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F NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

́ ́ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS. 1904

A

A NEW SYSTEM

GEOGRAPHY.

BOOK IV.

Of America in general.

AMERICA, the fourth grand divifion of the earth, received its

name from Americus Vefpufius, a Florentine; who was far from deferving that honour, to which he had no other claim than a few inconfiderable difcoveries after Columbus had led the way, and his drawing a map of the country if therefore it was proper for it to receive the name of any European, it might with more juftice have been called Columbia, from the great man who made it known to the Europeans; and is frequently so called by the British race of inhabitants there.

This New World, as it is emphatically called, extends from the frozen regions of the north, where its limits are impervious to human obfervation, on account of the impaffable barriers of ice, which never yield to the influ ence of the fummer fun, through an extent of country, in which fucceffively pafs all the climates to be found in the other regions of the earth, and at length terminates on the fouth, in the fnow-capped rocks of Terra del Fue go. Thus the continent of America extends from about the eightieth degree, N. to the fifty-fix degree S. latitude; and where its breadth is known from the 40th E. to the 50th W. longitude from Philadelphia, without including the islands, firetching between eight and nine thousand miles in length: but in its greatest breadth, were certainly known, three thousand fix hundred and ninety; though in the middle it is not above fixty or seventy ruiles over.

It is bounded on the north by the feas about the north pole; and on the E. by Davis's Straits, which feparate it from Greenland, and by the great Atlantic Ocean, which divides it from Europe and Africa; on the S. by the vaft Southern or Pacific Ocean; and on the W. by the north Pacific Ocean, which feparates it from the caftern part of the continent of Afia, the defolate but temperate and extentive rigions of New Holland; alfo from New Guinea, and an immenfe number of fruitful and populous iflands. About the fixty-eighth degree of north latitude, it very nearly joins the most eaflern point of Ala, a fact which the indefatigable labours of Captain VOL. IV.

Cook afcertained, the low countries being there only 16 or 18 leagues apart..

It is very remarkable, that the climates of North America, are many degrees colder than any of the countries under the fame latitude in Europe; thus New Britain, which is nearly in the fame latitude with Great Britain, is infupportably cold to an European the greateft part of the frozen country of Newfoundland, the bay of St. Laurence, and Cape Breton, lie parallel with the coaft of France; Nova Scotia and New England are in, the fame latitude as the Bay of Bifcay; New-York and Pennfylvania lie oppofite to Spain and Portugal. Hence the coldeft winds of North America blow from the N. and the W. as they do here from the N. and the E. Many caufes have been affigned for this remarkable increase of cold in America, to that felt under the fame parallel of latitude in Europe: one is the wind travelling over a vaft extent of land from the north and weft, before it reaches thofe parts of America above mentioned; and some philofophers have maintained, that America was entirely overfpread with an immense ocean, long fince the records of hiftory fpeak of Afia, Africa, and Europe.

This vall continent is divided almoft in two by an iflhmus about fifteen hundred miles in length, and in one place fo narrow as to be only about fixty miles over; but being mountaneous, it would be impoffible, perhaps, to open a communication there between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. All the continent to the north of this ifthmus, together, with the ifthmus itfelf, is flyled North America; and all to the fouth' of it, including that even on this fide the equator, is ftyled South America. This narrow neck is called the isthmus of Darien.

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North America is far from being mountaneous, and chiefly confifls of gentle afcents and level plains; the principal hills in this extenfive traft are called the Apallachian, or Alleghany mountains, which extend on the back of the United States. But in South America is the immenfe long and lofty chain called the Cordillera of the Andes, which in height and length exceed any chain of mountains in the other three parts of the earth; for beginning near the inhinus of Darien, they extend to the ftraits of Magellans, cutting the whole fouthern part of America in two, and running a length of four thousand three hundred miles.

America is alfo well watered by rivers, not only for the fupport of animal life, and all the advantages of fertility, but for the convenience of trade, and the intercourfe of the diflant inhabitants by water. In North America the

great river Miffifippi, rifing about the falls of St. Anthony, in latitude. 47° N. runs above two thoufand miles, chiefly from N. to S. receiving in its courfe the Ohio, the Miflorie, the Illinois, the Quifconfin, the St. Croix, the St. Pierre, and other large rivers, navigable almoft to their very Yources, and laying open the inmoft receffes of this continent. Near the heads of thefe are extenfive lakes of fresh water, which have a communication with each other, and with the great river St. Laurence, which is navigable for fhips above four hundred miles from its mouth, where it is faid to ninety miles broad. On the eaftern fide of North America are the fine rivers Hudfon, Deleware,. James, Fotowmak, Sufquehanna, Connecticut, and feveral others of great length and depth, which with many others of the moft remarkable, fhall be defcribed in the proper places.

