'i4 GENERAL VIEW Of 



vember till April, which cuts off all focial and 

 commercial intercourfe with Europe. 



This divifion was retained, by Great Britain, at 

 the late peace. The habitable part joins the Ame^ 

 rican States, and was originally in the pofleflion of 

 the French, to whom it proved an expenfive, un- 

 profitable burden. It hath been no lefs fo to Great 

 Britain, but it is fuppofed to be very improveable, 

 and may become both a valuable fource of com- 

 merce, and nurfery of feamen. It is formed into 

 two principal governments j thofe of Canada, and 

 Nova Scotia. Canada is properly the native coun- 

 try of furs, peltry, and other articles which enter 

 largely into the Britifh manufactures. It alfo fur- 

 nifhes grain, timber, pot-afh, and hath valuable 

 iron mines. This province, bounded on the north 

 by frozen deferts, on the weft by unknown coun- 

 tries, is only acceflible to European fhipping by 

 the river St. Lawrence, whereon {land Quebec, 

 Trois Rivieres, and Montreal. 



Nova Scotia derives great importance from its lo- 

 cal fituation, and its harbours, particularly Halifax, 

 Annapolis, and Port Rofeway, the fafefl and moft 

 capacious in North America; the centre of northern 

 navigation -, a fhelter to fhipping from all parts of 

 thofe feas, during the hurricanes, or when the other 

 harbours are frozen up ; and here alfo veffels of any 

 burden may be repaired. In a political view> Nova 

 Scotia is the mofl valuable of all the Britifh fettle- 

 ments in the weftern hemifphere, becaufe on this 

 province depends, in a great meafure, our pofiefTion 

 of the fur trade, the Newfoundland fiiheries, and 

 the Sugar Iflands. 



The Weft Indies. By the Weft Indies is underftood 

 thofe innumerable iflands which lie between the two 

 continents of America, to which divifion of the 

 globe they properly belong. They were difcovered 

 near three hundred years ago by Chriftopher Co- 

 lumbus, 



