The island has a separate government with a provincial legislature like the other British provinces. Population 85,000. The western coast and the interior are uninhabited.

St. John's, the capital, lies on a bay of the same name, and has a fine harbor. The streets are narrow and dirty, and the houses mean. It contains a Government House, four churches, and 12,000 inhabitants. Harbor Grace, on Conception Bay, is a fishing village with about 4,000 inhabitants, and contains four churches.

The uninhabited island of Anticosti in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Labrador coast are dependencies of the government of Newfoundland.

St. Pierre or Peter's and Miquelon are two small islands near the southern coast, belonging to France.

The Great Bank of Newfoundland, to the southeast of Newfoundland, is the most extensive submarine elevation known. It is 600 miles in length and 200 in some parts in breadth, and appears to be a solid mass of rock. The soundings vary from four to ten, thirty, and a hundred fathoms. The Outer Bank or Flemish Cape, appears to be a continuation of the grand bank. These banks form a well known fishing ground. The perpetual fogs, which hover over them, and which also cover the coasts of Newfoundland and Cape Breton, are produced by the meeting of the cold waters of the north, with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

XLIII. NEW BRITAIN.

1. To the north of the provinces already described, and stretching from the Rocky Mountains, or the Pacific ocean on the W., to the Atantic ocean on the E., lies a vast tract, helonging to Great Britain, and sometimes called New Britain. Its limits are too undefined to be described with precision, and its surface is but partially and imperfectly known. Hudson's Bay makes up far inland from the north, forming a large peninsula, of which the eastern coast is called Labrador, and the western, East Main, from its position in regard to the bay. An extensive tract west of the bay has received the name of New South Wales, or Western Main.

A great part of New Britain consists of immense forests, while the western portion is composed of wide, desolate plains, destitute of wood, except on the borders of the rivers.

2. Rivers and Lakes. The Saskashawan, rising in the Rocky Mountains, flows easterly through lake Winnipeg, and taking the name of Nelson runs into Hudson's Bay. The Mackenzie or Peace River, also rises in the Rocky Mountains, and pursuing a northerly course, passes through lake Athapesco and Great Slave Lake, into the Arctic Ocean. It is 2,500 miles in length, and much of the country on its banks is covered with a rich vegetation. Coppermine River rises near Slave Lake, and flows through a barren region into the Arctic Ocean. The lakes are among the largest in the world, and seem to be innumerable. The Winnipeg, Athapesco, Great Slave Lake, and Great Bear Lake, are the principal.

3. Inhabitants. This region is thinly peopled by small tribes of Indians, who rather roam from district to district, than occupy any fixed

tract. They live by hunting and fishing, and present a degraded picture of humanity. The northern coasts are inhabited by Esquimaux tribes. On the coast of Labrador, there are several Moravian missions, the principal of which is Nain. The Hudson's Bay Fur Company has factories and posts scattered at great distances through the fur countries. 4. Islands. The whole of the coast on the Arctic Ocean has not been examined by whites. The northeastern termination of the continent is in 74° N. Lat. The name of Boothia has recently been given to an extensive tract here. West from Baffin's Bay, stretches Barrow's Strait to an unknown extent, bordered on the north by the North Georgian islands, and to the south by a range of islands, separated from the northern coasts of the continent by a wide sea.

XLIV. GREENLAND.

This extensive island, lying to the east of Davis's Strait, and Baffin's Bay, belongs to the crown of Denmark, and, on the western coast, there are several Danish factories and Moravian missionary stations. But, except a few hundred leagues of coast, nothing is known of it. It is inhabited by the Karalits, an Esquimaux tribe, and its coasts are resorted to in summer by whalers and seal catchers. The eastern coast has been for several hundred years rendered inaccessible by ice, but the sea having recently been more open, the English and Danes have landed at several points.

An almost incessant winter, interrupted only by a few weeks of hot weather, broods over these desolate and dreary regions, in which no tree appears. The ignorant, filthy, and degraded inhabitants seem to be reduced to the lowest degree of barbarism, living on fish and blubber, and clad in seal-skin, having no domestic animals, and displaying no art or skill, except in the construction and management of their frail canoes.

XLV. ICELAND.

1. Situation and Population. Iceland, an island to the east of Greenland, politically belonging to Denmark, lies between 63° and 66° N. Lat., and between 13° and 25° W. Lon. It is 300 miles in length, by 140 in breadth, and has an area of about 40,000 square miles, not more than half of which has been explored. It is inhabited by descendants of Norwegians, who first formed settlements here in 874, and contains about 50,000 inhabitants.

