A A NEW SYSTEM 1 OF GEOGRAPHY. AMERICA, BOOK IV. Of America in general. MERICA, the fourth grand division of the earth, received its name from Americus Vefpufius, a Florentine; who was far from deserving 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 justice 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 observation, on account of the impassable barriers of ice, which never yield to the influ ence of the summer fun, through an extent of country, in which successively pass all the climates to be found in the other regions of the earth, and at length terminates on the fouth, in the snow-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, ftretching 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 seas about the north pole; and on the E. by Davis's Straits, which separate it from Greenland, and by the great Atlantic Ocean, which divides it from Europe and Africa; on the S. by the vast Southern or Pacific Ocean; and on the W. by the north Pacific Ocean, which feparates it from the eastern 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 islands. About the fixty-eighth degree of north latitude, it very nearly joins the most eaflern point of Afia, 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 same latitude in Europe; thus New Britain, which is nearly in the fame latitude with Great Britain, is insupportably cold to an European the greatest part of the frozen country of Newfoundland, the bay of St. Laurence, and Cape Breton, lie parallel with the coast of France; Nova Scotia and New England are in the fame latitude as the Bay of Biscay; New-York and Pennsylvania lic opposite to Spain and Portugal. Hence the coldest 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 same parallel of latitude in Europe: one is the wind travelling over a vast extent of land from the north and west, before it reaches those parts of America above mentioned; and some philosophers have maintained, that America was entirely overspread with an immenfe ocean, long fince the records of hiftory speak of Afia, Africa, and Europe. This vall continent is divided almost in two by an ifthmus about fifteen hundred miles in length, and in one place so 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 ftyled North America; and all to the fouth of it, including that even on this fide the equator, is styled South America. This narrow neck is called the isthmus of Darien. North America is far from being mountaneous, and chiefly confifts of gentle afcents and level plains; the principal hills in this extensive tract 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 ifthmus of Darien, they extend to the straits of Magellans, cutting the whole fouthern part of America in two, and running a length of four thousand three hundred miles. * America is also well watered by rivers, not only for the support of animal life, and all the advantages of fertility, but for the convenience of trade, and the intercourse of the dillant inhabitants by water. In North America the great river Miffiflippi, rifing about the falls of St. Anthony, in latitude "47° N. runs above two thousand miles, chiefly from N. to S. receiving in its course the Ohio, the Millorie, the Illinois, the Quifconfin, the St. Croix, the St. Pierre, and other large rivers, navigable almost to their very Yources, and laying open the inmost receffes of this continent. Near the heads of these are extensive 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 eastern fide of North America are the fine rivers Hudson, Deleware, James, Porowmak, Susquehanna, Connecticut, and feveral others of great length and depth, which with many others of the most remarkable, shall be described in the proper places. two In South America are the fargelt rivers in the known world, the river of Amazons, and the Rio de la Plata: the first 'rifes in Peru, and, after a course of above three thousand fix hundred miles, in which it receives a prodigious number of navigable rivers, falls into the ocean between Brazil and Guinea. The Rio de la Plata, or Plate river, rises in the heart of the country, and becomes so large by the accetion of other confiderable rivers, pouring fuch an immenfe flood into the fea, that it makes it tafte fresh "for feveral leagues from the shore. A country of fach 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, mine 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 mense quantities of those precious metals, that the value of specie, in consequence, is greatly decreased; according to Montesquieu, the quantity then in circulation when he wrote, was, to that before the discovery 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 division of this country also produces an immenfe quantity of diamonds, pearls, emeralds, amethysts, and other valuable stones, which are brought into Europe, in fuch quantities, as have also greatly lowered their value. To these may be added a great number of other commodities, which though of less price, are of much greater ufe. Of this fort are the conftant and plentiful supplies of cochineal, indigo, anatto, logwood, brafil fuftic, pimento, lignum-vitæ, 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 discovery of America, we were either entire strangers, or forced to procure them at an exorbitant price from Afia, and Africa. America has alfo a variety of moft excellent fruits, which although they grow wild, come to great perfection; as pine-aaples, pomegranates, citrons, lemons, oranges, mancatons, cherries, pears, apples, figs, grapes ; vast nambers of culinary, medicinal, and other herbs, roots and plants. Add to this, the furprifing fertility with which the foil is bløffed, 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 useful commodities: for upon the first landing of the Europeans, they found heither corn, wine, nor oil, and the inhabitants in many places knew not the use of corn, but made their bread of pulse or roots. Our kind of theep, goats, cows,affes, and horfes, were not to be found there, though the land abounded with paftures; and at first the light of a man on horseback would throw a whole troop of the innocent and fimple inhabitants into a dreadful panic. But all these animals have been tranfported thither in fuch plenty, and have increaf ed fo faft in those fertile pastures, that the country has no want of them, as appears from the innumerable hides, particularly of oxen, continually enported. However, in the room of these domeftic animals, they had othess no lefs valuable, and to which the Europeans, upon the first difcovery, were utter strangers; these we shall describe in the countries where they are bred. The fame may be said of the vast variety of birds to be seen here, some of which greatly furpass all that are to be found in any other parts of the world, for their surprising beauty, fine shape, bright and glowing colours. The feas, lakes, and rivers, alfo abound with the greatest variety of Before the arrival of the Europeans, they had arts of their own; having fome notion of painting, they also formed pictures by the beautiful arrangement of feathers of all colours, and in fome parts built palaces and temples. Though the use of iron was unknown, they polished precious stones, cut down trees, and made not only small 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 flate 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 these more enlightened parts of the earth, were entirely unknown. Having thus given a short account of America in general, we shall next lay before our readers those circumstances, which led to its discovery. Of the Discovery of the Well-Indies, and of South America. MANKIND ANKIND owe the discovery of the western world to the gold, the filver, the precious slones, the spices, filks, and cosily manufactures, of the Eaff; and even these incentives were for a confiderable time, infufficient to prompt to the undertaking, although the most skilful navigator of the age proffered to risk his life in the attempt. That wonderful property communicated to the needle by the loadstone, which constitutes 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 first to atchieve it. The property of the loadstone, or magnet, to attract iron, was well known to the ancients, and appears to have excited their astonishment. Cicero speaks of it as fuch an incredible fact, as could not be believed, if it was not demonftrably proved Lucretius likewise speaks of this wonderful magnetic quality, and Pliny, the naturalift, employs a whole chapter on this ftone, called by the ancients magnet, which chapter he introduces by saying, " what can be more wonderful! or in what part of Nature is there any thing more improe bable!". But 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 should be found in this operative substance, by which an inftrument would be obtained capable of directing daring: metals, through oceans of an incondeiveable extent, and of giving them aecefs to every part of the globe! The compass," to adopt the words of an able writer, " may be faid to have opened to man the dominion of the sea, and to have put him in full poffeffion of the earth, by enabling him to visit every part of it." |