Slike stranica
PDF
ePub

the ocean, almost under the equator, is 150 miles; and 1500 miles from its mouth it is 30 or 40 fathoms deep. In the rainy feafon it overflows its banks, and waters and fertilizes the adjacent country.

Climate, Soil and Produce.] The fair feafon here is about the time of the folftices, and the wet or rainy feafon, at the time of the equinoxes. The trees, fields and plants, are verdant all the year round. The foil is extremely rich, producing corn, grain, and fruits of all kinds, cedar trees, brazil wood, oak, ebony, logwood, iron wood, dying woods, cocoa, tobacco, fugar canes, cotton, caffavi root, potatoes, yams, farfaparilla, gums, raifins, balfams of various kinds, pine apples, guavas, bonanas, &c. The forests are stored with wild honey, deer, wild fowls and parrots, The rivers and lakes abound with fish of all forts; but are much infefted with crocodiles, aliigators, and water ferpents.

Inhabitants.] The Indian nations inhabiting this wide country are very numerous; the banks of almost every river are inhabited by a different people, who are governed by petty fovereigns, called Caciques, who are diftinguished from their fubjects by coronets of beautiful feathers. They are idolators, and worship the images of their ancient heroes. In their expeditions they carry their gods along with them.

Hiftory.] The first difcovery of this country was made by Francifco Orellana, about the year 1580, who coming from Peru; failed down the river Amazon to the Atlantic Ocean. He obferved on the banks of the river, companies of women in arms, and from thence called the country Amazonia, or the land of the Amazons; and gave the name of Amazon to the river, which formerly had been called Maragon. The Spaniards made feveral attempts to plant this country, but always met with fo many difficulties and difafters as rendered all their defigns abortive. The Portuguese have fome fmall fettlements on that part of the coaft which lies betwixt Cape North and the mouth of the river Amazon; but this excepted, the natives are in the fole poffeffion of all the country.

[ocr errors]

PAT A
TAGONIA,

'S a tract of country, 7 or 800 miles long, and 2 or 300 broad, at the fouthern extremity of the American continent.

Climate, Soil, and Productions.] This country is full of high mountains. which are covered with fnow moft of the year. The forms of wind, rain, and fnow here are terrible, The foil is very barren and has never been cultivated,

Inhabitants, Character, &c.] The natives live in thatched huts, and wear no cloaths, notwithstanding the rigour of the climate. They live chiefly on fish and game, and what the earth fpontaneously produces. They are of a tawny complexion, have black hair, and are a gigantic, brave, hardy, active race. Their arms are bows and arrows headed with flints. We know nothing of their government or religion.

Hiftory.] Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguefe in the fervice of Spain, first discovered this country; at least he was the first that failed through

the

the ftraits called by his name. Magellan paffed these straits in the year 1519. The continent is often called Terra Magellanica; and the largest of the neighbouring ifles, from a volcano in it, is called Terra del Fuego, the most foutherly point of which is called Cape Horn.

Upon the firft difcovery of the Straits of Magellan, the Spaniards built forts and fent fome colonies thither; but moft of the people perifhed with cold and hunger; fince which time no fettlements have been attempted here by any Europeans.

Weft India Islands.

Thefe belong to Great Britain, Spain, France, Holland and Denmark.

[ocr errors]

'O GREAT BRITAIN belong, Bermudas, the Bahama iflands, Jamaica, Barbadoes, Antigua, St. Chriftopher's, Grenada, and the Grenadines, Nevis, Montferrat, Barbuda, Dominica, St. Vincent, Anguilla, to which we may add their northern islands, Newfoundland, Cape Breton, and St. John's. Jamaica, the largest of the West India islands, is computed to produce annually 70,000 tons of fugar, upwards of 4,000,000 gallons of rum, befides coffee, cocoa, indigo, and pepper.

