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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. irrata to pelure, nd D 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 A f biblioth^nv^o, Le St^minGi: dJ>./^ /Jc.3C, 2, rue de Wj^.v^^i'^dh^ pu^c 4, QUF4 HISTORICAL, TOPOGRAPHICAL, AND DESCRIPTIVE VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ANr OF UPPER AND LOWER CANADA. WITH AN APPENDIX, Containing a brief and comprehensive Skct,:>. of TH£ PRESENT STATE OF MEXICO AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND /LSO OF THE »^»IV. ,.,B«. „ ,„. ^^^ ^^^^^ COLLECTED, ARRANGED, AND DIGESTED, BV E.^ACKENZIE, , r-v' • 'A^ C./^ of Hash,ngio„, and seven Jne Enf^ar'' ^ SECOND EDITION. Hontion : fVBLimSDBY O. VIRTUE, 20, IVY LANS PX«r^»^g ^ 'j£. ^^ 1830. o i\fl cr *v ■'*tMu ^ -^ o X t s Mmmi V^ IT -V^ - l»•7^. Cat" mri* 'ta. f«4a ^'•^atrmts ~Tf. ' "^^ ■'"2^:3 j«//ia »,„ ■^*'v3v,jfe ■1 A '*»«>». rr Zf^-'W^ ./^ ..y. S^A!^S^aM»ir^£^-3?>K' ^•^i,-^^ir7::if." C^V».^.»' f' r Lilvw^Ar^ '^r^-5«»«'»>' j'iii'/.^ vC^-fl^:". .x. 7" 'J ^yhiihip mi i« K«i*«»^ ^1 ir.T«»»»« I c;k| ledodni !« y^^utf i 1, \Wf«—M 'nbvrrln'D ^"-^ 41 4« 38 iaBssimiim»te»!SiikiM ■ssmr^mfVia^A ^ rS'i'i 3a 'jX-TTTi'- ^ -jrerJo¥ /Tnwu 1^; ./"'*<»::. fu/i^t •iti. w%i \^jM'>yMi'^ '^-ttK,. \trltb U^ik/ 36 /^^i/fnir , »5 ,Sit y^\tJi,£tu,fj , 3Z #(; / 3o Iv-ifr*,,. "sX ^^^f-f ^VWW~JF ^jF MB jij-^e (tf 9I*» 8o ■fSTt^s^mfriuaUi iMmc^^'imBH''t.eMtua'9i: piHiotheoi^^- rf-r^"\y^ Qaet>eg ±i :*i.V>- PREFACE. America, j>ince she conquered her independence, has risen into importance with a rapidity unparal- leled in the iiistory of mankind. In her plains and forests an industrious, enterprising, and intelligent population are daily creating new and extensive communities, and exhibiting the whole mystery of the generation as well as the growth of nations. The spectacle is imposing and instructive, notwith- standing the senseless ravings of animosity, or the affected sneers of a despicable enmity. This marvellous empire already embraces a range of territory above thirty times the extent of Great Britain ; and will, within one hundred and twenty years, if population increases in the same ratio as it has lately done, contain upwards of four hundred millions of human beings ! Yet, even then it would not be equally populous with England. Without -t»Mr» Tinte iv PREFACE. supposing tlie intervention of some great and im probable poH.iea. convulsion, no rational argute:; ?' ^ "'■«""• "'■y "- -P't-O and populftion o n iUreT"; '°""' ""' P-8--ei; accumulate. uo L 1 ^Zy ""'"' °' "■^'' '^""^ -<» ""oc- cupied land be brought into cultivation •Where.' exclaims a popular journalist, Ms this prod,g,„„s mcrease of numbers, this vast extension of domm,on, to end? What bounds has Nature set to the progress of this mighty nation ? Let our jealousy burn as it may; let our intolerance of America be as unreasonably violent as we please- t.ll .t .s plam that she is a power, in spite of us* rapidly nsmg to supremacy ; or, at least, that each year so mightily augments her strength, as to over- take by a most sensible distance, even the most formidab e of her competitors. In foreign com »erce, she comes nearer to England than any other maritime power; and already her mercantile navy .s within a few thousand tons of our own ' If she goes on as rapidly for two or three years, she must overtake and outstrip us.' But instead of viewing every step America ad- vanees m renown with absurd and groundless dis- may, England ought to rejoice in the growing strength and happiness of her daughter, who ha! become respectable and glorious by exercising the virtues of her parent. Their interests, whether moral, pohfcal, or commercial, are inseparablv '**"*"*r*'*«tJ-...«Hi*, ...1 PEEFACE. it and im- argument ulation of Jcumulate, and unoc- , *h this extension IS Nature Let our ?rance of e please; te of us, hat each to over- he most ^n com- »y other le navy If she le must ica ad- sss dis- rowing ho has ig the hether arablv united;* and should hordes of barbarians again threaten the existence of liberty and civilization in the west of Europe, America may become the right arm of British strength, or perhaps the last asylum of British liberty. 'When the nation,' says Dr. Smollett, *is enslaved by domestic despotism, or foreign dominion; when her substance is wasted, her spirit broken, and the laws and constitution of England are no more ; then these colonies, sent off by our fathers, may receive and entertain their sons, as hopeless exiles and ruined refusees. The writer has no intention of exhibiting emi- gration in a tempting and illusive point of view. Such attempts are certainly blameable, though their consequences are far from being alarming; for, under ordinary circumstances, the emigrants from any community must always bear a small proper- tion to the whole population. After all, says Dr. Smith, man is of all luggage the most difficult to be transported. *In truth, he takes such root wherever^ has been planted, that, long after al- most all nourishment has been extracted from it, we find him cling to the bare rocks, and rather * The eminent importance of the American trade is evinced by the fact, that of the whole exports from the United States in 1816 one half went to Great Britain and her dominions ; and in 1815 the amount of goods imported was eighty-six millions of dollars, of which seventy-one millions was imported from Great Britain and her dependencies ! ,1N» ._i^B;)=- rnEFACE. i wither tli^n be torn away, ft is in vain to remind Inin how bleak tlie sky, how scanty the nutriment, how exposed to tempests the position. We find him rebuilding his cottage upon the half-cooled lava M/iiick has swept all his possesions away, and obsti- nately refusing to quit a spot of earth which the perpetual conflicts of the elements hardly leave at rest for a day.' He knows all his privations, his sufferings, his risks; but he deems it all not too high a price for the endearing idea of home — the love of country — and the thousand ties of society and friendship. Thus has Providence, by a power- fid instinct, provided against an excess of emigration. Let not the dissipated, the ambitious, the petu- lent, or the discontented, deceive themselves, and wander into other climates and situations in search of happiness. • The wilds of America will yield no repose to their perturbed spirits. The fiends will migrate with them.' However, the industrious labourer, the mechanic, the farmer, the man of moderate capital, and the father of a family who feels solicitous about settling Lis children ; in short, all those who are prepared to encounter the numerous privations and incoive- niences of emigration, in order to enjoy the p\ v and acknowledged advantages which America ollliS to adventurers, will find this work a Faithful ANT? Useful Guide. And this is extremely diffi- cult ob^ais^, notwithstanding the numerous, ex- i b^iii,j.iHa. *rlt*i4!.**— — ., im \ i! PR£FAC£. VII pensive, and valuable works recenflv published on the subject. Travellers ana emigrants have viewed America with different feelings. Some observe every object with delight and admiration, while others experience all the chagrin of disappointment. It, however, has been the aim of the editor to com- pare with candour the contradictory evidence of different writers, and to draw such conclusions as the case seemed to justify. The editor has also paid particular attention to the rate of wajres and of the markets, the expences of living, the comparative advaiitages of different states and settlements, and the cautions necessary to be observed by new settlers. The present state of the wealth and resources, and of the commercial regulations of the United States, is drawn entirely from authentic docunents. The judicious reader will readily appreciate the attention and diligence employed in compiling this work, and acknowledge the value of the original matter which it contains ; and which embraces the substance of upwards of one hundred letters lately received by different individuals from their corres- pondents in America. Some gentlemen have been in the habit of collecting copies of interesting letters from the New Worid; and the liberality with which the editor has been fiivoured with the loan of their MSS. merits liis best thanks, and will in the proper place be acknowledged. vni rilEFACK. In collecting, materials for this compilation, the editor has consulted every recent and valuable pub. lication on the present state of North America, and to which references will occasionally be made Ex elusive of the information derived through private channels, he has been most indebted to the following able and instructive works, viz.— Morse's American Geography Maclure's Geology of the United States of America. Imlay and Filson's Account of Kentucky Grej's iMters IVom Canada, 1806, 7. and 8 Bnsteds Resources of tlie United States ^tll^il^'r"' ";'. ".r"'"'^ "■"•"«'' *» "»■■'«' states ^r I8I8, 't:t^-::orc:„''„r„rr8t^^----p«-e Moms Birkbeck-s Notes on a Journey in' ALrica, "s,": ■ ■ — Letters from the Illinois, 1818. l^earon's Sketches in America, 1818. '/. CONTENTS. South America ." Jg Nation of America . 25 Boundaries . Extent Divisions Climate Seasons Face of the Country Agriculture . Rivers UNITED STATES. 35 Cataracts 36 Canals S7 Forests 39 Swamps 40 Mineralogy ?; Jl^^Jneral Waters 41 Botany 42 Zoology ib. Natural Curiosities STATES AND TERRITORIES. Extent and Boundarieis l;ace of the Country Rivers ' Manners, &c. Chief Towns New England. 80 Natural Productions ■A^ew Hampshire. nf I'"?.'^? «nrn limit of America from the lUd deg. of north latitude ; a space of VM dcg. In houth America the greatest breadth is from cajx' Blanco in the west to St. Koque in the east, which, according to the l>est maps, ,s 48 tleg. Hut in the north the breadth may be computed from the j^romontory of Alaska to the most ear.ten, lunnt of Labrador, or even of CJrecnIand, which would imd more than a third part of the estimate. In British miles the length of America may be estimated at 8800 ;. and the breadth of North America at 4400, and that ot the southern continent at 3200. XORTH AMERICA. Climate— The climate of North America is extremely va^ nous, as may be ccmceived in a region extending from the vicinity of the equator to the arctic circle. In general, the heat of summer, and the cold of winter, are more intense than m most parts of the ancient continent. The predominant winds are here from the west; and the severest cold is from the north-west. The middle provinces are remarkable for the unsteadiness of the weather, particularly the quick transitions from heat to cold. Snow falls plentifully in Virginia, but sel- dom bes above a day or two; yet after a mild, or even warm day, James river, where it is two or three miles in breadth, ha.s m one night been clothed with ice, so as to be passed by travellers. Such surprising alterations seem to proceed from the sudden change of the wind to the north-west. The pro- vinces of South Carolina and Florida are subject to unsuffcra- ble heat, furious whirlwinds, hurricanes, tremendous thunder, sa.„ OF ami: RICA. 11 and fatal lightnings; ami tlie sudden changes of the weather are alike pernicious to the human frame. A violent tuffoon happened near Charlestown in 1761, appeann 4N* OF AMERTCA. u May, and iunil)er of ', but the ree inches Enghsh ation, the )crmis8ion ! are also of Nova ard 1050 as well as tous, and avis' gulf id proba- tish miles 1, consti- lic sea of Is about breadth, iiference. x;ks and and the 3 several miles in sidences lis lake, turgeon said to Canada , about 'o miles remity, e pros- ^ expanse ! waves The circumference of that part called lake Huron is said to Ix; about 1000 miles; and on the northern side are some island* called Mauatulan, implying the place of spirits. Another short strait leads into tlie third lake, called Michauan, also navigable for ships of any burthen. When the population of North America shall have diffused itsi-lf towards the west, these lakes may become i.lie seata of flourishing cities, and of arts and sciences now unknown in Europe. Their latitude corresponds with that ol' the IJlack sea and tlie gulf of Venice; nor are the rigours of the Baltic here to be apprehended! From the descriptions, it does not appear that these lakes are ever impeded with ice. The lake of Winnipeg or Winipic may also well aspire to the name of an inland sea: but it yields considerably to the great Slave lake, or ra.'her sea, a recent discovery, from which Mackenzie's river extends its course to the Arctic ocean. The Slave sea, according to Mr. Arrowsmith's maps, is about 200 miles in length, by 100 at its greatest breadth. The smaller lakes shall be briefly described in the divisions of territory to which they belong. It may here suftice to ob- serve, that there are probably above 200 lakes of considerable size m North America; a singularity which distinguishes it from any other portion of the globe. Rivers.