NORTH-WESTERN PASSAGE NORTON. 



263 



Ions burthen, and carry from twenty-five to thirty 

 men ; ttiey are about three years in completing a 

 voyage. After exchanging with the natives of the 

 coast for furs, such part of their cargoes as is ao!apted 

 to the wants or fancy of the people (such as blankets, 

 cloths, coarse cottons, arms and ammunition, cutlery 

 and iron- ware, beads, rice, molasses, rum, &c. &c.), 

 tiiey proceed to the Sandwich islands, where they 

 obtain a cargo of sandal-wood, which, with the furs, 

 they carry to Canton, and dispose of for teas, &c. In 

 1821, the value of the articles thus sold in Canton 

 was nearly half a million of dollars ; and the value in 

 the United States of the articles purchased there, was 

 ibout a million of dollars. The trade has, however, 

 declined since that period, in consequence of the most 

 valuable article (the sea-otter's skin) having, since the 

 commencement of the present century, become gra- 

 dually so scarce, that last season not more than 300 

 were collected on the whole extent of coast where 

 18,000 were obtained in 1801. In 1821, an attempt 

 was made on the part of Russia to secure the mono- 

 poly of this fur-trade, by prohibiting all foreign ves- 

 sels from approaching within 100 miles of the coasts 

 iiorth of 51 on the American side, below which the 

 fur-trade is worth nothing. By the convention of 

 1824, between Russia and the United States, this 

 claim was abandoned by the former, and it was agreed 

 that each party might trade on the coasts of the other 

 under certain restrictions. About 1812 a settlement 

 was made by citizens of the United States, near the 

 entrance of the Columbia, or Oregon river, which was 

 taken possession of by the British in 1814, and re- 

 stored after the peace of 1815. By treaty between 

 the United States and Great Britain, this river and 

 the whole coast are free to both parties ; but the Bri- 

 tish fur company has, in fact, a monopoly of the fur- 

 trade to the westward of the Rocky mountains, ex- 

 cept to a small extent on the sea-coast. They have 

 many posts on the several branches of the Columbia, 

 and it has been announced, that they are about form- 

 ing an establishment on the borders of Observatory 

 inlet, in lat. 56 north. The Russians have given 

 notice of their intention to abandon their principal 

 settlements at Norfolk sound or New Archangel, and 

 remove the settlers to Kodiack. 



NORTH-WESTERN PASSAGE. See North 

 Polar Expeditions. 



NORTH-WEST FUR COMPANY. See Fur- 

 Trade. 



NORTH-WEST POINT ; a cape on the west 

 coast of Africa ; lat. 16 36' S. 



NORTH-WEST TERRITORY, the name bestow- 

 ed on a tract of country in America, situated between 

 42 30' and 49 N. lat., and 87 30' and 95 30* W. 

 Ion. It is bounded on the north by the British pos- 

 sessions, east by lake Michigan, south by Illinois, and 

 west by the Mississippi, and a line drawn from the 

 source of this river to the northern boundary. It is 

 about 500 miles in length, and 400 in breadth. It is 

 generally a hilly country, with the exception of ex- 

 tensive prairies. At the western extremity of lake 

 Superior are the Cabotian mountains ; and near the 

 mineral district are the Smoky mountains. In some 

 of its features this country resembles Missouri terri- 

 tory ; but a greater portion of it is covered with wood. 

 The chief rivers, except the Mississippi, are Ouis- 

 consin, Fox, Chippeway, St Croix, Rum, St Francis, 

 and Savanna, flowing into the Mississippi ; Grand 

 Portage, Ontonagon, Montreal, Mauvaise, Bois Brule, 

 St Louis, and nearly fifty smaller streams, flowing 

 into lake Superior. Fox river flows into Green bay ; 

 Riviere la Pluie falls into the lake of the Woods 

 None of the lake rivers are more than 150 miles long, 

 and few more than fifty miles. The largest branch 

 of the Mississippi in this territory is the Ouisconsin, 



which rises in the northern interior of the country, 

 and interlocks with the Montreal of Jake Superior. 