There are no large towns; Reikiavik the capital has but 500 or 600 inhabitants, but it contains a printing establishment, a lyceum, a library of 5,000 volumes, and several learned societies. At Lambhuus, a little village in the neighborhood, there is an observatory. The only permanent settlements are near the coasts.

2. Mountains. The island contains numerous lofty mountains, many of which are volcanic, presenting the singular spectacle of eternal fires bursting out through eternal snows. Glaciers or icy summits cover a great part of the island. Snæfell, the loftiest mountain, is 6,862 feet high. Hecla, 5,210 feet in height, is a volcanic mountain, more remarkable for the frequency than the violence of its eruptions.

Hot springs and boiling fountains abound, and are used for cooking by the inhabitants. The most noted of these are the Geysers, near mount Hecla. Great Geyser throws up a column of water to the height of 200 feet, at intervals of six hours; these emissions are preceded by loud reports, or a low rumbling, resembling the noise of artillery. On the Sulphur Mountain, are seen caldrons of boiling mud, emitting sulphureous exhalations.

3. Minerals. Sulphur is found in inexhaustible quantities; fossil wood, impregnated with bitumen, and called surturbrand, is abundant, and furnishes a good fuel, but peat and drift-wood are more generally used. Iron and copper exist, but are not worked.

4. Vegetable Productions. Several varieties of moss and lichen, with a few dwarf birch and willow trees, constitute almost the whole vegetation. Fish, butter, and milk are the principal articles of food; bread is a luxury.

5. Education and Religion. The Icelanders are Lutherans, and remarkable for their strict morals. There are few who cannot read and write, and most of them are well educated. The language is Scandinavian, and the literature is rich in poetry and prose. There was a printing press established here in 1530, the first ever set up in America.

XLVI. MEXICAN UNITED STATES.

1. Boundaries and Extent. The Mexican confederacy, or, as it is generally called, Mexico, is bounded on the N. by the United States; E. by the United States and the Gulf of Mexico; S. by the Republic of Central America, and W. by the Pacific Ocean. It extends from Lat. 16° to 42° N. and from Lon. 87° to 124° W. being about 2,000 miles in length from N. to S., and from 150 to 1,200 in breadth, with an area estimated at about 1,600,000 square miles.

2. Mountains. The confederacy is traversed from south to north by a chain of elevated mountains, which is composed of several branches. The Central Chain enters the country on the south, and bears the local names of the Cordilleras of Mexico, the Sierra Madre, Sierra Mindres, &c.; passing into the United States it is known as the Rocky Mountains. It consists strictly speaking of an elevated table-land from 6,000 to 8,000 feet high, from which, as from a base, rise irregular ridges, and lofty summits. The principal summits are Popocatepetl 17,884 feet high; Orizava, 17,373; Istaccihuatl 15,704. There are five volcanoes in activity near the parallel of 19° N.; Orizava, Popocatepetl, Tustla, Colima and Jorullo. This chain of mountains, is remarkable for its rich silver mines. Near Guanaxuato it sends off two branches, the Eastern or Sierra of Catorce, of which the Masserne Mountains are a continuation, and the Western which sinks down in California. Another chain rises in the Californian peninsula, and passes north into Oregon District.

3. Rivers. The Mexican rivers rise in the central plateau or tableland, and flow easterly into the Gulf of Mexico, or westerly into the Pacific. In the south, where the distance from the mountains to the sea is small, there are no considerable rivers. In the north are the head waters of the Red River and the Arkansaw, which pass into the United States. The Rio del Norte or North River, the largest river in

the country, rises in the northern part of New Mexico, and traversing that Territory, and the states of Cohahuila and Tamaulipas, flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It is about 2,000 miles in length, but receives few tributaries, and its navigation is impeded by sand-bars and falls. The Colorado of the East rises in the mountains of New Mexico, and traversing the state of Cohahuila, flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The principal rivers of the West are the Francisco, Western Colorado, and Gila, flowing through regions imperfectly known. The Tampico on the eastern, and the Grande on the western declivity of the central tableland are the principal streams in the south. The southern and most populous part of the country suffers from want of water.

