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over with a colony, and fixed on a neck of land between Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Thus commenced the fettlement of Carolina, which then included the whole territory between the 29th and 36th 30' degrees, north latitude, together with the Bahama Islands, lying between latitude 22 and 27" north.

1681.-The Royal charter for Pennfylvania was granted to William

Penn on the 4th of March, 1681. The first colony came over the 1682 next year, and fettled under the proprietor, William Penn, who

acted as Governor from October 1682 to August 1684. The firft affembly in the province of Pennfylvania was held at Chefter, on the 4th of December, 1682. Thus William Penn, a Quaker, juftly celebrated as a great and good man, had the honour of laying the foundation of the prefent populous and very flourishing State of Pennfylvania

The proprietory government in Carolina, was attended with fo many inconveniences, and occasioned fuch violent diffentions among the fettlers, that the Parliament of Great-Britain was induced to take the province under their immediate care. The proprietors (except Lord Granville) accepted of £.22,500 fterling, from the crown for the pro

perty and jurifdiction. This agreement was ratified by act of 1729 Parliament in 1729. A claufe in this act referved to Lord

Granville his eighth fhare of the property and arrears of quitrents, which continued legally vefted in his family till the revolution in 1776. Lord Granville's fhare made a part of the prefent state of North-Carolina. About the year 1729, the extenfive territory belonging to the proprietors, was divided into North and South Carolina. They remained feparate royal governments until they became independent States.

For the relief of poor indigent people of Great Britain and Ireland, and for the fecurity of Carolina, a project was formed for planting a colony between the rivers Savannah and Alatamaha. Accordingly appli

cation being made to king George the Second, he iffued letters 1732 patent, bearing date June 9th, 1732, for legally carrying into ex

tion the benevolent plan. In honour of the king, who greatly encouraged the plan, they called the new province Georgia. Twenty-one trustees were appointed to conduct the affairs relating to the fettlement of the province. The November following, one hundred and fifteen perfons, one of whom was General Oglethorpe, embarked for Georgia, where they arrived, and landed at Yamacraw. In exploring the country, they found an elevated pleasant spot of ground on the bank of a navigable river, upon which they marked out a town, and from the Vol. I. Indian

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Indian name of the river which passed by it, called it Savannah. From this period we may date the fettlement of Georgia.

The country now called Kentucky, was well known to the Indian traders many years before its fettlement. They gave a defcription of it

to Lewis Evans, who publifhed his first map of it as early as the 1752 year 1752. James Macbride, with fome others, explored this 1754 country in 1754. Col. Daniel Boon vifited it in 1769.

1773. Four years after Col. Boon and his family, with five other families, who were joined by forty men from Powle's valley, began the fettlement of Kentucky*, which is now one of the most growing colonies, perhaps, in the world, and was erected into an independent state, by act of Congrefs, December 6th, 1790, and received into the Union, June ift, 1792.

The tract of country called Vermont, before the late war, was claimed both by New-York and New-Hampshire. When hoftilities commenced between Great-Britain and her Colonies, the inhabitants confidering themselves as in a state of nature, as to civil government, and not within any legal jurisdiction, affociated and formed for themselves a conftitution of government. Under this conftitution, they have ever fince continued to exercise all the powers of an independent State. Vermont was not admitted into union with the other ftates till March

4, 1791, yet we may venture to date her political existence as a 1777 separate government, from the year 1777, because, fince that

time, Vermont has, to all intents and purpofes, been a fovereign and independent State. The first fettlement in this state was made at Bennington as early as about 1764.

The extenfive tract of country lying north-weft of the Ohio River, within the limits of the United States, was erected into a separate temporary government by an Ordinance of Congrefs paffed the 13th of 1787 July, 1787.

Thus we have given a fummary view of the first discoveries and progreffive fettlement of North America in their chronological order. The following recapitulation will comprehend the whole in one view.

This fettlement was made in violation of the Treaty, in 1768, at Fort Stanwix, which exprefsly ftipulates, that this tract of country fhould be referved for the western nations to hunt upon, until they and the crown of England fhould otherwife agree. This has been one great cause of the enmity of those Indian nations to the Virginians.

Names

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The above dates are from the periods, when the firft permanent fettle

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NORTH

AMERICA.

BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT.

NOR ORTH AMERICA comprehends all that part of the western continent which lies north of the Ifthmus of Darien, extending north and fouth from about the 10th degree north latitude to the north pole; and east and weft from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, between the 45th and 165th degrees weft longitude from London. Beyond the 7oth degree N. Lat. few difcoveries have been made. In July 1779, Capt. Cook proceeded as far as lat. 71°, when he came to a folid body of ice extending from continent to continent.

BAYS, SOUNDS, STRAITS AND ISLANDS. Of thefe (except those in the United States, which we fhall defcribe under that head) we know little more than their names. Baffin's Bay, lying between the 70th and 80th degrees N. Lat. is the largest and most northern, that has yet been difcovered in North America. It opens into the Atlantic ocean through Baffin's and Davis's Straits, between Cape Chidley, on the Labrador coaft, and Cape Farewell. It communicates with Hudson's Bay to the fouth, through a clufter of iflands. In this capacious bay or gulph is James Inland, the fouth point of which is called Cape Bedford; and the fmaller iflands of Waygate and Difko. Davis's Straits separate Greenland from the American continent, and are between Cape Walfingham, on James Island, and South Bay in Greenland, where they are about 60 leagues broad, and extend from the 67th to the 71ft degrees of latitude above Disko island. The moft fouthern point of Greenland is called Cape Farewell,

Hudfon's Bay took its name from Henry Hudson, who discovered it in 1610. It lies between 51 and 69 degrees of north latitude. The eastern boundary of the Bay is Terra de Labrador; the northern part has a Atraight coaft, facing the bay, guarded with a line of ifles innumerable. A vaft bay, called the Archiwinnipy Sea, lies within it, and opens into Hudfon's Bay, by means of gulph Hazard, through which the Beluga whales pafs in great numbers. The entrance of the bay, from the At lantic ocean, after leaving, to the north, Cape Farewell and Davis's Straits, i between Refolution ifles on the north, and Button's ifles, on the Labra lor coal, to the fouth, forming the eaftern extremity of Hudfon's Straits.

The

The coafts are very high, rocky and rugged at top; in fome places precipitous, but fometimes exhibit extenfive beaches. The iflands of Salisbury, Nottingham, and Digges are very lofty and naked. The depth of water in the middle of the bay is 140 fathoms. From Cape Churchill to the fouth end of the bay are regular foundings; near the fhore, fhallow, with muddy or fandy bottom. To the northward of Churchill, the foundings are irregular, the bottom rocky, and in fome parts the rocks appear above the furface at low water.

James's Bay lies at the bottom, or moft fouthern part of Hudfon's Bay, with which it communicates, and divides New Britain from South Wales. To the northweftward of Hudfon's Bay is an extenfive chain of lakes, among which is Lake Menichlich, lat. 61°, long. 105° W. North of this is Lake Dobount, to the northward of which lies the extensive country of the northern Indians. Weft of thefe lakes, between the latitudes of 60 and 66 degrees, after paffing a large cluster of unnamed lakes, kes the lake or fea Arathapefcow, whofe fouthern fhores are inhabited by the Arathapefcow Indians. North of this, and near the Arctic circle, is Lake Edlande, around which live the Dog ribbed Indians. Further north is Buffaloe lake, near which, is Copper Minc river, in lat. 72° N. and long. 119° W. of Greenwich. The Copper Mine Indians inhabit this country.

Between Copper Mine river, which, according to Mr. Herne, empties into the Northern fea, where the tide rifes 12 or 14 feet, and which in its whole courfe is encumbered with fhoals and falls, and the North-weft coaft of America, is an extenfive tract of unexplored country. As you defcend from north to fouth on the western coaft of America, just south of the Arctic circle, you come to Cape Prince of Wales, oppofite Eaft Cape on the eastern continent; and here the two continents approach nearest to each other. Proceeding fouthward you pafs Norton Sound, Cape Stephen's, Shoalnefs, Briftol Bay, Prince William's Sound, Cook's River, Admiralty Bay, and Port Mulgrave, Nootka Sound, &c. From Nootka Sound proceeding fouth, you pafs the unexplored country of New Albion, thence to California, and New Mexico.

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