the Ifthmus of Darien. Being forced on Jamaica by a ftorm, and in want of provifions, he procured fupplies from the favages, by the terror of an eclipfe of the moon, which he knew was to happen at that time. When Columbus returned to Spain, his protectress Isabella was dead. Ferdinand gave him fair words, but nothing else. This truly great man died in 1506, weighed down by grief and infirmities. After his death, the Indians were no longer treated with gentlenefs, but were almost entirely exterminated from St Domingo and Cuba by the most horrid barbarity.

The fame of Columbus roused the emulation of many adventurers. The coast of South America was discovered 1499,

by

trils, the fumes of which afcending to the brain, they felt all the transports and frenzy of intoxication.In most of the American tribes, women are not permitted to partake of their festivals Their province is to prepare the liquor, to ferve it about to the guetts, and to take care of their husbands and friends when their reafon is overpowered. Since the Indians in North America have been fupplied by the Europeans with fpirituous liquors, the women indulge in drinking them as immoderately as the men.

Among the favage tribes of America, almoft univerfally, the horrid cuftom prevails, of putting to death the aged and incurable; which is not regarded as a deed of cruelty, but as an act of mercy. The fame hardships and difficulty of procuring fubfiftence, which deters favages, in fome cafes, from rearing their offspring, prompt them to deftroy their aged parents and friends. An American broken with years and infirmities, confcious that he can no longer depend on thofe around him, places himfelf content dly in his grave, and it is by the hands of his children or nearest relations, that the thong is pulled, or the blow inflicted, which releases him for ever from the forrows of life.

Thus the character of an American favage exhibits human nature in a very unfavourable light, blended, however, with feveral virtues, felfish, unfeeling, fullen, ungrateful, revengeful, cunning, cruel; but independent, fearless of dan ger, patient under fuffering, and strongly attached to his tribe.

Different opinions are entertained about the manner in which America was first peopled. Some have fuppofed, that it was originally united to the ancient continent, and disjoined from it by the shock of an earthquake, or the irruption of a deluge. Others have imagined, that fome veffel, being forced from its courfe by the violence of a weiterly wind, might be driven by accident towards the American coaft, and have given a beginning to population in that defolate continent. But thefe are mere fuppofitions, and not fupported by evidence. The ignorance of the Americans, when firft difcovered, concerning the neceffary arts of life, and their total want of the domeftic animals, prove that they were not defcended from any people in the ancient continent which had made confiderable progrefs in civilization. As it has been established beyond a doubt, by the difcoveries of Captain Cook in his laft voyage, that, in about 66° north latitude, the continents of Afia and America are feparated by a trait only eighteen miles wide, and the inhabitants on each continent are fimilar, and frequently pafs and repafs in canoes from one continent to the other; it feems probable, that the progenitors of all the American nations, from Cape Horn to the fouthern limits of Labrador, from the familarity of their afpect, colour, &c. migrated from the north-caft parts of Afia. But fince the Eiquimaux Indians are manifeftly a feparate fpecies of men, diftinct from all the nations of the American continent, in language, in difpofition,

and

by AMERIC VESPUCCI, a Florentine, who, having pub. lished an account of his voyage, had the good fortune, very unjuftly, to give his name to near one half of the globe. A

and in habits of life, and in all thefe refpects bar a near refemblance to the Greenlanders; and fince it has been found that the north-weft coaft of Greenland is feparated from America only by a very narrow ftrait, if feparated at all, it is believed, that the Efquimaux Indians emigrated from the north-west parts of Europe.

The different fpecies of animals peculiar to America are much fewer in proportion than thofe of the other hemifphere. In the itlands, there were only four kinds of quadrupeds known, the largest of which did not exceed the fize of a rabbit. On the continent, the variety was greater, but ftill the number of diftinct species was extremely fmall. Of two hundred different kinds of animals fpread over the face of the earth, only about one third exifted in America at the time of its difcovery, and thefe interior in fize, in ftrength, and ferocity to the animals of the other continent, Boun. (But this is controverted by American writers. Morfe's Geogr. p. 54.) The fame qualities in the climate of America, which ftinted the growth and enfeebled the spirit of its native animals, have proved pernicious to fuch animals as have migrated into it voluntarily from the other continent, or have been tranfported thither by the Europeans. The bears, the wolves, the deer of America, are not equal in fize to thofe of the old world. Mott of the domeftic animals, with which the Europeans ftored the provinces in which they settled, have degenerated with respect either to bulk or quality, in a country whofe temperature and foil feem to be lefs favourable to the ftrength and perfection of the animal creation.But infects and reptiles abound in many parts of America to an aftonishing degree, particularly in the torrid zone, where they multiply faster perhaps, and grow to a more monftrous bulk, than in the other quarters of the globe. The air is often darkened with clouds of infects, and the ground covered with fhocking and noxious reptiles. The country round Porto Bello fwarms with toads in fuch multitudes as hide the furface of the earth. At Guyaquil, fnakes and vipers are hardly lefs numerous. Carthagena is infefted with numerous flocks of bats, which annoy not only the cattle but the inhabitants. In the iflands, legions of ants have, at different times, confumed every vegetable production, and left the earth entirely bare, as it it had been burnt with fire. The damp forefts and rank foil of the countries on the banks of the Orinoco and Maragnon teem with almost every offenfive and poifonous creature which the power of a fultry fun can quicken into life. Serpents and fnakes abound greatly on the banks of the Mifliffippi, also the ALLIGATOR, a fpecies of the cro codile, an amphibious and oviparous animal, extremely voracious, which is found in feveral rivers of America. Some alligators are of fo monftrous a fize as to exceed five yards in length. They are great deftroyers of the fish, and are faid fometimes to ufe addrefs to inveigle their prey. Eight or ten, as it were by compact, draw up at the mouth of a river or creek, where they lie with their mouths open, while others go a confiderable way up the river, and drive the fish downward.

