1629. The island of Manhattan was settled by the Dutch, under the direction of governor Van Twiller.

1634. Maryland was settled by a colony of English Roman Cath olics, under the guidance of lord Baltimore.

1635. Two settlements were made in Connecticut, at Windsor and Hartford, by a colony from Boston and vicinity; and at Saybrook, under the command of Mr. Fenwick.

The same year Rhode Island was settled by Mr. Roger Williams, with a colony of malecontents from Massachusetts.

1659. South Carolina was settled by an English colony, under governor Sayle

1682. William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania. and his adherents belonged to the society of Friends.

1728. North-Carolina was erected into a separate government. • 1732. Georgia was settled by an English colony under general Oglethorpe.

1764. Vermont was settled by emigrants from Connecticut and Massachusetts.

1773. Kentucky was settled by a party under col. Daniel Boon. 1789. Tennessee became a separate government.

1800. The Missisippi Territory was made a separate govern

ment.

1803. Ohio was erected into a state.

1811. The territory of Orleans was admitted into the number of the states of the union, and called Louisiana.

Political Divisions. North-America may be considered under the following divisions, Russian America, Danish America, British Possessions, United States, Spanish Provinces, and Aboriginal America.

Russian America, comprehending the island of Spitzbergen, on the east; and the promontory of Alaska, the islands which are near it, and the coast between Portlock harbor and Behring's straits, on the west.

Danish America comprising the island of Iceland, and the country of Greenland.

The British Possessions in North-America are the following,
New-Britain
Cape Breton Island
St. John's Island

Upper Canada

Lower Canada

Newfoundland Isl.
New-Brunswick

Nova-Scotia

Aboriginal America includes the territories lying north of NewMexico and Louisiana, west of the British possessions, and east of the Russian.

These will be described in the order they have been named.

RUSSIAN AMERICA.

SPITZBERGEN.

Situation and Extent. SPITZBERGEN consists of one large island and numerous smaller ones on its coast. They lie in the Frozen ocean, 150 miles east of Greenland. The main island is between lat. 76° and 80 7 N. and between lon. 9° and zoo E. 300 miles long, 140 broad.

Discovery. Sir Hugh Willoughby discovered Spitzbergen in 1553. In 1773, capt. Phipps determined it to be an island.

Climate and Seasons. The longest day, and of course the longest night, in Spitzbergen is between 4 and 5 months. During the continuance of its night, from the latter part of October, to the beginning of February, the weather is so intensely cold, as to render the country almost uninhabitable.

Face of the Country. These islands have never been explored. The coasts, in most places, are inaccessible. They are formed of high, barren, black rocks, without the least mark of vegetation; in many places bare and pointed; in others covered with snow.

Harbors. Schmelrenburg harbor lies on the western side, in lat. 79 44 N. lon. 9 51 E. It is well sheltered from all winds, is 13 fathoms deep, and has a sandy bottom. Magdalen Bay and Hamburger's Bay lie also on the west side. On the northern shore is the harbor of Vogel Sang.

Mountains. There are many summits on the island, but none of very great height. In the surrounding ocean there are also many mountains of ice. Some of them rise 1500 feet out of the water.

General Remarks. Spitzbergen, when first discovered, was entirely destitute of inhabitants; nor were any found on it by the English, when they visited it in 1773. It is, however, the constant resort of the Dutch whalers, and 20 or 30 sail visit it every summer. Every year, also, a ship goes from Archangel to winter on the western coast. At this time it is uninhabited.* The extreme severity of its climate, the barrenness of its soil, its distance from the track of commerce, and the impossibility of visiting it during two thirds of every year, will forever render it, what it was obviously intended to be, a mere resting place for fishermen.

Tooke's Russian Empire, iii, 92.

NORTHWEST COAST.

Extent. THE most southern settlement of the Russians is at Portlock harbor, between 58° and 59° N. They claim, by right of discovery, the whole coast from this station northward, as far as cape Prince of Wales, comprising not less than 2500 miles of seacoast; together with the numberless islands, which line the shore, and the long chain of islands, which reaches from the promontory of Alaska almost to the coast of Kamtschatka.

Islands. The principal of these isles, are the Aleutian or Fox islands, which lie in a curve line southwest of Alaska. The westternmost, Attoo, about 300 miles from Kamtschatka, is about 40 miles long. Unalaska, 120 miles long, is the most important of all these islands It has on the N. E. side 3 large good harbors. It contains two volcanoes, near one of which is a copious hot spring.

The inhabitants of these islands are of a middle stature, of tawny brown colour, with black hair. They are tributaries to the Russians, and their principal employment is hunting for Russian adventurers; who pay them in beads and tobacco. The whole number of inhabitants in the Aleutian islands is estimated by Mr. Sauer at 2500.

From Alaska eastward, the whole coast is lined with islands. The principal of these is Kodiak, about 150 miles long, and 70 broad. The inhabitants are called Kinaghi. In their mode of life they very much resemble the Aleutians. They often live to the advanced age of 100 years. They are about 5000 in number. They speak the same language with that spoken on the American coast,* between Kodiak and Portlock harbor; though in most of its words different from the Aleutian. The men are all employed by the Russians in hunting and fishing, and the women in curing the fish and drying the skins. They pay tribute to Russia.

The Coast. The natives on the coast, from Alaska to Portlock harbor, are very numerous. According to Shelikoff's narrative, not less than 50,000 had, in 1784, professed obedience to the Russian government. The Indians farther north appear still to be independent.

Russian Settlements. The principal of these is on the southeastern side of Kodiak, made in 1784. Other establishments are at at Unalaska, on the island of Afagnack, and on the coast, at Cook's inlet, cape St. Elias, port Etches, port Mulgrave, and Portlock harbor. In all these settlements, according to Hassel, there are about 800 inhabitants.

Discoveries. Cook, in a single voyage, did more to discover these regions than all his predecessors had done in 50 years. He ascertained the line of the American coast, and the vicinity of the continents; and traced the eastern coast of Asia as high as 68°, and the western coast of America as high as 71° N. latitude.

Sauer's Expedition, p. 191.

Coxe's Russian Discoveries, 285.