— A\l the features of nature in America are upon a grand scale. The rivers are peculiarly noble. The source of the Mississippi has been traced to thrve small lakes above lat 47 deg. and it enters the sea in lat. 29 deg. after a comparative course of about 2000 British milts. Nay, of late, the so nves of the Missouri (the chief stream) have been detected abuut 3000 British miles more remote. The account of this noble river shall he transcribed from a recent system of Amtrican geography, by Mr. Morse, who must have had several oppor- tunities of being well informed. ' The Mississippi receives the waters of the Ohio and Illi- nois and their numerous branches f,„m the east; and of the Missouri and other rivers from the west. These mighty streams united are borne down with increasing majestj^ through vast forests and meadows, and discharged into the J 14 GENEKAL VIEW M, I I! I gulf of Mexico. The j:^eat Icnot], and uncommon (ler)th of tins nvcr, says Mr. Hutchins, and the excessive muddiness and sulnbnous quality of its water after its junction with the Missouri, are very singular. The direction of the ciiannel is so crooked, th.it from New Orleans to the mouth of the Ohio a distance which does not exceed 460 miles in a straieht line' IS about 856 by water. ' ' In the spring floods, the Mississippi is very high, and the current so strong, that it is with difficulty it can be ascended; but this disadvantage is remedied in some measure by eddies or counter currents, which are generally found in the bends close to the banks of the river, and assist the a.scending boats. Ihe current at tJus season descends at the rate of about five miles an hour. In autumn, when the waters are low, it does not run faster than two miles ; but it is rapid in such parts of t^ie nvcr as have clusters of islands, shoals, and .sand banks. 1 he circumference of n,any of these shoals being several miles, tiie voyage is lonocr, and in some places more dangerous, than in the spring. The merchandise necessary for the commerce of the Upper Settlements, on or near the Missi.ssippi, is con- veyed in the spring and autumn, in batteaux, rowed by eighteen or twenty men, and carrvin^- about 40 tons. From New Orleans to the Illinois the voyage is commonlv performed ui eight or ten weeks. A prodigious number of i;iands, some of winch are of great extent, intersperse that misrhty river Its waters, after overflowing its banks below the river Ibber ville on the east, and the river Itouge on the west, never re- turn within them again, there being many outlets or streams by winch they are conducted into the bay of Mexico, more especially on the west side of the Mississippi, dividin.r the country into numerous islands. These shigularitics distiiKruish It from every other kiu.wn river in the world. The island of New Orleans, and the lands opposite, are to all ap})earaiice of no long date, having evidently been formed bv the mud and trees carried down the river, and having an appearance similar to the Delta in 3'-gypt. * Nothing can be asserted with certainty respecting the length of the river. Its source is not known, bqt supposed to be on depth of nruddincss on with tl)e i channel is f the Ohio, raight line, :h, and the ascended ; by eddies, the bends ding boats, about five nv, it does I'h parts of md banks, eral miles, rous, than I'onnnerce |>i, is con- rowod by IS. From ;)ertbrjnod ids, soniu hty river, er Ibber- nevcr re- •r streams ico, more idinipal river, contributing more to the common stream than does the Mis! sissippi. ' The slime, which the annual floods of the river Mississippi leave on the surface of the adjacent shores, may be compared wuh that of the Nile, which deposits a similar manure, and for many centuries past has insured the fertility of E^rypt When its banks shall have been cultivated, as ihe ex^eJlency of its soil and temperature of the climate deserve, its population will equal that of any other part of the world. The trade, wealth, and power of America may at some future period depend, and perhaps centre, upon the Mississippi. Whoever will for a moment cast his eye over a map of the toun of New Orieans and the m.mense country around it, and view its advantageous situation, must be convinced that it, or some place near it tririd^'"'" "^ '^'" ^"'"'^ "" "' '^' S-atest marts in ' The Ohio is a most beautiful river. Its current crontle waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocls an.l lipids, a single instance only excepted. It is one quarter of a mile wide at ort Pitt; 500 yards at the mouth of the .reat Kanaway; l^oo yards at Louisville; and the rapids htlf mile m some tew places below Louisville; but its general breadth does not exceed Got) ,.,...rk. t i • * is nnf 4.00 1 , ^ ' ^" '"""' P'"^'^'" '^S width ■s not 400 and in one place particularly, far below the rapids, It IS less than iM). Its breadth in one place exceeds Im yards; and at us jimction with Hie Mississippi, nvithor river 's more than 900 yards wide.' n 16 GENERAL VIEW ^^' I; 1^^ I Mr. MoMc Ntntua the prt'cifio mt'RRviremciit of the length of the onio, with all its windings, from fort Pitt to itn junction with the MiHsi«8ip|)i, amounting to 1188 miles. The inun- dationN conmionly hegin with April, and subside in July. A vewel drawing t\*elvo feet woter might safely navigate fitim Pittsburg to the seo. Two great rivers imite to form the Ohio, namely, the Mcmongahela and the Allegany, both of them subNervicnt to navigation. From this it api)ears that the Missouri is the ehief river of what is ealled the Mississippi. Charlevoix has described the conriueneo as the grandest m the world. Each river is about half a league in breadth ; but the Missouri is the broadest and most rapid ; and Mr. Hutchins observes, that the natives still call it Mesehasipi. The same author adds, that the Mis. Boun ' allbrds a more extensive navigation, ond is a longer, broader, and icd to the river issuing from lake Ontario; while the Nigara, which flows from the lake Erie, is regarded as a dis- tinct stream. The length of the St. Lawrence may therefore be above 700 British miles, the breadth being the grand characteristic. The other chief rivers in North America are the Saskashawin, the Athabasca, tlif Unjiga or Mackenzie's river, the Rio Bravo, which flows into the gulf of Mexico; that of Albany, which joins Hudson's bi»y : Nelson river and Churchill river are also considerable streams which flow into that sea; but their geo- graphy is far from being perfect. The same observation must bo extended to the Oregjui, or great river of the west, which OF AMERICA. 17 roiilincd by n clinin of mountuiiis, runs soutli, till by n western btMid it join the Pacific. Hut the (hHCovery of the wcHtern rc- gioiiH of America may cliscloHc some considerable HtreamH in that quarter. Mmntnim.—Tlu' centre of North America seems to present o vast fertile plain, watered by the Missouri and its auxiliary streams. On the west, so far as jli-scovered, a ran^e of moun- tains proceeds from New Mexico in a northern direction, and joins the ridge called the Stoney mountains, which extend to the vicuiity of the o>'ctic «)ceon. The Stoney mountains are said to be about {J50() feet above their base, which may per- haps I)e ,'iOOO feet above the sea. In general, from the ac- counts of navigators who have visited this coast, it seems to resemble that of Norway, being a wide alpine country «f great extent; while the shore, like that of Norway, presents innu- merable creel and islands. This alpine tract, from the vStoney mountains aid Mackenzie's river westwards to the source of the Oregan ond Heering's strait, may perhaps contain the highest mountains in North America, when explored by the eye of science. On the jiorth-eusl, Greenland, Labrador, and the countries arcnind Hudson sea, present irregular masses covered with eternal snow, with black nuked peaks, resembling in form the spires of the Alps, but of far interior elevation, mountains generally decreasing in heig'it Upwards the pole. Mr. Mackenzie observes, that a high ridge passes south-west from the coast of Labrador to the source of the Iftawas, divid- ing the rivers that fall into the St. Lawrence and Hudson's bay. The Stoney mountains run jjarallel with the Pacific (Hiean from Cook's tiilry to the river Cv)luinbia, where they are more distant from the coast and less elevated. The m«»st celebrated mountains in North America are those called the Apalachian, passing through the territory oi the United States from the south-west to tlie north-east. Accord- ing to the best maps, they ct>mntence on the north of Georgia, where they give source to many rivers running south to the gulf of Mexico; and to the Tencssee and other rivers running north. There are siveral collateral ridges, as tlie Iron or Hald mountains, the White Oak mountains, and others; the exte- 18 (iKNEUAL VIEW i: Thp A n "T"'"^''* ^'"« '^' Cun,be.rlu,„l mountains The Apaiachmn Cham thence extends through the western erntory of Virginia accompanied with its collateral r dge he breadth of t e whole being often 70 miles, and pn,cS thrcHigh Pennsylvanm; then passes Hudson ri;er ; aid after M^ards rises to more elevation, but seems to expire n the coun try of New Brunswick. The chief summits ^ar o be in : CZ ""' ^r^^^-P^'^-' -•-- the Wht mounJi are by some reported to be 9000 feet above the sea Rnf if njay well be afHrmed that they cannot much exted 4000 fl ^f theltZn ''' ^'''''''' " ""'' '-' «'- ^'^ ^^^y rJh" 'V'''"''""" f '"•" ""'"y ^''"^ ^^^^^ about 900 geogra- excep the Norwegian alps. In no chain perhaps are the col lateral ndges more distinct; and a naturalist would at once pronounce that the central, or highest, must be granitic the nex sclustose, and the exterior belts calcareous, "^^r^gh ed mt probably does not exceed 3000 feet above the sea- nnd they are often clothed with forests. The mountains in the i.sth.nus, as well as those in the west ern part of North America, are certainly of far superior elTa contments, the highest mountains are towards the west, as their most precipitous sides uniformly front the west and sot th But o the isthmus, the kingdom of Mexio, and CahZ « in ^Z\'V^1 """"' ''"'''"« '•"^ P^^""^'- ^^«t"re8 of nature in Jie North American continent. The botany, mineralo J and ^ocilogy of this grand division of the New ^"7; lit SOUTH AMERICA. C/hmf c.~~Thc boundaries and extent of this division of tho "- continent have been already explained. TtTmaL tf >. OF AMERICA. 10 moiinlains. 10 westeru ral ridges, i proceeds and after- i the coun- r to be in mountains a. But it 1000 feet : he futility geogra- Jountains, •e the col- 1 at once nitic, the he height ascertaiti- the sea; the west- or eleva- and new west, as id south. ihfbrnia, 5 clearly f nature eralogy, will be r of the 1 of the maty of the southern extremity, extending far beyond tiiat of Africa, is exposed to all the horrors of the antarctic frosts ; and Terra del Euego in the south lat. of 55 deg. seems exposed to the almost perpetual winter of Greenland in norlii lat. 70 dog. Patagonia, consisting mostly of open deserts and savannas, with a few willow trees oti the rivers, seems to enjoy a tempe- rate but rather cool climate. On proceeding towards the north, the great chain of the Andes constitutes real zones and climates, which strangely contradict the theories of ancient geographers ; the chief inconveniences of the torrid zone being extreme cold on the mountains, and extreme moisture in the plains. Near Callao the months of October and November form the spring. In Peru what is called summer is the dry season, often extremely cold ; and the rainy season is called winter. The former begins in May, which is nearly the be- ginning of winter in the lower parts, and continues till Novem- ber, when the slight fogs, called winter in the vales, begin to disperse. On the mountains winter begins in December, which in the plains is the first month of summer; and a journey of four hours conducts the traveller from one season to another. At Quito, situated between two chains of the Andes, on a plain of remarkable elevation, the month* from September to May or June constitute the winter, and the other months the sum- mer ; the former being exposed to almost constant rains, which are also frequent, but at longer intervals, during the summer season. At Carthagena the winter, or rainy season, extends, on the contrary, from May to November; and the sunimer, or dry season, from December to iVpril. At Panama the summer begins rather later, and ends sooner. At Lima, in a southern latitude corresponding with the northern of Cartha- gena, the heat is far more moderate ; and spring begins with December, winter with July : the sunmier is in February, the autumn in May. In general, the Cimfined regions on the west of the Andes are dry, the clouds being arrested by their summits ; while the wide countries on the east of the chain are exposed to tor- rents of rain, from the eastern or trade winds blowing over the Atlantic. In Iba/il the rainy season begins in March or GENERAL VIEW II E( tit I H April, and ends in August, when the spring begins, or rather the summer ; the distinction being only between wet and dry seasons. Lakes.