LETTER VII.

Divifion of the Earth into Land and Water,

MY DEAR BOY,

&c.

London,

THE earth is compofed of land and water. The land is divided into Continents, Iflands, Peninfulas, Ifthmufes, Capes, or Promontories, and Shores, or Coafts.

A Continent is a large tract of land, containing many kingdoms and countries, as Europe, Afia, Africa, and America. This is fometimes called the main-land. An Ifland is a tract of land wholly furrounded by water, as Great Britain and Ireland, A Peninsula is a tract of land almoft furrounded by water, except one narrow part, by which it is joined to the main land, as Jutland at the top of Germany, and Morea in Greece. An Ifthmus is a narrow neck of land joining the Peninsula to the main land, or two continents together, as the Ifthmus of Darien, or Panama, in America; the Ifthmus of Corinth, joining the Morea to Greece, Promontories, or Capes, are thofe high parts of land which fhoot far into the fea, as Cape Verd, and the Cape of Good

Hope, both in Africa. A Coast, or Shore, is all that land that borders upon the fea, whether it be in Iflands or Continents.

The water is divided into Oceans, Seas, Lakes, Gulfs, Straits, and Rivers.

An Ocean is a vaft collection of water free from land, as the Atlantic, Ethiopic, and Pacific Oceans. A Sea is a lefs body of water almoft furrounded by land, as the Mediterranean, Baltic, and Euxine Seas. A Lake is a large collection of water wholly furrounded by the land, without any vifible communication with the ocean. A Gulf, Bay, or Creek, is a part of the fea nearly furrounded by the land. A Strait is a narrow passage into fome fea or gulph. A River is a current or ftream of water, which has its rife in the land, and empties itself into some sea.

In the map of the world, or, as it may be called, the portrait of the whole earth, enclosed,* you will obferve the land distinguished from the water by a thick fhadow, made of fmall short strokes, which reprefent the shores or coafts, whether of continents, iflands, &c. and in the fmall maps, which fhall occasionally accompany my future letters, the different kingdoms or provinces will be divided by a

*This map is placed at the beginning of the book

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row of fingle points or dots, which I advife you to paint with different colours. Cities or great towns are frequently made like fmall houses, with a circle in the middle of them; but finaller towns or villages are marked only by a small circle. Mountains may be imitated in the form of little hillocks, and forefts will be reprefented by a collection of little trees.

In large maps the names of villages may be written in a 'running hand, the names of cities in a Roman character, and provinces in large capitals.

The top of the map is always north; the bottom, fouth; the right fide, eaft; and the left fide, weft. From the top to the bottom are drawn the meridians or lines of longitude, and from fide to fide the parallels of latitude.

The land is divided into four parts, EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, and AMERICA.* The firft three are frequently denominated the old world, and America the new. Europe is the

*Thefe four parts of the earth are again fubdivided into a number of fmaller parts, to which we have given the names of region, empire, kingdom, province, country, canton, estate, dominion, monarchy, republic, principality, dukedom, marquifate, barony, lordship, government, electorate, palatinate, generalty, térritory, diocefe, land, city, town, village, burgh, hamlet, parish, &c. &c.