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and South, derives its whole importance from its colonies of European origin; and North America is diftinguished by the recent formation of fome of the English colonies into an independent republic of United States, preferving the language and the cuftoms of the mother country, and containing, according to the last cenfus, fix millions of inhabitants. The degree to which a population, which with the affiftance of emigrants is faid to be doubled in twenty years, poffeffing ample territory for its fubfiftence may extend, is not eafy to be afcertained; but fhould the ravages of the yellow fever fubfide, the American states may go on to increase their inhabitants in a manner equal to any country hitherto known in the world.

North America is divided into the provinces of Nova Scotia, Canada, and New Britain, belonging to Great Britain; the fixteen United States, Louifiana, lately purchased by them of the French; Eaft and Weft Florida, California, and Mexico, or New Spain, belonging to Spain. The immenfe inland country, much of which is unexplored, is still occupied in many parts by the Indian tribes.

The Colonies of South America, ftill more extenfive, remain in the poffeffion of their parent countries of Spain and Portugal, while these states, notwithstanding the vaft revenues which they derive from their colonies, have been long finking in the fcale of European importance. South America is divided

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divided into seven great provinces, Terra Firma, Peru, Amazonia, Brazil, Paraguay, Chili, and Patagonia. Peru, the richest province of America, fituated on the fouthern coaft, is about 1400 miles. long, and 400 broad. Its chief commodities are gold and filver, quickfilver, pearls, cotton, tobacco, cochineal, and drugs; quinquina or the Jefuits' bark, the virtue of which is well known all over Europe, and tobacco of the finest flavour, are peculiar to this country. The climate of Brafil is temperate, and the foil fertile; its chief commodities are gold, diamonds, red wood, fugar, amber, &c. It is fubject to the King of Portugal, who draws great riches from it.

The foregoing is a very imperfect account of the terraqueous globe we inhabit. It is fo large in dimenfions, that even Teneriffe or Mont Blanc are, compared to it, but as grains of duft, upon an artificial fphere. Its diameter is 7970 miles, and its furface contains 199,557,259 fquare miles. Placed between the Orbits of Venus and Mars, it performs its courfe around the Sun at the rate of 68243 miles in an hour, and completes it annual revolution in rather more than 365 days.

Without a knowledge of Geography, no reader can have a clear idea of the fcene, where any occurrence takes place; but is liable to the groffeft mistakes by confounding one part of the world with another. It is equally applicable to modern as to ancient hiftory, and introduces the pleafing combination

bination of the antient and modern names of places, and the characters and manners of the different inhabitants. It affifts the memory by the affociations of ideas, which it fuggefts; and the prof pect of a country reprefented by a map, or a globe, recals to mind the memorable deeds which. have been performed in it, as well as its illuftrious

men.

Perfons in various fituations of life are interested in the ftudy of geography, and may reap advantage from its cultivation. While it conftitutes a branch of knowledge effentially neceffary for the traveller, the merchant, and the failor, it furnishes abundant ftores of investigation to the naturalift and the philofopher. It is not only requifite for every reader of history, but for every one who perufes the daily accounts of the events which are taking place in various parts of the world, whether they are the feats of war or of commerce. It has long been confidered as a material branch of a polite education; at prefent indeed it is more particularly requifite that it should be fo, as the British commerce and colonies extend our connexions to fo many different countries; and as many voyages of difcovery have of late years been made.

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Chronology furnishes the ftandard by which the fucceffion of time is measured. By its affiftance we can calculate the rife and fall of empires, the length of lives, and the dates of all remarkable Occurrences. It includes eras and epochs. Thefe

fignify

gnify the time when any memorable event takes place, as the Chriftian era means the birth of Chrift.

Different nations have adopted different modes of computing time. The moft antient we read of is that of Mofes. In his defcription of the deluge he calculates by months, confifting each of thirty days, and by years, confifting of 360 days each. According to Herodotus, the Egyptians reckoned in the fame manner, and from them probably Mofes adopted his method, as he was verfed in all their learning.

P This is afferted in general terms in Dodley's Preceptor, and the proof may be fatisfactorily made out in the following manner, by which the particular details of fcripture, relative to the deluge, in Genefis, chap. vii. will be made exactly to amount to the fum total in Genefis, chap. viii. v. 13.

2 Months 17 Days. The time when the fountains of the deep were dried up.

40 Days. Continuation of rain. 40..... Increase of the deluge, 150. Its continuation.

40... Its decrease.

7.

7.

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The dove fent from the ark the first time.
The dove fent out the fecond time.

301 Days divided by 30-10 Months 1 Day.

Add the 2 Months

2

12 Months 1 Day

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That is, the first month in the first day of the month, as stated in chap. viii, v. 13, when the face of the ground was dry, and th waters had intirely fubfided.

VOL. I.

T

The

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The Greeks calculated by Olympiads. Olympiad is a space of four years, after the expi ration of which, that is in the fifth year, games in honour of Jupiter Olympius were celebrated with great pomp and feftivity by the Greeks near Olym pia, a city in Peloponnefus. They were fully eftablished in the 3928th year of the world, 776 before Chrift. This mode of computation appears to have ceafed after the 364th, which ended A.D. 440, as we have no further mention of them in history.

The ufual mode of Roman computation was from the years which had elapfed from the building of the City, anno urbis condita, expreffed briefly by the letters A.U.C. This event took place in the 3252d year of the world, and the 752d year before Chrift.

The ordinary mode of reckoning the years of the world is to take 4004 before Chrift for the era of the creation, which is adopted from the Hebrew text of the Scriptures. Chriftians compute from the moft memorable of all eras, the birth of our Saviour, which happened in the 27th year of the reign of Auguftus, and in the year of Rome 749. The Turks compute from the Hegira, or flight of Mahomet from Mecca; this happened in the 6220 year of our Lord, when Heraclius was Emperor of the Eaft. The Julian, or old ftile, is fo called from Julius Cæfar, who regulated the Roman Calendar. He added a day immediately after the

twenty

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