These lakes admit of the most extensive inland navigation in the world. The different stages of it upwards from Cleveland, on Lake Erie, to Lake Superior, New Orleans, and the River Ohio; and downards to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, above 300 miles below Quebec, may be stated as follows: to Sandusky Bay, 57 miles; thence to Miama Bay, 45; to Malden, 45; to Detroit, 18; to Lake St. Clair, 11; through the said lake, 40; through Huron River, 40; through Lake Huron to the Straits of Michilimackinac, 190; thence to Lake Superior, 100; and through the said lake upwards of 300; being, in that direction, about 836 miles. Then Lake Michigan is navigable, from the straits downwards, 300 miles; and from thence there are only two portages to the River Mississippi, after passing which, there is a complete navigation to New Orleans. From Lake Erie, there are four portages to the River Ohio; the first of only seven or eight miles between the Cayahoga, which flows into the lake at Cleveland, and the Musingum that falls into the Ohio 160 miles below Pittsburgh. The others are through the Miami-of-the-Lakes and the Wabash; through Sandusky River and the Great Miami, and from Presque Isle to French creek, a branch of the Allegany.-The navigation downwards is by the following stages :-To Grand River, 30 miles; to Presque Isle, 70; to Buffalo 100; to Fort Schloper, 20: from thence the portage round the falls of Niagara is ten miles to Lewistown ; thence the navigation is continued to Lake Ontario, seven miles; through that lake to Kingston, at the northeastern extremity of the lake, 170; to Montreal, 170; to Quebec, 170; and thence to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 320 miles; in all, 1068 miles.

Bays. Commencing at the north-east and proceeding to the south-west, the first in order is the Bay or Gulf of St. Lawrence, nearly 100 miles wide at its entrance. The next is Chebucto Bay, in Nova Scotia, rendered remarkable by the loss of a French fleet, in a former war between Great Britain and France. The

Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and the New England States, distinguished by its extraordinary tides, which rise to the height of fifty or sixty feet, and flow so rapidly as sometimes to overtake animals feeding upon the shore. Penobscot, Broad, and Casco Bays, lie along the coast of the district of Maine. Massachusetts Bay spreads eastward of Boston, and is comprehended between Cape Ann.on the north, and Cape Cod on the south. Passing by Narraganset and some other bays in the state of Rhode Island, we enter Long Island sound. This sound is a kind of inland sea, from three to twenty-five miles broad, and about 140 miles long, dividing Long Island from the state of Connecticut. It communicates with the ocean at both ends of the island, and affords a very safe inland navigation. The celebrated passage called Hell Gate is situated near the west end of this sound, about eight miles from the city of New York. It is a very singular strait, about three or four hundred yards in breadth, having a ledge of sunken rocks across it in an angular direction, which occasions many whirlpools and cross currents in the water. Delaware Bay is seventy miles long, and twenty-five wide at its outlet. It opens into the Atlantic, north-west and south-east between Cape Henlopen on the right, and Cape May on the left. The Chesapeak is one of the largest bays in the world. Its entrance is between Cape Charles and Cape Henry in Virginia, twelve miles wide, and it extends 270 miles to the northward, dividing Virginia and Maryland. It is from seven to eighteen miles broad, and generally nine fathoms deep; affording many commodious harbours, and a safe and easy navigation. It receives the waters of the Potomac, Rappahannok, York, and James River, which are all large and navigable. There are several other bays in the western part of the United States, such as Mobile, St. Louis, &c. &c. all of which will be described with the districts wherein they are situated.

Mountains and Minerals.-The country east of Hudson's Bay, comprehending the part of the state of

