo- benstein-Ebersdorfi', 26,000 EbersdoriT. 35. Principality of Liippe- Scbauenburg, 26,000 Bucheburg. 86. Principality of Reuss-Greitz, 28,000 Greitz. 87< Landgraviate of Hesse- Homburg, 20,000 Honiburg. 38. Principality of Hohenzol- lern-Hecbingen, 15,000 Hechingen. 39. Principality of Lichenstein, 6,000 Lichenstein. 155 89 States. 84,818,000 Inhabitants. The borough of Kniphausen, a sea-port,situated near the mouth of the Weser, is also reckoned among the states of the Confederacy ; but it has no vote, even in the general Diet ; its population is three thousand. 388. The Capital of the German Confederation, is Frankfort, situated on (he Maine, about twenty miles above its influx into the Rhine. The City, or Republic, possesses a territory of fourteen leagues in superficial extent ; and is the principal mart of the interior trade of Germany. It has several literary esiablishmcnts, a Librarv of one hundred thousand volumes, and a number of manufactories or silk, velvet, cotton, stuffs, &c. Two celebrated fairs are held annually, at Easter and in the month of September. *« .?* I •II 1 ;.i(f I( '« 1- ■■'J 1 11 : 1 1 1 |,, 1 life •Ik « i"'!l' i i^ 1 I , 156 ABRIDGEMENT OP THE 399. Total Population, thirty-four millions, eight hun(h*cd and twenty tliousand, of whom nineteen millions are Catholics ; fifteen millions and a half Protestants, principally Lutherans; fourteen thou- sand of the Greek Church, and three hundred thou- sand Jews. The military force of the Confederation amounts to more than three hundred thousand men^ levied from all the states of which it is composed. — Unfortunately it has not a single military port, and consequently no marine. 390. The Government of the Austrian and Prussian Provinces is absolute monarchy ; that of the four free cities, Hamburg, Frankfort, Bremen, and Lubeck is republican ; the other States of the Confederation are subject to constitutional government, which gives the people the right, more or less general, of a repre- sentation. Education, both classical and elementary, is very generally encouraged. The number of children who attend the schools, averages one in nine or ten in the Austrian Provinces ; elsewhere there may be one in eight. In the kingdoms of Bavaria and Wirtemberg, the law establishes a school in evory parish, to which parents are obliged to send all their children, from six years of age to fourteen. The following notes contain some particulars rela- tive to the principal Stales in the Gennaii Confe- deration, with the names of the most distinguished towns. 1st. Austrian dependencies : 391. Bohemia : a kiu<^doin forming an integral part of the Austrian monarchy, the head or chief of which bears the title of E^in}^ of liohemui. The country is surrounded by mountains which separate it, on the north eii''t, from Silesia ; south-east, from Moravia ; soutli and south-west, from the Archduchy of Austria and Bavaria ; north-west and south, from the kingdom of Saxony. The temperature varies according to the incquali- s, eight lineteeu a half [1 thou- fd thoii- le ration 1(1 men^ )o.sed. — jit, and :'russian our free beck is ition are h gives a repre- is very ren who n in the i one in emberg, o which n, from irs rela- Confe- guished le Austrian f /ioliemin. tiie north -west, from ), fruiu the ; incqmili- GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 157 ties of the soil ; sit Pra}?ue, the greatest degree of heat is m 24, and of cold -16 of Reaumur's thermometer. Rains there are very frequent. Bohemia has valuable iron mines, besides some of lead, copper, silver, &c. ; and some mineral springs, tiie most famed are those of Top- litz, Carlsbad, and Seidlitz. Forests are numerous, — varieties of grain, fruit, game, and fish abundant, and some vineyards. The Elbe furnishes the slliirc, the largest fresii water fish next to sturgeon ; its weight is from ninety to one hundred pounds. Conmicrce ; in grain, vegetablesi, fruit, timber and fish. Capital, Prague, pleasantly situated on the river Moldave, which joins the Ellie — it is celebrated for its university, which has a library containing one hundred and thirty thousand volumes. 392. Moravia and Austrian Silesia : United into one province, having Prussian Silesia to the north ; Galicia and Hungary to the East ; the Archduchy of Austria, to the south; and Bohemia to the West. The mountainous soil of this province contains rich mines of iron, coal, &c. ; produces grain in abundance — vineyards in the southern parts, and has plentiful supplies of game, poultry, fish, bees, oxen, &c. Capital, Brunn, Htuated between two river* at the foot of a mountain, not far from the celebrated battle-field of Austerlitz. S9S. Archduchy of Austria, comprehending Sallzhurg : bounded north, by Bohemia and Moravia ; cast and south-east, by Hungary ; south, by Styria ; and west, by Bavaria. This country is divided by the river Kins into two governments, Upper and Lower Austria. It contains some high mountains, which embosom mines of gold, silver, copper, &c., and much iron. Lakes are numerous, and vast tracts of marshy land. The climate in the valley of the Danube is mild. The soil produces little grain, but is rich in vineyards, Iron manufactories are in great numbers. Capital, Vienna, (No. 423), Many inilecile persons are found in the mountains of Saltzburg, (365). 394. County of Tij.oli Bounded on the north, by Bavaria; east, by the Archduchy of Austria and Illyria; south, by the kingdom of Venetian liorabardy ; and west, by Switzerland. The aspect, climate and produc- tions, ar: similar to those of Switzerland, although in some favorable situations the olive is cultivated, and silk worms succeed. The scorching winds of Africa, called the sirocco, is experienced there. The exports of timber are considerable. Capital, Inspruck, in the centie of a valley formed by mountains six or eight thousand feet high. The town of Trent, formerly an imperial city, is celebrated for its university, and Council General held there from 1545 to 1563. 395. Duchy of Stfiria : Bounded by the Archduchy of Austria, Hun- gary, and Illyria. — It is mountainous, with a climate similar to that of Switzerland, but the valleys arc warmer, forests, vegetables, and fruit I ■ i * 1 •i' ': i |ti>. 158 ABRIDGBMICNT OF TH£ abound, as does flax, remarkable far its length and fine quality — poultry is abundant, particularly geese. The principal wealth of this province is derived from its mines of iron, silver* copper, coal, &c. The steel of Styria is the best in Europe. It is computed there are ?ipwards of thirty- six manufactories of scythes. 296. Kingdom of Jllyria and Istrin : Bounded on the north and east, by Saltzburg and Styria, south-east and south, by Croatia and the Gulf of Venice ; west, by the kingdom of Venetian Lombardy and the Tyrol. — It is traversed in different directions by high raountaihs ; a chain of which, extending from north-west to south-east, contains more than one thousand caverns, some of them very curious. The flat and sandy soil on the shores of the Gulf of Venice, is filled with marshes on the eastern side. In general, Illyria is unproductive in grain, but rich in mines of iron, lead, zinc, &c. ; those of mercury are important and valuable. This country produces wines, chesnuts, flgs, oranges, citrons, silk worm?, olive oil, &c. It is divided into two governments, which bear the names of their capitals, namely, Laybach, from whence an extensive trade ii carried on with Italy, Croatia, and Bavaria; and Trieste, on the Gulf of Venice, formerly a part of Austria — its exports consist of metals, linens, tobacco, woollens, &c. J:? 2d. Prussian dependencies : S97. Pomerama : Bounded, on the nortlh by the Baltic j east, by Western Prussia ; iiouth and west, by Brandenburg and Mecklenburg.— The soil towards th = mouth of the Oder, and on the coasts of the Baltic is sandy, whilst the interior is full of clay, and unproductive except on the borders of lakes and rivers — marshes and lakes are numerous ; the climate is cold and damp, buck-wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax, hemp, &c., are culti- va«^^ed. This Province contains vast forests, which afford shelter to nume- rous herds of cattle, sheep, oxen, pigs, &c. ; fishing is carried on along the sea coast and in the rivei-s ; in the Oder, sturgeons of eigh^ or ten pounds weight are taken ; salt and mineral springs are met virith. On the coast, amber is found. The chief manufacture is the woollen articles of commerce : linseed, woollen cloth, linens, timber, potash, pitch and tar, &c. Chief towns : Stralsund, on the Baltic, a good sea-port, and place of much trade ; Stettin, near the mouth of the Oder, exports annually twenty-one thousand ton^ of linseed ; Coslin, on the sea-coast, is well built, and has an university, &c. Opposite the northern point of Pomerania, in the Baltic, is the island of Rugen, surrounded by other small islands, containing many domestic animals, particularly geese, famed for their size ; and some mineral spring which are much frequented, population seventeen thousand. Usedom, an island to the south of the preceding, whose forests are the abode of wild bodrs, stags, &c. — population, eleven thousand, who subsist principally by fishing. The island of Wollin, separated from that of Usedom by a little canal, has large flocks and herds of cattle; and a population of six thousand. GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 157 y — poultry province is he steel of s of thirty- 1 and east, the Gulf of le Tyrol. — n of which, e thousand soil on the astern side, les of iron, ible. This 'OTuz't olive names of le it carried of Venice, as, tobacco, c ; east, by :l«aburg. — the Baltic cept on the the climate .,are cuUi- r to nume- d on along }\^ or ten I. On the articles of ;h and tar, and place s annually ast, is well the island ly domestic eral spring Jsedom, an ide of wild ncipally by I by a little lion of six 598. Brandenburg : Bounded to the north, by Pomerania and Meck- lenburg ; east and south-east, by the Gra^d Duchy of Posen and Silesia ; south and west, by the kingdom and province of Saxony, and the Duchy of Anhalt Dessau : lakes and marshes are very frequent, and canals nu- merous : the soil is sandy, but produces grain, flax, hemp, tobacco, hops, &c. ; many sheep are raised ; silk worms kept ; bees and fish abound ; the harvest is scanty and not sufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants. This province is rich in all kinds of manufactures ; amongst others, that of sugar from beetroot is of some importance. Capital, Berlin, (No. 417). 