Notice of Jackson on Geographical Arrangement, 8fc. 131 



the system which he proposes to substitute in its place. He commences 

 with the rivers, to which we shall, on the present occasion, confine our 

 remarks. The disposition of a large stream from its embouchure upon the 

 sea, to its sources, has been compared to that of a tree : the divergences 

 at its delta are the roots; the grand stream is the trunk; the waters im- 

 mediately tributary to it are the branches; the direct tributaries to the 

 branches are the twigs ; and finally, the streamlets subordinate to these, 

 represent the terminal fibres and tendrils. 



Now to denominate these four orders of ramifications, each of which is 

 " affluent' before, and " conjluent" after falling into its recipient, we have 

 in French three, and in English but two names. " Fteuve" is " a great 

 river, passing from its source to the sea under the same appellation ;" — an 

 arbitrary and absurd limitation. " Riviere' is " a current falling into a 

 river, and of size sufficient to carry a boat." A " boat" is an indefinite 

 term, and may mean any thing, from a canoe to a large Nile canjar. A 

 " Ruisseau" is " a little current of water." 



In English the provision is still less adequate, as we have only the terms 

 river and brook; streamlet and livulet being synonymous with the latter, 

 and serving only to obscure its meaning.* Stream is a general term for 

 all running waters. 



Such definitions are obviously of but little value. But there is an ob- 

 jection, which we shall presently state, of far greater importance, to the 

 principles upon which they rest. 



There are two principles upon which the classification of rivers might 

 be founded. The one, upon their relative length, breadth, depth, or volume 

 of water ; the other upon the number of their orders of ramifications. 



Col. Jackson considers the first of these to be almost impracticable, 

 since, although rivers vary very considerably in length, breadth, depth, 

 etc., as well as in the dimensions of the hydrographical basin or district 

 which they drain, yet these graduate into one another much too impercep- 

 tibly to admit of distinctions, there being no pause between the Amazon 

 and Mississipi, and the Thames and Humber. The Thames, with a course 

 of 250 miles, would under such a system, be just as much a Fleicve as the 

 Mississipi, whose course is stated at 3,700 ; and the diminutive Isis just as 

 much a Riviere as the Ohio, which falls into the Mississipi. 



The second system, although Col. Jackson considers it as on the whole 

 the best, is obnoxious to very serious objections. In the first place, the 

 amount of its orders of ramifications, conveys imperfect information re- 

 specting the absolute size of the stream. Much depends upon the sort of 

 country through which a river flows. Thus the Severn winds away from 



• " River — a land current of water, bigger than a brook.'" " Brook — a running 

 water, Icsh than a river." — Johnson-. Mr. Lockk calls the terminals of rivulets, 

 " .SpringH." 



