great quantities in the Andes of Coquimbo and Copiapo. In a valley of the Andes, in lat. 34 40, lie the salt springs of Pehuenches. They are 11 in number. The water, as it overflows, becomes crys tallized into pure salt, as white as snow. The valley is 15 miles in circumference, and is covered to the depth of 6 feet, with a crust of salt, which the inhabitants use for all domestic purposes. Most of the midland districts are supplied from this source. The maritime districts are supplied with sea salt, which is manufactured in great quantities on the shores.

Sal ammoniac, saltpetre, and alum are abundant.

Slate, talc, asbestos, and mica; limestone, marble, calcareous spars, and gypsum; the whetstone, the grindstone, the freestone, fint, quartz, rock crystal, jasper, the amethyst, the turquoise, porphyry, and granite, are among the common stones of Chili. The topaz and the emerald have been found there.

PATAGONIA.

Extent. CAPE LOBOS, in lat. 37 30 S. is the most northern Fimit on the Atlantic. On the Pacific, Patagonia includes all the continent S. of fort Maullin in lat. 41 43. On the E. of the Andca of Chili, however, it extends northward, as far as the sources of the Colorado and Negro, near lat. 35° S. Its greatest length, from N. to S. is not less than 1300 miles. On the Atlantic, it has about 1100 miles of sea coast, and on the Pacific, 800. The breadth, from cape Lobos to the Andes, is 700 miles; but the average breadth does not exceed 450. Almost the whole of the immense plains, called the Pampas, described under the article Buenos Ayres, are still in possession of the natives; as are all the Andes S. of Cujo.

Boundaries. On the N. lies Buenos Ayres; on the E. the Atlantic; on the S. the straits of Magellan; and on the W. the Pacific and Araucania.

Rivers. The large rivers of this country all run from the Andes eastward.

The Hueyque, is formed in the plains between the mountains of Achala and Yacanto. It is of considerable size, is in general shallow and fordable, but is sometimes greatly swelled by the floods. Its course is S. and S. E. through the Pampas, to the ocean; into which it falls by two openings.

The Colorado is the largest river, except the Negro, in Patago nia. It is formed by numerous streams, which issue from the E. side of the Andes, almost as far N. as the volcano of Chuapa. Taking a S. direction, it passes with a deep and rapid current, within about 30 miles of San Juan de Frontera. After receiving a small river, which washes that town, it is swallowed up in the lakes of Guanacache; which also receive the Tanuya, a pretty large river from the S.; a branch of which, the Portillio, runs by Mendoza. The country S. E. of these lakes is an extensive marsh, in which

the streams are for a while lost. But they break out, a few leagues distant, in an immense number of rivulets; which, uniting, form a large river, called by the Picunches, Huaranca Leuvu, or a thousand rivers; by the Pehuenches, Cum Leuvu, or Red river; and by the Spaniards, Colorado. Its course is now S. E and continues through the marshy country; which is not less than 170 miles in breadth, and is completely overflowed in the rainy season. It preserves this course till it approaches within 30 or 40 miles of the Negro, when it turns due E. for 150 miles. It then turns again to the S. E. and continues that direction to the sea; falling into Bahia Anegada, which is very shallow, and full of sandbanks. In this bay a Spanish vessel was lost early in the last century. The crew saved themselves in their boats; and proceeding in them up the river, at length arrived at Mendoza.

Rio Negro, the Cusu Leuvu, or Black river of the Indians, issues also from the eastern side of the Cordillera, N. of the latitude of Valdivia. Some distance before it terminates in the sea, the river makes a large sweep, forming a peninsula 18 miles in diameter, the isthmus of which is only 3 miles across. The Negro, with its branches, serves as a drain to the Andes, for upwards of 600 miles. It is a broad, deep, and rapid river, liable to sudden and violent inundations.

Native Tribes. The aborigines distinguish the various tribes by two denominations, MOLUCHES, or warriors; and PUELCHES, or eastern people.