599. Silesia : Between the Grand Duchy of Posen and Poland to the north and east, Austrian Silesia to the south, Bohemia and the kingdom of Saxony to the south-west, and Brandenburg to the north-west. The soil of this province, to the east of the Oder, is a plain gently undulated by hills ; to the west of this river, it becomes more unequal, and terminates finally in high mountains, the highest of which is the Rie^en-Gebirge, or Mountain of the Giants, — in the south, they have much rain and snow ; in the north, the climate is milder, but less salubrious on account of the lakes and marshes — the mines of coal, copper, lead and iron are valuable. The finest vegetable productions are hemp and flax ; but neither they, or grain, are in suflicient quantities to supply the wants of the inhabi- tants ; forests are numerous ; large flocks of sheep and goats ; extensive manufactures of linen, woollen stuffs, &c. Capital, Breslau, on the Oder, the seat of an university, and place of great trade — its fairs attract a number of merchants from distant parts^-the oxen of the Ukraine and Moldavia, and the woollens of Silesia are principally sold there. 400. Province of Saxony : Situated between Hanover and Brunswick to the north, the Duchy of Saxe Weimar, that of Saxe Gotha, and the kingdom of Saxony to the south ; Brandenburg to the east, and the Elec- torate of Hesse to the west , many small states which belong to other sovereigns besides the king of Prussia, are included in its boundaries ; its mineral productions are different metak ; coal and salt — the soil is fertile in grain, fruit, vegetables, &c. ; horses, oxen and sheep are numerous, — tome vineyards ; the principal manufactures are linens, woollens, sugar from beet-root, &c. Chief towns : Meresburg, where twenty-seven thou- &and tons of beer is brewed annually ; Nordhausen, containing one hundred fnd twenty whiskey distilleries — the husks from which fatten about forty thousand pigs and six thousand oxen ; Magdeburg, an ancient, strong, and commercial town. 401. Province of JPVestphalia : To the south of Hanover ; the southern and eastern parts are mountainous, from which descend the £ms and many other rivers, falling into the Rhine — salt and coal pits, timber and several mires are met with,— manufactures of linen and hard - ware. Chief towns : Minden, a fortified and trading city ; Munster, where in 1648, was concluded the famous treaty of Westphalia — it has m ^|; rT i 158 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE an univcm'ty, linen manufactories, &c. ; Arensburg, a small town, possess- ing some distilleries, and a trade in potash. 402. Province of JuUers, Chreg^ and Berg : Situated to the south- west of the preceding, and possessing many small territories, included within the limits of the neighbouring states : the country is fertile, but derives its principal source of wealth from commerce and itsmanufactuies. Chief towns : Cologne, a port much frequented— and famed for the cele- brated distilled water called from its name ; Dusseldorf, has ten colleges, and some important manufactures of lace, cloths, &c. — a machine is used there, which, worked by two men, will furnish onu thousand ells cf tupe per hour. 408. Province of Lower Rhine '. Situated partly on the left bank of the llhine, between the preceding and the Netherlands ; it contains some mountains, and \ast tracts of land covered with heath' wines and timber arc the chief produce, besides some iron mines, coal pits, and many mine- ral springs. Chief towns: Aix-la-Chapelle, formerly the capital of the Ccrman Empire, celebrated for its mineral waters — its superb Cathedral, built by Charlemagne, who was interred there, is much admired ; Coblentz, H strong town ; Treves, containing an university, a bridge there crosses the Moselle, constructed by the Romans. These three last provinces compose the Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine. ' ^1 ■);:i t 5 '•(! if' I iilii i 8d. The Duchies of Holstein and Lunenburg have been included in the description of Denmark, (Nos. 278 and following). 404. 4t!i. The kingdom of Bavaria is boundefl to the noilh, by the kingdom and duchies of Saxony, and by tlie electorate of Hesse ; to the east and south, by the states of the Austrian empire ; west, by Wir- teniberg and the grand duchies of Baden and Hesse. 'J'his country is nearly enclosed by mountains, which cross it to the north-west. The southern part, or Upper Bavaria, is covered with lakes, forests, and tracts of sandy soil; that situated to the ea-t of iVIui ch, as far as the Danube, is very productive in grain, hops, flax, and fruit. The vine is cultivated also with success. In this kingdom are several cjuar- ries, coal pits, mines of lead, copper and iron. The principal manufactures are of this last metal. Com- mcicc : grain-, iron, hardware, oxen, pigs, wines. GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 159 posyess- ; south- included tile, but factuies. the ccle- coUeges, e is used B of tupe L bank of ains some nd timber iny mine- ^l of the /athedral, Coblentz, crosses the le Lower eluded in ided to •axony, south, \\ Wir- Hesse. vvbich lartj or its, and |ea-:. !ii;; GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 161 ted, by I king- At the id, the ts own, am the between covered lleys. — cold in •e many ; of the >und the diluvian es some iheep of re plen- in, dried y water, ;gard, in eyards — volumes, reeii the mia and iriety of nd many lamond, succeed jufficient voollens, Capi- it bridge 1 arches. The royal library of this City is said to contain two hiuuhcd and fifty thousand volumes, with four thou- sand manuscripts, and twenty thousand geographical maps. 408. 8th. Grand Duchy of Baden : A long and narrow extent of country, occupying the eastern bank of the Rhine, from lake Constance as far as Die Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt — diversified with higli moun- tains and fertile valleys. The temperature is mild on the banks of the Rhine, the Maine, and the Neckar; but elsewhere it is cold; forests, pasture lands, and meadows vary the (ace of the country ; there arc also some mines. Articles of commerce : timber, wines, hemp, corn, dried fruitH, kirschen-wasser^ tobacco, mineral waters, &c. Capital, Carlsruhe, famed for its jewellery, clock-work, household furniture and carriage;. 409. 9th. Grand Duchy of I/ease-Darmstadt: Formed of two terri- tories, separated by that of Frankfort on the Maine : there are some well wooded mountains and rich mines in this district, the rest of which is covered with vineyards, valleys, line orchards, and fertile fields. Com- merce : in corn, wines, dried fruits, cattle, sheep, linens, &c. Capital, Darmstadt, on the little river of the same name : Mentz, or Mayencc, on the Rhine, is niucli more celebrated — its trade is chiefly in wines and hams— this City disputes with Strasburg and Haerlcm the honor of the first invention of printing. A few words may be said upon the free cities or republic3 of Hamburgh Bremen, and Lubeck. It will be easy for the reader to judge of the pro- ductions and commerce of the other States, according to their geographical position, which is marked on all good maps. 410. The republic of Hamburg, on the Elbe, occupies a superficial ex- tent of seventeen square leagues. It is the store-house of every kind of merchandise, and the most commercial City in Germany. Two hundred ships belong to the port, which keep up a continual correspondence with all foreign parts. Upwards of two thousand ships however, visit the port annually. The manufactures are very numerous. Large quantities of smoked meat are exported, known by the name of Haniburg beef. The sovereignty of this City is vested in the council and citizens, who act by representatives. 411. The territory of Bremen, on the Weser, is ten leagues in extent. The produce of the country watered by the Weser is exported from the City of Bremen ; besides its own manufactures, which are very important. One thousand vessels enter the port annually. The herring, salmon, and whale fisheries are very considerable. The best beer in Germany is brewed here. This republic is governed by a supreme council, composed Q 2. i M A,. I ■ Vii I ?'i:r m 162 AllRIDGfiMBNT OF THE or four mayors, two magistrates, and twenty>four councillors ; the legisla- tive power is exercised by deputies chosen kom amongst the citizens. 412. The republic of Lubeck, included within the limits of liolstein, occupies an extent of fifteen square leagues. The town is situated at the confluence of three sma'< rivers, which empty themselves, three leagues from thence, into the Vwtitio j and is a place of great trade. Ite com- merce consists chiefly i colonial produce, such as sugar, cofl'ee, tea, rum, &c. : in the export of grain, and import of various productions brought from Sweden, Russia, England, Holland, &c, PRUSSIA. 413. The kingdom jf Prussia, properly so called, is hounded on the north, by the Baltic and Russia ; east, by the new kingdom of Poland ; south and west, by the Prussian provinces of Silesia, Brandenburg, and Pomerania. 414. Division I This part of the Prussian monarchy (No. 379), comprehends three provinces, namely : the Grand Duchy of Posen, Western Prussia, and Eastern Prussia. The German Confederacy contains seven others (No. 387) i besides the principality of Neuf- chatel in Switzerland, (No. 376). 