mountains of Asia? Its islands? What are the states and kingdoms of Asia, and how are they arranged? What are the boundaries of Africa? What is its extent? What states does the Barbary coast inelude? What are the chief lakes and rivers of Africa? What are the chief mountains of Africa? What are the chief towns of Egypt? What is the capital of Abyssinia? What are the chief towns of Morocco ? of Africa?

What are the chief islands

CHAP. XXVI.

GEOGRAPHY-continued.

AMERICA, the largest division of the earth, extends, from north to south, nearly 9,000 miles ; and in some parts, from east to west, more than 4,000 miles. It consists of two immense tracts, called North and South America, connected by a comparatively narrow neck of land named the Isthmus of Panama, or Darien.

NORTH AMERICA.

In North America, the principal rivers are the Missouri, the Mississippi, the Ohio, the St. Lawrence. The chief lakes, some of which are immensely large, are the Huron, the Michigan, Ontario, Lake Superior, Lake Winnipeg. The chief mountains are the Apalachian, and the Stony Mountains, which are not remarkably lofty: those of Mexico, and the isthmus of Panama, are far more elevated.

The lakes are so extensive as to merit the

name of seas. Lake Superior is 1,500 miles in circumference; its waters are clear and pure; it receives the tribute of thirty rivers, and abounds with islands, one of which, called Minoug, is sixty miles long. The rivers, also, are of exceeding magnitude. The Mississippi runs a course of 3,000 miles; and the Missouri, of 3,090.

The political divisions of North America, are the British Possessions, the United States, the Spanish dominions.

The British Possessions comprehend,

Northern States, or New England; of which division the chief city is Boston.

Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode island.

Middle States, of which the chief city is Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the territory on the north-west of the Ohio.

Southern States, of which the chief city is Charlestown.

Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tenassee, the Floridas, and Louisiana.

The other principal cities are Washington, the capital; New York; Baltimore, in Maryland; Wilmington, in North Carolina; Savannah, in Georgia; Pensacola, in Florida; New Orleans, in Louisiana.

SPANISH DOMINIONS.

New Mexico

Mexico, or New Spain

CHIEF TOWNS.

Santa Fé. Mexico.

The population of the large and handsome city, Mexico, is computed at 140,000.

In the Spanish territories of North America, are, likewise, the towns of Acapolco, and Vera Cruz.

SOUTH AMERICA.

The principal rivers of South America, are the Maranon, or Amazon, which is esteemed to be the largest, though not the longest river in the known world; the Orinooco, into which flow many great rivers, and which communicates with the Maranon by three lateral streams, forming a wonderful natural inland navigation; the La Plata, which is navigable for twelve hundred miles, which has in it numerous islands, and in which is a cataract called Parana, consisting of a series of falls extending through the space of twelve leagues, in the midst of fantastic and tremendous rocks.

In South America are numerous ridges of very lofty mountains, the chief of which is that of the Andes, which extends, from north to south, on the western side, 4,600 miles. This amazing ridge abounds in most elevated summits and dreadful volcanos.

The political divisions of South America are Spanish and Portuguese dominions, French and Dutch settlements, and unconquered countries.

PORTUGUESE DOMINIONS.

They consist of Brazil, and part of the vast tract called Amazonia,being 2,100 miles in length, and of nearly equal breadth. Of Amazonia, very little has been explored.

Öf Brazil, the chief towns are, St. Sebastian, or Janeiro; and Bahia, or St. Salvador.

THE FRENCH SETTLEMENTS

are comparatively small. The chief town is Cayano, in the island Cayenne.

DUTCH SETTLEMENTS IN GUIANA.

CHIEF TOWNS.

Surinam

Paramaribo,

New Middleburg.

Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice, are settlements at the northern extremity of this part of South America.

The unconquered regions are the internal parts of Terra Firma, Amazonia, Guiana, and Paraquay, with Patagonia, the southern extremity of South America.

ISLANDS OF AMERICA.

The islands of America are very numerous, large, and valuable.

The name, West Indies, is given to several groups of them, which lie in various directions, between North and South America. Of these, Cuba, Domingo or Hayti, Jamaica, and Porto Rico, in the Gulf of Mexico, are the largest. North of these, are the Bahamas; south, the Antilles, Caribbee, Leeward and Windward Islands, and Trinidad; westward the Spanish Leeward Islands.

The chief islands of North America are, Cape Breton, St. John's, Newfoundland, the Bermudas, or Sommer islands.

Of South America, the chief islands are the Gallipago isles, near the Equator; Juan Fernandez, Chiloe, Terra del Fuego, Statenland, the Falkland islands, Noronha, and Saremberg.