 It has a course of between three and four hundred 

 miles, has a shallow and rapid current, but is gener- 

 ally navigable for boats in good stages of the water, 

 and is 800 yards wide at its mouth. There is a por- 

 tage of only half a mile between this and Fox river, 

 which flows into Green bay of lake Michigan. This 

 portage is over a level prairie, across which, from 

 river to river, there is a water communication for pi- 

 rogues in high stages of the water. Fox river has a 

 course of 260 miles, and runs through Winnebago 

 lake. It has a fine country on its banks, with a sa- 

 lubrious climate. Chippeway is a considerable river, 

 and enters the Mississippi just below lake Pepin. It 

 is half a mile wide at its mouth, and has communica- 

 tion by a short portage with lake Superior. This is 

 a fine region for hunters. In the tipper part of the 

 country, buffaloes, elk, bears, and deer, are common. 

 Beavers, otters, and musk-rats, are taken for their 

 furs. The trappers and savages roam over immense 

 prairies in pursuit of their game. In some parts of 

 it the soil is fertile. White and yellow pine, and 

 canoe birch, are common among the forest trees. All 

 the water-courses, ponds, and marshes, are covered 

 with wild rice, which constitutes a considerable part 

 of the food of the inhabitants. The head waters of 

 the Mississippi are estimated at 1330 feet above the 

 level of the sea. It is a country abounding in mi- 

 nerals. There are great quantities of terre verte, or 

 green earth, lead, copper, and iron. The lead-mine 

 district is in the lower part of the country, between 

 Rock river and the Ouisconsin. Here, on a river 

 called Fever river, are the chief establishments of the 

 present miners, and the mines are probably as rich 

 and abundant as any in the world. Great quantities 

 of native copper have been supposed to exist on the 

 shores of lake Superior ; but recent and intelligent 

 travellers have not confirmed the expectations which 

 had been raised by common report. There are, how- 

 ever, sufficient indications of the existence of mines 

 of copper ; and lead and iron are found in many 

 places. The southern parts of this extensive country 

 possess a climate comparatively mild, and resembling 

 that of the northern belt of Missouri. At the falls of 

 St Anthony the summers are temperate, and the win- 

 ters extremely cold. At St Peter's, in 1820, the mean 

 temperature of Germany was zero a degree of cold 

 not felt in any part of the United States that is much 

 settled. At the falls of Packagama on the Mississip- 

 pi, about 1200 feet above the sea, water has been 

 known to freeze considerably on the 19th of July. 

 The inhabitants of the north-west territory are under 

 the jurisdiction of the government of Michigan. The 

 country is divided into four counties, or rather only 

 four counties are set off, named and inhabited by 

 whites ; viz. Brown, containing, in 1830, 964 inhabi- 

 tants ; Chippewa, 625 ; Crawford, 692 ; Iowa, 1589. 

 The principal towns or villages are Sault de Ste. 

 Marie, on the south bank of St Mary's river, con- 

 taining 356 inhabitants ; and Prairie du Chien, on the 

 Mississippi, three miles above the junction of the 

 Ouisconsin, containing 598 inhabitants. Most of the 

 lands of this region are owned by the Indians, or are 

 claimed by the United States. See Long's Second 

 Expedition, and Flint's Geography. 



NORTON, THOMAS ; a dramatic writer of the six- 

 teenth century, a native of Sharpenhoe, Bedfordshire, 

 principally known as the author of the three first acts 

 of Ferrex and Porrex, to which Thomas Sackville, 

 earl of Dorset, added the fourth and fifth, and pub- 

 lished the whole under the title of Gorboduc. He 

 also put into metre twenty-seven of the Psalms in 

 Sternhold and Hopkin's version. His death took 

 place about 1584. 



