fine ebony, and various other kinds of valuable wood. It was subject to the Dutch, who left it in 1712; in 1715 it was taken possession of by the French : it now belongs to the English..

BOURBON is another small island, at no great distance from Mauritius; it is said to be healthy and fertile, and well stocked with cattle. The coast is surrounded with blind rocks, and very dangerous. On the southern extremity of this island there is a volcano. The French first settled here in 1672, after they were driven from Madagascar. This island is now in the possession of the English.

The COMERA ISLES lie between the continent of Africa and Madagascar. Joanna is the chief, and affords plenty of small bullocks which have a hump upon their backs; and tropical fruits. These are very acceptable to ships which put in here for provisions, The inhabitants are of the Mahometan religion; and are a very civil, humane people.

ZOCOTRA lies off the most eastern cape of Africa, near the entrance to the Red Sea; it is a populous, fruitful island, famous for its Aloes.

BABELMANDEL is a very small, barren spot, lying at the mouth of the straits of the same name, and being not quite five miles round. The Ethiopians and Arabians formerly contended for it with great fury, as this strait was then the only passage through which the commodities of India found their way to Europe; but since the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, the trade by the Red Sea is of little importance.

ST. HELENA

ST. HELENA is the first island on this side the Cape of Good Hope; at which place all the English East-India ships stop for fresh provisions and water, in their way home. It appears no better than a high, steep, barren rock; but when you get into the country, you find it agreeably diversified with verdant hills and vallies, and various plantations. The principal inhabitants are mostly descended from English parents; and the black natives are their servants and slaves.

ASCENSION is a mountainous, barren, uninhabited island, but has vast numbers of turtles on its shores, which are a great refreshment to seamen. ST. MATTHEW is another small, uninhabited island.

The three last-mentioned islands were discovered by the Portuguese.

The GUINEA ISLANDS are situated in the gulf of Guinea, and belong to the Portuguese. They are four, St. Thomas, Anaboa, Prince's island, and Fernando Po, which furnish their shipping with provisions and fresh water.

GOREE is a small spot, not more than two miles in circumference, lying very near the continent by Cape Verd; its importance arises from its situation for trade, which has made it the subject of contention among European nations; it is now in possession of the English.

CAPE VERD ISLANDS are a large cluster of Islands, so named from their verdure. The ancients called them, Gorgades, or Land of Gorgons; and Hesperides,

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Hesperides, or Golden Apples, well known in poetfical story, unoqgo od tad: shasslek lie to retento

They belong to the Portuguese, who are furnished sfrom thenċeświth salt and goatískins, oivem A bas

St. Jago is the largest and the residence of the *Portuguese Viceroya ou indt sidsduarga di 1)

The Island of Fogo is a remarkable volcanoine The CANARY ISLES, anciently called the Fortunate Islands, lying in a cluster, are situated near the Coast of Morocco, and belong to Spain. The principal of them are, Grand Canary, Teneriffe, and Ferro. They abound in most delicious fruits, and are particularly famous for the rich Canary wine, and for those little beautiful singing birds called Canary-birds.

Teneriffe, the second in size of those islands, is particularly remarkable for the high hill called The Peak, already mentioned: it is a volcano, and sometimes throws out quantities of sulphur and ore.

It has been before observed, that the Dutch make this their first meridian: and the French take their's from Ferro.

The MADEIRA ISLANDS belong to the Portubguese, and lie on the North of the Canaries. The largest of these islands, from which the others take their name, is about 75 miles long and 60 broad; its chief town is Funchal.

A

It is composed of one continued hill, of consi derable height, producing the richest fruits, sugar, cedar-trees, and gums; and is particularly remarkable for the rich wines called Madeira, Malmses, and Tent, and for fine sweet-meats.

The

The AZORES or WESTERN ISDES, arb another cluster of small islands that lie opposite Portugal; > to which they belong; about midway between Europe and America. St. Michael is the largest, but Tercera is the residence of the Portuguese governor.

It is remarkable that no poisonous «or, noxious animal breedsii on will live, on these, islands ; 10 that sailors are no sooner landed, than they get rid of their vernin.

•THIS

OF AMERICA.

HIS vast Continent, frequently denominated the New World, is bounded on the vlkongs North, by the Frozen Ocean; harus Arg od T South, by the Southern Ocean; Fotor East, by the Atlantic, which divides it from Europe and Africa.

West, by the Pacific, which separates it from

Asia.

America consists of two large continents joined by a long narrow neck of land, called the Istinis of Darien or Panama; which at one part is only sixty miles across from ocean to ocean.

One of these continents is called North America, and the other South America.bong

In the great gulf, which is formed by the two continents, lie a multitude of islands, denominated the West Indies, in contradistinction to the countries

and islands of Asia, beyond the Cape of Good Hope, which are called the East Indies.

America extends, from North to South, upwards of 8000 miles; and from Greenland to the most western part of North America, it is about $700 broad. In South America, the broadest part is near 5000 miles; that is, from Cape St. Augustine, on the Brazil coast, to the Pacific about Quito.

It is situated between the 80th degree of north latitude, and the 56th degree of south latitude.

America is separated from the North-east part of the Asiatic continent by a narrow channel, not more than thirteen leagues across from Cape Prince of Wales, in America, to East Cape, in Asia: so that Captain Cook clearly discovered two coasts, when his ship was about the middle of the channel, in latitude 66°.

SECTION XC.

OF AMERICA.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, a native of

Genoa, was the first who undertook to extend the boundaries which ignorance had given to the world. He sailed from Spain in the year 1492, with a fleet of three ships, upon the most adventurous attempt ever undertaken by man; and in the fate of which, the inhabitants of two worlds were interested. After a voyage of thirty-three days, amidst the mur

murs