'** NATU&AL HISTORY. 



face of the globe, which contains 25,000,000 square 

 leagues. 



Of these lines, which divide both the continents in- 

 to two equal parts, it is worthy of remark, that they 

 both terminate at the same degrees of north and south 

 latitude ; and that the two continents make mutual 

 advances perfectly opposite to one another, to wit, those 

 on the African coast, from the Canary Isles to Guinea ; 

 and those of America, from Guiana to the mouth of the 

 Rio-Janeiro. 



It therefore appears, that the most ancient lands on 

 the globe, are those which extend from 200 to 250 

 leagues on each side of the two lines that we have al- 

 ready taken notice of. Agreeable to which idea, we con- 

 clude that in the old continent, the most ancient coun- 

 tries of Africa are those which reach from the Cape of 

 Good Hope to the 'Red Sea and Egypt, and are about 

 500 leagues broad ; and, of consequence, that the 

 whole western coast of Africa, from. Guinea to the 

 Straits of Gibraltar, are new lands. 



In the new continent we shall likewise find, that 

 Terra Magellanica, the eastern part of Brasil, of the 

 country of the Amazons, of Guiana, and of Canada, 

 are new lands, when compared with Tucuman, Peru. 

 Terra Firma, the islands in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, 

 the Missisippi, and Mexico. 



It was but a small part of the globe with which the 

 ancients were acquainted. All America, the Arctic 

 circle, Terra Australis the Magellanic, and a great 

 part of the internal regions of Africa, wore entirely un- 

 known to them. They knew not that the torrid zone 

 was inhabited, although they had navigated around 

 Africa; for it is 2200 years since Neco king of Egypj 