To SPAIN belong, the ifland of Cuba, one half of St. Domingo, Porto Rico, Trinidad, Margaretta, Tortuga, Virgin iflands, to which we may add the island of Juan Fernandes, which lies 300 miles weft of Chili, in the Pacific Ocean, famous for having given rife to the celebrated romance of Robinson Crufoe. The ftory is this: One Alexander Selkirk, a Scotchman, was left afhore in this folitary place, where he lived a number of years, till he was taken up by Capt. Rogers, 1709; he had almost forgotten his native language, feeming to fpeak his words by halves. During his refidence on the island, he had killed 500 goats by running them down, and he had marked as many more on the ear which he had let go. Upon his return to England he was advised to publifh an account of his life and adventures, in his little kingdom. For this purpofe he gave his papers into the hands of one Defoe, to prepare them for publication. But the writer, by the help of thefe papers, transformed Alexander Selkirk into Robinfon Crufoe *.

To the FRENCH belong, the largest part of the island of St. Domingo, the iflands of Martinique, Guadaloupe, St. Lucia, Maria Galante, Tobago, St. Bartholomew, and Defeada, and the North American islands St.

* A fplendid Edition of Robinson Crufoe, with feventeen Copper-Plates, and a very interesting account of the Life of Daniel De Foe; by George Chalmers, Efq. is juft published by Mr. Stockdale, in z Vols. 8vo.

J

Pierre and Miquelon. These, with their African and Afiatic possessions, and their fettlements at Guiana and Cayenne, contain, according to Mr. Necker, 600,000 inhabitants.

TO HOLLAND belong the islands of St. Euftatia, Saba and Curraçoa. TO DENMARK belong the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St.

John. In these islands the Moravians have useful establishments.

[blocks in formation]

Length 3000
Breadth 2500

Boundaries.] B

[blocks in formation]

OPE*

10° West and 65° East Longitude from London.

36° and 72° North Latitude.

OUNDED north, by the Frozen Ocean; east, by Afia fouth, by the Mediterranean Sea, which divides it from Africa; west, by the Atlantic Ocean, which separates it from America. Containing 2,627,574 square miles.

* A Collection of Forty-two Plans of the capital Cities in Europe, and Some remarkable Cities in Afia, Africa, and America, with a Description of their most remarkable Buildings, Trade, Situation, Extent, &c. c. felected from the best Authorities. By Mr. John Andrews. Printed for J. Stockdale.

Divifions, Population. &c.] The following table*, exhibits the latelt and most accurate account of the grand divisions of Europe of their extent, and real and comparative population, of any extant.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Military and Marine Strength.] The land forces of the European states,

in the year 1783, were as follows:

[blocks in formation]

Including the parts of Europe omitted in this calculation, the armies of all the countries of Europe, amount to two millions of men; fo that fuppofing one hundred and forty millions of inhabitants in Europe, no more than of the whole population are soldiers.

Number of Ships of the Line, Frigates, Cutters, Sloops, &c.

[blocks in formation]

Religion.] The religions of Europe are the Chriftian, the Jewish and the Mahometan. The two firft are spread all over Europe; the first and laft are the only established ones, the Jewith being merely tolerated. The chief divifions of the Chriftian, are the Greek, the Roman Catholic, and the Proteftant. The Greek religion is established only in Ruffia, and tolerated in fome parts of the Auftrian dominions, in Poland, and chiefly in Turkey; fubdivifions of the Greek church, are the Armenian and Neftorian church. Of the Roman Catholic church, Janfenism is a fubdivifion. The proteftant religion is fubdivided into the Lutheran and Calvinist, or reformed religion: Of the former the Epifcopal church of England and Ireland is a branch: Of the latter the Prefbyterian church of Scotland. There are, befides, many fects adapted to the different degrees of theological knowledge, or to the different warmth of imagination of those that adhere to them: The principal of these fects are Arminians, Mennonifts, Socinians, Unitarians, Moravian Brethren, Quakers and Methodists. The portion of the furface of the countries, in which the Proteftant religion is eftablished, to thofe in which the Roman Catholic religion prevails, is nearly as 3 to 4: The number of Roman Catholics, according to the

beft

« PrethodnaNastavi »