bring them as slaves to America. The English joined freely in this lucrative trade.

The Spaniards, as colonists, mixed largely with the natives and thus Mestizo races sprang up the English mixed very little. The next point in the history of America was the war of 1756-1760, in which the English conquered the French in North America and became supreme in the northern half of the continent. But the chief English colonies revolted from the Crown in 1775-1782; and united themselves into the independent Government called the United States. In 1820-1830 the Spanish Colonies revolted and Mexico became independent of Spain. In 1862 the slaves in the United States were made free.

In this enumeration, Newfoundland is joined with Canada Dominion, though not yet politically united with it: and the Central Republics, which profess to be five different constitutions, are thrown under one head; they are all close together, of the same nature, and thrown into one would make but an insignificant State.

Sect. XLVI. GREENLAND.

605. The whole interior of Greenland is an elevated plateau covered perpetually with snow and glaciers. No man has yet crossed from the eastern to the western coast. On the Southern Coast it thaws for a few months in summer, when the sea-shore appears from the sea to be green. There

are no trees. The Western Coast is somewhat less cold than the Eastern, and here are a few small settlements, wherein a few Danes control the Esquimaux. The population exists by fishing and seal-hunting.

Sect. XLVII. CANADA DOMINION.

606. EXTENT. British North America, all of which except Newfoundland is included in the Canada Dominion, is considerably larger than Europe, but contains not many more inhabitants than Scotland.

607. BOUNDARIES. British North America is bounded on the East by the Atlantic; on the North by the Arctic Ocean; on the South by the United States; on the West by the Pacific Ocean and the Territory of Alaska lately purchased from Russia by the United States.

608. ATTACHED ISLANDS. Newfoundland, Vancouver's Island, and many large islands in the Arctic Ocean uninhabited or visited only by Esquimaux.

609. CLIMATE. The small population of this vast area is due to the coldness of the climate. Wheat can only be grown in small portions situate on its southern border. The climate is more extreme on the east coast than on the west. Labrador is in the latitude of England, but is quite uninhabitable by reason of the cold. The districts where wheat can be grown are four, viz,

(1) Upper Canada, the peninsula enclosed by Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Here, though the summers are hot, the snow lies for four months in winter, and all agricultural work is brought to a standstill.

(2) Nova Scotia, which being nearly surrounded by sea has a somewhat insular climate. It is less cold than the adjoining mainland, but its climate is more rigorous than that of England.

(3) The Red River Settlement, also called Manitoba, between Lake Winnipeg and the United States boundary. The climate does not materially differ from that of Upper Canada.

(4) Vancouver's Island and Fraser River. The climate here much resembles that of England, being moist and without long frost in the winter.

610. MOUNTAINS. The Rocky Mountains run north and south not far from the western border of British America, and parallel to it. Some of the highest points in the whole range are in the interior of British Columbia (or the Fraser River Territory), attaining 16,000 feet high. But fortunately there are also several low saddles hereabout in the range, one less than 4,000 feet above sea, and through one of these the Canadian Pacific railroad may be taken.

611. RIVERS. (1) The St. Lawrence, which with the great lakes forms the southern boundary of Canada. Its affluent, the Ottawa, is a large river.

(2) The Red River, which rises in the United States' territory, and flows north into Lake Winnipeg.

(3) Fraser River, the river of British Columbia.

(4) The Saskatchewan, much larger than the last, but having its course in a nearly uninhabited country.

(5) The Mackenzie, with a course exceeding 2,000 miles, but flowing north into the Arctic Ocean it is hardly of more use or importance than the great rivers of Siberia.

612. DIVISIONS. (1) Lower Canada, or Quebec, was colonised by the French, but conquered by the English in 1759. The population is still mainly French, French-speakng and Roman Catholic.

(2) Upper Canada, or Ontario.

(3) New Brunswick, including Nova Scotia.

(4) Red River, or Manitoba; a new but increasing settle

ment.

(5) British Columbia. Gold was discovered here in 1856, and a great rush being consequent thereon, the Colony was founded in 1858, and now contains more than 10,000 white settlers.

The above five provinces are all included in the Canada Dominion, a Federal Government. They are all agricultural and lumbering settlements, possessing splendid forests of pine, oak, and maple.

(6) Hudson's Bay Territory, also called Rupert-land, the Hudson's Bay Company having been formed in 1670 under the auspices of Prince Rupert. This vast area being unfitted for the plough was considered a natural hunting-ground, and was handed over, together with its scanty population of Red Indians, to the Hudson's Bay Company, who set up small trading posts and collected furs from the native hunters. The territory has lately been included in the New Canada Dominion, and the Hudson's Bay Company have given up their monopoly of the country; they retain their own trading posts and factors.

(7) Newfoundland, which declines as yet to join the Canada Dominion; the population lives wholly on the shores and is devoted to fishing.

613. TOWNS. (1) Quebec, population 50,000, the chief port on the St. Lawrence, and the capital of Lower Canada. (2) Montreal, population 90,000, also on the St. Lawrence, the largest town in Canada.

(3) Toronto, population 45,000, on Lake Ontario, the chief town in Upper Canada.

(4) Ottawa, population 15,000, is the political capital of the Canada Dominion, and seat of the Central Government.

(5) Halifax, population 25,000, the principal port of Canada on the Atlantic, is open in winter when the St. Lawrence is frozen up, and is connected with Quebec by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada.

The population of British America is mainly congregated in the peninsula of Upper Canada and the banks of the St. Lawrence; these inhabited tracts are well supplied with railways. Elsewhere the country is as yet unsubdued by man.

Sect. XLVIII. THE UNITED STATES.

614. EXTENT. The United States exceed Europe in area, and the whole lies in that zone of the earth's surface which appears best adapted for the human race. The population (even omitting 5,000,000 Negroes) exceeds that of Britain and Ireland.

615. BOUNDARIES. British America on the North; the Atlantic on the East; Mexico on the South; and the Pacific on the West.

The Arctic territory of Alaska is quite separate; its boundary from British territory is a parallel of longitude agreed

upon.

The boundary between the United States and Canada Dominion is, in the West, the parallel of 49 N.L.; in the East the St. Lawrence. The boundary between the United States and Mexico is, in the West, nearly the parallel of 32° N.L.; in the East, the Rio del Norte.

616. GULFS. Mexico, California.

617. PENINSULAS. Florida, California.

618. CLIMATE. The whole of the United States lies in the temperate zone, and nearly all of it in the warmtemperate zone. But extending over so many degrees of latitude the south is much warmer than the north. The great change in the climate occurs between New York and Charlestown. Carolina produces rice, while at New York the winter frost lasts several months.

The Western States on the Upper Mississippi are exceed. ingly cold in winter. Mercury has been known to freeze in Wisconsin.

The Pacific States enjoy as fine a climate as is to be met with in the whole world. In California there are only two or three months rainy; both corn and fruits grow luxuriantly. Washington and Oregon are cooler and moister than California, but perhaps still more finely adapted to the Englishman.

619. MOUNTAINS. (1) The Rocky Mountains are the western watershed of the Mississippi. The highest points are from 11,000-13,000 feet above sea-level.

(2) The Sierra Nevada is a range parallel with the Rocky Mountains and west of it; and the Cascade and Coast Ranges (which form with it really but one system) lie parallel and west of the Sierra Nevada.

Again, the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains form one system of ridges; the highest points of the Sierra Nevada are higher than those of the Rocky Mountains main water