-^No part of the globe displays so great a number of lakes as North America; and the soutiifrn part of the new continent is perhaps equally remarkable by their rarity. Many supposed lakes, as that of Zarayos or Sharayos, in the course of ihp river Paraguay, only exist during the annual inunda- tions, which are on a far grander scale than those of the Gan- ges, and may be said to deluge whole provinces. In the most northein part the lagoon of Macaraybo is remarkable, being a circular bason about 100 British miles in diameter, receiving numerous rivers and rivulets, and communicating with the sea by a considerable creek. The celebrated lake Parima, called also Paranapitinca, or the White sea, is represented by La Cruz as more than 100 British miles in length by 50 in breadth. This size, and even its existence, have been doubted, as it was the seat of the noted city El Dorado, the streets of which were paved with gold ; a fable which seems to have arisen from a rock of talc reflecting, like a mirror, the golden rays of the sun. In Amazonia and Brazil there do not appear to be any lakes of consetpience. That of Titiaca, in the kingdom of Peru, is regarrled as the most important in South America. Ullna says that it is of an oval figure, the circumference about 240 miles ; and the depth 70 or 80 fathoms. It receives ten or twelve rivers and several rivulets; but the water, though not saline, is nauseous, being probably tainted with sulphur or bitumen. It contains two kinds of fish, and is frequented by geese and wild fowl. In an isle of this lake. Mango Capac, the founder of the Peruvian monarchy, reported that the sun, his father, had placed him, with his sister, and consort, Oello ; and here a temple was dedicated to the sun, the most splendid in the kingdom, and profusely decorated with plates of gold and silver. On the Spanish invasion, these treasures are said to have been thrown into the lake. A few small lakes are found near the course of the river Parana ; and towards the south of Chili there are .some of considerable size. OF AMERICA. 21 Rivers. — The river of Amazons, so called from a female tribe inured to arms, discovered on its banks by the first navi- gators, but more properly by a native term, the Maranon, is celebrated as the most distinguished river, not only in South America, but in the whole world : and this reputation is no doubt just, when its magnitude is considered. The source is not yet absolutely ascertained. The original and proper Ma- ranon is supposed to be the Apuriinac, which joins another large river west of the great lake Titicaca, south lat. 16 deg. 30 min. This noble river, in struggling through the Andes, must afford many striking scenes still lost to scientific observa- tion, Ulloa calculates the course of the Maranon at 3300 miles ; but it is probably much more. Like the Missouri and St. Lawrence, the Maranon is discoloured with mud. The breadth at the Portuguese boundary is said to be a league, but it is generally about two miles; and no bottom is found at 103 fathoms. The effect of the tides is perceivable at the dis- tance of 600 miles, but Condamine thinks that the swell is occasioned by the progress of the tide the preceding day. The banks are generally crowned with vast forests of lofty trees, among which are many of a rare and medicinal nature. Ser- pents of prodigious size are found in the marshes, and alliga- tors are also common. It seems certain, from the disquisition of Condamine, that some fe iiale warriors still exist towards the north of this great river. After it has received the Shingu, the breadth from shore to shore cannot be discovered by the eye. Near its mouth the Bore rises from twelve to fifteen feet in height ; and the noise of this irruption is heard at the dis- tance of two leagues. The Rio de la Plata, or river of Silver, is the conjunct flood of the Paraguay, the Pilcomayo, the Parana, and the Urucuay. The main streams are the Paraguay and the Parana ; and it would seem that the latter is the longest and most considerable, rising in the great mine mountains of Brazil, lat. 19 deg., and bending south, then west, till it receive the Iba Parana, after which it bends south-west till it is joined by the Paraguay, while the conjunct rivers are still called the Parana by tlfe na- tives, and the Rio de la Plata by the Spaniards. The grand 9» GENERAL VIEW 1 1 . cataract of the Parana is in lat. 24 deg. not far from the city of Cuayra; but is rather a series of rapids, for a space of tjvelve leagues, amidst rocks o! tremendous and singular forms. This noble river is also studded vith numerous islands; and the Spanish vessel^ navigate to the town of Assumption, about 1200 miles from the sea. The breadth of the estuary is such, that the land cannot be discovered from a ship in the middle of the stream. The third great river in South America is the Orinoco, of a most singular and perplexed course. According to La Cruz It rises in the small lake of Ipava, north lat. 5 deg. 5 min • and thence winds almost in a spiral form, until it enter the Atlantic ocean by an extended delta opposite to the isle of Trinidad ; but the chief estuary is considerably to the south- east of that island. Many rivers of great size flow into the Orinoco; and in addition to its singular form, there are other remarkable peculiarities, rhore exists a communication be- •^ tween the Orinoco, the Maranon, and the Black river; a cir- cunistance so uncommon, that when it only had been asserted by Spanish authors, it was rejected by geographical theorists as contrary to the usual course of nature. Little doubt can now remain concerning these wonderful inland navigations, thus prepared by the hand of nature, and which, in the posl session of an industrious people, would render Guiana, or New Andalusia, one of the most flourishing countries in the worid. The other rivers of South America are comparatively of small account, the chief being the Magdalena, running north to the Caribbean sea; and that of St. Francis, which waters a great part of Brazil. To the south of the great Parana there is the river Mendoza, and the Rio de los Sauzes, or river of Willows; followed in the furthest south by the Chulclau and the Gallegos, the last entering the Pacific opposite to the Ma- louin or Falkland islands. Moi()ifa'ms.~The mountains of South America constitute some of the grandest objects in natural geography, being not only the most lofty on the face of the globe, but intermixed with volcanoes of the most .sublime and terrific description. The extent is also prodigious, the Andes stretching in one line OP AMERICA. 23 irom the .;a .es of Isidro and Pikres, in the southern extremity of the continent, to the west side of the gulf of Darien, a space cf not less than 4600 miles, as they generally follow the wiod. ings of the coast, at the medial distance of about 100 miles. 1 he chief summits are near the equator, not far from the city OT Quito. -^ The highest part of the American alps is Chimbora/o, about lUO miles south of Quito. It is computed to be 90,280 feet above the level of the sea. The next i„ height is supposed to be the volcano called Cotopasha, estimated at about 18 600 teet, about 25 miles lo the south-east of Quito. Humboldt, a French naturalist, says there are three remarkable chains of mountains, which proceed from west to east, parallel to the equator. Several branches extend northward from the great chain m the high plain of Quito. The greatest height in the province of St. Marta is 14,000 feet. Several mountains of this Cham are perhaps equal in height to Mont Blanc; perpe- tually covered with snow, and often pouring from their sides streams of boiling sulphureous water; and the highest peaks are solitary amidst mountains of little height. That of Merida is near the plain of Caracas, which is only 260 feet above the ^a. Ihe second chain divides the waters that fall into the E«quibo and Orinoco; and is inhabited by a number of sa vago tribes, little or not at all known in Europe. The third' Cham unites the Andes of Peru and Chili with the mountains of Brazil and Paraguay. Between these three great ridges are, according to our au- thor, three immense rallies; that of Orinoco, that of the river of Amazons, and that of the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, from 19 to 52 deg. south hit., all opening to the east, but shut on the west by the Andes. The middle valley, or that of the Amazons, is covered with forests so thick, that the rivers alone form roads; while those of Orinoco and Pampas are savannas or grassy plains, with a few scattered palms; and so level* that sometimes for 800 square leagues there is no inequalit,; above eight or ten inches in heiglit. On reviewing the grand physical features of the New World Its fine adaptation for commercial intercourse is very striking' M GENERAL VIEW ^«i\- * The gulf of Mexico,' says Dr. Robertson, ' which flows in betAveeii North and South America, may be considered as a Mediterranean sea, which opens a maritime commerce with ail the fertile countries by which it is encircled. The islands scattered in it are inferior only to those in the Indian archipe- lago, in number, in magnitude, and in value. As we stretch along the northern division of the American hemisphere, the bay of Chesapeake presents a spacious inlet, which conducts the navigator far into the interior parts of provinces no less fertile than extensive ; and if ever the progr. -s of culture and population shall mitigate the extreme rigour of the climate in the more northern districts of America, Hudson's bay may become as subservient to commercial intercourse in that quar- ter of the globe, as the Baltic is in Europe. The other great portion of the New World is encompassed on every side by the sea, except one narrow neck, which separates the Atlantic from the Pacific ocean ; and though it be not opened by spa- cious bays or arms of the sea, its interior parts are rendered accessible by a number of large rivers, fed by so many auxili- ary streams, flowing in such various directions, that, almost without any aid from the hand of industry and art, an inland navigation may be carried on through all the provinces from the river de la Plata to the gulf of Paria. Nor is this bounty of nature confined to the southern division of America ; its northern continent abounds no less in rivers which are naviga- ble almost to their sources, and by its immense chain of lakes provision is made for an inland communication, more extensive and commodious than in any quarter of the globe. The countries stretching from the gulf of Darien on one side, to that of California on the other, which form the chain that binds the two parts of the American continent together, are not destitute of peculiar advantages. Their coast on one side is washed by the Atlantic ocean, on the other by the Pacific. Some of their rivers flow into the former, some into the latter, and secure to them all the commercial benefits that may result from a communication with both.' f OP AMERICA. S8 li flows in jered as a ce with all he islands n archipe- we stretch jhere, the I conducts ces no less ulture and climate in bay may that quar- ither great ry side by e Atlantic ;d by spa- i rendered my auxili- at, almost an inland inces from lis bounty lerica; its re naviga- in of lakes ; extensive be. The le side, to ;hain that ether, are n one side le Pacific, the latter, may result UI8C0V3RY AKD ANCIENT POPtJlATION OF AMERICA. America was first discovered by the Norwegians in the year 982, when these adventurers visited Greenland, which, it is now universally admitted, forms u part of this grand division of the earth. This was followed, in the year 1003, by the dis- covery of Vinland, which seems to have been a part of Labra- dor, or Newfoundland. The colony of Vinland was soon de9troye we esteem it any want of gratitude to C!