A MAP is a representation of the earth, or any part of it, upon paper or any plane surface. In general, the top of a map is north, the bottom south, the right hand east, and the left hand west. Cities and towns are represented by an°; rivers, by black lines, bending irregularly; mountains by dark shades; deserts by clusters of small dots; boundaries of countries and states by dotted lines. The Axis of the earth is an imaginary line passing through its centre, from north to south, about which it revolves in 24 hours. The northern extremity of this Axis is called the North Pole, and the southern extremity the South Pole.

The Equator or Equinoctial Line, is an imaginary cir cle surrounding the earth, from east to west, at an equal distance from the poles.

HEMISPHERE is half of a globe; thus, the Equator divides the globe into two hemispheres, Northern and Southern. The ECLIPTIC is a great circle which crosses the equator obliquely, in two opposite points, called the equinoxes.

The Tropics are two circles drawn parallel to the equator, at 23 degrees distant from it. That on the north of the equator is called the Tropic of Cancer, that on the south, the Tropic of Capricorn.

The Polar Circles are two small circles at the distance of 23 degrees from each pole. That about the north pole is called the Arctic, and that about the south pole, the Antarctic circle.

There are usually reckoned five Zones or Belts of the earth; viz. one torrid, two temperate, and two frigid.

The space between the two tropics is called the Torrid Zone, in every part of which the sun is vertical twice a year, and of course the weather is always warm, the two spaces between the tropics and the polar circles are called the Temperate Zones; and the two spaces between the polar circles and the poles are called the Frigid Zones.

A MERIDIAN is a great circle crossing the equator at right angles, and passing through the poles. Every place has its meridian, at which, when the sun arrives, it is noon at that place.

A DEGREE is the 360th part of any circle. A degree of a great circle of the earth contains 60 geographical, or 69 English miles. Each degree is divided into 60

• The best modern authors say 23° 28'.

equal parts, called minutes; and each minute into 60 seconds.

Degrees are usually marked with a small cypher over them (°), minutes with one dash ('), and seconds with two ("); thus 23° 28′ 16" signify, twenty three degrees, twenty eight minutes, and sixteen seconds.

The LATITUDE of any place is its distance from the equator, either north or south, reckoning in degrees and minutes.

The latitude of places upon maps is expressed by the figures which run up or down the sides. If the figures increase upwards, the latitude is north; if they increase downwards, the latitude is south. The latitude of any place can never be more than 90, which brings us to the pole.

The LONGITUDE of any place is its distance east or west from some fixed meridian, reckoned in degrees and minutes on the equator.

The longitude of places upon maps is expressed by the figures at top and bottom.

Longitude is reckoned 180 degrees, east or west from any given meridian, which brings us to the same meridional line on the opposite side of the earth.

The HORIZON is that circle which bounds the sight on all sides, where the earth and sky appear to meet.

The CARDINAL POINTS are the four principal points of the horizon, viz. East, West, North, and South, oftentimes written E for east, W. for west, &c.

The ATMOSPHERE, or AIR, is a fine, invisible, elastic fluid, every where surrounding the earth, and extending some miles from its surface.

WIND is air put in motion. The velocity of wind in a storm has been estimated at about 63 miles in an hour; in a fresh gale at 21 miles; and in a gentle breeze, at about 10 miles in an hour.

Winds may be divided into constant, periodical and variable.

To

CONSTANT WINDs blow always in one direction. These prevail in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, under the equator, where there is a constant east wind. about 28° on the north of the equator, the wind blows constantly from the north-east, and to as many degrees south, it blows from the south-east. These are also called Tropical or General Trade Winds.

PERIODICAL WINDS blow half a year in one direction, and half a year in a contrary direction, and are called Monsoons, or Shifting Trade Winds.

These prevail chiefly in the Indian Ocean. There, from May to October, the wind blows from the south-east, and during the rest of the year, from the north-west, from three to ten degrees, south latitude.

In the Arabian Sea, and in the Bay of Bengal there is another Monsoon, blowing from October to April, from the north-east, and during the other six months, from the south-west. The shifting of these winds is attended with dreadful hurricanes.