415. The aspect, climate, and productions of Prus- sia, have been already explained in treating of Ger- many in general, (Nos. 380 and following.) It may not, however, be amiss to observe here, that it is fertile in the production of rye, barley, buck^wheat and vegetables. Potatoes are cultivated in Eastern Prus sia, almost in as great abundance as in Ireland ; and supply the greater part of the inhabitants with their main subsistence. Hemp and flax are principal arti^ cles of exportation ; the former is raised best in Western Prussia, the latter in the East. The Prussian horses are remarkable for their strength and beauty. 416. Commerce : In grain, woollens, flax-seed, flEOOllAPIlV OP EUROPE. 163 ii". legiiltt- 18. loUtein, d at the leagues ts coro- ea, rum, brought called, .ussia ; 1 west, iiburg, narchy ly : the ilastern seven Neuf- Prus- Ger- may fertile it and Priis ; an(i 1 their 1 arti- est in t ty. [-seed, hemp, timber, potasli, pitch, linens, stuffs, horses, oxen, pigs, suit nieut, whisky, tobacco, bees wax, &c. 417* The capital of the Prussian monarchy is Berlin, in the province of Brandenburg. This City owes its chief embellishments to the celebrated Frederic the Second. It contains n royal academy of sciences, founded by that Prince, directed at first in his labours by Leibnitz and Kulcr, an university, &c. But the finest of its edifices, is the King^s Palace, The arsenal is sair be the most considerable in £ ;r ornj, Berlin con* two hundred and twenty thouiUid inhabitants; and ^ p> ly increasing in trade and the number uf its I il tories. 418. Principal Towns I In the kingdom of Prussia, properly so called, the most distinguished are, Posen, on the Wartha, the ancient capital of Grand Poland ; Konigsburg, on the Pregel, capital of the same king- dom, — much grain and timber is exported from hence; Dantzic, on the Vistula, one of the most commercial cities of the Prussian monarchy, has sustained many famous sieges, &c. 419. Population : That of the Provinces compre- hended in the Gcrnum Confederation, is nine millions eight hundred and sixty thousand ; the three others amount to three millions one hundred and forty thou- sand ; and the canton of Neufchatel to fifty-four thousand ; making a total of thirteen millions and fifty-four thousand individuals ; of whom five mil- lions are Catholics^, and one hundred and sixty- two thousand Jews ; the remainder belong to different Protestant comnuinions, |)rincipally Lutherans. The government is an absolute monarchy. Armt. — The actual Prussian force is two hundred and ninety-eight thousand men, of these forty IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) &^ // :/. K & ^ 1.0 1.1 |90 U 2.0 L25 i 1.4 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 1.6 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS 80 (716) 872-4503 ,<^ i/j ? 164 il ABRIDGEMENT OF THE EiMPIKE OF AUSTRIA. 420. This empire is bounded on the north, by the kingdom of Saxony, Prussian Sik^sia, and the new kingdom of Poland ; east, by Russia and Turkey ; south, by Turkey, the Gulf of Venice, the Pope's do- minions, and the Duchies of Modena and Parma ; and west, by tiie kingdom of Sardinia, Switzerland, and Bavaria. 421. Divisioni The Austrian states tire thirteen in number, namely : the six already enumerated, which make part of the German Confederation (No. 387) 5 together with 1st. Gaticia and the adjacent province of the Bukhovine. Sd. The kingdom of Hungary. 3d. Transylvania. 4th. Sclavonia; and 5th. Croatia, with their military limits. 6th. The kingdom of Dalmatia ; and 7th. That of Venetian Lombardy. 422. Commerce : Tlie principal articles exported from Austria, are wines, grain, cfttle, horses, gold, mercury, copper, iron, brass, lead, salt, precious stones, saffron, &c. 423. Capital : Vienna, magnificently situated on the right bank of the Danube. The City is surrounded by ditches and ramparts, and communicates by twelve gates, with its thirty-four suburbs. It contains an university, which has seventy-nine professors, and one thousand two hundred pupils, many literary societies, vast hospitals, thirty-three churches, two synagogues, fourteen monasteries, ^nd three convents, one hundred and twenty-ihree palaces, eight or nine thousand houses, and three hundred and twenty thousand inha- bitants. It is the most commercial and thriving City in the Austrian Empire. Amongst the public buildings of Vienna, tbe most remarkable are, th« GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 165 by the he new .^irkey ; je's do- na ; and nd, and rteen in , which 3. 387) J >vince of ry. 3d. Croatia, ^dum of »rdy. exported ?s, gold, s stones, jd on the rounded y twelve tains an and one •ocieties, igogues, hundred housand nd inha- ing City }le are, th« imperiftl palace, in wbioh is one cf the richest pauible collections of tai- nitralogical science, curiosities, medals, &c. — The imperial library, con- taining three hundred thousand volumes, six thousand specimens of the first attempts at printing, and twenty thousand manuscripts ; tbe metropolitan church, the tower of which is four hundred and twenty feet high, and •upports a bell weighing three hundred and fifty-seye:n hundred weight, owae with the cannons taken from the Turks, when they raised the siege of Vienna, in 1683, after having been cut in pieces by General Sobieiki at the head of a Polish araiy — the mint, the two arsenals, &e. &c. 424. Principal Towns: To those already named, (No. 391 and following numbers,) may be added, Lemberg, capital of Galicia, where an extensive trade is carried on with the Russians and Turks ; Czerno- wicz, capital of the Bukhovine; Buda, capital of Hungary, and, upon the opposite side of the Danube, P€8t, the most commercial and populous city in th€ kingdom ; Hermanstadt, the capital, and Cronstadt, the most important town in Transylvania ; Agram^ on the Save, residence of the Viceroy of Croatia and 8clavonia ; Peterwadin, a strong to^vn in the pro- vinces or military limits, annexed to the two preceding states,— celebrated for the victory gained there over the Turks by Prince Eugene, in 1716 ; Zara, the ca- pital of Dalmatia; Spolatro, which contains the ruins of n fine palace of Diocletian ; Ragusa, formerly capital of a little republic, &c. &c. 425. Population : That of the six states which form part of the German Confederation amounts to ten million seven hundred and twenty thousand; the other seven states and territories which are annexed to them contain twenty-one million two hundred and eighty thousand ; total, thirty-two millions ; nearly three millions of whom are of the Greek Church ; three millions Protestants, and five hundred thousand Jews ; tbe remainder belongs to the Roman Church. The Government is an absolute Monarchy; except in Hungary and the province of Tyrol, where the people have some share in the {legislature. 166 ABRIDGEMENT OF TIIK This population is composed of four principal nations, the Sclavonians, the Germans, the Hungarians, and the Italians. r The Army, in 1829, was estimated at two hundred and seventy-one thousand four hundred men ; the navy consisted of three ships of the line, eight frigates, and sixty-one inferior vessels* In Austria, Turkey, Spain, and some other parts of Europe, the Czingares or Zigeunes, also called Bohemians, are met with, a vagabond and wretched people, filthy in their persons, and inclined to all manner of vice. Their origin is very uncertain. The men gain their subsistence by traf- ficking in hoi'ses and asses, working as blacksmiths, slight of hand tricks, perfoiming as jugglers and mountebanks in public places, and not unfre- quently, it is said, by theft. The women travel over the country, asking charity, telling fortunes, and passing themselves oflf for sorceresses. ISLANDS SUBJECT TO AUSTRIA. 'i 426. These Llands, situated in the Gulf of Venice, extend from the Peninsula to 7 .>sste, in Illyria, as far as the southern extremity of Dal- matia, a distance of about one hundred and twenty leagues. The most considerable are, Veglia, Cherso, Pago, Grossa, Brazza, Leslna, Curzola, and Melida. They abound in general in wines, oranges, lemons, almonds, silk worms, and other productions of warm countries; mineral springs, quarries of marble, and salt-pits, are met with. In some of them, the sardine, tunny, and mackerel fisheries are very productive; others furnish fine timber for building ; but several are deficient, or entirely fail of fresh water. Population, ninety thousand. SPA]N. 427. Spain is bounded on tlie north, by the Bay of Biscay, and tlie Pyrenees, which separate it from France; east and south; by '' Mediterranean, the Straits of Gibraltar, anti tht .tlantic Ocean ; and west, by Poitugal and the Atlantic. 428. Mountains : The Pyrenees, which under the name of the Cantabrian chain, stretch from east to west, from the Mediterranean to Cape Finisterre in the Atlantic; the Iberian range, running from north- west to south-east, from the Bay of Biscay to the mouth of the Guadalaviar. — From this link, three others extend in a south-westerly direction as far as Portugal, or rather to the Ocean ; namely, the moun- CBOGIIAPHY OF EUROPE. 167 •ay of from , the and ir the ist to |re in prlh- ]} the three far as noun- U\\nn of Cimllle, Toledo, and the Sierra Morena ; the Slerru Nevada, tlie highest of all, runs along the Mc^dltorraneun, from Carthagena to the mouth of tlie GmulHlqiiiver, &c In general, this peninsula is inter- i^ected throughout with mountains : the summits of which uri? covered with snow continually. 499. Divhionsi Spain is divided into fourteen prin- cipal part^, each having its own authoritieir, and sepa- ratu adminUtrations ; several of these are again sub-dlvlded into small provinces: The ntniei ef the chief divisions are as follows :_Ia the north, the kingdom ef KAvarre, the two Biscays, the principality of Asturias, the kingdom of OtiUicta, the kingdom of Arragon, and the principality of Catalonia ( in the middle, the kingdom of Leon, Old Castile, Estramadura, Kqw Caitil^i and the kingdom of Valencia ; in the south, Andalusia, the kingdom of Mureia, and the Balearic isles. There ore forty-one provinces, 430. Climate^ Soil and Prodttctio7is : The climate of the Peninmla varies according to the latitude, and relative poftition of the provinces. It may be divided into iix regions. 