«)k that no land has yet received its denomination from his name. Ab the titles of tlje three other quarters of the world sj)reatl, by mere accident, from small districts, so when the name of America was imposed there was not the most dis- tant idea of the prodigious extent of the territory ; and it was only understood that this appellation was given to a large island. If any continent were adjacent, it was understood to be the liU'ge land of India. Cabral, on his voyage to the East Indies in 1500, accident- ally discovered Brazil : and in 1613, Vasco Nugnez de Balboa descried, from the mountains of the isthmus, the grand Pacific (x:ean ; and he afterwards waded into the waves, anr ' t(X)k pos- session of it in the name of the Spanish mtxiarch. I'his disco- very seems to have terminated the vain expectation that America formed part of Asia. It seems unnecessar} trace with minuteness the other epochs of discovery in this quarter. In 1515 the continent was exf^ored as far as Kio de Plata ; but even in 1518 little was known concerning Hs western parts ; ami twenty-six years had elapsed sinct the first voyage of Colon, before the existence was rumoured of the empires, or kingdoms, of Mexico and Peru. Hispaniola and Cuba still continued to b< the chief seats of the Spanish power. In 1619, Cortez, with eleven small vessels, containing 617 men, proceeded to the lunquest of Mexico, which was accomplished in 1521. Magalhaens, at the same time, having exploretl the Pacific ocean, the ciiscovery of the western coast of America became a necessary conse- quence. After many reports concerning the riches of Peru, that country was at length visited in 1526 by Pizarro, at the 28 GENERAL VIEW I ... «. head of 36 cavalry and 144 infantry: and in ten years that empire was divided among his followers. In 1543 the first Spanish viceroy appeared in Peru. In North America the epochs of discovery were more slow. In 1497, Giovanni Gaboto, a Venetian, called by the Eng. lish John Cabot, who had received a commission from Henry VII., in the view of tracing a nearer passage to India, discovered Newfoundland, so called by his sailors; and in- spected the American shore as far as Virginia: but this land forming merely an obstacle to his wishes, he returned to England. In ISOO, Corte de Real, a Portuguese captain, in search of a north-west passage, discovered Labrador, which he appears to have so called from the seeming industry of the natives. Florida was discovered by Ponce, a Spanish captain, in 1613. The powerful kingdom of France had hitherto taken no sliare in these discoveries ; but in 1524, Francis I. sent Vere- zano, a Florentine, who examined a great part of the coast of North America. In 1534, Francis I. sending a fleet from St. Maloes, to esta- blish a settlement in North America, Cartier the commander, on the day of St. Lawrence, discovered the great gulf and river to which he gave the name of that saint. In the following year he sailed about 300 leagues up this noble stream to a great cataract, built a fort, and called the country New France. The Spanish captain Soto proceetled in 1589 from Cuba to complete the conquest of Florida. He travelled northward to about lat 35 deg., but died in 1542, and was buried on the bank of the river Mississippi. In 1540i Jean de la Roque, lord of Roberual, a gentleman of Picardy, was appointed lieutenant-general of the new lands of Canada, Hochelaga, and Saguenay, who soon returned without success. Koherual again went in 1543. In 1556 the French also attempted a settlement in Brazil. The industrious, and venerable Ilakluyt has published the accounts of these F^viuh voyages; and though merely a private clergyman, pi I Imps (lid more than any potentate to promote a shnilar spi- I M OF AMERICA. S9 rit in England. The other French voyages during this cen- tury were of little moment. It will now be proper to consider the progress of the chief settlements. In 1576, Frobisher, in search of a north-west passage, dis* covered the straits which retain his name. In 1578, Sir Humphrey Gilbert obtained a patent for set- tling lands in America; and, in 1583, he discovered and took possession of the harbour of St. John and the country to th« south, but was lost on his return. The voyage of Drake round the world served to kindle the enthusiasm of the English ; and Raleigh obtained a patent similar to that of Gilbert. Two small vessels dispatched by Raleigh in 1584 unfortu- nately bent their course to that coontry now called North Ca-. rolina, instead of reaching the noble bays of Chesapeake or Delawar. They touched at an island, probably Ocakoki, si- tuated on the inlet into Pamlico sound; and afterwards at Roanoke, near the mouth of Albemarle sound. These vessels returned to England, with two of the natives ; and Elizabeth assigned to this region the name of Virginia, an appellation which became laxly applied to the British settlements in North America, till it was confined to a different country from th« original Virginia. In 1585, Raleigh sent a small colony, under the command of Sir Richard GrenviUe, who settled in the isle of Roanoke, a most incommodious and useless station, whence they returned m 1586. He m^de other unsuccessful attempts to colonize the country, and afterwards resigned his patent to some mer- chants, who were contented with a petty traffic. At the death of Elizabeth, 1603, there was not one Englishman settled in America ; and the Spaniards and Portuguese alone had formed any establishment on that vast continent. The venerable Hakluyt, anxious that his countrymen should partake of the benefit of colonies, procured an association of men of rank and talents for this purpose; and a patent was granted by James I., April the lOth, 1606, that monarch be- mg wholly unconscious that he was about to establish an inde- pendent and mighty empire. The bay of Chesapeake wag m GENERAL VIEW ^1 if % ,■5 niith, yrbo splayed re- 8 about to L610; and nt conduct ettlemeotB e difFerent > state the er uncon- is, an ex- rreenland, d Davis^s iToyage he i opposite He also the three His fur- nderson^s impeded 1 to have as lat. 82 thest ex- Hudson t inland er, been in fiilot led M ith gular in oceeded accurate IS disco- seas by lat were ;r menj k as to suppose that the Enghsh hnd descended from the moon ! Mr. Hearne, under the direction of the Hudson's bay com- pany, in an expedition which lasted from the 7th of Decemb^, 1770, to the 30th of June, 1772, proceeded from Prince of Wales's fort, on the Churchill river, in lat. 58 deg. 47J min. north, and long. 94 deg. 7^ min. west of Greenwich, to the mouth of the Copper-mine river, which, according to some accounts, is in lat. 72 deg north, and long. 119 deg. west from Greenwich ; but is laid down by others in lat. 69 deg. north, and long. 112 deg. west from Greenwich. But the Hudson's bay company, acting upon a contracted policy, did not render all those services to the subject of American geography which might have been expected. The enterprising spirit, however, of certain Canadian traders, afterwards united under the name of the North-west company, amply supplied the deficiency. Prior to the year 1789, they had extended riieir discoveries and estal V iauents along the munerous lakes and rivers situ- ated nc il M' that high tract of country whicl) divides the Mississippi and Missouri waters from those which run towards the north and east, to within a short distance of the Rocky mountains. In the sununer of the year 1789, Mr. M'Kenzie made a voyage from fort Chcpavyan, on the lake of the Hills, in lat. 58 deg. 40 min. north, and long 110 deg. 30 min. west from Greenwich, by the way of the Hare river, Hare lake, and a river by which this lake discharges its waters, since called M'Kenzie's river, to the mouth of that river, where it falls into the North sea, in lat. 69 deg. 14 min. north, and long. 135 deg. west from Greenwich. Mr. M'Kenzie again, in the year 1793, penetrated from an establishment on the Peace river, in lat. 56 deg. 49 min. north, and long. 117 deg. 35 min. west from Greenwich, to the Pacific ocean, in lat. 52 deg. 24 min. north, and long. 128 deg. 2 min. west from Greenwich. By the discoveries above alluded to, and those occasionallv made during the rapid settlement of the country and the pro- gresf >i' enterprise, the principal divisions of this northern con- 8« GENERAL VIEW tinent have been explored and become known. The unknown and unexplored countries (except so far as the surveys made by navigators of the coast of the Pacific ocean, and the imper- fect accounts of the travellers who have ascended the Missouri, have furnished information) comprehend the tract enclosed by this ne, containing, in breadth, 1000 miles, and in length about 1800 miles in a direct line ; and, by the way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, nearly twice that distance. In the year 1804, the American government sent out a corps of discovery under the command of captains Lewis and Clarke, of the ermy of the United States. They passed from the mouth of the Missouri, through the interior parts of North America, to the Pacific ocean, and have materially illustrated the geography of that river. Major Pike, in 1805, successfully explored the course of the Mississippi, and in a second expe- dition, penetrated the interior of Louisiana, surveying the whole of those majestic waters which rise in the rocky moun- tains of that district, and run westward into the Missouri and Mississippi. The recent and splendid contributions of M. Humboldt to our scientific information respecting the equinoc- tial regions can hardly be ranked with the expeditions of dis- covery above mentioned ; but we shall not fail to avail ourselves of them in the progress of this work. Inhabitants. — The next topic which occurs is the ancient population ; but our knowledge of the American languages is still so imperfect, that the subject is involved in great doubts. None of the native nations of America displays the smallest trace of the oblique eyes, and other remarkable features, by which the inhabitants of eastern Asia are distinguished. Far from this, Pallas, Lessops, Tooke, and other skilful enquirers, have pronounced that the Techuks and Koriaks undoubtedly proceeded from America, as they have not one Asiatic li- neament. It is to be regretted tiial, neither in North nor South Ame- rica, have the languages hccni couiparcd, analysed, and classed, as has been done Avith reoard to the numerous tribes subject to Russia and China, iience, instead of solid knowledge, we are overwhelmed with petty dislinctions, and names without OF AMERICA. S3 ideas. Upon one point only do investigators seem to be agreed, that the friendly and helpless people in the furthest north, called Esquimaux, are the same race with the Samoieds of Asia, and Laplanders of Enrope. These, with tlie Peruvians and Mexicans, Dr. Forster chuses to consider as strangers who have settled in America. •The curious question concerning the population of America,' says Pinkerton, 'can only be duly examined after the various dialects have been compared with those of Africa ; for to those of Europe or Asia they certainly bear no resemblance. To trace the population from the north of Asia, not to mention the positive contradiction of facts, would be an unnecessary restriction of the subject, as the progeny of so cold a latitude is ever found rare^ feeble, and unenterprising; while if we' consider the proximity of Africa, and the many co])per colour- ed nations which are there to be found, there will be little rea- son to hesitate concerning the i)rogress of the Africans to America, as well as to New Holland. This resource alone remains; for it has already been seen t!iat the lanoua"0 of the Malays, who extended themselves so far to the oast of Asia, has no connexion with that of the Americans Amidst the wonderous dreams of antiipiaries, it is surprising that none has attempted to prove that the Mexicans and Peruvians were de- scendants of the Carthagenians, who fled to the Heaperides in their abhorrence of the lloman yoke.' Dr. Robertson has enumerated several strong reasons which render it highly probable that America was not peopled from any civilised part of the ancient continent. He supposes that the Esquimaux proceeded from the north-west of Europe, and the other inhabitants of America from the north-east of Eu- rope. This supposition is corroborat«Hl by the ingenious cap- tain Burney, who considers Reering's strait not as the separation of two groat continents, but merely as the entrance to a vast bay. Mr. Bailey, the astronomer, who, with captain Burney, accompanied the celebrated Cook in his voyage of discovery northward, also conceives that Beering's straits is an inland sea. This opinion of the actual junction of the Old and New World simplifies the question of how the latter was peopled ; i Q4i GENERAL VIEW, &c. iii unless it be found, on investigating the American languages, that they have, as Mr. Pinkerton conjectures, originated in Africa. The present population of this immense continent does not probably exceed thirty-^ix millions; by which calculation North America will contain twenty milliofis, and South Ame- rica sixteen millions. Having exhibited all the great features of American geo, graphy, it now remains to turn our attention to that most im- portant portion of the North American continent called the UNION. Observations which cannot with propriety be intro- duced in a General View, will be inserted when we come to treat of the respective states and territories that compose this colossal empire. guages, lated in loes not culation h Ame- !an geo^ lost im- lled the KJ intro- :onie to lose tliis DESCRIPTION OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES, CLIMATE, AND NATURAL PRODUCTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. Boundaries. JN the treaty of peace, concluded in 1783, the limits of the United States are thus defined : — ♦ And that all disputes which might arise In future on the sub- ject of the boundaries of the said United States may be pre- vented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are and shall be their boundaries, viz. From the north-west angle of Nova Scotia, viz. That angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of St. Croix river to the highlands, along the said highlands, which divide those rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the Atlantic ocean, to the north-westernmost head of Connecticut river ; thence down along the middle of that river to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude ; from thence by a line due west on said latitude, until it strikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquy ; thence along the middle of the said river into lake Ontario, through the middle of said lake, until it strikes the communication by water between that lake and lake Erie ; thence along the middle of said communication into lake Erie, through the middle of said lake, until it ar- rives at the water communication between that lake and lake Huron ; thence through the middle of smd lake to the water 86 VIEW OF THE !