In South America are the two largeft rivers in the known world, the river of Amazon, and the Rio de la Plata: the firft rifes in Peru, and, after a courfe of above three thoufand fix hundred miles, in which it receives à

prodigious number of navigable rivers, falls into the ocean between Brazil and Guinea. The Rio de la Plata, or Plate river, rifes in the heart of the country, and becomes fo large by the acceffion of other confiderable rivers, pouring fuch an immenfe flood into the fea, that it makes it talte fresh for feveral leagues from the fhore.te

A country of foch vast extent-on each fide the equator, muft neceffarily have a variety of foils as well as climates; but if we except the most northern and fouthern parts, which here, as every where elie, are naturally barren, the reft is an immenfe treasury of nature, producing most of the metals, nincs rals, plants, fruits, trees, and woods, to be met with in the other parts of the world, and many of them in greater quantities and higher perfection. The gold and filver of South America have fupplied Europe with fuch im menfe quantities of thofe precious metals, that the value of specie, in confequence, is greatly decreased; according to Montefquieu, the quantity then in circulation when he wrote, was, to that before the difcovery of the Indies as thirty-two is to one. And in the revolution of about thirty years, which time has elapfed fince he made the calculation, the difference has become confiderably greater; notwithstanding the immenfe quantities of filver annually carried to China, which never returns.

The fouthern divifion of this country alfo produces an immenfe quantity of diamonds, pearls, emeralds, amethyfts, and other valuable ftones, which are brought into Europe, in fuch quantities, as have alfo greatly lowered their value. To these may be added a great number of other commodities, which though of lefs price, are of much greater afe. Of this fort are the conflant and plentiful fupplies of cochineal, indigo, anatto, logwood, brafil fuffic, pimento, lignum-vitae, rice, ginger, cacao, or the chocolate nut, fugar, tobacco, banilas, cotton, red-wood; the balfams of Tolu, Peru, and Chili, Jefuit's bark, mechoacan, faffafras, farfaparilla, caffia, tamarinds, hides, furs, ambergris, and a great variety of woods, roots, and plants, to which, before the difcovery of America, we were either entire ftrangers, or forced to procure them at an exorbitant price from Afia, and Africa.

America has also a variety of moft excellent fruits, which although they grow wild, come to great perfection; as pine-maples, pomegranates, citrons, lemons, oranges, mancatons, cherries, pears, apples, figs, grapes; valt numbers of culinary, medicinal, and other herbs, roots and plants.

Add to this, the furprifing fertility with which the foil is bleffed, by which many exotic productions are nourished in as 'great perfection as in their native ground.

With all this plenty and variety, the vast continent of America formerly laboured under the want of many neceffary and ufeful commodities : for upon the firft landing of the Europeans, they found neither corn, wine, nor oil, and the inhabitants in many places knew not the use of corn, but made their bread of pulfe or roots. Our kind of fheep, goats, cows, affes, and horfes, were not to be found there, though the land abounded with paftures; and at firft the fight of a man on horfeback would throw a whole troop of the innocent and fimple inhabitants into a dreadful panic. But all thefe animals have been tranfported thither in fuch plenty, and have increafed so faft in those fertile paflures, that the country has no want of them, as appears from the innumerable hides, particularly of oxen, continually exported. However, in the room of thefe domeftic animals, they had others no lefs valuable, and to which the Europeans, upon the firft difcovery, were

utter ftrangers; these we shall defcribe in the countries where they are

bred.

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The fame may be faid of the vast variety of birds to be feen here, fome of which greatly furpals all that are to be found in any other parts of the world, for their furprising beauty, fine shape, bright and glowing colours. The feas, lakes, and rivers, alfo abound with the greateft variety of fith.

Before the arrival of the Europeans, they had arts of their own; having fome notion of painting, they alfo formed pictures by the beautiful arrangement of feathers of all colours, and in fome parts built palaces and temples. Though the ufe of iron was unknown, they polished precious ftones, cut down trees, and made not only fmall canoes, but boats of confiderable bulk. Their hatchets were headed with a sharp flint, and of flints they made knives. Thus, at the arrival of the Europeans, they afforded a lively picture of the primitive ftate of mankind in the infancy of the world. For, at that pe riod the arts, the sciences, and all the learning that had long flourished in thefe more enlightened parts of the earth, were entirely unknown.

Having thus given a fhort account of America in general, we shall next lay before our readers those circumstances, which led to its difcovery.

CHA P. I.

Of the Discovery of the Well-Indies, and of South America.

MANKIND owe the difcovery of the weftern world to the gold,

the filver, the precious flones, the fpices, filks, and coftly manufactures, of the Eaff; and even these incentives were for a confiderable time, infufficient to prompt to the undertaking, although the moft fkilful navigator of the age proffered to risk his life in the attempt.

That wonderful property communicated to the needle by the loadftone, which conflitutes its polarity, had been discovered about an hundred and feventy years before any navigator was found hardy enough to cross the equinoctial line, and the Portuguese were the firft to achieve it. The property of the loadfone, or magnet, to attraft iron, was well known to the ancients, and appears to have excited their aftonishment. Cicero speaks of it as fuch an incredible fact, as could not be believed, if it was not demonftrably proved Lacreuius likewife fpeaks of this wonderful magnetic quality, and Pliny, the naturalift, employs a whole chapter on this one, called by the ancients magnet, which chapter he introduces by faying, "what can be more wonderful! or in what part of Nature is there any thing more improbable!" Bint to what an height would the wonder of the ancients have been raised, could they have had the foreknowledge, that, in future times, another property fhould be found in this operative fubftance, by which an inftrument would be obtained capable of directing daring: metals, through oceans of an inconceiveable extent, and of giving them aecefs to every part of the globe!" The compafs," to adopt the words of an able writer, may be faid to have opened to man the dominion of the fea, and to have put him in full poffefiion of the earth, by enabling him to vifit every part of it."

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