The number of birds common to the old and new world is much greater than that of quadrupeds. The American birds of the torrid zone, like thofe of the fame climate in Afia and Africa, are decked in plumage, which dazzles the eye with the vivid beauty of its colours; but nature, fatisfied with clothing them in this gay drefs, has denied most of them that melody of found and variety of notes which catches and delights the ear. The birds of the temperate climates there, in the fame manner as in our continent, are lefs fplendid in their appearance; but, in compenfation for that defect, have all the power and fweetics of mufic in their voice. The birds of America generally exceed those of Europe in the beauty of their plumage, but are faid to be much inferior to them in the melody of their notes.

bout

bout the fame time the coaft of North America was discovered by SEBASTIAN CABOT, a native of Bristol.

The inhabitants of America, when firft difcovered by the Europeans, were all in the most favage ftate, except thofe of Mexico and Peru, who had made fome fmall progrefs in the arts of civilization, but in many refpects were alfo quite uncultivated, They knew nothing of letters, were wholly unacquainted with the use of iron, and had no horfes, fheep, or oxen, nor any of the domeftic animals of Europe.

NORTH AMERICA is divided into three parts, British America, Independent America, or the United States, and Spanish America.

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA includes,

1. NEW BRITAIN, between 50 and 70 deg. N. lat. and 60 and 100 deg. W. lon. 1600 miles long, and 1200 broad. The north of it is called Labrador, and the fouth Efquimeaux.

The country to the north of Hudfon's Straits is called North Main; and on the weft fide of Hudfon's bay, New Wales, divided into north and fouth, where moft of the English fettlements are; Port Neilfon, Church-hill, New Severn, and Albeny ; at the bottom of the bay, Fort Charles, Fort Rupert, and fome others.

The knowledge of these northern parts was owing to the attempts made to difcover a north-weft paflage to China. The different adventurers have given their names to the places which they difcovered; as, Hudson's Bay, Davis Straits, &c.

The animals in this country are all covered with a close, foft, warm, fur; and in winter, which here lafts nine months, are faid to affume a white colour; which is the cafe alfo with animals carried thither from Europe..

2. CANADA, or the province of Quebec, 800 miles long and 200 broad; between 45 and 52 deg. N. lat. and 61 and 81 deg. W. lon. The chief towns are, QUEBEC, 320 miles from the fea; and MONTREAL, 170 miles above Quebec. About half-way between them is Trois Rivières, or the Three Rivers.

In this country is produced the BEAVER, a very furprising animal, of the amphibious kind, about four feet in length, and weighing 60 or 70 pounds, which builds its own habitation, 4 T

and

and provides food to ferve itself during the winter, always in proportion to the feverity of it*.

3. NOVA SCOTIA, 350 miles long, and 250 broad; between 43 and 49 deg. N. lat. and 60 and 67 deg. W. lon. The chief town is HALIFAX, on Chebucto Bay; ANNAPOLIS, on Fundy Bay. This province was granted by James I. to his fecretary Sir William Alexander, who gave it its prefent pame. It was afterwards, for a long time, fubject to the French, who called it Acadia.

INDEPENDENT NORTH AMERICA (or The United States,) comprehends,

1. NEW ENGLAND, 550 miles long, and 200 broad; between 4 and 49 deg. N. lat. and 67 and 74 W. lon.; divided into four provinces, MASSACHUSET's Bar: Chief towns, BOSTON, Salem, Newbury Port, Marblehead, Cape Anne, Plymouth, Dartmouth, Cambridge: - NEW HAMPSHIRE; Portsmouth: RHODE ISLAND, &c. Newport and CONNECTICUT: New London, Hertford. The chief cape is Cape Cod; the chief river is Connecticut. There is a tract of country on the west of this river, and north of Maffachufets, called VERMONT, which is a feparate government in the United States. Its chief town is BENNINGTON.