The MOLUCHES occupy the country W. of the Andes, and S. of the bay of Chiloe.

The PUELCHES reach from the territories of the Moluches to the Atlantic, and constitute four tribes.

The Tehuelhets, one of these tribes, are the nation known in Europe by the appellation of Patagons; and are split into many subdivisions. A principal tribe has a town called Huechin, on the banks of the Negro, the caciques of which have great influence on the surrounding tribes. The Tehuelhets are a restless and roving people, whom neither extreme old age, nor blindness, nor disease, prevent from indulging in their wandering inclinations. They are very strong, well made, and not so tawny as the other Indians. They are courteous, obliging, and goodnatured, but very inconstant. They are warlike and intrepid, and the most numerous of all the Indian nations in these parts. They are the enemies of the Moluches, and very much feared by them. They speak a different language. from the other Puelches and the Moluches. They are a large race, some are seven feet and a half in height, but these, it is asserted, are not a distinct race, as others in the same family do not exceed six feet..

AMERICAN ISLANDS.

IN the progress of our work we have had occasion to give an account of the islands connected with the Western Continent, except the Bermudas, the Falkland islands, Terra del Fuego, and Southern Georgia.

BERMUDAS, OR SOMERS' ISLANDS.

These are a cluster of small and rocky islands forming the figure of a shepherd's crook, about 400 in number. They lie in the Atlantic, in lat. 32 20 N. and lon. 64 30 W. about 200 leagues E. of Carolina. The great body of them are mere islets and rocks, of too little consequence to have received a name.

The group derived its first name from John Bermudas, a Spaniard, who discovered it in 1527; and their second from sir George Somers, who was shipwrecked on the rocks in his passage to Virginia, in 1609, and lived there 9 months. By a mistake in the sound of this latter name they have often been called Summer islands.

By the third charter of Virginia, granted in 1612, all islands within 300 leagues of the coast were annexed to that province. The Virginia company sold them to 120 of its own members, who sent out, the same year, a colony of 60 persons, and another of 540, in 1613.

The religion is that of the church of England. There are 9 Episcopal churches, under the care of 3 clergymen, and 1 Presbyterian church. The government is vested in a governor, and a council, appointed by the crown; and in a house of assembly, chosen by the people. The number of whites, in 1624, was about 3000. Edwards states the population at 5462 whites and 4919 blacks, total 10,381.

ST. GEORGE's, the capital, in the island of the same name, contains about 500 houses.

The islands contain from 12,000 to 15,000 acres of very poor land, of which 9 parts in 10 are either uncultivated or reserved in woods for a supply of timber towards building small ships, sloops, and shallops for sale, this being one principal occupation of the inhabitants. The vessels which they furnish, being built of cedar, are light, buoyant, and unexpensive. Maize and vegetables were alone cultivated, till 1785, when cotton was introduced. About 200 acres are now devoted to its culture.

TERRA DEL FUEGO.

Terra del Fuego, or the land of fire, is a name given to a large island, discovered in 1520, which is separated from the southern extremity of the American continent by the straits of Magellan. These straits are about 350 miles in length, and in some places several leagues over, and in others not half a league. In these straits

there are many safe harbors and large bays, with narrow entrances, encompassed with high mountains, sheltering them from every wind.

The face of the country in the island is represented as dreary and inhospitable. The inhabitants are said to be naturally as fair as Europeans. They are of a middle stature, have broad, flat faces, high cheek bones, and flat noses. Those on the S. side are said to be uncivilized, treacherous, and barbarous; those on the N. are simple, affable, and harmless. They cover their bodies in winter with the skins of wild animals. Their tents are made of poles, disposed in a conical form, and covered with skins or the bark of trees. An island lying E. of Terra del Fuego, and called Statenland, 12 leagues in length and 5 in breadth, barren and desolate, has on it a small settlement of English.

FALKLAND ISLANDS.

