EUROPEAN NATIONS IN AMERICA. 2">3 



the most powerful, is of Germanic race, and the two chap.xx. 

 others belong to Latin Europe. The latter are more j. "7 

 numerous than the former ; the inliabitants of Spanish races. ''"" 

 and Portuguese America constituting a population double 

 that of the regions possessed by the English. The 

 French, Dutch, and Danish possessions of the New 

 Continent are of small extent, and the Russian colonies 

 are as yet of little importance. The free Africans of 

 Hayti are the only other people possessed of territory Haytians. 

 excepting the native Indians. The British and Portu- 

 guese colonists have peopled only the coasts opposite tc 

 Europe ; but the Spaniards have passed over the Andes, 

 and made settlements in the most western provinces, 

 where alone they discovered traces of ancient civilisation. 

 In the eastern districts, the inhaliitants who fell into 

 the hands of the two former nations were wandering 

 tribes or hunters, while in the remoter parts the Spa- 

 niards found agricultural states and flourishing empires ; 

 and these circumstances have greatly influenced the 

 present condition of these countries. Among other 

 instances may be mentioned the almost total exclusion 

 of African slaves from the latter colonies, and the com- 

 fortable condition of the natives of American race, who 

 live by agriculture, and are governed hy European laws. 



But with resjject to the political constitution and re- I'oiitical 

 lations of the provinces visited by the travellers, it is '-■^'^nges. 

 not expedient here to enter into the details which they 

 have given, more especially as those colonies have lately 

 undergone revolutions that have converted them into 

 independent states, the history of which would affbrd 

 materials for many volumes. The very interesting 

 sketch of the physical constitution of South America pre 

 sented by Humboldt must also be passed over, because in 

 the condensed form to which it would necessarily be 

 reduced, it could not atf'ord an adequate idea of the 

 subject. We must therefore, with our travellers, take 

 leave of Terra Firma, and accompany them on their 

 passage to Havannah. 



