For many ages an infamous and most shocking traffic was carried on in these poor people, who were torn from their country to work in the sugar-plantations of the West Indies; but, happily, the slave-trade is now nearly abolished. 308. These simple people inhabit all the coasts and interior of Africa between the tropics, and have been retained in a barbarous state by the effects of the slave-trade; which induced their tribes and nations to make war on each other, for the purpose of stealing the people, and selling them for slaves to Europeans. HOTTENTOTS. 309. The next distinct family of men, are the native American Indians, spread in small tribes over the whole of that vast continent. They are of a dark copper-colour, have black hair, and small black eyes, high cheek-bones, and frequently flat noses. As the Europeans advance, the natives retire, and form the inhabitants of what are called-the Back Settlements. $10. The sixth variety of the European race, are the English, the French, the Germans, Italians, Spaniards, and other modern nations. These had their origin partly from the Scandinavians, (Swedes and Goths,) characterized by light hair and blue eyes; and from the Celts, distinguished by black eyes and black hair. The Swedes, English, Irish, Scotch, and Germans, are very fair; but the Italians, French, Spaniards, and other nations occupying the south of Europe, are of brown complexions. 311. The clear complexion of the Europeans is best adapted to express the passions of the soul and the health of the body; while the energy of their understandings, and the vigour of their corporeal frames, qualify them to carry all the arts to perfection: and to raise man to that scale of eminence, to which he seems to have been fitted and destined by his Creator. 312. Such are the natures and the varieties of men, as scattered over the face of the earth. Their numbers united are supposed to be nearly eight hundred millions of whom, in Europe, every square mile contains 54, in Asia 36, in Africa 6, and in America 3 individuals. The whole number of human beings being renewed every 32 years, on the average, 25 millons must die and be born every year, i. e. 3000 hour, or 50 every minute. every Like leaves on trees, the race of man is found; They fall successive, and successive rise; So generations in their course decay, So flourish these, when those are past away.-POPE. 313. As men have divided by chance or design, into separate governments, they have assumed the names of Nations, Republics, Kingdoms, or Empires; and the knowledge of these constitutes a leading feature of geographical study. The most populous nations are, the Chinese of 300 millions, the Hindoos of 40 millions, the French of 40 millions, and the Russians of 36 millions. The most extensive are the Russian, Chinese, Turkish, and French empires. 314. From north to south, Europe is divided into Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, Poland, Saxony, Westphalia, France, Wurtemburg, Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey, Italy, Naples, Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain and Ireland. Obs. It will be highly proper that tutors point out all these countries to the pupil on the map of the world, and render him expert in pointing to them himself. He ought also to be directed to write out the boundaries and latitude and longitude of each from the map. Nothing can be so ridiculous, as to compel children to commit verbal descriptions of the boundaries of countries to memory. The only guide is a good map; and that they ought to trace or copy, till they can answer any question that is put to them. No one need blush for ignorance of geography, after he has twice or thrice traced or copied the annexed map. The scale of mountains should also be copied in like manner, and the lines of compara tive sizes deserve some consideration. The best exercises in geography, however, are in the Geographical Copy-Books and the Royal School-Atlas. 315. The following is an enumeration of the names, capitals, and population of the countries of Europe: |