PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, RESOURCES AND PROSPECTS AND TOPOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES.

THE

GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

HE United States of America occupy the central portion of North America. They extend from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Pacific on the west, from the chain of great lakes in the north to the Gulf of Mexico on the south. The area of the territory thus bounded is 3,026,494 square miles. In addition to this they possess the Territory of Alaska, purchased of the Russian government, and formerly known as Russian America, with an area of 577,390 square miles. This brings the total area of the land-surface. up to 3,603,884 square miles.

As Alaska is detached, we shall omit it for the present, and confine our remarks to the main body of the territory contained within the limits above mentioned. The greatest length of this region is 2650 miles, and its greatest breadth 1600 miles. It possesses a geographical position eminently fitted for the growth and rapid development of a great and powerful people. It is happily situated between the extremes of heat and cold, its flora is abundant and varied, and its climate is such as conduces to physical and intellectual vigor. Its eastern coast, washed by the Atlantic, is filled with numerous bays and roadsteads, which present every facility for commercial intercourse with Europe; while its western shores, bounded by the Pacific, open their harbors and inlets to the rich traffic of Asia and Oceanica. The extent of the coast-line has been estimated by geographers at figures ranging from 6200 miles up to 12,000 miles; but Professor Brocklesby, by counting in many of the smaller bays, obtains the following figures, which are much more accurate: "The length of the eastern coast-line is 7000 miles, that of the southern 3400 miles, while that of the Pacific is 3700, giving a total length of 14,100 miles." The prin cipal branches of the sea extending into the land are the Chesapeake, Delaware and Massachusetts Bays and Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds on the Atlantic coast, and the Bay of San Francisco on the Pacific coast. The principal bodies of land projecting into the sea are the peninsulas of Florida on the south-east and Cape Cod on the east, both extending into the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous islands are scattered along the various coasts of the United States, nearly all of which give evidence, both by their

geological structure and their position, that they were once a part of the main land, and have been separated from it by a convulsion of nature or by the action of the waters of rivers and of the ocean. The islands of the Atlantic coast, north of Cape Cod, are mostly high and rocky, being of granite formation. Those south of Cape Cod on the same coast are generally low and sandy. Long Island, east of New York, is the largest, and contains an area of 1682 square miles. On the Pacific coast the principal islands are the Santa Barbara Islands, which are barren and rocky, but contain several good harbors.

The mountain-chains of the United States are the Alleghany or Appalachian systems in the east, and the Rocky Mountain and Pacific systems in the west. That last named is also called the California system, and is sometimes, but incorrectly, considered a part of the Rocky Mountain system. The Alleghany Mountains extend from the St. Lawrence through Western New England, the Middle States and the Southern States to Alabama, in a line nearly parallel with the Atlantic coast. In some parts of its extent this system consists of a single chain, but it is generally composed of several parallel ranges, with valleys between. The White Mountains of New Hampshire, noted for their grand and beautiful scenery, the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Highlands of Maine, are also portions of this range. The Alleghanies proper are about 1300 miles long, with an average width of about 70 miles. North of the 40th parallel of latitude they are known as the "Blue Mountains," and south of that parallel as the "Blue Ridge." Mount Mitchell, in North Carolina, 6732 feet high, was long thought to be the highest peak of the range, but it is now known that that pre-eminence belongs to Mount Clingman, in the same State, which rises to the height of 6941 feet. The remaining principal mountains of this chain and its spurs and outlines are, with their respective heights, in the White Mountains, Mount Washington, 6234 feet, and Mount Adams, 5960 feet; in the Adirondacks, Mount Marcy, 5402 feet; and in the Maine Highlands, Mount Katahdin, 5385 feet.

The Rocky Mountain system is a part of the great American chain which extends from the Arctic Ocean to the most southern point of South America. The main chain of this system extends in a southerly direction entirely across the United States, forming the water-shed between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. From the boundary of British America to the 38th parallel of latitude this chain is known as the Rocky Mountains, and thence to the southern boundary of the United States it is called the Sierra Madre, a Spanish name signifying "Mother Range." A spur called the "Black Hills" branches off at the 40th parallel, and extends northeast nearly to the Missouri River. An expedition under the command of General Custer penetrated this region during the months of July and August, 1874, and it was reported that large quantities of gold were then

discovered upon one of the Indian reservations, but the truth of this report was denied by Professor Winchell, the chief geologist of the party. The principal peaks of the Rocky Mountains, with their respective heights, are Fremont's Peak, 13,750 feet; Long's Peak, 14,270 feet, and Pike's Peak, 14,147 feet.

The California or Pacific system consists of the Coast Mountains, the Sierra Nevada (Spanish for "Snowy Range," the word "Nevada" meaning literally "white as snow") and the Cascade Range. The Coast Mountains extend along the Pacific coast from the southern boundary of California to Vancouver's Island. They are covered with vegetation to their summits, but the loftier heights of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada are barren and inaccessible, many of the peaks being perpetually covered with snow. The Sierra Nevada branches off from the Coast Mountains at the 35th parallel of latitude, and extends in a northerly direction to about the 43d parallel, where it is merged into the Cascade Range, which is the loftiest chain of mountains in the United States. The principal peaks of the Pacific system are, with their respective heights, Mount St. Elias, in Alaska, 17,900 feet; Mount Fairweather, also in Alaska, 14,700 feet; and south of Vancouver's Island, Mount Hood, 14,000 feet; Mount Shasta, 14,000 feet, and Mount St. Helens, 13,300 feet. Several of these are volcanoes, and Mount Hood, in Oregon, and Mount St. Helens, in Washington, have both been seen in a state of eruption.