1st. The central which comprehends the elevated table land of New and Old Castile — these vast plului^ are interrupted by insulated heights, and forent* where oak trees flourish, bearing sweet acorns; applci do not i^ucceed, but the vine is every where cultivated) and in some parts the olive, ^d. The southern region, to the south of Sierra Morena — the heat liere during summer is intense — the productions are ; winen, olives, maize, rice, bananas^ lemons, oranges, flgji, &c. 3d. The eastern region, compre- hending Airagon, Catalonia, and the kingdom of Valencia— it possesses all the plants of Sicily, the Archl|)elttgo, and the Levant, the olive, myrtle, laurel, nomegranate, mulberry, &c. 4th. The region of the Lower Tagutt, comprising the Atlantic coast, from Cape St. Vincent to Lisbon — the vegetable productions 168 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE I • are similar to those of the West Indies — oranges and olives come to great perfection. 5th. The region of the Douro, which extends from Lisbon to Cape Finis- terre, and produces vines, chesniits and oaks. 6th. Lastly, the northern region, including all that part situated to the north of the Pyrenees, Asturias, &c.—- this track affords rich forests, luxuriant pastures, abundance of grain, and orchards ; but few vines, and still fewer olives and oranges — this humid country is the Normandy of Spain. The soil of the peninsula is rich in grain, vineyards, and every kind of fruit ; but agriculture is said to be much neglected. Gallicia, the Asturias, and Andalusia, afford pasture for numerous herds of oxen of a particularly fine breed ; the Andalusian horses, of Arabian origin, are said to be the most famed in Europe ; excellent mules are raised also in Andalusia and the Asturias. The Spanish sheep, called merinos, are superior to those of any other country in the quality of the wool. Their actual number is about nineteen millions. The merino sheep are divided into two principal classes, the sedentary of which there are eight million of heads, and the tcandefers^ which are still more numerous. These sheep travel in ftocks of from one thousand to one thousand two hundred, conducted by two shepherds; they quit the mountains of Old Castile, in the month of October, and go to the plains of Estramadura and Andalusia until the month of May, when they again return thither. When the sJiepherds return from their summer cantonings, the shearing takes place, an operation which is performed in large sheds, disposed to receive from forty to sixty thousand sheep. The number of people employed may be judged of, when we calculate one hundred and twenty-five for every thousand merinos; some are occupied in cutting o£f the woolf and others in dividing it into four kinds, according to the diffe- rence in quality- This period of the year is hailed as joyfully as that of the vintage in rich vineyards. The rivers of Spain are very full of fish; the mari- time coasts furnish an abundance of sardines, tunny> anchovies, &c. 43L Mines : The mountains contain mines of cop- 4S^ comnH tains GEOGRAlMIY OF EUROPE. im B and ion of Finis- 6th. t part &c.— stures, ;s, and itry is jyards, 1 to be pasture ly fine ;\n, are t mules erior to \e wool. sedentary which are housand to quit the leplaiiispf they agaia cantonings, arge shedi* number of indred and cutting off ;o the diffe- as that of le mari- tunny^ ; of cop- per, iron, lend, mercury, crystal, &c. The gold ami silver mhies, so celebrated in the time of the Cartha- ginians and Romans, are now abandoned. The mercury minen of Almagro, a small town in La Mancha, province of New Castile* are the most important in Europe. 432. Commerce I In woollens, brandy, wines, figs, raisins, oranges, lemons, olive oil, silk, salt, colonial provisions, &c. &c. The quantit- of wine exported annually is about twenty- five thousand tons ; that of brandy is much more considerable. 433. Capital : Madrid, in New Castile, on the little river Manzanares, in the centre of & sandy plain, one thousand eight hundred feet above the level of the sea, and surrounded by mountains. The population is two hundred and four thousand. This City pos- sesses numerous literary and charitable institutions ; a royal library of one hundred and fifty thousand volumes, besides many manuscripts, medals, and ob- jects of antic|uity; a royal cabinet of natural history ; collections ot valuable paintings, &c. The King's Palace it much admired, as well as the churches, for their simplicity and elegance ; the Prado, a public walk, runs along great part of the east, and part of the north tide of the city. It is planted with trees for carriages, and with an alley on each side for pedestrians. Of the forty-two squares, those most worthy of notice are : the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol, in the centre of the city ; the most intere»ling one, to the people of Madrid, ii said to be, that appropriated to the bulUfights. Eight leagues north of Madrid is the EacuriaU a monastery and royal residence, constructed by Philip II. in memory of the battle of St. Quentin, which he gained over the French in 1557. The building is in form of a gridiron, in honor of St. Lawrence, the four towers at the four angles representing the feet { the apartments designed for the King forms the handle, the eleven square courts which divide the interior represent the bars. The body of the edifice ii seven hundred and forty feet long, five hundred and eighty broad, and sixty feet high, to the cornice only. The chapel is used as a burial place for the royal family. 484. Principal Townn: Barcelona, on the Mediterranean, the most commercial and manufacturing town in Spain, next to Madrid— it con- tains many scientifio and religious citablishmentfr— and w&s founded, it is H J70 ABRIDGEMENT OV THE said, by the Carthaginian General Hamilcar, father of Hannibal ; Sevillct on the Guadalquiver, which winds around its walls, ornamented by one hundred and sixty-six towers — it is the finest city in Spain and a place of great trade : the most remarkable buildings are, the £xcbange and the Cathedral, which contains the tomb of St. Ferdinand, of Alphonso, the Sage or the Astronomer, and that of Christopher ColumbuSf with tbii inscription : A Castilul y Aragon, Otro mvndo dio Colomb. (a) ' Granada, a Tery celebrated city, containing seven colleges, eleten hos- pitals, and sixty-three churches. — Also, the Albambra, a splendid palace belonging to the ancient Moorish kings ; Valencia possesses an university, seven colleges, two public libraries, a botanical garden, &c.— its cathedral was formerly a mosque ; Saragossa, rendered famous by its noble defence against the French in 1808, who took it by assault, and when masters of the walls, were still obliged to besiege the houses ; Cadiz, on the Atlantic, a strong town,a'nd one of the principal trading ports in Europe ; Malaga, situated at the inland extremity of a deep bay, on the coast of the Medi- terranean — exports wines and excellent raisins; Cordova, capital of Andalusia, on the Guadalquiver — has a magnificent Moorish temple, infe- rior only to that of Mecca ; and a fine marble bridge, built by the Romans and Moors, &c. &e. The city and fortress of Gibraltar belongs to Great Britain; it forms a promontory, where the Mediterranean joins the Atlantic. It is so strongly fortified as to be considered impregnable, and commands a vast bay which serves as a naval station for the English marine. This city is the grand store-house of all articles of English manufacture, as well as its colonial produce, such as sugar, rum, tobacco, &c. It is peopled by English, Spa- niards, Italians, Jews, and Moors. There is a Protestant and Catholic Church, and three Synagogues. Population, thirteen thousand, besides the garrison. 435. Population of Spain^ fourteen millions, who all profess the Roman Catholic religion; that of the Spanish colonies in other parts of the world, is four millions. Total, eighteen millions. The government is an absolute monarchy. The Army, in 1829, amounted to fifty thousand men ; the Navy, con- sisted ot tea ships of the line, sixteen frigates, and thirty smaller vessels. 436. Natural Curiosities : 1st. A rock, having the bones and teeth of quadrupeds incorporated with the (a) To Castile and ArragoD, Columbus gave another world. GKOGRAPIIY OF EUROPE. 171 Stone, near Gibraltar. 2d. The sinking of the Gua- diana^ which, twelve leagues from its source, didap- pears, and after a subterranean course of tliree leagues, emerges by two openings, called the eyes of the Guadiana. 3d. A mountain of mineral salt of diffe- rent colours, near Cordona, in Catalonia. 4th. Mont Serrat, near Barcelona, the summits of which, rising high in the air, have given its name, which signifies an indented mountain: its sides contain many caverns, rendered curious by a kind of yellow alabaster within, which deposits beautiful stalactites — from the base to the summit are reckoned fourteen hermitages, and about half way up the ascent, is a magnificent convent of Benedictines. I I who of the four iment th the BALEARIC ISLANDS. 437. Idea l Eighteen leagues long and eight broad,— it produces corn, wine, oil, &c. — exports fifteen thousand tons of salt annually, and a con- siderable quantity of pitch. Capital, Ivica, in whose vicinity cotton is cultivated. Total population, forty-five thousand three hundred. Formentarai Situated near the preceding; its woods and meadows are tenanted by goats and sheep grown wild ; its coasts ara frequented by a kind of large bird called flamingo ; the salt-pits constitute the greatest commercial riches of this island. Maijorca^ is fifty leagues in circumference ; the soil is fertile, and pro- duces oranges and other fruits, which rival those of Portugal ; wines and oil are also among its productions. The sheep and pigs are of a large size. Game abounds on the coasts and in the forests. This island exports much cheese, made from the milk of sheep and goat'^. Capital, Falma. Total population, one hundred and forty thousand. Minorca : To the south of the preceding, twele leagues long, and four broad : productions the same as those of Majorca. Capital, Mafaon, one of the finest ports in the Mediterranean. Population, forty thousand. PORTUGAL. 