Spanish Dominions in N. America. EAST AND WEST FLORIDA. Mei Length 600 25° and 31° N. latitude. between {250 5° and 17° W. lon. from Phil. Boundaries.] BOUNDED north, by Georgia; east, by the Atlantic ocean; fouth, by the Gulf of Mexico; weft, by the Miffifippi; lying in the form of an L. Rivers, Lakes and Springs.] Among the rivers that fall into the Atlantic, St. John's and Indian rivers are the principal. Seguana, Apalachicola, Chata Hatcha, Efcambia, Mobille, Pafcagoula, and Pearl rivers, all rife in Georgia, and run foutherly into the Gulf of Mexico. Climate.] Very little different from that of Georgia. Soil and Productions.] There are in this country, a great variety of foils. The caftern part of it, near and about St. Auguftine, is far the most unfruitful; yet even here, twe crops of Indian corn a year are produced. The banks of the rivers which water the Floridas, and the parts contigu ous, are of a fuperior quality, and well adapted to the culture of rice and corn, while the more interior country, which is high and pleafant, abounds with wood of almost every kind; particularly white and red oak, live oak, laurel magnolia, pine, hiccory, cyprefs, sed and white cedar. The. live oaks, though not tall, contain a prodigious quantity of timber. The trunk is generally from 12 to 20 feet in circumference, and rifes 10 or 12 feet from the earth, and then branches into 4 or 5 great limbs, which grow in nearly a horizontal direction, forming a gentle curve. "I have Atepped," fays Bartram," above 50 paces on a ftraight line, from the trunk of one of thefe trees to the extremity of the limbs." They are ever green, and the wood almost incorruptible. They bear a great quantity of fimall acorns, which make an agreeable food when roasted, and from which the Indians extract a fweet oil, which they ufe in cooking homminy and rice. The • Travels; p 85. The laurel magnolia is the most beautiful among the trees of the foreft, and is ufually 100 feet high; though fome are much higher. The trunk is perfectly erect, rifing in the form of a beautiful column, and fupporting a head like an obtufe cone. The flowers are on the extremities of the branches are large, white, and expanded like a rose, and the largest and most complete of any yet known; when fully expanded, they are from 6 to 9 inches in diameter, and have a moft delicious fragrance. The cyprefs is the largeft of the American trees. "I have feen trunks of these trees," fays Bartram, "that would measure 8, 10, and 12 feet in diameter, for 40 and 50 feet ftraight fhaft." The trunks make excellent thingles, boards, and other timber; and when hollowed, make durable and convenient canoes. When the planters fell thefe mighty trees, they raise a ftage round them, fo high as to reach above the buttresses; on this ftage 8 or 10 negroes afcend with their axes, and fall to work round its trunk." The intervales between the hilly part of this country are extremely rich. Chief Towns.] ST. AUGUSTINE, the capital of Eaft Florida, is fituated on she fea-coaft, latitude 29° 45'; is of an oblong figure, and interfected by four ftreets, which cut each other at right angles. The town is fortified. The principal town in Weft Florida is PENSACOLA, latitude 30° 22′. It lies along the beach, and, like St. Anguftine, is of an oblong form. The bay, on which the town ftands, forms a very commodious harbour, and veffels may ride here fecure from every wind. Hiflory. The Floridas have experienced the viciffitudes of war, and frequently changed mafters, belonging alternately to the French and Spaniards. Weft Florida, as far eaft as Perdido river, was owned and occupied by the French; the remainder, and all Eaft Florida, by the Spaniards, previous to their being, ceded to the English, at the peace of 1763. The English divided this country into Eaft and West Florida. They were ceded by Spain to the English at the peace of 1763. During the laft war, they were reduced by the arms of his Catholic Majefty, and guaranteed to the crown of Spain, by the definitive treaty of 1783. LOUISIANA. LOUIS ISIA NA. Boundaries.] BOUNDED by the Miffifippi, east; by the Gulf of Mexico, fouth; by New Mexico, weft; and runs indefinitely north. Under the French government, Louisiana included both fides of the Miffifippi, from its mouth to the Illinois, and back from the river, eaft and weft indefinitely. Rivers.] It is interfected by a number of fine rivers, among which are St. Francis, navigable about 250 or 300 miles; the Natchitoches, the Adayes or Mexicano river, and the river Rouge, on which, it is well known, are as rich filver mines as any in Mexico. This is fuppofed to be one principal reafon, why the exclufive navigation of the Miffifippi has been fo much infisted on by Spain. Capital.] NEW ORLEANS. It ftands on the