^' ^4 I Hi communication between that lake and lake Superior; thence through lake Superior northward of the isles Koyal and Phil- lipeaux to the Long lake ; thence through the middle of said Long lake, and the water communication between it and the lake of the Woods to the said lake of the Woods ; thence through the said lake to the most north-western point thereof, and from thence, on a due west course, to the river Mississippi ; thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of said river Mississipjji, until it shall intersect the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude. South, by a line to be drawn due east from the determination of the line last men- tioned, in the latitude of thirty-one degrees north of the equa- tor, to the middle of the river Apuiachicola, or Catahouche ; thence along the middle thereof to its junction with the Flint river ; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's river ; and thence down along the middle of St. Mary's river to the At- lantic ocean. East, by a line to be drawn along the middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in the bay of Fundy to its source; and from its source directly nordi, to the aforesaid highlands, which divide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic ocean from those which fall into the river St. Lawrence, com- prehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying betwocn lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid boundaries l)etween Nova Scotia on the one part, and East Florida on the other, shall respectively touch the bay of Fundy and the At- lantic ocean, excepting such isles as now are, or heretofore have been, within the limits of the said province of Nova Scotia.' Eivtent.—The United States are situated between 25 deg. 50 min. and 49 deg. 37 min. north lat., and between 10 deg. east and 48 deg. 20 min. west long, from Washington. The most northern part is bounded by a line running due west from the north-west corner of the lake of the Woods, and the south- ern extremity is the outlet of the Rio del Norte. The eastern extremity is the Great Menan island, on the coast of Maine ; and the western extremity is cape Flattery, north of Colum- bia river, on the Pacific ocean. Their greatest extent, from north to south, is 1700 miles, and from east to west, 2700. UNITED STATES. 49 Their surface covers more than 2,500,000 square miles, or 1,600,000,000 acres. In 1788, the number of square acres in the United States amounted to 283,800,000, of which only about 1,250,000 were cultivated ; and in 1808 to 600,000,000, of which about 2,500,000 were in a high state of cultivation. At the present time, the American writers estimate them at the enormous in- crease of 1,600,000,000 acres. Of this it can only be remark-* ed, that the accession of Louisiana and the lands cleared westward hardly account for so vast an addition of territory. Div'isions. — There appear to be now nineteen United States of North America, including Indiana, and six Territorial Go- vernments, so called, as not being yet regularly organized into states, but under the general government of the Union ; dis- tributed into the following four grand divisions ; I. T?ie NortJiern, New England, or Eastern States. Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, including the District of Maine ; Rhode Island) Connecticut. II. The Middle States. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Indiana. III. The Southern States. Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana. IV. Territorial Governments. District of Columbia, Mississippi Territory, Missouri ditto. Illinois Territory, Michagan ditto. North-west ditto. 38 VIEW OF THK The folktwing table will shew the extent of territory within the Union, and the inc-rease of population which has taken place during twenty-seven recent years. I States. Square MiU-s. Number of InliabitantH. 1790. 1 IHIT. Vermont - New Hampshire Maine - \ Massachusetts J Rhode Island Connecticut New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Delaware - Maryland - Virginia - \ Kentucky - J North Carolina - South Carolina - Georgia Western Territories Districtof Columbia Tennessee - Ohio Louisiana - Indiana Mississippi Illinois Territory Michagan ditto Missouri ditto 10,000 9,800 31,750 8,500 1,700 4,500 54,000 6,500 48,700 1,800 14,000 75,000 5^,000 49,000 32,700 64,000 100 63,000 45,000 49,000 38,000 55,000 66,000 47,500 1,987,000 85,539 141,885 96,540 378,787 68,825 237,946 340,120 184,139 434,373 69,094 319,728 747,610 73,677 393,751 240,073 82,548 35,691 296,450 302,733 318,(;i.7 564,392 98,721 319,568 1,486,739 345,822 986,494 108,334 502,710 1,347,496 683,753 701,224 564,785 408,567 37,892 489,624 394,752 108,923 86,734 104,550 39,000 9,743 68,794 Total - 2,814,550 3,929,336 10,405,547 In estimating the extent of such immense regions, accuracy is not attainable ; but perhaps the above calculation may not be far from the truth. However, after making every reasona- ble deduction, the survey before us offers matter for reflections UNITED STATES. the most consolntory and hnprossive. England contains one luuidrcd and eighty persons to a scjuarc milo ; and when the territories at present comprchetided in tlio Union shall hea.nie equally populous, the population will amount to Jive hundred millions! while few writers on Statistics have vewtured to esti- mate the inhabitants of Europe at more than one hundred and seventy millions. This shews the futility of the European royal associations for the purpose of impeding the march of knowledge, and of restoring the age of ignorance and supersti- tion. The people of the Western Hemisphere will soon be qualified, whatever may happen in the Old World, to support and defend the ark of science and liberty. Climate. — The climate of the United territories, as already mentioned, is chiefly remarkable for suddiu transitions from heat to cold, and the contrary. The wind from the north-east is violently cold, as it passes a wide expanse of the frozen con- tinent. In the plains on the cast of the Apalachian chain the summer heats are immoderate ; and in some places even ice will not preserve poultry or fish from putrefaction. Towards the mountains the climate is salutary, even in the southern states, as is evinced by the bloom of the damsels in the back settlements of Virginia. In the northern states the winter is longer and more severe than in England, hut the summer heat more intense. A north-east wind commonly attends rain, while on the west side of the Apalachian mountains a south- west has that efl'cct. In Georgia the winter is very mild, snow being seldom seen, and the east wind is there the wannest. This excessive heat of the i)lains must be regarded as one cause of that fatal pestilential malady called the yellow fever, which first appeared at Philadelphia In 1793, and "has since tod frequently repeated its ravages in various cities of the com- monwealth. Several medical men have treated this subject with considerable care and ability, but do not seem to have examined whether any similar disease was Ixtore known on tire continent, and what method of cure was practised. Alzate, in his fugitive remarks on the natural history of Mexico, has mentioned an epidemical distemper, called in the Mexican lan- guage matlazahualt ; but at Vera Cruz, Carthagena, and other u i'l' yi VIEW OF THE places, known by the name of the black ^7'\' J'^;;;':!;! ihief scnurpe of the kingdom of Mexico. In 173b and 17. 7 it swept away alcove one-third of the inhabitants ot the capital ; and in 1761 and 176a it almost depopulited the kmgdom. Alzate thinks that this disorder proceeds from the bile mixing will, the blood, the patient often bleeding at the nose and mo- ith ; and a relapse is extremely dangerous. He dissuades purgatives and bleedin,., as when used for other disorders they superinduce the matlarMhualt, which in Mexico always begun among the Indians, and was chiefly confined to them May not this disorder be as much allied with the yellow fever as the black and yellow javmdice ? The Spanish physicians might at any rate be consulted, as they have long been accustomets having no great room to spread or penetrate, they would be dangerous during a violent wind. ' What a beautiful country, not disgraced by a single tree,'' is an idea purely American. The landscape is less ennobled by lofty mountains than by rivers of great magnitude; and is fr^iuently injured by the barren aspect of large rields, which have ba-n exhausted by the culture of tobacco, and which scarcely produce a weed or a pile of grass. The northern provinces, called New Eng- land, are generally hilly, us they approach llie skirts of the Apalachian chain, which has, by ."'■ xrilit situilituile, been called the spme of the l ' nited territo' y. The vales in these northern regions are thickly clothed wi h wood, . vx\ often pervaded by considerable rivers; and marr u-(nantt> eilscades are formed by x'ivulets falling from the reck w'.'It; towards the shore the land is level and sandy. In Virguiia, a central state, the Blue mountains, and other ridges of the Apclachian, add great charms and variety to the prospect, which is further enlivened by many beautil'ul plants aiul birds, particularly the hunmiing bird, sucking the honey of various flowers, and rapidly glanc- ing in the sun its indescribable hues of green, purple, and gold. Here a plain from 1.50 to 200 miles in breadth, reaching from the mountains to the sea, is studded with the villas of rich proprietors, the ancient hospitable country gentlemen of the United States. Similar levels appear in the Carolinas and Georgia. IJeyond the Apalachian ridges extends another rich plain of amazing size, pervaded by the muddy waves of the Mississippi, which does not appear to be table land, but on nearly the smne level with the eastern plain. In Kentucky the surfiice is agreeably waved with gentle swells, reposing on a vast .bed of limestone ; and a track of about twenty miles along the Ohio is broken into small hills and narrow vales. Soil. — The soil, though of various descriptions, is generally fertile, often, on the east of 'he Blue mountains, a rich brown loamy earth, sometimes a yellowish clay, which becomes more and more sandy towards the sea. Sometimes there are consi- F m VIEW OF THE r*^'i ii I J. clcrahlo marshes, and what are called salt meadows, and spots called barrens, which, even in the original forests, are found to be bai-e of trees for a considerable space. On the west of the Apalachian chain the soil is also generally excellent ; and in Kentucky some spots are deemed too rich for wheat, but the product may amount to sixty bushels an acre : and about six feet below the surface there is commonly a bed of hmestone. The vales in the northern states are also very jjrotluclive. Agriculture. — In agriculture the Americans are well skilled, and arc eager to adopt the advantages of English experience. It is computed that thrcc-tburths of the inhabitants of the United States are employctl in agriculture. This free and vi- gorous yeomanry may well be regarded as the chief glory of any state; and commerce will impart sufficient opulence to enable them to promote every possible improvement. In the year 1816, the value of agricultural pmducts exporlfrd amount- ed to the sum oi' Jifty-three miUhm.i, three hundred and fifty- four thousand dollars. Ikit this subject must be reserved until we come to treat of the present state and resources of the I Jniok, when it will receive an attention commensurate with its vast importance. Rivers. — The chief rivers in the United Stfrtes have already been described in the brief general view of North America ; but a few additional particulars may be here noticed, and an account given of those of a more confined course, which parti- cularly belong to the United territory. The Mimssippi generally affords fifteen feet of water, from the mouth of the Missouri to that of the Ohio ; but, in time of flushes, a first-rate man-of-war may descend with safety. The mean velocity of its current may be computed to be four miles an hour. Its breadth is va sous, from one and a half to two miles : its mouth is divided into several channels, which continu- ally change their directiou and depth. The ArTiansaw, which runs into this migkty river, has been recently explored by major Pike, who computes its course, from its junction with the Mis- sissippi, ab ;,it north lut. .'J4 (leg. 10 min., to the mountains, at 1<)81 niiios. jiiid thence to its source, 192 additional miles. It leceivcs sc < ral rivers, navigable for upwards of 100 miles. UNITED STATES. 