New-York; and laws have been erafted, and other measures taken in the New England fares to accomplish the fame purpofe. The Friends (commonly called Quakers,) have evinced the propriety of their name, by their goodnefs in originating, and their vigorous exertions in executing this truly humane and benevolent defign. The English language is the one which is univerfally spoken in the United States, in which bufinefs is tranfacted, and the records kept. It is fpoken with great purity, and pronounced with propriety in NewEngland, by perfons of education; and, excepting fome few corruptions in pronunciation, by all ranks of people. In the middle and fouthern States, where they have had a great influx of foreigners, the language in many inftances is corrupted, efpecially in pronuciation. Attempts are making to introduce a uniformity of pronunciation throughout the. States, which for political as well as other reasons it is hoped will meet the approbation and encouragement of all literary and infinential characters. Intermingled with the Ang Americans are the Dutch, Scotch, Irish, French, Germans, Swedes, and Jews; all these, except the Scotch and Irish, retain, in a greater or lefs degree, their native language, in which they perform their public worship, converfe, and tranfact their bufinefs with each other. The time, however, is anticipated when all diftinctions between master and flave fhall be abolished; and when the language, manners, cuftoms, political and religious fentiments of the mixed mass of people who inhabit the United States, fhall have become fo affimilated, as that all nominal diflinctions shall be loft in the general and honourable name of Americans. Having completed this short sketch of the circumftances which contributed to the independence of the United States, and alfo of the molt remarkable events, which have occurred in their hiftory, fince their eftablishment as an independent nation, we fhall now proceed to defcribe their limits and boundaries as fettled by the treaty of peace between Great Britain and this country, in the year 1782. CHA P. V. SITUATION, EXTENT and BOUNDARIES of the UNITED STATES. Miles. Length 1250 Between Breadth 1040 Degrees. 31° and 46° North Latitude. 8° E. and 24" W. Longitude from Philadel. IN the treaty of peace, concluded in 1783, the limits of the United States are thus defined. "And that all difputes which might arife in future on the fabject of the boundaries of the faid United States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are and fhall be their boundaries, viz. From the north west angle of Nova Scotia, viz. That angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the fource of St. Croix River to the Highlands, along the faid Highlands, which divide thofe rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Laurence, from those which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, to the north westermost head of Con necticut river: thence down along the middle of that river to the fortyfifth degree of north latitude; from whence by a line due weft on faid latitude, until it ftrikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquy; thence along the middle of the faid river into Lake Ontario, through the middle of the faid lake, until it trikes the communication by water between that lake and lake Erie; thence along the middle of faid communication into lake Erie, through the middle of faid lake, until it arrives at the water communication between that lake and lake Huron; thence through the middle of faid lake to the water communication between that lake and lake Superior: thence through lake Superior northward of the Ifles Royal and Phillipeaux to the Long Lake; thence through the middle of faid Long Lake, and the water communication between it and the lake of the Woods to the faid lake of the Woods; thence through the said lake to the most north-weflern point thereof, and from thence, on a due weft coarfe, to the river Miffifippi; thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of faid river Miffifippi, until it hall interfect the northermoft part of the thirty-firft degree of north latitude, South, by a line to be drawn due caft from the determination of the line laft mentioned, in the latitude of thirty-one degrees north of the equator, to the middle of the river Apalachicola, or Catahouche; thence along the middle thereof, to its junction with the Flint river; thence flrait to the head of St. Mary's river; and thence down along the middle of St. Mary's river to the Atlantic Ocean. Eaft, by a line to be drawn along the middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in the bay of Fundy, to its fource; and from its fource directly north, to the aforefaid Highlands, which divide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic Ocean, from thofe which fall into the river St. Laurence, comprehending all iflands within twenty leagues of any part of the fhores of the United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due caft from the points where the aforefaid boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part, and Eaft Florida on the other, fhall refpectively touch the bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean, excepting fuch ́iflands as now are, or heretofore have been, within the limits of the faid province of Nova-Scotia." The following calculations were made from actual measurement of the best maps, by Thomas Hutchins, Efquire, Geographer to the United States. The Territory of the United States contains by computation a million of fquare miles, in which are 640,000,000 of acres 51,000,000 Deduct for water Acres of land in the United States 589,000,000 That part of the United States comprehended between the weft temporary line of Pennsylvania on the eaft, the boundary line between Britain and the United States, extending from the river St. Croix to the northweft extremity of the lake of the Woods on the north, the river Miffifippi, to the mouth of the Ohio on the weft, and the river Ohio on the fouth to the aforementioned bounds of Pennfylvania, contains by computation about four hundred and eleven thoufand fquare miles, in which are Deduct for water To be difpofed of by order of Congress 263,040,000 acres 43:040,000 220,000,000 The whole of this immenfe extent of unappropriated western territory, containing, as above stated, 220,000,000 of acres, has been, by the ceflion of fome of the original thirteen ftates, and by the treaty of peace, transferred to the federal government, and is pledged as a fund for finking the continental debt. It is in contemplation to divide it into new ftates, with republican conflitutions fimilar to the old flates near the Atlantic Ocean. Eflimate of the number of acres of water, north and weftward of the river Ohio, within the territory of the United States Estimate of the number of acres of water within the United States. In Lake Erie, weftward of the line extended from the northwest corner of Pennfylvania, due north to the boundary between the British territory and the United States, In Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, 410,000 2,390,000 Chefapeek Bay, Albermarle Bay, Delaware Bay, 800,000 1,700.000 330,000 630,000 2,000,000 -51,000,000. All the rivers within the United States including the Ohio, Total NEW ENGLAND. THE flates eaft of New-York, were formerly called the New-Eng land colonies: they are still known by the general name of New-England. Several things are common to them all. Their religion, manners, customs, and character, their climate, foil, productions, natural history, &c. are in many refpects fimular. Many of the hiftorical events which took place in their fettlement, and in their progrefs, until the year 1692, are intimately connected. Thefe confiderations have led to the following general description of New-England. As the territory of Vermont was included in fome of the original parents granted by the Plymouth company, and was fettled wholly from NewEngland, it is confidered as a part of it, and included in the following a@count. Situation, Extent and Boundaries. Miles. } EW-ENGLAND is bounded north by Canada; eaft by NovaScotia and the Atlantic Ocean; fouth by the Atlantic and Long-Ifland Sound, and welt by New-York. It lies in the form of a quarter of a circle. Its weft line beginning at the mouth of Byram river, which empties into Long-Ifland Sound, at the fouth-weft corner of Connecticut, latitude, 41° runs a little east of north, until it strikes the forty-fifth degree of latitude, and then curves to the call ward almoft to the Gulf of St. Laurence. Civil Divifions. New-England is divided into five ftates, viz. New-Hampshire, Maffachufets, Rhode-Ifland, Connecticut, and Vermont. Thefe ftates are fubdivided into counties, and the counties into townships. Face of the Country Mountains, &c. New-England is a high, hilly, and in fome parts a mountainous country, formed by nature to be inhabited by a hardy race of free, independant republicans. The mountains are comparatively small, running nearly north and fouth in ridges parallel to each other. Between these ridges, flow the great rivers in majestic meanders, receiving the innumerable rivulets and larger ftreams which proceed from the mountains on each fide. To a fpectator on the top of a neighbouring mountain, the vales between the ridges while in a flate of nature, exhibit a romantic appearance. They feem an ocean of woods, fwelled and depreffed in its furface like that of the great ocean itself. A richer, though lefs romantic view, is prefented, when the