The Greenlanders who confider the foul as a spiritual immaterial effence, laugh at all this, and fay, if there fhould be fuch a material, luxuriant paradife, where fouls could entertain themselves with hunting, ftill it can endure only for a time. Afterwards the fouls will certainly be conveyed to the peaceful manfiors. But they know not what their food or employment will be. On the other hand, they place their hell in the fubterraneous regions, which are devoid of light and heat, and filled with perpetual terror and anxiety. This laft fort of people lead a regular life, and refrain from every thing they think is evil..

Hiflory. West Greenland was first peopled by Europeans in the eighth century. At that time, a company. of Icelanders, headed by one Ericke Rande, were by accident driven on the coaft. On his return, he reprefented the country in fuch a favourable light that fome families again followed him thither, where they foon became a thriving colony aad bestowed on their new habitation the name of Groenland, or Greenland, on account of its verdant appearance. This colony was converted to chrillianity by, a miffionary. from Norway, fent thither by the celebrated Olaf, the firt Norwegian monarch who embraced the true religion. The Greenland fettlement continued to increase and thrive under his protection; and in a little time the country was provided with many towns, churches, convents, bifhops, &c. under the jurifdiction of the archbishop of Drontheim. A confiderable commerce was carried on between Greenland aad Norway; and a regular intercourfe maintain-ed between the two countries till the year 1406, when the last bishop was fent over.. From that time all.com. refpondence was cut off, and all knowledge of Greene land has been buried in oblivion..

UND

BRITISH AMER LC A..

SITUATION AND EXTENT..

NDER the general: name of British America, we comprehend the vast and unknown extent of coune By bounded fouth, by the United States of America,

an

and the Atlantic ocean; eaft, by the fame ocean and Davis' Straits, which divide it from Greenland; extending north, to the northern limits of the Hudfon's Bay charter; and weftward, to an unknown extent; lying between 42° 30' and 70° north latitude; and between 50° and 1050 W. longitude from Greenwich.

Divifions. British America is divided into four Provinces, viz. 1. Upper Canada; 2. Lower Canada, to which are annexed New Britain, or the country lying round Hudson's Bay, and the Island of Cape Breton; 3. New Brunswic; 4. Nova Scotia, to which is annexed St. John's. Besides thefe, there is the Island of Newfoundland, which is governed by the Admiral for the time being, and two lieutenant-governors.

HE country lying round Hudfon's Bay, or the country of the Efquimaux, comprehending La brador, New North and South Wales, has obtained the general name of NEW BRITAIN, and is attached to the government of Lower Canada. A fuperintendant of trade, appointed by the governor-general of the four British provinces, and refponfible to him, refides at Labrador.

Rivers. The principal rivers which water this country, are the Wager, Monk, Seal, Pockerekeko, Churchill, Nelfon, Hayes, New Severn, Albany, Pafquitau and Moofe rivers, all which empty into Hudfon's and James' Bay from the weft. The mouths of all the rivers are filled with thoals, except Churchill's, in which the largeft fhips may lie; but ten miles higher the channel is obftructed by fand-banks. All the rivers, as far as they have been explored, are full of rapids and cataracts,, from 10 to 60 feet perpendicular. Down thefe rivers the Indian traders find a quick paffage; but their return is a labour of many months.

Face of the Country, Soil, &c.] As far inland as the Hudfon Bay Company have fettlements, which is 600. miles to the weft of fort Churchill, at a place called Hudfon Houfe, lat. 50°, long. 160° 27 W. from Lon-on, is flat country,

The

The eastern coast of the bay is barren, paft the efforts of cultivation. The furface is every where uneven, and covered with maffes of ftone of an amazing fize. It is a country, of fruitless vallies and frightful mountains, fome of an astonishing height. The vallies are full of lakes, formed not from fprings, but rain and fnow, for chilly as to be productive of a few fmall trout only. The mountains have here and there a blighted fhrub, or a little mofs. The vallies are full of crooked, ftunted trees, pines, fir, birch, and cedars, or rather a fpecies of the juniper. In lat. 60° on this coaft, vegetation ceafes. The whole fhore, like that on the weft, is faced with' iflands at fome diftance from land..

Inhabitants, Cufoms, &c.] The inhabitants among the mountains, are Indians; along the coafts, Efquimaux. The dogs of the former are very fmall; of the latter large and headed like a fox, and trained for the fledge.