438. Bounded, north and east, by Spain ; south and west, by the Atlantic Ocean. 439, Division! : Portugal is divided into six pro- vinces, which are subdivided into forty-four comarcas, or districts. J 72 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE The uamcs of the provincei, are : Estramadura, fieira, Minho, Tralos- Monies, Alentejo, and the kingdom of Algarve. 440. The soil, climate, and productions of Portugal differ little from those of Spain. The low bare shorl winter and a double spring. The early spring begins in February, the harvest is in the month of June ; from the end of July, the summer heats dry up the plains, the grass withers, the trees languish, and it is with difficulty that even vegetables are preserved; the evenings and nights are, however, rendered cool and agreeable by a breeze from the Atlantic. During this time, the high lands have the mildest temperature. Towards the end of October, the low parts are clothed with a second vegetation ; the meadows, trees and orange plants flourish. The winter lasts from November until February : it is btormy and rainy, but not severely cold, since it rarely freezes even during the night. Snow gathers on the mountains, where it continues sometimes du- ring the greatest heats. The climate of Portugal is reported to be very salubrious, although there are marshy places, near which it is almost fatal to reside. The southern part, almost every year, is visited by repeated shocks of earthquakes.-— Fifteen convulsions have laid waste the city of liisbon during the last eight hundred years; that of 1755, was felt simultaneously in Africa, Ireland, and America. Springs of mineral water are very common ; there are also mines of gold, silver, iron, lead, tin, &c. ; some coal-pits, vast salt marshes, &c. The wines, oils and fruits of Portugal are excellent: the oranges and lemons of Estramadura are famed throughout the universe, as are also the wines of Oporto, the grapes of Carcavelos and Setubal, and the white wines of Algarva. 441. Commerce : wines, salt, woollens^ oranges, lemons, almonds, 6gs, raisins, &c. 443. Capital, Lisbon, built in the form of an amphi- theatre, on the right bank of the Tagus near its mouth. It is divided into two towns : the old, or that part of the city which escaped the earthquake of 1755, and the new, constructed since that event. Three fourths of the entire commerce of the kingdom is !l Geography or europe. 173 concentrated in this capital, wliich is at the same time, the entrepot of the colonial merchandise ot' the Por- tuguese. There are many literary establishments, hospitals, benevolent institutions, &o. The im|K>iing grandeur of lome of the edificei in Liibon, such m the royal palacet the arsenalf the patriarchal church, &c., is nothing in com- parison to the aqueduct of Bemfica, constructed of white marblef which supplies the city with water ; its length is fifty-six thousand feet ; the principal arch is two hundred and six feet high, and one hundred in width. The quays in Lisbon excel in beauty those of London or Paris ; and this port is universally allowed by all mariners to be one of the best anchoring places in the world. 448. Faivcipal Towns : Oporto, at the mouth of the Douro, i>, next to the capital, the most commercial and the richest town in Portugal— hence the celebrated wine which bears its name, is shipped to all parts of the world ; Coimbra, agreeably situated on the Monaego, has been since the time of the Romans an important town— it contains a celebrated uni- versity and an observatory ; Setubal, carries on an extensive commerce in salt and wines ; Braga, where many Roman antiquities are to be seen ; Evora poisesses an aqueduct constructed, it ik said, by Sertorius, and a temple of Diana, now uwd as a shambles ; £lvas, the strongest town iu Portugal, has sustained many memorable sieges ; Viseu, celebrated for its rich mines of tin— in the environs of this city the fint orange trees brought from China to Europe were cultivated, &c. &c. 444. Population, three millions five hundred and eighty thousand, all Catholics ; that of the Portu- guese colonies amounts to two millions one hundred thousand. — ^Total, five millions six hundred and eighty thousand. The government is an absolute monarchy. The Army in 1829, numbered twenty-six thousand six hundred and thirty men ; the naval force consisted of four ships of the line, six frigates, and thirty-seven smaller vessels. ITALY. } iphi- its that 1755, hree m is 445. Italy is a large Peninsula in the south of Europe, bounded on the north, by France, Switzerland, and Germany ; on the east, by the Adriatic Sea ; on the south, by the Straits of Messina, which separate it from Sicily; and on the west^ by the Mediter* ranean. R S 'ii 174 ABRIDOBMBNT OF THE 44G. Divisions : Italy contains eleven principal states, namely : in the north, the kingdom of Sar- dinia, that of Venetian Lombardy, and the principality of Monaco ; in the middle, the duchies of Parma, Modena, Massa, and Lucca, the grand duchy of Tus- cany, the republic of San Marino, and the Pope*8 Dominions ; south, the kingdom of Naples, or of the two Sicilies. 447* Mountains : The Alps extend across the rthern frontier in the form of a crescent, from the Gulf of Genoa to that of Venice; the Apennines join the Alps in the north-west, and stretch in a south- easterly direction to the Straits of Messina ; the mountains which separate the provinces of Bari and Otranto, near the Gulf of Venice, and those of Sicily, are only ramifications of the above. The two celebrated Tolcanoes of Etna and Veiuvius come within the range of the Apennines. The latter is three thousand eight hundred feet above the letel of the Mediterranean ; around its base the circumfe- rence does not exceed seven leagues ; that of the crater is one thousand eight hundred feet — its eruptions ordinarily extend about two leagues.— A.D. 79, many towns, amongst others those of Heroulaneum and Pompeii, were buried under torrents of burning lava ; since that period there have been eight or ten grand eruptions, the ravages of which have been felt at the distance of ten or twelve leagues. They have always been preceded by earthquakes. Mount Etna is ten thousand four hundred and seventy- eight feet high ; round the base is forty leagues, and the crater two ; the torrents of lava run to eight leagues distance. Fourteen towns and viU l«ges were destroyed in the eruption of 1669, and in that which swallowed up the town of Catania in 1698, eighteen thousand persons perished. Stromboli, in the Lipari isles, is a very steep volcano, the crater of which opens on one of the sides, and is always on fire; in its calmest moments the eruptions are repeated twic^ in every quarter of an hour. 448. Plains : One of the finest and richest in Eu- rope, or perhaps in the world, is that of Lombardy. That lying between the Gulf of Naples, Vesuvius and the Apennines, although less extensive, is celebrated GBOQRAPIIY OF EUROPE. 173 for its fertility. Otiiers still less extensive, but 08 fer- tile, stretch olong the shores of the Adriatic. 449. Lakbs : Geneva, north of the Alps; lukes Maggiore, Como, Iseo, and Garda, south of the Alps; Perugia, (anciently Thrasymenus) Bolsena^Celano, &c. south of the Apennines. Marsh Bs : The most remarkable are, those of Com- acchio, (he Venetian Laeunas^ and the Pontine marshes, in the vicinity of Home, covering three hun- dred thousand acres of land, which frequently occa- sion pestilential maladies. 450. llivBus : The most considerable is the Po, which rises in the Cottian Alps, and discharges itself into the gulf of Venice, swelled by the waters of many other rivers which descend from the Alpb and the Apennines ; the Adige takes its rise in the country of the Grisons, on the borders ot Tyrol, and falls into'the same gulf; the Adda and the Tesino flow into the Po ; the Arno and the Tiber fall into the Mediterranean, &c. &c. 451. Climate : From the north to the south of Italy, are reckoned four different zones or climates. The northern, which ranges from the Alps to the Apennines, is exposed to considerable cold, the ther- mometer, sometimes standing at ten degrees of Reau- mur ; it is with difficulty olives, lemons, or any fruii of that kind can be raised. In the second zone, which occupies the space between the above and the forty- second parallel, the winter is not severe ; the wild orange is able to sustain itself, but the sweet orange tree will not flourish in the open air, — the same applies to the olive. Both succeed almost without culture in the third zone, which extends from the forty-second to * 1 176 ABRlDGBRtfiNT OP TKE the fortieth parallel, in which frosts are of rare occur- rence. The fourth and last zone comprehending Sicily, experiences a burning hot climate; the palm, aloe, and Indian fig-tree grow here, particularly in the plains, and on the borders of the Mediter- ranean. 452. Soil and Productions : Nothing can equal the fertility of the first region which occupies all the valley of the Po ; it produces abundance of wheat, wine, silk, rice, maize, bees' wax, honey, chesnuts, &c. ; it also affords excellent pasturage. ' In Lorn- bardy, the hay is frequently cut six times in one year. The second region has few meadows and few corn fields; its productions consist of wines, silk, oil, and fruits ; the land is cultivaied on the declivities of the mountains, on terrace walks supported by walls of green turf, whose verdant tops, scattered over with trees loaded with fruit, give the country the most cheerful and richest aspect possible. The third re- gion, to which is given the appellation of the unhealthy district, many parts being so, is covered with luxu- riant pastures, hills and orchards. In the fourth, besides the productions already named, oranges, figs, almonds, lemons, cotton, the sugar cane^ bananas, &c. are also cultivated. 