43 The Missouri, with its eastern branches, waters five-eighths of the United States. It rises in the Rocky nioiuilains to the north-west of Louisiana, in north hit. 45 deg. 24 niiu., and reckoning from its most extreme branch, the JeH'erson, joins the Mississippi after a course of above 3000 miles, in west long. 90 deg. and north lat. 39 deg., wlien, forming one mighty stream, they pursue their way conjointly to the gulf of Mexico. The Ohio, less sublime and majestic in its course than those- already noticed, is also less interrupted in its navigation. Its general breadth is about 600 yards ; but it varies from 300 in the narrowest to 1200 in the widest part. The coicse of the Ohio, from fort Pitt to its junction with the Mississippi, fol- lowing all its windings, is, by Morse and other Aniericiin geo- graphers, computed at 1188 miles. This river commences at the junction of the Alleghany and Monongehala rivers. It has been described as, beyond competition, the most beautiful river in the world : its meandering course through an immense region of forests ; its elegant banks, which afford innumerable delightful situations for cities, villages, and improved farms; with its various other advantages, well entitle it lo the name originally given it by the Fi-ench of ' La belle Riviere: Since that period, the Ohio has greatly improved both in beauty and utility. The inunense forests which once lined its banks have gradually receded; cultivation smiles along its borders; nu- merous villages and towns decorate its shores ; and it is not extravagant to suppose that the time is not far distant when its entire margin will form one continued series of villages and towns. Vast tracts of fine country have comnuuiication with the Ohio, by means of its tributary navigable waters ; extraor- dinary fertility, marks the river bottoms; and the superior excellence of its navigation has made it the channel through which the various productions of the most extensive and fertile parts of the United States are already sent to market. At its commencement at Tittsport, or Pittsburg, it takes a north-west course for about twenty-five miles; then turns gradually to west-south-WL'st ; and having pursued that coursi; for about 500 miies, winds to the south-wci^t for nenily KiO miles; then turns to the west for about 2(50 miles more ; thence south-west 44 VIEW OF THE i ' k for 160, and empties itself into the Mississippi in a south di- rection, nearly 1200 miles below Pittsburg. In times of high freshes, and during the flow of ice and snow from the Alle- ghany and other mountains, vessels of almost any tonnage may descend this river : it is never so low but that it may be navi- gated by canoes, and other light craft not drawing more than twelve inches water. The highest floods are in spring, when the river rises forty-five feet ; the lowest are in summer, wlien it sinks to twelve inches at the bars, ripples, and shoals, where waggons, carts, &c. frequently pass over. The largest stream that flows into the Ohio is the Tennessee river, whose remotest sources are in Virginia, iiorth lat. 'i^ ileg. 10 min. It runs about 1000 English miles south and south-south-west, receiving considerable accessions of minor waters on each side, and then turning circuitously northward, blends itself with the Ohio at about 60 miles from the mouth of that river. It is navigable for vessels of large burden to the flistance of 250 miles from its junction with the Ohio. The Alleg'ftamj nver rises in Pennsylvania, on the western side of the Alleghany mountains ; and after running about 200 miles in a south-west direction, meets the Monongehala at Pittsburg, and the united streams now form the Ohio. In this course it is increased by many tributary streams. Few rivers exceed the Alleghany for clearness of water and rapidity of current. It seldom i'ails to mark its course across the mouth of the Monongehala, in the highest freshes or floods, the water of the latter bemg very muddy, that of the former very clear. In liigh floods, the junction of these rivers presents a pleasing view ; the Moiiungehala fl«)wiug sometimes full of ice, the Al- leghany transparent and free. Its banks arc delightfully in- terspersed with cultivated farms and increasing towns. In a ooiu'se of 80 miles, however, from a place called EnvaltV De- feat to Freeport, it is full of eddies, rapids, rocks, and other dangers, to avoid which requires the utmost attention. In some of the rijiplcs the water runs at the rate of ten miles an hour; and a Ijoat will go at the rate of twelve miles, without any other assistance than the steering oar. The waters of this river are recommended by the medical practitioners of Pitts- UNITED STATES. 40 hxirg, both for the purjjoses of bathino; and of drinking ; but the peciliar mcdicinMl (lualities of the Allcghnny water are, pei-haps, more to be attributed to the faitli of those who use it' than to any inherent character of superior salubrity. The MonongeJmla river rises at the foot of the Laurel mountain, in Virginia ; thence, through various meanderings, (passes into Pennsylvania, receiving in its course the Cheat and Yougheogheny rivers, and many smaller streams. It has al- ready been stated that this rivor unites with the Alleghany at Pittsburg. Twelve or Hfteen miles from its mouth, it'is about 300 yards wide, and is navigable for boats and small craft, particularly in autumn and spring, when it is generally covered with what are called trading and family boats; the former loaded with flour, cider, whiskey, apples, and various kinds of wrought materials; the latter carrying furniture, domestic utensils, and agi-icultural instruments, destined lor Kentucky and New Orleans. Another principal river of North America, and the most considerable one in the eastern states, is the Conmctkut. It rises in the highlands to the south of \ew I^runswit^ west long. 7« deg. and north lat. 4.5 d^g. 10 min. After a h . .'ring course of eight or ;r is navigable lor boats from its mouth to the head of the lake; thence barieaux go up Wood cr&.'v, almost to fort Stauwix, whence tlieiX; is a ^^cKaga of a mile to Mo- hawk river. Towards the head waters of thi" river salmon me caught in great quantities. The Mohazok riv- v rises to the northward of foil Stanwix, about ei^ii' miles from Sable river, a water of lake Ontario* and runs ; nitb,.Jy 50 miles to the fort; then eastward 110 miles, and, uitev if t.vi\ iisg inany tributary streams, falls into North river, i.y Jree mouths, opposite to the cities <,f Lausin- burg anil l'ii.y, from seven to ten miles north of Albany. This is a very fine river, and is navigable for boats iu'arly the whole of its course. Its banks were formerly thickly settled with Indians, but now cultivation and civilization have ren- dered its course a busy scene of mercantile pursuit and in- creasing population. The Delaware, the Susqiiehanmh, Tyoga, Seneca, Genesse, and the north-east branch of the AllegJtany river, all belong to the state of New York ; and such is the intersection of the whole state, by the various branches of these and other rivers, that there are few places, throughout its whole extent, that are more than fifteen or twenty miles from a navigable stream. The river Savannah divides the state of Georgia from South Carolina, and pursues a course nearly from north-west to south-east. The freshes of this river will sometimes rise from thirty to forty feet perpendicular above the actual level of the stream. The New Piscataqua, having four extensive branches, all of them navigable fur small vessels, furnishes the cor/tnience- nient of a line, which, drawn from its northern head. i>>i.t>l it With r^o., K 1^ UNITED STATES. 49 meets the boundary of the province of Quebec, divides New Hampshire from the province of Maine. The Mtrrimak, re- markable for two considerable falls, AmasVaig and Pantucket, bears that name from its mouth to the confluence of the Pemi- gewasset and Winipisikee rivers, which unite in about lat, 43 deg. 30 min. The first of these rivers forms the only port of New Hampshire. Great Bay spreads out from Pjscataqua river, between Portsmoudi and Exeter. Columbia River is the principal stream which has been ex- plored on the uorth-west coast of Aincricu. It is called, by the Indians, Tacoutche-Tesj;e, and is formed by innumerable streams fronj the Rocky mountains, rising bLtwecn the 43d and 53d deg. of north lat. The piincipal stream has a course of 700 British miles to the ocean, which it enters at north lat. 4(> deg. Cataracts.— Some of the chief wonders of this western he- misphere are found in its cataracts, or falls, which do not con- siht of single streams precipitated from hill to vale in picturesque beauty, as in the Alps, but of whole rivers tossed from broken mountains into immense basins below. The first in magni- tude are . - Tha Cataracts' nf Xiagara, between tlie lakes Erie and On- tario, distant about eighteen miles from the town of Niagara, and situate upon a river of the same name. These falls may ho regarded as presenting one of the most interesting of all the phenomena in the natm-al world. ' At Qu^enston,' says lieu- tenant Hall, 'seven miles from the falls, their sound, united with the rushing of the river, is distinctly heard. At the dis- tance of about a mile, a white cloud, hovering over the trees, indicates their situation: it is not, however, until the road emerges from a close country into the space of open gi-ound immediately in their vicinity, that the white volumes of foam are seen, as if boiling up from a sulphureous gulf Here a foot-path turns from the road towards a wooded cliff. The rapids are beheld on the right, rushing, for the space of a mile, like a tempestuous sea. A narrow tract descends about sixty feet down the cliff, and continues across a plashy meadow, 3 Cr 50 I) II VIEW OF THE .■^ through a copse, encinnhered with m-m^p, nf i; . cated from which I f^,n,i '" '"''"f ' «f '"nestone; cxtri- very point wh e' tL r v T "' '" ™^' «'"^' «^ ^''^ The r7pid motio of h TvirZT """" '•'" ^^'^ "'^^- tain clouds, ahuost mr llT^' "?"'"« ""•^' ^'^^ '^'"""- itself is totterir ' • o ' '•"''' """^ *''"^ ^''^ -^l^ gum which v«;ioJ :;rjr^^;';*i'^^"'"'^^^^ bent over ii ,„ ,„„.l, ,1,' , ? " *wmlmg waters, I cf .l,o.,e reature/;;'!: : wifcir'Nl.'rf S"vt"''°"-""^ Amid hor wiWost «ene,, ton,perin~. " f"''«^" '", ^""■^' »nd „,aki„„. |,e„„^ .i^^P;";;,- '"lne« w„h beauty, by'w« ^i!*:;'r >"^ -'' '■*'' "■= '''»^'" ««". Si.^ VVeW b tele ,h! ■ ','" '"^^' ""■ f""' "*' "«• 'Ml -.»■ i,i, exeni,,,,., t„ Zi"Tzy:'r '"* ": '" '>'■'•^■ -V be ea,n/en::.::« ; '^r^Zt^TT '"T""'^^ good one cf thirty =,eps, „,.'„,„„, f &;',;,*','' " '"■^ l»tli IS a ,„ii„l, one ,1V,.,. .1. <■ ■'^ " '"™"'' 'be ."».:;r.bt\'::;:i: ;:r;,: ':!';r -^U attention may be criv.n tr t1 • ^^ ^"" ""'^»vidod may ol gui'i, tr this imposjnjr sw-ttcln id. Sensatipi.ofaweasIdrewiie-uMt ' . tl . ^ ^ " '''^ " into the dark dwellings of ^ j^^: ^ r't' Sda"!''"""^' appearance onlv • \t il ,-,,. -n . "»^ the dangeris in , ,. , ""v » ," IS possihe to pen.'trafp K.