generation grew hardened to the climate it had reached; and that after their arrival in America they would again be gradually accustomed to warmer and warmer climates, in their removal from north to fouth, as they had in the reverfe, or from fouth to north. Part of the tigers ftill inhabit the eternal fnows of Ararat, and multitudes of the very fame fpecies live, but with exalted rage, beneath the line, in the burning foil of Borneo or Sumatra; but neither lions or tigers ever migrated into the New World. A few of the firft are found in India and Perfia, but they are found in numbers only in Africa. The tiger extends as far north as western Tartary, in lat 40. 50. but never has reached Africa.” In fine, the conjectures of the learned respecting the vicinity of the Old and New, are now, by the discoveries of our great navigators, loft in conviction; and, in the place of imaginary hypothefes, the real place of migration is uncontrovertibly pointed out. Some (from a paffage in Plato) have extended over the Atlantic, from the straits of Gibraltar to the coast of North and South America, an island equal in fize to the continents of Afia and Africa; over which had paffed, as over a bridge, from the latter, men and animals; wool-headed negroes, and lions and tigers, none of which ever exifted in the New World. A mighty fea arofe, and in one day and night engulphed this ftupendous tract, and with it every being which had not completed its migration into Ame rica. The whole negro race, and almost every quadruped, now inhabitants of Africa, perished in this critical day. Five only are to be found at present in America; and of thefe only one, the bear, in South America: Not a fingle cuftom, common to the natives of Africa and America, to evince a common origin. Of the quadrupeds, the bear, ftag, wolf, fox, and weefel, are the only animals which we can pronounce with certainty to be found on each continent. The flag, fox, and weefel, have made alfo no farther progrefs in Africa than the north; but on the fame continent the wolf is spread over every part, yet is unknown in South America, as are the fox and weefel. In Africa and South America the bear is very local, being met with only in the north of the firft, and on the Andes in the last. Some caufe unknown arrested its progrefs in Africa, and impelled the migration of a few into the Chilian Alps, and induced them to leave unoccupied the vast tract from North America to the lofty Cordilleras. Allufions have often been made to fome remains on the continent of America, of a more polished and cultivated people, when compared with the tribes which poffelfed it on its firft difcovery by Europeans. Mr. Barton, in his Objervations on fome parts of Natural History, Part I. has collected the fcattered hints of Kalm, Carver, and fome others, and has added added a plan of a regular work, which has been difcovered on the banks of the Muskingum, near its junction with the Ohio. Thefe remains are principally ftone-walls, large mounds of earth, and a combination of thefe mounds with the walls, fufpected to have been fortifications. In fome places the ditches and the fortrefs are faid to have been plainly feen; in others, furrows, as if the land had been ploughed. The mounds of earth are of two kinds: they are artificial tumuli, defigned as repofitories for the dead; or they are of a greater fize, for the purpose of defending the adjacent country; and with this view they are artificially constructed, or advantage is taken of the natural eminences, to raise them into a fortification. The remains near the banks of the Muskingum, are fituated about one mile above the junction of that river with the Ohio, and 160 miles below Fort Pitt. They confift of a number of walls and other elevations, of ditches, &c. altogether occupying a fpace of ground about 300 perches in length, and from about 150 to 25 or 20 in breadth. The town, as it has been called, is a large level, encompassed by walls, nearly in the form of a fquare, the fides of which are from 96 to 86 perches in length. Thefe walls are, in general, about 10 feet in height above the level on which they stand, and about 20 feet in diameter at the base, but at the top they are much narrower; they are at prefent overgrown with vegetables of different kinds, and, among others, with trees of feveral feet diameter. The chafms, or opening in the walls, were probably intended for gate-ways they are three in number at each fide, besides the fmaller openings in the angles. Within the walls there are three elevations, cach about fix feet in height, with regular afcents to them: thefe elevations confiderably refemble fome of the eminences already. mentioned, which have been difcovered near the river Miffiffippi. This author's opinion is, That the Tolticas, or fome other Mexican nation, were the people to whom the mounts and fortifications, which he has defcribed, owe their existence; and that thofe people were probably the defcendants of the Danes. The former part of this conjecture is thought probable, from the fimilarity of the Mexican mounts and fortifications defcribed by the Abbé Clavigero, and other authors, to thofe defcribed by our author; and from the tradition of the Mexicans, that they came from the north-weft: for, if we can rely on the teftimony of late travellers, fortifications fimilar to thofe mentioned by Mr. Barton have been difcovered as far to the north as Lake Pepin; and we find them, as we approach to the fouth, even as low as the.coafts of Florida. The fecond part of our author's conjecture appears not fo well fupported. PRODUCTIONS. X 2 PRODUCTIONS. This vaft country produces most of the metals, minerals, plants, fruits, trees, and wood, to be met with in the other parts of the world, and many of them in greater quantities and high perfection. The gold and filver of America have supplied Europe with fuch immenfe quantities of thofe valuable metals, that they are become vaftly more common; fo that the gold and filver of Europe now bears little