These consist of two large islands, with a great number of small ones surrounding them, and lie between lat. 51 6 and 52 30 S. and between lon. 56 30 and 62 16 W. They were discovered by Davis, in 1592. In 1764, commodore Byron was despatched by the British government to take possession of them and plant a colony at a place called Port Egmont. They consist chiefly of mountains and bogs, have an inhospitable climate, and can never be of any value unless as a watering place for ships bound to the Pacific

ocean.

SOUTHERN GEORGIA.

This island lies in lat. 54 30 S. and lon. 37° W. and is about 100 miles long and from 3 to 15 broad. It is a dismal region, abounding in bays and harbors, and, a great part of the year covered with ice. This island, or rather cluster of islands, was discovered by a Frenchman, and afterwards surveyed by capt. Cook, who found here abundance of sea elephants and sea bears or fur seals. For some years after, the English visited these islands for the purpose of tak ing these elephants for their oil, from 3000 to 4000 tons of which they have annually procured, and at some seasons sold for 401. sterling a ton. At the same time they caught from 100,000 to 200,000 seals, whose skins sold from 1 to 2 dollars each. The Americans, chiefly from New-England, about the year 1800, perhaps a little earlier, visited these islands with 9 vessels, and the first year caught not less than 151,000 seals. This cluster of islands consists of high peaks, rising above the clouds, in the form of sugar loaves. It is barren of all vegetable productions.*

GALLAPAGOS.

These lie in the Pacific ocean, between lat. 3° N. and 4° S. and between lon. 83 40 and 89 30 W. They are very numerous. Only 9 are of any considerable size. Some of these are 7 or 8 leagues long and 3 or 4 broad. They are well wooded and abound in fine turtles.

• Drigg's MS.

THE EASTERN CONTINENT.

EMBRACING EUROPE, ASIA, AND AFRICA, WITH THEIR ADJA CENT ISLANDS.

Extent. THE length of the Eastern Continent, from North Cape, in lat. 71 10 N. to Cape L'Aguillas,* 106° of latitude, or 7335 English miles. Its breadth, from East Cape to the western coast of Norway, is 173° of longitude; which in the parallel 67°, is 4696 miles. In lat. 38 N. from the Rock of Lisbon, in lon 9 35 W. to the eastern coast of Corea, is 138° 35', or 7557 miles. Cape Verd, the western extremity of Africa, is in lon. 17 31 W.; and East Cape, the remotest limit of Asia, is in 190° E. Cape Taimour, on the northern coast of Asia, is in lat. 77° N.; and Cape L'Aguillas, the southernmost point of Africa, is in lat. 34 50 S. The number of square miles on this continent is usually calculated at 22,600,000. If the islands belonging to it be added, together with those of Australasia and Polynesia, it may probably amount to 28,000,000.

Boundaries. The Frozen Ocean bounds this continent on the N.; the Pacific and Indian on the E.; the Indian and Southern on the S.; and the Atlantic on the W.

Population. From the best data in our possession, we are led to estimate the population of the Eastern Continent, including Australasia and Polynesia, at 730,000,000, or about 26 to a square mile, viz.

750,000,000

Seas. The MEDITERRANEAN, the largest sea in the world, lies between Spain on the W.; France, Italy, Turkey, and Asia Minor on the N.; Syria on the E.; and Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco on the S. Its length, from E. to W. is 2000 miles: its breadth averages about 400, covering a surface of about 800,000 square miles. The Straits of Constantinople, the Thracian Bosphorus, unite it with the Euxine or Black Sea.

The EUXINE is bounded by Turkey and Russia W.; by Russia N.; by Mingrelia and Georgia E.; and by Asia Minor S. Its length from E. to W. is 800 miles, and its breadth 400. The large rivers, which fall into the Euxine, are the Danube, Neister, Bog,

Cape L'Aguillas is the most southern point of Africa, being 21′ farther south than Cape of Good Hope. (Barrow.)