The great lakes, Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, comprising together an area of 92,000 square miles, contain most of the lake waters in the United States. The boundary-line between Canada and the United States passes through the middle of all except Lake Michigan, which lies entirely within the territory of the latter. The area of Lake Superior is 31,500 square miles, its length is 480 miles, and its average depth 1000 feet. The area of Lake Huron is 23,100 square miles, its length is 252 miles, and its average depth 1000 feet. The area of Lake Michigan is 23,150 square miles, its length is 320 miles, and its average depth 1000 feet. By accurate observations it has been ascertained that this lake has a lunar tidal wave of about three inches. The area of Lake Erie is 7800 square miles, its length 250 miles, and its average depth 120 feet. The area of Lake Ontario is 6900 square miles, its length is 190 miles, and its average depth 500 feet. The value of these lakes to the commerce of the United States can scarcely be over-estimated, as they form, in connection with the St. Lawrence River, a natural outlet for one of the richest grainproducing countries in the world. A vessel of six hundred tons burden can be loaded with grain at Chicago and taken to Liverpool, getting around Niagara Falls by the use of the Welland Canal.

In describing in a general way the surface of the United States, all geographers have freely used the principle of hydrodynamics, upon which

rests the assertion that "water will not run up hill." In other words, they have divided the country into regions answering to the great river systems, considering as one division all the country drained by any one system. They have not, however, arrived at the same results, but for our purpose the following divisions will suffice: 1st. The St. Lawrence Basin, including the country drained by rivers flowing into the St. Lawrence, or into the chain of great lakes of which that river is the outlet. 2d. The Atlantic Slope, drained by rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, or into the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi. 3d. The Mississippi Valley, drained by the Mississippi and its tributaries. 4th. The Texas Slope, drained by rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico west of the Mississippi. 5th. The Pacific Slope, the rivers of which flow into the Pacific Ocean. 6th. The Great Inland Basin, in which the rivers are lost in the sand or by evaporation, or flow into some lake which has no outlet. 7th. The basin of the Red River of the North, including a small tract of about 20,000 square miles, the waters of which make their way to Hudson's Bay through the river above mentioned, Lake Winnipeg and Nelson's River. The boundary which separates one basin or slope from another is called the water-shed, because the waters on different sides of that line go in different directions. Sometimes this consists of a lofty chain of mountains, but more often it is a less elevated ridge. A mythical account has been published of a house so accurately placed upon the line between the Mississippi Valley and the Atlantic Slope that the water from one side of the roof ran off to the Atlantic, while that from the other side made its way to the Mississippi.

The St. Lawrence Basin embraces a part of Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and all of Michigan. The entire region is a well-watered, fertile plain, varying in elevation above the level of the sea from 300 to 1500 feet. The rivers of this system within the United States are insignificant. The Atlantic Slope embraces all the New England States except Vermont, all of New Jersey, Delaware, the District of Columbia, South Carolina and Florida, and a part of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. It consists of a seaboard plain and an upper belt, which constitutes the true slope. Its rivers generally flow through a mountainous or hilly country, and are obstructed by rapids not far from the sea. On this account they are not usually navigable for any great distance, but large vessels can ascend the Hudson River to Hudson, the Delaware to Philadelphia, and the Potomac to Washington. The passage of these rivers through mountain-gorges and over steep descents is often marked by the most striking scenes of natural beauty, and the water-power furnished by their rapids and falls is immense, giving rise to large manufacturing cities. The soil of the Atlantic Slope

is varied in its character. In the northern portion, which has been longest under cultivation, it has been so thoroughly worked as to require the use of fertilizers to a much greater extent than the fresh soil of the Western prairies, but the nearness to large city markets and the great wealth of this section of country amply compensate for the requisite outlay. South of the Roanoke the plain near the coast abounds in swamps, but there are also extended sandy tracts covered with pine forests, and a large extent of rich alluvial soil. The upper belt or true slope is a well-watered, beautiful and fertile section-one of the richest districts of the United States. The Mississippi Valley embraces portions of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, and all of Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and the Indian Territory. It covers more than 1,300,000 square miles, more than one-third of the entire area of the United States, including Alaska, and is for the most part a region of unrivalled fertility. That portion which is east of the Mississippi River has a very gradual ascent to the base of the Alleghany Mountains, the average elevation being about 500 feet. This is a magnificent, undulating country, well watered, and blessed with a rich soil and a favorable climate. Formerly it was almost covered with dense forests, but the woods have now to a great extent disappeared, to give place to crops adapted to its varying climatic conditions. West of the Mississippi the character of the surface changes, and it spreads out into slightly-rolling or perfectly-level prairies, covered with long grass, with scarcely a tree or shrub except on the banks of streams. From the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains the land has a gradual ascent of about six feet to the mile.

The principal rivers of this valley are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Ohio. The source of the Mississippi River is Itasca Lake, in Minnesota, which is not more than fifteen miles from Elbow Lake, the source of the Red River of the North. Its length is 2900 miles, and it is navigable for steamboats from the Gulf of Mexico to the Falls of St. Anthony, a distance of 2200 miles. The uniformity of its width is remarkable, as it is about half a mile wide at New Orleans, and does not materially vary from that width, except at the bends, for more than 2000 miles. Even when the Missouri, with a stream more than half a mile wide, joins it, the river below is not so broad as either one above. It contains many islands, which have been numbered below the mouth of the Ohio, but as many have been washed away, while others are continually forming, the numbers are now very irregular. The Missouri River is really the main stream, as it is somewhat larger at the point of junction, and the combined stream receives from it its most distinguishing characteristics. It rises in the