proportion to the bigh price fet upon them before the discovery of America. It also produces diamonds, pearls, emeralds, amethyfts and other valuable ftones, which, by being brought into Europe, have contributed likewise to lower their value. To thefe, which are chiefly the production of Spanish America, may be added a great number of other commodities, which, though of lefs price, are of much greater ufe; and many of them make the ornament and wealth of the British empire in this part of the world. Of thefe are the plentiful fupplies of cochineal, indigo, anatto, logwood, brazil, fuftic, pimento, lignum vitæ, rice, ginger, cocoa, or the chocolate nut, fugar, cotton, tobacco, banillas, redwood, the balfams of Tolu, Peru, and Chili, that valuable article in medicine the Jefuit's bark, mechoacan, faffafras, farfaparilla, caffia, tamarinds, hides, furs, ambergreafe, and a great variety of woods, roots, and plants; to which, before the discovery of America, we were either ftrangers, or forced to buy at an extravagant rate from Afia and Africa, through the hands of the Venetians and Genoefe, who then engroffed the trade of the eastern world. On this continent there grows alfo a variety of excellent fruits; as pine-apples, pomegranates, citrons, lemons, oranges, malicatons, cherries, pears, apples, figs, grapes, great numbers of culinary, medicinal, and other herbs, roots, and plants, with many exotic productions which are nourished in as great perfection as in their native foil. Having given a fummary account of America in general; of its firft discovery by Columbus, its extent, rivers, mountains, &c. of the Aborigines, and of the first peopling this continent, we shall next turn our attention to the Discovery and Settlement of NORTH AMERICA. A SUMMARY NORTH AMERICA was difcovered in the reign of Henry VII. a period when the Arts and Sciences had made very confiderable progress in Europe. Many of the first adventurers were men of genius and learning, and were careful to preferve authentic records of fuch of their proceedings as would be interesting to pofterity. Thefe records afford ample documents for American hiftorians. Perhaps no people on the globe can trace the history of their origin and progress with so much precifion as the inhabitants of North America; particularly that part of them who inhabit the territory of the United States. The fame which Columbus had acquired by his firft discoveries on this western continent, fpread through Europe and infpired many 1496 with the fpirit of enterprize. As early as 1496, four years only after the first discovery of America, John Cabot, a Venetian, obtained a commiffion from Henry VII. to discover unknown lands and annex them to the crown. In the fpring he failed from England with two fhips, carrying with him his three fons. In this voyage, which was intended for China, he fell in with the north fide of Terra Labrador, and coafted northerly as far as the 67th degree of latitude. 1497.-The next year he made a second voyage to America with his fon Sebastian, who afterwards proceeded in the difcoveries which his father had begun. On the 24th of June he difcovered Bonavista, on the north-eaft fide of Newfoundland. Before his return he traverfed the coaft from Davis's Straits to Cape Florida. 1502.-Sebaftian Cabot was this year at Newfoundland; and on his return carried three of the natives of that island to Henry VII. 1513-In the fpring of 1513, John Ponce failed from Porto Rico northerly northerly and difcovered the continent in 30° 8' north latitude. He landed in April, a season when the country around was covered with verdure, and in full bloom. This circumftance induced him to call the country Florida, which, for many years, was the common name for North and South America. 1516.-In 1516, Sir Sebaftian Cabot and Sir Thomas Pert explored the coaft as far as Brazil in South America. This vast extent of country, the coaft whereof was thus explored, remained unclaimed and unfettled by any European power, (except by the Spaniards in South America) for almost a century from the time of its difcovery. 1524.-It was not till the year 1524 that France attempted difcoveries on the American coaft. Stimulated by his enterprizing neighbours, Francis I. who poffeffed a great and active mind, fent John Verrazano, a Florentine, to America, for the purpose of making discoveries. He traverfed the coaft from latitude 28° to 50° north. In a fecond voyage, fome time after he was lost. 1525. The next year Stephen Gomez, the firft Spaniard who came upon the American coaft for discovery, failed from Groyn in Spain, to Cuba and Florida, thence northward to Cape Razo, in latitude 46° north, in fearch of a north-weft paffage to the Eaft Indies. 1534.-In the spring of 1534, by the direction of Francis I. a fleet was fitted out at St. Malo's in France, with defign to make discoveries in America. The command of this fleet was given to James Cartier. He arrived at Newfoundland in May of this year. Thence he failed northerly; and on the day of the feftival of St. Lawrence, he found himfelf in about latitude 48° 30' north, in the midst of a broad gulf, which he named St. Lawrence. He gave the fame name to the river which empties into it. In this voyage, he failed as far north as latitude 51o, expecting in vain to find a paffage to China. 1535. The next year he failed up the river St. Lawrence 300 leagues to the great and swift Fall. He called the country New France; built a fort in which he spent the winter, and returned in the following fpring to France. 1542-In 1542, Francis la Roche, Lord of Robewell, was fent to Canada, by the French king, with three fhips and 200 men, women and children. They wintered here in a fort which they had built, and returned in the fpring. About the year 1550, a large number of adven, turers failed for Canada, but were never after heard of. In 1598, the king of France commiffioned the Marquis de la Roche to conquer Canada, and other countries not poffeffed by any Chriftian prince. We do not |