453. The mineral riches of Italy consist less of me- tallic substances than in stores of marble, alabaster, porphyry, fine stone, &c. The little town of Carrara, in the duchy of Massa, possesses quarries of marble that have been worked for two thousand years ; and more than twelve hundred workmen are employed there continually. Many of the mineral springs in Italy are much famed. The scil of Lombardy and that of Piedmont abounds with fosiil sbellst bones of the elk, elephant, rhinoceros, and other great quadrupeds ; in the hills, bones of whales and other large fish have been discovered. ever. 'i'« GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 177 Between Savoy and France, near the borough of Echelles, is themoun« tain pass of la Grotte ; this passage, formerly very difficult, was made through a mountain, and under a cavern that is still to be seen. The present road, constructed by Charles Emanuel, duke of Savoy, in 1670, and greatly improved by Napoleon, is perhaps, the most astonishing work of its kind ; the imagination is startled at the sight of rocks to be hewn or mined, for the distance of half a league, in order to overcome the ob- stacles that nature opposed to the efforts of human industry. Wild animals are nearly the same as in France and Spain. The buffalo is common in the southern parts, some vipers and other venomous reptiles are also found. The breed of sheep is very fine ; and the mules are the best in Europe ; the Neapolitan horses are es- teemed for their form and vigour. The seas and lakes supply a great variety of fish, muscles^ oysters^ lob- sterc, &c. 454. Commerce : Silk, grain, rice, wine, brandy, fruit, oil^ cheese, bees* wax, hemp, sheep-skins, cloths, lihens, woollen and silk tissue, velvet, gold and silver stuffs, tapestry, carpeting, paper, gloves, embroidery, artificial Bowers, perfumes, glass, hardware^ Italian sweetmeats, porcelain, soap^ &c. 455. Population, twenty-one millions one hundred and fifty thousand, including the inhabitants of Sicily, Sardinia, and the other Italian islands. The prevail- ing religion is the Roman Catholic ; there are, how- ever, about thirty thousand Jews; one thousand Armenians ; twenty-two thousand Swiss inhabitants of the Alps 5 some hundreds of the Greek Church ; and in the large cities some Protestant families. 456. The government of the Italian States is mo- narchical, except in the little republic of San Marino. The kingdom of Sardinia is governed by the ancient house of Savoy ; the principality of Monaco, by a Prince of the house of Gf^imaldi, under the protection of the king of Sardinia ; the kingdom of Venetian Lombardy, by the Emperor of Austria 3 the grand if 1/8 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE duchy of Tuscany, and the otiier duchies are subject to Princes of the house of Austria ; the Ecclesiastical States, to the Pope ; and the kingdom of the Two Sicilies^ to a branch of the house of Bourbon. KINGDOM OF SARDINIA. 457. This kingdom is composed of the islands of Sardinia, Savoy, Piedmont, county of Nice, and the territory of Genoa, the whole being divided into fifty small provinces. The continental part is bounded to the north, by Switzerland ; east, by the kingdom of Venetian Lombardy, the duchy of Parma, and that of Massa ; south, by the Mediterranean ; and west, by France. Capital, Turin, situated on a beautiful plain, ne{ir the Po. It contains one hundred and ten churches or chapels, the greater part consisting of rich marble, built according to the modern taste, and very well lighted; delightful public walks ; an university 3 nu- merous manufactures of silk, &c. Pbincipai. Towns : Genoa, surnamed the superb, chiefly on account of the magniiicence of its palace — was formerly a republic — its cathedral of Gothic structure is entirely lined and paved with black and white marble. Genoa is celebrated as the birth-place of Christopher Columbus ; Alcssan* dria or Alexandria, one of the strongest towns in Europe; Nice, the capital of the Province of the same name, enjoys the finest climate ima- ginable — great numbers of strangers, particularly English, resort thither for the winter, &c. The little principality of Monaco, is situated to the east of Nlce.-~ Population, six thousand six hundred. Island of Sardinia, to the south of Corsica; eighty-one leagues long and 88 broad— traversed from north to south by mountains — the climate ii temperate, but insalubrious — the soil very fertile in grains, rice, wine, oil, oranges, pomegranates, silk, cotton, indigo, &c. — vast forests of chesnut, cork, and other trees — salt pits, mines of lead, iron, silver, &c. There are many cattle and wild animals. — Capital, Cagliari, a place of conii« derable trade. Total popi>lation, four hundred and eighty thousand. Total population of the Sardinian States, four millions three hundred and sixty thousand. GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 179 bject •itical Two ids of d the o fifty [led to om of hat of !st, by I, ne{»i* jhes or (larble, y well h, nu- ccount of ledral of e marble. Aleuan- Nice, the nate iroa- rt thither f Nice.— ^gues long climate is wine* oil, f chetnut, . There of conii* usand. hundred Army of the king of Sardinia, twenty-six thousand men ; Navy, three •hipi of tlr^a line, three frigates, and seven smaller vessels. KINGDOM OF VENETIAN LOMBARDY. 458. Bounded to the north, by Switzerland and the Tyrol; east, by the kingdom of lllyriaand the Gulf of Venice ; south, by the Ecclesiastical States, and the duchies of Modena and Parma 3 and west, by the kingdom of Sardinia. Capital, Milan, a manufacturing and commercial city, which possesses the most magnificent church in Italy, next to St. Peter's at Rome ; an university and many scientific establishments; a great number of palaces, &c. Principal Towns : Venice, formerly a republic, and the first com- mercial city in Europe, built upon piles driven through the sea, and coni- tioied of seventy small islands, separated by canals — gondolas, or light tarki, are used instead of carriages, lor going from one quarter of the city to another. Tiie square of St. Mark, the ducal palace, anciently the re- nidence of the Doges, the church of Santa Maria della Salute, &e., are much admired. Venice is the first port of the Austrian Empire ; Verona, ttie country of Pliny the elder, and Cornelius Nepos— contains the mag- niAcent remains of a Roman amphitheatre, in a good state of preservation, and CO pable of containing twenty-three thousand persons; Padua, which existed twelve centuries before the Christian era, — of its ninety-six churches, that dedicated to St. Anthony is most admired ; Padua was the birth-place of Livy, &c. &c. Population of Venetian Lombardy, four millions two hundred and eighty thousand. This Kingdom comprehends two governments, those ot Milan and Venice ; and is subdivided into seventeen legations. 459. DuciiY OF Parma, On the south side of the Po, situated between the duchy of Modena to the. east, and the kingdom of Sardinia to the west. Capital, Parma, a manutacturing city — the most remarkable of the public buildings is the Farnese palace, constructed of brick, and contain- ing the academy of fine arts, a library, and the largest theatre in Italy ; principal town, Piacenza, which takes its name from its agreeable situation and salubrious climate, — the Campo-Morto is in the vicinity, near to which, Hannibal defeated the Romans at the battle of Trebia. Popula- tion of the duchy, four hundred and fifty-five thousand. i.m 180 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE 460. Ddchy of MASBAf between that of Modena and the Mediterra- nean : this little corner of Italy is one of the finest parts of the country. Capital, Massa, the ancient cathedral of this place was razed to the ground by the Princess Eliza Bacciochi, sister of Napoleon, under the absurd pretence, that the sound of the bells made her melancholy, and the odour of the incense burnt there caused her to cough, the palace being very near the church. Total population^ thirty thousand. 461. Duchy of Lucca, between that of Massa, and the grand ducby of Tuscany. Capital, JLucca, some leagues from the celebrated baths of mineral water, called the " Lucca Baths,*' the temperature of which is forty-five of Reaumur. Total population, one hundred and forty-five thousand. GRAND DUCHY OF TUSCANY. 46s. Bounded by the duchies of Lucca and Modena, the Pope's dominions, and the Mediterranean. — A country celebrated for the richness of its soil, and the beauty of its situation. Capita], Florence, surnamed the Athens of Italy — amongst the numerous edifices it contains, the cathedral commands admiration — Michael Angelo said of it, he did not think it pos- sible to build one more beautiful ; here is also the tomb of the Medicis; the ducal palace contains a superb collection of statues, pictures, precious stones, &c., known throughout Europe as the gallery of Florence, &c. Principal Towks: Leghorn, a port much frequented, the chief article" of trade are straw hats and soap ; its alabaster and coral works are also much esteemed ; Pisa, one of the most ancient towns in Italy, contains a number of public edifices, the most curious is the Leaning Tower, one hundred and ninety feet high, and inclining fifteen feet towards the horizon: it is constructed '-f successive rows of pillars, chiefly of marble ; the Canipo Santo is a cemetery formed of soil, brought from Jerusalem, upon fifty galleys by some sailors of this city, at the time of the third Crusade ; Sienna, capital of the province of the same name was long aa indepen-' dent republic, it has many academies, and an university, &c. Population of Tuscany, one million three hundred and thirteen thou- sand individuals. Three leagues from the coast of Tuscany, is the island of Elba, cele- brated for its mines of iron and the loadstone, quarries of marble, and above all, for having been the residence of Napoleon in 1814. Population, fourteen thousand. GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 181 e; the upon ■usade ; idepen- 468i Titi I'epublio of San Marino, occupies a territory of five square leagUfi oil tittt gulf of Venice — its productions consist principally of wineii tliQ cliitof article of commerce. Population, seven thousand tv^o hufldi'od. DOMINIONS OF THE POPE. 464. Bounded to the north, by the kingdom of Venethm Lonibardy; east, by the Adriatic ; south, by the khigdom of Naples; south-west, and west, by the Mediterranean, the grand duchy of Tuscany, and the duchy of Modena. They are subdivided into three distrleth and thirteen legations. 