In the West-Indies, the winds blow from the land in the night, and from the sea during the day, changing their direction every twelve hours. These are called LAND and SEA BREEZES.

VARIABLE WINDS are those which are subject to no regularity of duration or change.

CLIMATE, in its general acceptation, means the temperature of the air in any place.

The THERMOMETER is an instrument for ascertaining the degree of heat or cold.

It consists of a hollow tube of glass with a bulb at bottom, filled with quicksilver. Heat causes all bodies to expand; cold causes them to contract. Consequently, as the quicksilver in the bulb becomes contracted by cold, it sinks in the tube; on the other hand,

as it becomes expanded by heat, it rises, and
thus points out the degree of heat or cold.
There are two important points in this instru-
ment,-one, at which water freezes, marked
320-the other, at which water boils, marked
2120. The instrument is then divided into
correspondent equal parts. The cypher, or
0, is called zero.
At about 400 below zero,
quicksilver loses its fluidity, and becomes a
solid body.

THE WORLD.

The world or earth is a large globe, the diameter of which is nearly eight thousand miles, and its surface contains nearly 200 millions of square miles.

It is 96 millions of miles from the sun, about which it revolves once a year; and turns round on its own axis every day.

The earth is generally divided into four unequal parts, called quarters; Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

*

Europe is the smallest division, but is distinguished for its learning, politeness, government, and laws: for the industry of its inhabitants, and the temperature of its climate. It is the only quarter of the globe which has yet been fully explored and known.

In Asia, the human race was first planted, and there the most remarkable transactions occurred, which are recorded in the scripture history.

Africa has been always in a state of barbarism, if we except the Egyptians, those ancient fathers of learning, and Carthage, once the rival of the Roman Empire.

* Words italicized throughout the book denote, that the places so distinguished are exhibited on the maps, where, in every instance, they should be studied by the pupil. It is there, a knowledge of the situation of places is to be acquired; their latitude and longitude, so far as is necessary these should be committed to memory; the boundaries of countries; the rise and course of rivers; the countries and states through which they flow; the seas into which they empty; all which, and various other things of this nature, are studied to much better purpose on a MAP than learnt from a BOOK. In regard to latitude and longitude, the former is much the most important to be known: because the latitude of a place in part determines its climate, and what it may be expected to produce. It is a useful exercise to re. quire the pupil to learn what places are intersected by the parallel lines of latitude drawn upon his map; likewise what places would be passed through, proceeding directly east or west from Boston, for instance, or any capital town, through the country, or even round the globe.

America was unknown to the inhabitants of the other continent, till a little more than three hundred years ago, when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus ; and hence it is frequently called the New World, in contradistinction to the Eastern Continent, first known, and thence called the Old World.

AMERICA

Is supposed to contain upwards of 14 millions of square miles, and about 35 millions of inhabitants.

Its grand divisions are North America, the West Indies, and South America.

NORTH AMERICA.

North America includes the United States, British America, Spanish North America, Greenland, belonging to Denmark, and the Independent Indian Nations.

MOUNTAINS. The principal mountains are the Alleghany and the Stony Mountains.

RIVERS. The most distinguished rivers are the Missisippi, St. Lawrence, Missouri, Ohio, Columbia, and Mackenzie's river.

LAKES. Its lakes are grand and numerous. The principal are Slave Lake, Lake of the Hills, Lake Winnipeg, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie,

and Lake Ontario.

GULFS. There are three noted gulfs,-the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of California, and the Gulf or Bay of St. Lawrence.

The GULF STREAM is a current in the ocean proceed. ing from the Gulf of Mexico, along the American coast, to Newfoundland, whence it turns off, and is lost in the Atlantic Ocean.

BAYS and STRAITS. Baffin's and Hudson's are the larg est bays; Davis's, Hudson's and Bhering's, the most noted Straits.

ISLANDS. The most considerable islands are Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward's, Long Island, Bermuda, and the Aleutian or Fox Islands.

CAPES. The most prominent capes are Cape Farewell, Cape Race, Cape Sable, Cape Cod, Cape Lookout, Cape St. Lucas, and Cape Prince of Wales.