vallies, by induflrious husbandmen, have been cleared of their natural growth; and the fruit of their labour appears in loaded orchards, extenfive meadows, covered with large herds of theep and neat caule, and rich fields of flax, cor and the various kinds of grain. These vallies, which have received the expreffive name of interval lands, are of various breadths, from two to twenty miles; and by the annual inundations of the rivers which flow through them, there is frequently an accumulation of rich, fat foil, left upon their surface when the waters retire. There are four principal ranges of mountains paffing nearly from north-eaft to fouth-west, through New-England. Thefe confift of a multitude of parallel ridges, each having many fpurs, deviating from the course of the general range; which fpurs are again broken into irregular hilly land. The main ridges terminate fometimes in high bluff heads, near the fea coal, and fometimes by a gradual descent into the interior part of the country. One of the main ranges runs between Connecticut and Hudson's rivers. This range branches, and bounds the vales through which flows the Houfatonic river. The most eastern ridge of this range terminates in a bluff head at Meriden. A fecond ends in like manner at Willingford, and a third at New-Haven. No. 24. In Lyme, on the eaft fide of Connecticut river, another range of mountains commences, forming the eaftern boundary of Connecticut vale. This range trends northerly, at the diflance, generally, of about ten or twelve miles ealt from the river, and paffes through Maffachufetts, where the range takes the name of Chicabee mountain; thence crolling into New Hampshire, at the distance of about twenty miles from the Maffachufetts line, it runs up very high peek, called Monadnick, which terminates this ridge of the range. A western ridge continues, and in about latitude 43° 20', runs up into Sunipee mountains. About fifty miles further, in the fame ridge is Moofcong mountain. into a A third range begins near Stonington in Connecticut. It takes its courfe north easterly, and is fometimes broken and difcontinued; it then rifes again, and ranges in the fame direct on into New-Hampshire, where, in latitude 43°. 25', it runs up into a high peak, called Cowfawafkoog. The fourth range has a humble beginning about Hopkington, in Maachufetts. The eaftern ridge of this range runs north, by Water town and Concord, and cruffes Merrimack river at Pantucket Falls. In New Hamphire it rifes into leveral high peaks, of which the White mountains are the principal. From thefe White mountains, a range countinues north-eaft, crolling the caft boundary of New-Hampfhire, in latitude 44° 30', and forms the height of land between Kennebeck and Chaudiere rivers. These ranges of mountains are full of lakes, ponds, and fprings of water, that give rife to numberless ftreams of various fizes, which, interlocking each other in every direction, and falling over the rocks in romantic cafcades, flow meandering into the rivers below. No country on the globe is better watered than New-Er gland. On the fea-coaft the land is low, and in many parts level and fandy. In the vallies, between the forementioned ranges of mountains, the land is generally broken, and in many places rocky, but of a strong rich foil, capable of being cultivated to good advantage, which alfo is the cafe with many fpots even on the tops of the mountains. RIVERS. THE only river which will be defcribed under New-England is The Connecticut river. It rifes in a fwamp on the height of land, in latitude 45° 10′, longitude 4° eaft. After a fleepy courfe of eight or ten miles, it tumbles over four feparate falls, and turning well keeps clofe under the hills which form the northern boundary of the vale through which it runs. Amonoofuck, and Ifrael rivers, two principal branches of Connecticut river, fall into it from the eaft, between the latitude 44° and 45°. Between the towns of Walpole on the eaft, and Westminster on the weft fide of the river, are the great falls. The whole river, compreffed between two rocks fcarcely thirty feet afunder, fhoots with amazing rapidity into a broad bafon below. Over these falls, a bridge one hundred and fixty feet in length was built in 1784, under which the higheft floods may pafs without detriment. This is the firfl bridge that was ever erected over this noble river. Above Deerfield, in Maffachufetts, it receives Deerfield river from the weft, and Millers river fram the east, after which it turns wefterly in a finuous course to Fighting falls, and a little after tumbles over Deerfield falls, which are impaffable by boats. At Windfor, in Connecticut, it receives Farmington river from the weft; and at Hartford, meets the tide. From Hartford it paffes on in a VOL. IV. Ee |