463. Capital, Rome, upon the Tiber, formerly the most renowned city in the known world, of which ehe mi^ht be termed the mistress ; the richest in an* tique monuments, and in chefs-d*ceuvre of architec- ture, painting, sculpture, 8cc. The city was founded by Uomulu8, in the year 752 before Christ. In the reign of Nero, it contained four millions of inhabi- tuntPi Hlnce that period it has been five times overrun by the Goth?, Vandals, &c. ; and lastly, by the Constable of Bourbon in 1536. The actual population ii at preient only one hundred and fifty-six thousand ; of whonif Ave thousand are Jews. Amongit the ancient edifices of Rome, the Pantheon is conspicuous ; a Htruetuce diitingUJBhed equally for solidity and elegance ; the Colosseum, or Colii€um« an Amphitheatre of Vespasian, capable of containing one hundred thouiand persons ; the tomb of Adrian ; the triumphal arches of Tituif Conitantine, and Septimius Severus ; the temples of Vesta and Qtberi( the baths of Diocletian, Titus, and Caracalla; the columns of Trajan and Antonine ; aqueducts, obelisks, &c. Amengit the modern edifices, the splendid church of St. Peter holds the flrit rank, the largest and most magnificent in the world ; the front of tb@ building Id three hundred and seventy feet broad, and one hundred and forty«nine high, the space before is a large area of an oval form, sur- rounded with a splendid colonnade, the work of the celebrated Bernini. In the middle, between two elegant fountains, stands an Egyptian obelisk, of A lingle piece of granite, seventy-eight feet in height. Next to thii auttuit temple, regarded as the perfection of ancient as well M modern architeoture,nray be ranked the cathedrals of St. Giovanni, s Ii I I -I %\ 182 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE in Laterano, and tbat of Santa Maria Maggiore; the palace of the Vatican contains a rich libraryi and a prodigious collection of manuiicripts, paintings, antiquities, and statues; the Quirinal palace, now the residence of the Pope; the Capitol, the Farnese palace, and many others; public walks, fountains, gates, &c. Rome possesses an university and several colleges ; literary societies, manufactures of silk, velvet, cloth, hats, gloves, spirituous liquors, perfumes, artificial flowers, &c. Painting and sculpture are much cultivated in this city, and an extensive trrtde is carried on in statues, pictures, busts, medallions, &c. 466. Prikcipal Towns: Bologna, the second city in the Pope's domi- nions, and almost equal to Rome in valuable paintings- here are also, two antique towers, even more bending than those of Pisa, an university, a celebrated museum, an observatory, &c. ; Ancona, a commercial port, on the Gulf of Venice ; La Perosa, an ancient town, of which Hannibal attempted the siege; Ravenna, formerly a sea-port, though now two leagues distant from the Mediterranean ; Ferrara, the seat of an univer- sity the Gothic palace of the dukes of Ferrara is much admired ; Civita- Vecchia, the best port in the Pope's dominions, &c. &c. Total population, two millions six hundred and fifty thousand, of whom fifteen thousand are Jews. The army, in 1829, amounted to six thousand men ; the naval force con- sisted of two frigates and eight smaller ships. KINGDOM OF NAPLES. 467. The kingman; the baths of Nero, which are of the heat of boiling water, &c. &o. 469. Prikcipal Towns t The continental towns are : Foggia, where an extensive trade is carried on in grain, preserved in large subterranean vaults ; Tarento, whtnce * considerable quantity of wool is exported ; Reggio, in the vicinity of which place figs and excellent pine apples are raised, and essences sold, particularly those of the citron, orange and bergamotte, &c, 470. CiTist OF Sicily; Palermo, the capital, with a population of one hundred and seventy thousand, contains an university, a large bota- nical garden, a fine cathedral, &c.; and an observatory, from which the Abb^ Piazzi, in 1801, discovered the planet Ceres ; Messina, situated on the strait of the same name, in which were the formidable whirlpools of Scylla and Charybdis, formerly so much di*eaded on the coast — this city wasoverturown by an earthquake in 1788 ; Catania, at the foot of Mount Etna, bai been thrice destroyed by lava, and suffers frequently from eruptions and volcanic shocks, but it is, notwithstanding, one of the most elegant cities in Europe, it has an university and a convent of the Knights of Malta ; Trepani, a sea port town, its exports are salt, soda, coral and alabaster ; Syracuse, formerly a fine and populous city — but now much degenerated, almost all the public buildings and one-fourth of the inhabitants were destroyed in the space of four minutes, by the earthquake of 1693— the famous prison called the Ear of Dionysius, is in this city, hewn out of a rock, and so constructed, that the tyrant might hear whatever was said by the prisoners within. Total population, seven millioni six hundred and sixty thousand. The army in 1826, amounted to thirty thousand men ; the navy, to twenty-five veuels, of which two are ships of the line, and five frigates. 471. Between Sicily and Africa is the island of Malta, strongly for- I! 184 ABRIDGEMENT OF THE tified on all sides, and cultivated with the grea.,e8t care. The soil, however, is so scanty, and so little calculated for raising vegetables, that in order to make gardens, earth is brought over in small vessels from Sicily. The productions of Malta are oranges, lemons, and other exquisite fruits, cotton, indigo, saffron, delicious honey, &c. The south-east wind, called the Sirocco, is sometimes injurious to vegetation, but the climate is healthy. Population, including that of the two small islands adjacent, one hundred thousand. Malta was ceded in 1530, by Charles tiie Fifth, to the formidable Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, whom the Turks had just driven from the island of Rhodes. The French made themselves masters of it in 1798, but in the year 1800 it was blockaded by a British squadron, and forced, through famine to surrender. It is still retained by Great Britain as a naval depot, and is garrisoned by several Regiments of the line. of TURKEY IN EUROPE. 472. Bounded north-west and north, by the empires of Austria and Russia ; east, by the Black Sea and the Bosphorus 5 south, by the Sea of Marmora, the Dardanelles, the Archipelago and Greece; and west, by the Mediterranean and the Adriatic. 473. The civil divisions of Turkey are so arbitrary and so little known, that it is scarcely possible to mark them in a satisfactory manner. They are com- the south, Albania and Romania — the former province comprehends ancient Illyria and Epirus — the latter, Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, and a part of Greece. Since the last treaty of peace concluded between the Turks and the Greeks, it appears that the bountlary line between the two states commences to the north ot the gulf of Lepanto, at the mouth of the Aspropo- tamos, ^lie pncient Achelous) ; runs along this river as far as Varachovi, a distance of about twelve leagues, and thence extends easterly as far as the gulf GEOGRAPHY OP EUROPE. 185 of Zcitiin, opposite the north-west point of the island of Negropont. 474. Mountains, Rivgus, &c. : The Haenius, or Balkan chain, traverses Turkey from Croatia as far as the borders of the Black Sea, and is connected with the mountains of Transylvania; about the centre commences a second chain which extends southerly, and to which belong all the principal mountains of Greece, namely : the Olympus, Pindus, Parnassus, Athos, &c. In general, if we except the northern part, which contains vast plains, the soil of Turkey in Europe is very mountainous. The rivers are, the Danube and its tributaries ; the Marissa and the Var- dar, falling into the Archipelago ; and the Drin, into the Adriatic. The coasts are intersected with bays, gulfs, and straits, that afford numerous facilities to commerce, but which the Turks neglect to profit by. 475. Climate and Pjioductions : The climate is mild, although in Moldavia the thermometer some- times falls as low as twenty degrees. The soil is rich, but badly cultivated ; the productions the same as those of Italy in a similar latitude, but the olive and orange trees will not succeed beyond the fortieth pa- rallel, except in low parts, and on the sea coast. — Tobacco and cotton are the principril productions of Macedonia and the north of Greece. The vine is every where cultivated j and fruit trees abound in the valley of the Danube. There are important salt pits, and mines of iron and copper ; those of gold and silver are not explored. Horses, cattle, sheep and goats are reared in almost every part of the empire, and the culture of bees is much attended to. Asses and mules are not inferior to those of Italy. The mountains are filled with roe-bucks, deer» wild boars, &c. ; and thoi S 2 ! I I 186 ABRIDGBMBNT OF THR ■horei of the Danube are infested by woWet, which ihelter tbenuclrei among the reeds of the lakes and moraues communicating with the same. Partridges, bustards, and other kinds of game, are very numerous, and of an exquisite flavor. Walachia is famed for a kind of green wax, made by bees smaller than the ordinary species. Tapers of this wax exhale when burning a very agreeable perfume. 