New York, with the whole of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, is rough, hilly, and in some parts mountainous ; but the mountains are comparatively small, seldom rising more than 500 yards in height. Between the Atlantic Ocean, the Mississippi River, and the great northern lakes, runs a long range of mountains made up of a great number of ridges. These extend north-easterly and south-westerly, nearly parallel with the sea-coast, about 1200 miles in length, and 150 in breadth: the different ridges which compose this immense range have different names in different states. Advancing from the Atlantic the first ridge in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina, is the Blue Ridge, or South Mountain, which is from 130 to 200 miles from the sea; this is about 4000 feet high. The Blue Ridge is thickly covered with large trees to the very summit; some of the mountains are rugged and stony, others are not so; and on the latter the soil is rich and fertile. The inhabitants of this elevated district are uncommonly tall and powerful; it being rare to see a man among them who is not six feet high; and they entertain a high opinion of their own superiority in point of bodily strength over the people of the low country. Between this and the North mountain spreads a large fertile vale, thickly inhabited. The climate is good, and the people have a healthy and robust appearance. Several valuable mines of iron and copper have been discovered here, and are now working to considerable advantage. Next to this vale lies the Allegany ridge, the greatest of all the chain of mountains, and emphatically termed the Back-bone of America. The road over this ridge is extremely uneven and covered with enormous stones. Beyond this is the long ridge, called the Laurel Mountains, in a part of which, about 36 deg. lat. is a spring of water fifty feet deep, very cold, and as blue as indigo. The direction of this ridge is parallel with the others; the woods which cover it are more tufted, and the vegetation appears more lively: the descent on its western side is extremely steep and difficult.

From these several ridges proceed innumerable branches or spurs, without any names to distinguish one from the other. The Kittatinny mountains, which form a part of the Blue Ridge, run through the northern parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The general term for all these mountains, taken collectively, is the Allegany; that being the name of the principal ridge.

Minerals are found in great variety and profusion throughout the United States. Iron, limestone, and freestone, abound in all parts of the country. Iron mines are worked with great success among the Alleganies, and the metal derived from them is of an excellent quality. Coal is very abundant in the western states, and has been found in several places on the Atlantic. Lead is raised in great quantities in the Missouri territory, particularly in the neighbourhood of St. Louis, where the mines are very valuable and of vast extent; and it is confidently believed that gold and silver exist in great quantities in the same distrct. Copper mines have been discovered in various places, and several of them are very productive. Marble is a most abundant article, especially in Missouri territory, where it extends above 300 miles under the White River, already noticed, page 23. Onondago county in the state of New York, abounds with two of the most useful minerals in nature, salt and gypsum, or plaster of Paris; both of which are become important objects of commerce. Also in the states of Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana, &c. salt is manufactured to a great extent; indeed the whole western country is celebrated for salt springs. Antimony, that most essential article in working of metals, has been lately found, and can be raised in any quantity. That there is a hidden store of mineral treasure of immense value, within the United States territory, there is not a doubt; and the systematic plan now adopted for exploring the country and bringing it into view, will probably be attended with the most beneficial results.

Climate. The climate of America is distinguished from that of other countries by a predominance of cold,

insomuch that many places which by their geographical position should be mild and temperate, and should produce all the fruits of the South of Europe, are exposed to long and rigorous winters, during which they lie buried under snow; and those still further north, corresponding with countries in Europe which are the scenes of industry and improved cultivation, are almost uninhabitable, from the extreme rigour of the season. This is peculiarly the case with the inhospitable region of Labrador, which lies nearly opposite to Great Britain. Various causes have been suggested in order to account for this remarkable peculiarity of the American continent, and of these, one of the most obvious is the general and prodigious elevation of the soil. Not only is its surface diversified, by immense regions of mountains covered with snow, but in many parts, as in New Mexico, extensive plains are to be found at the extraordinary elevation of from 6000 to 10,000 feet above the level of the sea! It cannot be doubted that the air, cooled by its contact with these snowy summits, and afterwards circulated over the continent, must have a powerful effect in producing the superior degree of cold for which America is distinguished. The weather in the middle and southern states is extremely variable, the seasons of two succeeding years being seldom alike; and it scarcely ever happens that a month passes over without great changes taking place. It has been remarked, that in Pennsylvania, nightly frosts have been discovered in every month of the year, excepting July; and even in that month, during which the heat is always greater than at any other time, a cold day or two sometimes intervene, when a fire is found very agreeable. The climate of the state of New York is very similar to that of Pennsylvania, excepting that in the northern parts of that state, bordering upon Canada, the winters are always severe and long. The climate of New Jersey, Delaware, and the upward parts of Maryland, is also much the same with that of Pennsylvania; in the lower parts of Maryland, the climate does not differ materially

F