The ingenuity of the beavers in building their cabins, and in providing themfelves fubfiftence, is truly wonderful. When they are about to choose a habitation, they affemble in companies, fometimes of two or three hundred, and after mature deliberation, fix on a place where plenty of provifions, and all neccffaries, are to be found. Their houfes are always fituate in the water, and when they can find neither lake nor pond convenient, they fupply the defe& by ftopping the current of fome brook or small river. For this purpofe they fe lect a number of trees, carefully taking those above the place where they intend to build, that they may fwim down with the current, and placing them felves by threes or fours round each tree, foon fell them. By a continuation of the fame labour, they cut the trees into proper lengths, and rolling them into the water, navigate them to the place where they are to be ufed. After this they construct a dam, with as much folidity and regularity as the most experi. enced workmen could do. The formation of their cabins is no lefs remarkable. These cabins are built either on piles in the middle of the pond they have formed, on the bank of a river, or at the extremity of fome point of land projecting into a lake. The figure of them is round or oval. Two thirds of each of them rifes above the water, and this part is large enough to contain eight or ten inhabitants. They are contiguous to each other, fo as to allow an eafy communication. Each beaver has his place affigned him, the floor of which he curiously firews with leaves, rendering it clean and comfortable. The winter never furprifes these animals before their business is completed; for their houses are generally finished by the laft of September, and their ftock of provifions Jard in, which confifts of fmall pieces of word, difpofed in fuch manner as to preferve its moiflurc. Merfe's American Geography.

New

New England was chiefly peopled by the Nonconformists, who fled from the oppreflive government of Charles I.

2. NEW YORK, 350 miles long, and 300 broad; between 40 and 46 deg. N. lat. and 72 and 76 deg. W. lon. It was for fome time in the pofleflion of the Dutch, who called it New Holland. It was ceded to England at the peace of Breda, 1667, and got its prefent name from the then Duke of York. This province includes the ifland of New York, 12 miles long and 3 broad; Long Island, about 140 miles long and 12 broad; and Staten Iland*.

The principal towns are, NEW YORK, 40° 40′ N. lat. and 74 deg. W. lon.; and about 150 miles above it, on Hudfon's river, ALBANY; north from which is SARATOGA +.

At the northern extremity of Lake George, which communicates with Lake Champlain, ftood the Fort Ticonderoga.

The chief cape is Sandy Hook, near New York, at the entrance of Rariton river.

3. NEW JERSEY, 160 miles long, and 60 broad; between Hudfon's river and the Delaware. 'It was given by Charles II.

The Sound, which feparates Long Island from the main-land, is from three to twenty-five miles broad. Near the west end of it, about eight miles eastward of New-York city, is the celebrated ftrait, called Hell-gate, remarkable for its whirlpools, which make a tremendous roaring at certain times of the tide; occafioned by the narrownefs and crookedness of the pafs, and a bed of rocks which extend quite acrofs it. A fkilful pilot however may with fafety conduct a fhip of any burden through this (trait with the tide, or at ftill water with a fair wind.-York bay, which is nine miles long and four broad, fpreads to the fouthward before the city of New-York. It is formed by the confluence of the Eaft and Hudfon's rivers, and embosoms several small islands, of which Governor's ifland is the principal. It communicates with the ocean through the Narrows, between staten and Long-iflands, which are fcarcely two miles wide. The paffage up to New-York from Sandy Hook is fafe, and not above 20 miles in length. The common navigation is between the caft and weft banks, in about 22, feet water. There is a light-houfe at Sandy Hook on Jerley fhore.--HUDSON's river is one of the fine and largest rivers. in the United States. It rifes in the mount Coun country between the lakes Ontario and Champlain. Its length is about 2 miles. The bed of this river, which is deep and fmooth to an aftonishing tance, through a hilly, rocky country, and even through ridges of fome of the highest mountains in the United States, appears to have been produced by fome mighty convulfion. in nature. The tide flows a few miles above Albany, which is 160 miles from New York. It is navigable for fluops of 80 tons to Albany, and to HUD. SON (which is a town of late origin, 130 miles from New-York,) for velfels of any fize. About 60 miles above New York the water becomes fresh.-In the interior part of the country there is a lake called SALT LAKE, because ftrongly impregnated with faline particles, from which the Indians make their falt. It empties into SENECA river, which ruas into Lake Ontario.

Near this General Burgoyne and his army furrendered to the Americans under General Gates, on the 17th of October 1777. which gave occafion to the treaty with France.