4. Lakes. There is a number of lakes of no great extent in the valley of Mexico, in the state of that name, the waters of which are diminishing. Tezcuco, the principal, formerly received the waters of San Christoval, Zumpango, Chalco, and Xochimilco, and was subject to inundations. To prevent this disaster, its waters have been made to discharge themselves into the river Tampico. The celebrated floating gardens or chinampas, formed by covering a sort of raft, composed of rushes and shrubs, with a layer of rich earth, were formerly numerous on these lakes; but most of those now called by that name are fixed, though some move from place to place. Lake Chapala, in the state of Xalisco, is distinguished for the beauty of its scenery. In the north are lakes Timpanogos and Buenaventura or Salt Lake, large sheets of water, of which little is known.

5. Bays and Harbors. Although this country has a very great extent of sea coast, it presents few good harbors; but there are some on the western shores. Most of the rivers are obstructed by sand-bars, and both coasts are rendered inaccessible for several months by violent tempests. The Gulf of California is 800 miles in length by 80 or 100 in breadth, but its navigation is rendered difficult by numerous shoals. The Gulf of Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca, and the bay of Campeachy between Yucatan and Tabasco, are the other chief bays.

6. Climate. About one third of the country lies within the torrid zone, but the remarkable elevation of its surface modifies its climate in a striking manner. The low country along the coasts has a tropical climate, and produces sugar, indigo, &c., while the region which occupies the central table-land from 6,000 to 9,500 feet in height, is mild and temperate, and yields the cereal grains of the temperate zone. The intervening space, from 3,000 to 5,000 feet in height, exhibits an intermediate climate. Thus in ascending the successive terraces, which rise from the sea to the surface of the table-land, the climates succeed each other, as it were, in layers, and in two days the whole scale of vegetation is presented to view. Some of the farms or haciendas are at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Above this table-land, single prominences rise into colder regions, and terminate in that of perpetual ice and snow. The year is divided into two seasons; the rainy, lasting about 4 months from the end of May, and the dry season, comprising the rest of the year. The northern part has a climate resembling that of the Mississippi valley in corresponding latitudes, but to the west of the mountains the cold is less severe.

7. Soil. The low plains on the coast are fertile, and have a luxuriant vegetation. Much of the central table-land is dry and sterile, but in those parts which are well watered the vegetation is remarkably

vigorous. In the northwest and northeast are extensive tracts of rich soil.

8. Vegetables. The variety of the indigenous vegetation is immense, owing to the great diversity of soil and climate. The banana grows in the warm and humid valleys, and its fruit, which is 10 or 11 inches in circumference, and 7 or 8 in length, is an important article of food. Various preparations are made of it, both in its ripe and immature state. When ripe it is dried, cut into slices, and converted into meal by pounding. Manioc, the root of which also furnishes a nutritive flour called cassava, likewise grows in the hot regions. The juice is an active poison, which is expressed after the root is ground; the remainder or cassava is made into bread. Tapioca, the purest and most wholesome part of the manioc, is prepared from cassava, by kneading it with the hand, and then stirring it over a slow fire, until it forms into grains.

The maguey or American agave yields a refreshing drink, called pulque, resembling cider. It is obtained by cutting off the flower stalk at the moment of flowering. Into the cavity thus formed, the juice, that would have gone to nourish the blossoms, is deposited, and continues to run for several months. This liquid is called honey-water, and being allowed to ferment, becomes pulque, from which by distillation an intoxicating drink, called mexical, is obtained. The ancient Mexicans used the leaves of the agave for making paper, and its prickles for pins and nails. The root of the jalap, a twining vine, furnishes a valuable purgative medicine. Logwood or Campeachy-wood, used in dyeing black and purple, is abundant along the bay of Campeachy, and mahogany is cut on the shores of Honduras Bay in great quantities. The sugar-cane, indigo, cotton, cocoa, vanilla, tobacco, cochineal, &c. are among the productions of the Mexican states. Horses and horned cattle are reared in immense numbers.

9. Minerals. Copper, tin, iron, lead, quicksilver, gold, and silver occur, the two last named in greatest abundance. The gold is obtained principally from washings; the silver from mines, which are the richest in the world. Those of Guanaxuato and Zacatecas, in the states of the same name, and of Catorce, in the state of San Luis Potosi, are the most productive. At one period 3,000 mines were worked in 500 different places. Before the Mexican revolution in 1810, their annual produce was $24,000,000, but since that period it has diminished more than one half.

10. Divisions. The Mexican confederacy consists of 19 states, 5 territories, and the federal district, which contains the capital. The states are subdivided into partidos or districts.