east fide of the Miflifippi, 105 miles from its mouth, in latitude 30o 2' north. Its advantages for trade are very great. Religion, Government, &c.] The greater part of the white. inhabitants are Roman Catholics. They are governed by a Viceroy from Spain, and the number of inhabitants is un known. Climate, Soil and Produce.] Louifiana is agreeably fituated between the extremes of heat and cold. Its climate varies as it extends towards the north. The fouthern parts, lying within the reach of the refreshing breezes from the fea, are not fcorched like thofe under the fame latitudes in Africa; and its northern regions are colder than thofe of Europe, under the fame parallels, with a wholesome ferene air. judge of the produce to be expected from the foil of Louifiana, let us turn our eyes to Egypt, Arabia Felix, Perfia, India, China, and Japan, all lying in correfponding latitudes. Το In the northern part of Louisiana, 45 miles below the mouth of the Ohio river, on the west bank of the Miffifippi, a fettlement is commencing, conducted by Col. Morgan, of New Jersey, under the patronage of the Spanish king. The fpot on which the city is propofed to be built, is called New Madrid, after the capital of Spain, and is in N. lat. 36° 30%. The country in the vicinity of this intended city, is reprefented as excellent, in many parts beyond defcription. The The natural growth confifts of mulberry, locuft, faffafras, walnut, hiccory, oak, afh, dog wood, &c, with one or more grape vines running up almost every tree; the grapes yield from experiment, good red wine in plenty, and with little Jabour. In fome of the low grounds, grow large cypress trees. The country is interfperfed with priaries, and now and then a cane patch of a hundred, and fome of a thousand acres. Thefe priaries have no trees on them, but are fertile in grafs, flowering plants, ftrawberries, and, when cultivated, produce good crops of wheat, barley, Indian corn, flax, hemp, and tobacco, and are eafily, tilled. The climate is faid to be favourable to health, and the culture of fruits of various kinds, and particularly for garden vegetables. Hiftory.] The Miffifippi, on which the fine country of Louifiana is fituated, was first discovered by Ferdinand de Soto, in 1541. Monfieur de la Salle was the first who traverfed it. He, in the year 1682, having paffed down the mouth of the Miffifippi, and furveyed the adjacent country, returned to Canada, from whence he took paffage to France. From the flattering accounts which he gave of the country, and the confequential advantages that would accrue from fettling a colony in thofe parts, Louis XIV. was induced to eftablish a company for the purpofe. Accordingly, a fquadron of four veffels, amply provided with men and provisions, under the command of Monfieur de la Salle, embarked with an intention to fettle near the mouth of the Miflifippi. But he unintentionally failed 100 leagues to the weftward of it, where he attempted to establish a colony; but through the unfavourablenefs of the climate, moft of his men miferably perished, and he himself, was villainously murdered, not long after, by two of his own men. : Monfieur Ibberville fucceeded him in his laudable attempts. He, after two fuccefsful voyages, died while preparing for a third. Crozat fucceeded him; and in 1712, the king gave him Louifiana. This grant continued but a short time after the death of Louis XIV. In 1763, Louifiana was ceded to the king of Spain; by whom, in 1801, it was ceded to France. MEXICO, MEXICO, OR NEW SPAIN. SITUATION AND EXTENT. Mies. Length 2100 between 9 and 40° N. latitude. Boundaries.] Beaft, by Louifiana and the Gulf of OUNDED north, by unknown regions; Mexico; fouth, by the Ifthmus of Darien, which feparates it from Terra Firma in South America; weft, by the Pacific Ocean. ·Grand Divifions. This vaft country is divided as follows: Face of the Country, Rivers, Lakes and Fountains.] The land is in great part abrupt and mountainous, covered with thick woods, and watered with large rivers. Some of these run into the Gulf of Mexico, and others into the Pacific Ocean. Among the first, are Alvarado, Coatzacualo, ard Tabafco. Among the latter, is the river Guadalaxara, or Great River. There are feveral lakes, which do rot lefs embellish the country than give convenience to the commerce of the people. The lakes of Nicaragua, Chapalian, and Pazquaro, are among the largeft. The lakes Tetzuco and Chalco occupy a great part of the vale of Mexico, which is the fineft tract of country in New Spain. The waters of Chalco are fweet, thofe of Tetzuo are brackish. A canal unites them: The lower lake (Tetzuco) was formerly This city was fwallowed up by an earthquake, June 7th, 1773, when 8,000 families instantly perished. New Guatimala is now well inhabited. Y |