>f o f •'^b.nd,„eeurtni„,andi„thes, r T- trhL:':;! ! UNITED Si TES. 51 f footing is good, and the s|)a(i' sn-iciently broad and free: there is not even a necessity for ti ^uide ; two eyes uinply suf- fice to point out all that is to be seen or avoided.' The most slitpendous of these cataracts is that on the British, or north-western side of the river Niagara, which, from its re- semblance to the shape of a horse-shoe, has received the appel- lation of ' the Great, or Horse-shoe fall / but this name is no longer trictly applicable. It has become an acute angle, and the alteration is estimated at about eighteen feet in thirty years. The height of this fall is 142 feet. ]Jv the two others (for there are three falls, owing to the circum^tjuice of small islancjs dividing the river Niagara into three collateral branches) are each about 160 feet in height. The largest has been reckoned at about 600 vards in circumference. The width of the island, which separates the 'Gieat falP from the next in magnitude, is estimated at about 350 yai The second lall is said to be only five yards wide. The next island may be estimated at about thirty yards iu size; and the third, commonly called the ' Fort Schioper fall,' is about 350 yards. According to these calculations, the islands l)eing included, the entire extent of the precipice is liiS5 yards in width. It is suppo.sed that the wa- ter carried down these falls amounts to no less a quantity than 670,^55 tons per minute. A kind of white ibani surrounds the bjttoin of ' Fort Schioper fall,' and rises up in volumes from the rocks : it does not, however, as at the Horse-shoe fall, ascend '^we in the form of a cloud of smoke and mist, but the •pray > ab.ndant that it descends like rain upon the oppo- site bank 4' th - river. The whirlpools and eddies immediately below are so dangerous as to render tl>e navigation completely anpraciuable for six miles. The river Niagara, above the falls, however, is navigable by boats and canoes as far as fort Chippaway, which is abo,., three or four English n, irom them. But, on approachin. learer, the waters are in sue state of agitation, as to reqi; i the boat or canoe to be kept u. the middle of the stre.un, and, < ithout skilful management, would inevitably dash it to destruction. The uMcldle of Sep- tembe! is considered ,is the ni' - 1 pleasant time .. the year for the examinuti. uf these celebrated tkUs, the surrounding h^ •^ M ) M VIKW OF THE f^ ^ rests being richly variegnted with the autumnal colouring. At this season the tiavdler is not exposed to th. danger of nieet- uig with noxious reptiles and insects of* the eountry, which completely disappear in the chilly nights. St. Anthom/s Fallt, in the river Mississippi, are situated about ten miles from the inouth of the river St. Pierre, which joins the Mississippi from the west. These falls were first discovered by Loin Hennipin, in the year 1680, and received their present name ironi that traveller, wiio was the first Eu- ropean ever seen by the natives in these parts. The river fallj< perpendicularly above thirty feet, and is alxmt 250 yards in width. The rapids, which are below, in tlu space of about JOO yn-ds, render the descent apparently greater when ,t is viewed at any considerable distmiee. These falls are so pecu- liarly situated as t<, bo approachable without any obstruction from a hill or precipice; and the whole surrounding scenery is singularly pleasing. The Cohez, or falls of the river Mohawk, between two and three miles from its entrance into -North river, area veiy great natural curiosity. The river, above the falls, is about 300 yards wide, and approaches them from the north-west in a rapid current, between the high banks on each side, and pours the whole bcKly of its water over a perpendicular rock of al^)ut 40 feet in lieight, which extends quite across the river like a mill-dam. The banks of the river, immediately below the falls are about 100 feet high. From a noble bridge, erected in 1794 and 1795, the spectator may have a grand view of the Cohez ; but they have the most romantic and jjicturesque ap- pearance fioni Lausinburg hill, alwut five miles east of them The river, immediately below the bridge, diviiles into three branches, which form several large islands. Canals.-The rivers and lakes of North America are in many places connected together by Cabals, which furnish an artificial assistance to the coininunif:ation established in other instances by Nature. The principal interior canals, which have been already completed in the United States, are, the Mzddkscv canal, uniting the waters of the Merrimak river >viUi the harbour of Boston; and the canal Caronddet, ex- UNITED STATEiJ. as tending fVoni Ikyou St. John to the fortifications or ditch of Nt'w Orleans, ntid openinir an inliind communication with lake Pontchartroin. On the 17th of April, 1816, and the IStli of April, 1817, the state legislature of New York pawed acts appropriating funds for opening navigable communications between the lakes Erie and Champlain and the Atlantic ocean, by means of ca- nals connected with the Hudson river. This magnificent un- dertaking is already begun, and promises to make effectual jjrogress under the auspices of governor Clinton. We have before us, at this moment, the official report of the canal com- missioners ; but the extent and the capabilities of these works will be noticed at greater length, when we come to sj)eak of the physical resources of the United States. Fm-ests. — Alwriginal forests are so numerous throughout the United territory, that none seem to be particularly distin- guished. There does not appear to exist, on the whole conti- nent of America, any of those sandy deserts which are so remarkable in Asia and Africa. There is, on the contrary, an exuberance of water even in the most torrid regions ; which might be added as a proof of the theory that this continent has more recently emerged. Even the volcanoes in South America often pour down torrents of water and mud, and no where occur the sandy ruins of plains, after the fertile soil has been t( tally lost, or the rocky skeletons of ancient mountains. The large tract in the eastern part of Virginia and North Carolina, called the Dismal swamp, occupies about 150,000 acres; bull it is entirely covered with trees, juniper and cypress on the more moist parts, and on the drier white and red oaks, and a variety of pines, l'he.se trees attain a prodigious size; and among them there is often very thick brushwood, so as to ren- der the swamp impervious, while other forests in North Ame- rica are commonly free from underwood. Cane reeds, and tall rich grass, soon fatten the cattle of the vicinity, which are taught to return to the farms of their own accord. In this swampy forest bears, wolves, deer, and other wild animals abound ; and stories are told of cl dren having been lost, who have been seen, after many years, in a wild state of nature. IJI! I ii I 54 VIEW OF THE Some parts are «o dry as to bear a horse, while some are over- flowed, and others so miry that a man would sink up to the neck. A canal has been led through it ; and, even in the dry parts, water of the colour of brandy, as is supposed from the roots of the jumpers, gushed in at the depth of three feet In the northern part the timber supplies an article of trade, while in the southern rice is found to prosper ; and in the neighbour- hood none of these diseases are known which haunt other marshy situations. Swa7np,.-Gvorg\a presents a singular marsh, or in the wet season a lake, called Ekansanoko, by others Ouaquafenoga, in the south-east extremity of the province. This marshy lake is about 300 miles in circumference, and contains several large and fertile isles, one of which is represented by the C eek In dians as a kind of paradise, inhabited by a peculiar race, whose women are incomparably beautiful, and are called by them daughters of the sun. These islanders are said to be a remnant ot an ancient tribe, nearly exterminated by the Creeks. Such events may not have been uncommon among savage tribes • and the more industrious people who erected the noted forts may have been passing, like the Mexicans, to a comparative state ot civihzation, when an unhappy defeat, by more savage tribes, extinguished their name and power. That the natives have no memory of such transactions is not matter of wonder for their traditions can scarcely exceed a century or two at the utmost. "^ Minerahg'^^.--This most important subject has not yet been Illustrated m the manner it deserves. Every substance pre- Clous to mdusti7 has been found in abundance; and there is no doubt but that further researches will discover the more rare and beautiful productions of nature. Volney, who wrote on the climate and soil of America, makes a suppositious division of the United States into five distinct regions,-.tl,e granitic, the sandstone, the calcareous, the sea- sand, and river alluvions. The granitic commences at the mouth of the river St J aw rence and ends at Long island. It is mixed with sa.dsione and limestone, m New Hampshire and Maine, except the White UNITED STATES. 5:i B are over- up to the in the dry I from the feet. In ade, while leighbour- unt other in the wet Penoga, in hy lake is fral large - eek In- ce, whose by them I remnant s. Such e tribes; ted forts nparative 'e savage e natives wonder, vo at the yet been mce pre- 1 there is he more ), makes distinct tile sea- it. I.&W- wdstone 2 White mountains in New Hampshire, which are granite. The river Mohawk appears to be the dividing line of the granite and the sandstone ; but in the river Sus(juehannah some granite is found ; and at tVe base of the south-west chain of the White mountains in Virginia. The whole of the Apalachian mountains are sandstone ac- cording to this arrangement ; and, towards the north-west, the sandstone ends in slate and marl. The Katskill mountains are of the same sandstone as the Blue ridge. The calcareou . region commences at the west of the Apala- chian mountains, and runs to the Mississippi, and, as some have supposed, to the Rocky mountains. This stratum lies horizontally, at depths proportioned to the depositions of soil. The region of sea-sand runs along all the shore from Long island to Florida. It is bounc'ed towards the land side by a seam of granite, full of large mica, or rather talc ; and this boundary runs ur.interruptedly along the coast fnmi the west bank of the river Hudson to the river Roanoke in North Ca- rolina ; its breadth is from two to six miles, its extent 500. This boundary generally marks the limits oi" the tide, and fre- quently occasions falls in the rivers. The land between the granite ridge and the sea varies in breadth from 30 to 100 miles, and is evidently sand recendy brought by the ocean, whose limits were originally determined by this hill of granite. The bare rocks projecting into the sea are granite, which seems to indicate that the sand bx'ought in by the sea mcrclv covers rocks of this description. The region of the river alluvions extends from the granitic ridge to the base of tiie sandstone mountains ; hence it appears that the ridge of granite in the xVpalachian chain is narrow and lower than in the sandstone. Mr. Maclure has ivccntly published much highlv intorestino- intbrmation on this important department of science, and seems to have studied the geology of the United States with great succes.s. According to this writer, throughout the "reatest part of tiie northern and north-eastern states, the sea washes the primary rocks ; but at Long island there connncnces an tlluvial fonnutioH, which, increasing in breadth as it stretches l.-^l I. u 'f^ 56 VIEW OF THE southward, covers a great part of both the Carolinas and Geor- gia, and almost the whole of the two Floridas and Lower Louisiana. This vast alluvial formation is bounded on the east by the ocean, and by a line commencing at the eastern end of Long island and passing through Philadelphia, Washington, Richmond in Virginia, Halifax in North CaroHna, Columbia in South Carolina, Augusta on the Savannah, and thence to Nat- chez on the Mississippi. The tide water ends in all tlie rivers from the Mississippi to the Roanoke at the distance of from 30 to 120 miles from the western limits of the alluvial formation ; from the Roanoke to the Delaware, the tide penetrates through the alhivial, and is stopped by the primitive rocks. In all the northern and eastern rivers, the tide runs a small distance into the prinjitive formations. In the southern states the alluvial formation is elevated considerably above the level of the sea ; hut OS it approaches the north, it rises very httle above it. On the western side of the great range of mountains, there is a long narrow zone of transition rocks, beginning on the eastern side of lake Champlain, and extending in an undulating line in a south-westerly direction, to a point between the Ala- bama and Tombigbee rivers, in about 34 dcg. north lat. and about 85 deg. west long. It is generally broadest where the primitive formation is narrowest, and vice versa; and runs from 20 to 100 tnilcs in breadth. On the north-west of those transition rocks commences an immense region of secondary rocks, extending beyond lake Superior to tlic north, and some hundred miles beyond the Mississippi to the west, not far distant from the foot of the Stoney mountains, forming an area of about 1500 miles from east to west, and about 1200 miles from north to south. The volcanic fires which constitute so grand a feature in the geological history of South America, have not extended their doniiiilon to the northern continent, nor have any productions been (hscovcred which indicate that volcanoes have at any time existed there. Of the primitive roc^ks granite forms but a small part; but it is found both on the tops of the mountains and in the plfiins. There are many varieties of it, in regard to the size oi' itb con- 4 UNITED STATES. ^1 IS and Geor- and Lower ided on the eastern end Vashington, Columbia in Mice to Nat- 11 the rivers : of from 30 formation ; tes through In all the istance into the alluvial of the sea ; >ove