476. Commbhcb: In silk, grains^ wines^ woollens, cotton, gold, silver, &c., precious stones, brought from Asia; bees wax, honey, leather, carpets, muslins, crapes, gauzes, silk and cotton stuffs, bayonets, fire-arms, copper^ furs, camePs hair, drugs, spices, &c. &c. The handicraft and internal trade of Turkey are almost exclusively in the hands of the Jews, Armenians, and Greeks. The foreign trade is conducted generally by means of veisels from other ports* 477* Capital, Constantinople, called by the Turks, Stamboul, built on the site of ancient Byzantium by Constantine, who gave its name, and transported thi- ther, A. D. 360, the seat of the Roman Empire. This city, the situation and environs of which are much admired, occupies a triangular promontory divided into seven hills; its circumference is nine thousand eight hundred fathoms ; and its vast and magnificent port affords a safe asylum for more than twelve hun- dred vessels. It is said to contain six hundred mosques, one hundred and thii*ty public baths, five hundred and eighteen superior schools, thirty-five public libraries, eighty-seven thousand houses, badly built of earth and wood, in narrow, ill-paved streets, and four hun- dred thousand inhabitants. Those who are not either Mussulmans, or Mahometans, may not remain in the city, but reside, as do also the foreign Ambassadors, in the suburbs. The finest edifices in Ck)n8tantinopIe are, the Seraglio, and the church of St. Sophia, constructed in the tenth century by Justinian, and now constructed into a mosque. Conflagrations are of frequent occurrence ; and the plague breaks out almost every year. GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 187 478. Principal Towns : Adrianople, on the Ma- ri88a, is the second city in Turkey, and was tlie resi- dence of tlie i:$ultans until the taking of Constantinople; Salonica, the best and most frequented port next to that of Constantinople ; Bucharest, the residence of the Hospodar of Walachia^ vassal of the Grand Seignior ; a st.'ong and commercial city — boards or planks arc used in the streets instead of pavements ; J assy, is in like manner paved with boards, it is the residence of the Hospodar of Moldavia; Bosna-Serai, or Serajevo, the capital of Bosnia, bus very extensive manufactures of fire-arms, &c. ; iSophia, the principal city of Bulgaria, on the road from Belgrade to Con- stantinople; Shumla and Widdin, important for- tresses in the same province; Belgrade, in Servia, celebrated in the annals of war — the centre of trade between Germany and Hungary on the one side, Constantinople and Salonica on the other, &c. &c. 479. Population, nearly eight millions and a half, composed of Turks, Greeks, Albanians, Servians, Bosnians, Bulgarians, Walachians, Moldavians, Jews, Zigeunes, or Bohemians, &c. The number of Maho- metan Turks is about three millions; that of the Jews three hundred thousand; the rest are Christians, principally of the Greek church. The total popuktion of the Ottoman empire, including that of the Asiatic provinces, the Turkish islands, and Egypt, amounts to twenty-four millions, principally Mussulmans. The Ottoman army, in 1829, numbered two hundred and seventy^eight thousand men ; the navy, before the battle of Navarino, two hundred and eighty-five vessels. 480. Government: The Turks are governed by an emperor, with the title of Sultan, or Grand Seignior, and exercises the most absolute authority, His Cabinet Council is called the Divan, his Court, the Sublime Porte; his Palace, the Seraglio; and the •I i' 11 1 88 ABRIDOBMBNT OK TUB habitation of his wives, the Harem. His principal Ministers are the Grand Vizier, wlio is his Lieutenant General, and tlic Keii^-Effendi, who directs the foreign affairs. The governors of provinces are styled Pachas, Tliey cause tlie insignia of their power to be carried before them, viz : horses tails at*aul*e(>. to a banner. The number of tails indicate the e\tent of their autliority ; the Pachas with three tails are the most powerful, and have the power of life and death throughout their jurisdiction. The Mufti, is the chief priest, or head of their religion, and supreme interpreter of the laws. All subjects of the empire who are not Mussulmans pay a tax, for the permission of living there. GREECE. 481. The new state of Greece, situated to the south of Turkey, comprehends Livadia, or the coun- tries anciently known by the names of iEtolia, Phocis, Bceotia, and Attica ; the peninsula of the Morea ; the island of Negropont, (anciently Euboea) ; and lastly, the Gyclades, and .some other islands of the Archi- pelago. The Greeks shook off the Turkish yoke in 1820. The obstinate and bloody struggle, however, which they had to maintain, did not terminate until 1829, by the intervention oF England, France, and Russia. At this epoch, their independence was admitted by the Porte, and other European States. But this unhappy lation appears still to be a prey to great poli- tical dissensions. In 1829, it was divided into thirteen departments, seven of which are continental, and six insular. 482. Mountains, &c. Greece is in general moun- tainous. Every diversity of tlui'nte is there experienced, tlie same as in Italy, sec /ding 'j the elevation of the soil. Some oi ihe highest moun- tains are constantly covered with snow, whilst in low situations and in tlie islands all the productions of Sicily and the Spanish peninsula come to perfec- tion : pine more are c: pest it next ( cottoi iron, ] flocks and a Theh K'M^s 01 Them extreme other. 483. wool, I 484. turc at most i gives i Austrij Turkis heroic Jionian Morea- Greece 1831; Misitra tantSt moniaii Navari France fleet in cmogiiapiiy of buropk. 189 tiunt eign yled ;i* to to H lit of I the leatli s the rcme npire issiuii o the coun- hocis, I ; the lastly, Vrchi- late and erminate At tliii uropean «at poU- its, seven moun- there J the nioun- ilst ill ictions perfec- tion : principally rice, maize, cotton, oliveK, oranges, pine apples, &c. The temperature of the islands is more equal than that of the continent. Many part«« are exposed to the -S/rocxv, which sometimes proves pestilential. The nio!>t impurtunt ohjects of culturcj next to grain, are the vine, the olive, mulherry and cotton plants. There are some mines of gold, silver, iron, lead, hrass, &c. Many rich pastures ; numerous flocks of sheep, having wool of a very tine quality ; and a great abundance of game and tish. The boney of Attica has been always much celebrated, as well as the CI .|)es of Cui'iiith and some other parts. The marble of the island of Faros is well known for its splendor and extreme whiteneu. Sculptors formerly used it in preference to any other. 483. Commerce : Wines, olive oil, cotton, silk, grain, the grapes of Corinth, figs, oranges, lemons, wool, honey, cheese, &c. 484. Towns: Athens, formerly the seat of litera- ture and the arts, and the birth-place of some of the must illusti'ious men in Greece; Lepanto, which gives its name to the gulf in which Don Juan of Austria, in 1571, gained a famous victory over the Turkish fleet; MissolongSii, rendered f; nous by the heroic defence of the Greeks, in 1826 ; Napoli di Romania, one of the most important ))laces of the Morea — the count Capo d*Istria, first President of Greece, was assassinated there the 9th of October, 1831 ; Tripolizza, built on the ruins of Mantinea; Misitra, near ancient 8parta ; Maina, whose inhabi- tants» called Mainotes, descend from the LacedaB- monians ; Napoli di Malvasia, famed for its wines ; Navarino, where the combined fleets of England, France and Kussia, defeated the Turkish Egyptian fleet in 182/ j Patras, a commercial city, &c. 190 ABRIDGEMENT OP Tt!m i 4S5. Population, about one million five hundred tliou.sand, composed of members of the Greek church, Roman Catholics, Armenians, and Jews; the tirst mentioned are the most numerous (a). 486. Natural Curiositiss : The labyrinth of Gortyna, in the island of Candia, (Crete). This is a vast cave, which by a thousand windings, similar to subterranean streets, extends under a hill situated at the foot of Mount Ida, on the southern side. Amidst an infinity of- roads which le^d only to some recess or rock — one principal route is found, about twelve hundred paces long ; seven or eight feet high, and covered over by a bed of horizontal rocks. The surface of the ground is even. The walls are cut perpendicularly or constructed of stones heaped one upon another.— About the middle of the principal alley, is a place where it is necessary to walk on hands and feet for the distance of one hundred paces, but which leads at length to a large and splendid hall, at the extremity of the laby- rinth. 2d. The grotto of Antiparos, in the island of that name. At the entrance, it appears only an ordinary rustic cavern, but on advancing, dreadful precipices present themselves ; these are descended by means of a cable, or sliding on the back down rocks, some dark hollow recesses are crossed on ladders ; till at length the grotto is reached. It is said to be three hundred fathoms below the surface of the earth, the grotto is forty fathoms high, and fifty broad ; and is ornamented with the most beautiful italactites. In other parts of the country some curiouS caverns are met with, fossil remainsi hot springs, subterranean rivers, &c. &c. IONIAN ISLANDS, OR REPUBLIC OP THE SEVEN ISLANDS. 487. These islands situated on the western coast of Greece, after being successively subject to the Venetians, Turks, Russians and French, are now formed into one state called independent, but in reality no more than an English colony, with an aristocratic constitution. There modern names are, Corfu, Faxo, Santa Maura, Cephalonia, Ithaca, or Tbiaki, 2 XMD OF THB G£OGRAFUY OF EUROPK. «... .-.».•; »;. ;VEN ter being encb, are more than modern ir Thiaki, inal rain ; ble winds rocky and mgea, and les in the bundance ame as in I strongly ..''• I 1 BiBtitutional f Bavariai *»fJ