The laudable zeal of the Moravian clergy induced them, in the year 1752,10 fend miffionaries from GreenJand to this country. Some of them were killed, and others driven away. In 1764, under the protection oft the British government, another attempt was made. The miffionaries were well received by the Efquimaux, and the miffion goes on with fuccefs.

Climate.] Exceffively cold. The fnows begin to fall in October. The fun rifes, in the thortest day, five minutes past nine, and fets five minutes before three. In the longest day, the fun rifes at three, and fets about mine. The ice begins to difappear in May, and hot weather commences about the middle of June, which at times is very violent.

Animals. The animals of thefe countries are, the moofe-deer, ftags, rein-deer, bears, tygers, buffaloes, wolves, foxes, beavers, otters, lynxes, martins, fquirrels, ermines, wild cats, and hares. The rein-deer país in vaft herds towards the north, in October, seeking the extreme cold: The feathered kinds are, geefe, buftards, ducks, growfe, and all manner of wild fowls. Of fith, there are whales, morfes, feals, cod-fish, and a white fith, preferable to herrings; and in their rivers and fresh waters, pike, perch, carp, and trout.

All

All the quadrupeds of thefe countries are clothed with a clofe, foft, warm fur. In fummer there is here, as in other places, a variety in the colours of the feveral animals; when that feafon is over, which holds only for three months, they all affume the livery of winter, and every fort of beafts, and most of their fowls, are of the colour of the fnow; every thing animate and inanimate is white. This is a furprising phenomenon. But what is yet more furprifing, and what is indeed one of the molt friking things that draw the most inattentive to an admiration of the wifdom and goodnefs of Provi dence, is, that the dogs and cats from Britain, that have been carried into Hudson's Bay, on the approach of winter, have entirely changed their appearance, and acquired a much longer, fofter and thicker coat of hair than they had originally.

Difcovery.] The knowledge of thefe northern feas and countries was owing to a project ftarted in England for the difcovery of a northweit paffage to Chinaand the Eaft Indies as early as the year 1576. Since then it has been frequently dropped, and as often revived, but never yet completed.

Frobisher, about the year 1576, difcovered the Main of New Britain, or Terra de Labrador, and thofe ftraits to which he has given his name. In-1585, John Davis failed from Portfmouth, and viewed that and the more northern coals, but he feems never to have entered the bay. Hudfon made three voyages on the fame adventure, the first in 1607, the fecond in 1608, and the third and laft in 1610. This bold and judicious navigator entered the straits that lead into the bay known by his name, coafted a great part of it, and penetrated to eighty degrees and a half into the heart of the frozen zone. His ardour for the difcovery not being abated by the difficulties he struggled with in this empire of winter, and world of froft and fnow, he stayed there until the enfuing fpring, and prepared in the beginning of 1611, to pursue his difcoveries; but his crew, who fuffered equal hardthips, without the fame fpirit to fupport them, mutinied, feized upon him and feven of thofe who were most faithful to him, and committed them to the fury of the icy feas in an open boat. Hudfon and.

his

this companions were either fwallowed up by the waves, or, gaining the irhospitable coast, vere destroyed by the favages; but the ship and the rest of the men returned home.

Other attempts towards a difcovery have been maʼs in 1612, 1667, 1745, and 1761, tit without fuccefs.

UPPER AND LOWER CANADA.

HE Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada,

Tftituted by act of Parliament in 1254, cc: re

hend the territory heretofore called Canada.

SITUATION AND EXTENT.

, by New Now B. tain

Boundaries and Divifiant.] Bound: 3 Britain and unknown countries; eat, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence; frutheta. df wherly, by the Province of New Brur fwic, the Di tra of M›i: e, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York ar the Lakes; the western boundary is undefi: d. The Province of Upper Canada is the fame as what has been commonly called the Upper Country. It lies north of the great Lakes; and is separated from New York by the river St. Lawrence, here called the Cataraqui, and the Lakes Ontario and Erie.

Lower Canada lies on both fides the river St. Lawrence, between 61° and 71° W. long. from London; and 45° and 52° N. lat. and is boun led fouth by New Brunfwic, Maine, New Ham: fhire, Vermont, and NewYork; and weft, by Upper Canada.

Rivers.] The river St. Lawrence is one of the largeft rivers in North America. It fues from Lake Ontario, forming the outlet of the long chain of great lakes, which feparate Upper Canada from the United States. It takes its course northealt; washes the island of Montreal, which it embofoms; just above which it receives Otawas from the weft, and forms many fertile iflands. Continning the fame courfe, it meets the tide upwards of 400 miles from the fea, and is fo far navigable for

large