tended colony. Notwithstanding thefe preparations, no 669 effectual fettlement was made until the year 1669, (though one was attempted in 1667) when Governor Sayle came over with a colony, and fixed on a neck of land between Afhley 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, fying between latitude 22° and 27° north.

1681.-The Royal charter for Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn on the 4th of March, 1681. The firft colony 1682 came over the next year, and settled under the proprietor,

William Penn, who acted as governor from October 1682 to Auguft 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 Pennsylvania.

The proprictory government in Carolina, was attended with for many inconveniences, and occafioned 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 property and jurifdiction. This 1729 agreement was ratified by act of Parliament in 1729. A clause

in this act reserved to Lord Granville his eighth fhare of the property, and arrears of quit-rents, which continued legally vested in his family till the revolution in 1776. Lord Granville's share made a part of the prefent ftate of North-Carolina. About the year 1729, the extensive territory belonging to the proprietors, was divided into North and South Carolina. They remained feparate royal governments until they became independent ftates.

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 application being made to king George the 1732 Second, he issued letters patent, bearing date June 9th, 1732, for legally carrying into execution the benevolent plan. In honor 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 pleafant foot of ground on the Vol. I.

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bank of a navigable river, upon which they marked out a towhy and from the Indian name of the river which paffed 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 published his first map 1752 of it as early as the year 1752. James Macbride, with fome 1754 others, explored this 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 moft growing colonies, perhaps, in the world, and was erected into an independent ftate, by an act of Congrefs, December 6th, 1790, and received into the Union, June 1ft, 1792.

The tract of country called Vermont, before the late war, was claimed by both New-York and New-Hampfire. When hoftilities commenced between Great-Britain and her Colonics, the inhabitants confidering themselves as in a state of nature, as to civil government, and not within any legal jurifdiction, affociated and formed for themselves a conftitution of government. Under this conftitution, they have ever fince continued to exercife all the powers of an independent fiate. Vermont was not admitted into union with the other ftates till March 4, 1791, yet we may venture

to date her political exiftence as a feparate government, 1777 from the year 1777, becaufe, fince that time, Vermont has

to all intents and purpofes, been a fovereign and independent State. The firft fettlement in this ftate was made at Benningten as early as about 1764.

The extenfive tract of country lying north-west of the Ohio River, within the limits of the United States, was erected into a feparate temporary government by an Ordinance of Congres

1787 paffed the 13th of July, 1787.

Thus we have given a fummary view of the firft difcoveries 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 caufe of the enmity of those Indian nationa to the Virginians.

The above dates are from the periods, when the first permanent fettlements were made.

NORTH AMERICA,

BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT.

NORTH

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 caft and weft from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, between the 45th and 165th degrees weft longitude from London. Beyond the 70th 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 thofe in the United States, which we fhall describe 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 nothern, 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 Hudfon's Bay to the fouth, through a cluster of islands. In this capacious bay or gulph is James 10and, the fouth point of which is called Cape Bedford; and the fmaller islands of Waygate and Difko. Davis's Straits feparate 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 Difko ifland. The moft fouthern point of Greenland is called Cape Farewell.

Hudfon's Bay took its name from Henry Hudfon, who difcovered it in 1610. It lies between 51 and 69 degrees of north la titude. The eaftern boundary of the Bay is Terra de Labrador; the northern part has a ftraight coaft, facing the bay, guarded with a line of ifles innumerable. A vaft bay, called the Archiwinnipy Sea, lies within it, and opens into Hudson's Bay, by means of gulph Hazard, through which the Beluga whales país in great numbers. The entrance of the bay, from the Atlantic ocean, af. ter leaving, to the north, Cape Farewell and Davis's Straits, is between Refolution ifles on the north, and Button's ifles, on the Labrador coaft, to the fouth, forming the caftern extremity of Hudfon's Straits.

The coafts are very high, rocky and rugged at top; in some 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 most southern part of Hud, fon'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. West of these lakes, between the latitudes of 60 and 66 degrees, after paffing a large cluster of unnamed lakes, lies 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 Mine river, in lat. 729 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 shoals 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, juft fouth of the Arctic circle, you come to Cape Prince of Wales, oppofite East Cape on the eastern continent; and here the two continents approach nearest to each other. Proceeding fouthward you pafs Norton Sound, Cape Stephen's, Shoalnels, Bristol 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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