it. ains, there ing on the undulating tn the Ala- th lat. and where the and runB imences an A'ond lake )eyond the foot of the miles from itii. ture in the nded their reductions t any time jiart ; but ihe plains, of its con- % I stituent parts ; and it is occasionally mixed with hornblende. The granite generally divides into rhomboidal masses, and, except in some very small-grained varieties, there is no appear- ance of stratification. It is frequently so far decomposed as to have lost the adhesion of its particles, to the depth of !30 or 40 feet below the surface ; each crystrl is in its place, and looks as if it were solid ; but when you take it up, it falls into sand. Gneiss extends over a half of the primitive formation. It in- cludes in a great many places beds from three to three hundred feet tliick, of a very large-grained granite, which run in the same direction, and dip as the gneiss does. Within the limits of what may be termed the primitive country, there are found several partial and detached formations of the transition and secon^-lary rocks. A transition formation occupies nearly the whole of Rhode island, and runs from Rhode island to Boston, lifteen miles broad. There is a range of secondary rocks, extending, with some intervals, from the Connecticut to the Rappahannock rivers, a distance of nearly 400 miles ; and in width, g-enerally from fifteen to twenty-five miles. It appears to belong to the old red sandstone formation of Werner. A formation of transition rocks runs nearly south- west from the Delaware to the Yadkin river, from two to fifteen miles broad, consisting of beds of blue, gi'ey, red, and white small-grained limestone, alternating with beds of greywacke and greywacke slate, quartzo.se granular rocks, and a great va- riety of the transition class. jVIuch of this limestone contains so much small-grained sand, as to resemble a dol >;iiii.e ; and, in many places, considerable bedsof fiue-gi'ained white marl)le, fit for the statuary, occur. About ten or twelve miles west of Richmond in Virginia, there is a coal formation, lying upon, and surrounded by primitive rocks. It is situatetl in an ob- long basin, from twenty to twenty-five miles long, and about ten miles wide, having the whitish freestone, slaty clay, &c. With vegetable impressions, as well as most of the other at- tendants of that formation. Great varieties of mineral substances are found in the primi- tive formation; and, from the uumber aiieady lound, in pro- portion to the limited researches that have been made, it is H 5S VIEW OF THE probable that, in so great an extent of rocks of a crystalline structure, almost every mineral substance discovered in similar situations elsewhere will be, found in this country. Metallic substances art- found in considerable abundance in the primi- tive rocks— iron, copper, manganese, and cobalt. The general naUire of metallic repositories in this formation appears to be in beds, disseminated through the rock, or in lying masses. Veins to any great extent have not been discovered in any part of this formation. The immense basin to the west of the Alleghany mountaihs, through which so many mighty rivers flow, is wholly composed of secondary rocks, without having their continuity interrupted by any other formation, except the alluvial deposites on the banks of the large rivers. The stratification is almost perfectly horizontal. The alluvial country, eastward of the Alleghany mountains, is composed of beds of sand, gravel, and clay, differing in their nature, according to that of the adjoining rocks, from the dis- integration of whicli they have been pro*- UNITED STATES. (is ' Kentucky also furniahes nitre under a wry different form, and constituting what is there called the rock ore, which i^ in fact a sandstone richly impregnated with nitrate oi" potash. These sandstones are ger xljy situated at tlie head of narrow valleys which traverse H.k .sides of steep hills. They rest on calcareous strata, and sometimes present a front from 60 to 100 feet high. When broken into small fragments, and thrown into boiling water, the stone soon falls into sand, one bushel of which, by lixiviation and crystallization, frequently yields 10 lb. and sometimes more than 20 lb. of nitrate of potash. The nitre obtained from these rocks contains little or no nitrate ojf lime, and is said to be superior for the manufacture of gun^ powder to that extracted from the afore-mentioned earths. ' Masses of native nitre, nearly pure, and weighing several pounds, are sometimes found in the fissures of these sandstones, or among detached fragments. Indeed, it is said that these masses of native nitre sometimes weigh several hundred pounds. Similar taverns occur in Tennessee, and in some parts of Vir^ ginia and Maryland.' With the exception of the red oxide of zinc, and the native magnesia, discovered by Dr. Bruce, no simple minerals have hitherto been discovered in the United States that were not already known to exist in oth r parts of the world. There are some of the simple minerals, however, which are Ibund in a state of great perfection, such as the cyanite, green tourmaline and rubellite, melanite, precious serpentine, garnet, and beryl. A mass of native iron has recently been found near Ked river in Louisiana. The form is irregular ; its length being three feet four inches, and its greatest breadth two feet four inches- its weight exceeds 3000 lb. Its surface is covered with a ^ blackish crust, and is deeply indented. It is very malleable and compact; but is unequally hard, some parts being easily cut by a chisel, while others have nearly the hardness oi' steel Its specific gravity is 7-40. It contains nickel, and is less easily oxidated than purified iron. This is rendered particu- larly interesting, by its containing in its interior octahedral crystals, which may be easily cut by a knife, and are striated r r.. m VIEW OF THE ■s 1 ■« K like magnetic iron. The l.trgest crystal is more than half air inch in length. Amethysts are found in Virginia ; but it is prob; )le fliat the emerald mentioned by Mr. Jefferson is t)uly a g, jon ( «tal. No mincralogic discovery has been made in Georgia, besides a bank of oyster shells, 90 miles from the seu. Mineral Waters. — There are several mineral waters, of va- rious virtues, in different provinces of the United States, but none of distinguished eminence like Bath, or Ai.\-la-Cliapelle. In the province of Vermont, or the Green mountain, ihere ifi a remarkable sulphureous spring, which dries up in vo or three years, and bursts out in another place. There are seve- ral mineral springs in Massachusetts, but little frequented, and there is another at Stafford in Connecticut. Those of Sarato- ga, in the province of New York, are remarkably copious, and surrounded with singular petrifactions. They are considerably frequented, as well as those of New Lebanon in the same country. New Jersey boasts of some chalybeate waters ; and near Isle creek in Pennsylvania on the river Alleghany, or Ohio, there is a spring which yields petroleum, said to be use- ful in rheumatic complaints. Two warm springs occur in Vir- ginia, one 'if them 112 deg. Thesi- are called the springs of Augusta; bvit others more frequented are near the river Poto- mak \ general burning for some time. The salt springs in Kentucky also deserve mention ; and there are others in the province of Ten- nessee. In Georgia, near the town of VVashiugtoh, there is a remarkable spring rising from a hollow tree, which is encrusted with matter probably calcareous. Botany. — A country that experiences on the one frontier the severity of the Canadian winters, and on the other basks in the ' full radiance of the Wdst Indian summers may naturally be expected to contain no small variety of native plants So nu- merous and important indeed are they, as to render it impos- sible, in a work not devoted particularly to the subject, to notice them as they deserve ; we must therefore be contented %. hiturainous spring was discovered on the estate of ^v.shington, which easily takes fire, and continues : V .'i,S I V UNITED STATES*. et> m half air id le that the •n ( «tal. besiiles a ?r8, of va- tates, but -Cliapelle. 1, there is in vo or i > art' -.eve- nted, and of Sarato- oious, and nsiderably the same ters; and ghany, or to be use- ur in Vir- springs of iver Pt)to- estate of continues ucky also e of Ten- there is a .) encrusted •'A ontier the i sks in the * turally be ' : So nu- it impos- Libject, to 1 contented 1 with the sell, n of such alone as, from then n beauty, have th strtmgi laim to our attention. The iKitam jf these staies, including the Flori. , r,r. in other words, o. the wholo ttM^Jon extending eastward fr(,ni the Mississippi to the ocean, and soutliHard from the river Si Lawrence with its lakes to the gulf of Mexico, may be divided into those vegetables wliich are common to the whole county, and those that occupy only particular parts. The most generally tliffusod species auiong th. timber trees are the willow-leaved oak growing in the .swamp . . (!.,■ chesnut oak, which in the southern states attains an ei ize, ami is almost as valuable for its sweet farinaeeM is as for its wood ; the vhitf oak ; tile red and the Mn. scxt to these in rank are two kinds of walnut, the black. 1 the white or hiccory esteemed for its oily „uts. The chrs.u,i and beech of Europe are also found abundantly in the American forests. The tuhp ' eeand sassafras laurel, more impatient of cold than the preced appear as shrubs on the Canadian borders, rise into trees tf,. midland states, mul on the warm banks of the Altahama atta-n the full perfeclu of stateliness and beauty. The sugar maple, on the contrary, is seen only o , j. northern sides of the hills in the southern states, and' increases both in size and frequency in the more bracing chmate of the New England provinces. The sweet gum tree, the iron wood, the nettle tree, the American elm, the black poplar, and the tacca- mahacca, appear m every state of the Union wherever the soil IS suitable, without being much affected by variety of climate Ihe light sandy tracts, both wet and dry, are principally inha- bited by the important and useful family <.f pines : of these the chief species are the Pennsylvan" n fir. ,i,e common and the hemlock spruce fir; the black, the wh e, and the Weymouth pme ; and the larch : nearly allied ' . hich are the arbor vit», and the jumperus virginiana, the red cedar of America. The smaller trees and shrubs that are dispersed in all parts of the United Si tes, among a multitude of others, consist of the fol- lowing; the fnnge tree, the red maple, the sumach and poison oak, the red mulberry, the persimmon plum, and robinia pseu. dacacia, and the triple-thorned acacia. I ^. 'K IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 / O {./ 4. *^o fc A IS? %^ tf 1.0 I.I IM 20 1.8 1-25 i 1.4 i 1.6 V] <^ //, m 7 '?# /A '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 4^ 1^' ^ lamented; and h\H Jaguar, or American tiger, seems only a dimmutive species. Captains Lewis and Clerk frequently encountered the white and brown bear in the north-west intl nor; an animal of a most ferocious description : they also saw herds of antelopes, bufFalot>s, and wolves. The lynx, the ocelot, and the margay, are smaller beasts of prey, of the cat kind. These and many other animals supply furs. The beaver is well known from the fur, and the singu- lar formation of his cabin, built in ponds for the sake of secu- rity ; but he seems to feed on the twigs of trees, and not on fish, as commonly supposed. This industrious animal is found m all the states, and is somewhat imitated by the musk rat which likewise builds his hut in shallow streams. Some kinds of raonkies are said to be found in the southern states. The morse, or sea cow, and the se^}, used to frequent the northern shores; and the manati, common in South America, is said sometimes to appear on the southern coasts : this animal, which has fore feet like hands, and a tail like a fish, wl.ile the breasts of the female resemble those of a woman, seems to be the mer- r;aid of fable. Among the birds there are many kinds of eagles, vultures, owl , and numerous sorts called by iluropean names, thouo-h gener^Uy different in the eye of the naturalist. The biro called a turkey is peculiar to America, and abounds in the north. They were brought from Mexico to Spain, and from Spain to England about 1524; the African poultry, or meleag-rides o{ more ancient authors, being Guinea fowls. There are also birds which resemble the partridge, ptarmigan, and quail, of Europe. Virginia abounds with beautiful birds, among which is the humming bird, as already mentioned, while the wakon resembles the bird of paradise : and it may be conceived that vast varieties of aquatic birds crowd the numerous lakes and ' rivers, the largest being the wild suan, which .sometimes weighs thirty-six j)ounda. .Upwards of vnv hundred and thirty American birds have »K»ii .•tiiuuerat('