UNITED STATES. 



principal fi-aturc is the great confluence of waters at the 

 outlet of the Columbia river, and the bold fliores of the 

 Pacific ocean. 



The principal rwffj of the United States are the St. Law- 

 rence and its waters, the Columbia and its waters, the 

 St. Francifco, the Rio del Norte, and the MifTouri and 

 Mifliflippi, and the waters that flow into them. The river 

 St. Lawrence is formed by the waters that are collefted 

 about lake Superior, from which they ilTue into lake 

 Huron through the Itraits of St. Mary, and from it, by 

 the ftraits of that name about forty miles long, into 

 lake St. Clair. From this lake the waters pafs into 

 lake Erie, tlirough the ftraits of Detroit, an important and 

 beautiful palfage, about 30 miles long. (See Detroit.) 

 Between Buffalo on one fide and Fort Erie on the other, 

 the water is difcharged from the lake, and by a rapid courfe 

 runs towards lake Ontario, through the paflage called 

 Niagara river. About five miles below lake Erie, the 

 ftream is divided by Grand ifland, below which is Navy 

 ifland, where it expands to a confiderable breadth, above 

 the falls of Niagara ; which fee. Below the falls the 

 river runs very rapidly for nine miles, through a deep 

 chafm, and is navigable to lake Ontario, a diftance of feven 

 miles. From lake Ontario the river ilTues through a great 

 number of iflands, fituatod between Kingfton and Sackett's 

 Harbour. Here it affumes the name of St. Lawrence, 

 though from the lake to Montreal it is frequently deno- 

 minated Cadaraqui. In its progrefs it expands into a con- 

 fiderable lake, called St. Francis ; and when it reaches Mon- 

 treal, it receives the Utawas, or Grand river, which forms the 

 boundary between the two Canadas. Below Montreal, it 

 receives the Richelieu, or Sorel river, from lake Champlain, 

 and in fucceflion the St. Francis, St. Maurice, and Chau- 

 dierc, below which, at a fmall diftance, ftands Quebec, and 

 below this city the river is divided into two branches by the 

 ifland of Orleans. Beyond this illand it gradually expands 

 into the fpacious bay and gulf of St. Lawrence, which com- 

 municates with the ocean by the ftraits of Bellcifle, and 

 what is called the South Entrance. See St. Lawrence. 



Columbia river is fuppofed to take its rife about 300 

 miles N.E. of the point at which it interlocks with the 

 head waters of the Unjigah or Peace river. It was firft 

 difcovered by the enterprifing Britifli traveller, Mr. 

 M'Kenzie, in N. lat. 54" 40'. W. long. 120° 25', from 

 London ; and he dcfcended it about ijo miles, and then 

 leaving it, traverfed the country to the ocean. From the 

 point where he left it, its courfe is unknown till it is joined 

 by Clark's river, where it is a large ftream. About feventy 

 miles below Clark's river, after receiving fome tributary 

 ftreams, the Columbia forms a juiiflion with Lewis's river, 

 formed of many branches, which rife in the Rocky moun- 

 tains, where, like Clark's river, they interlock with the head 

 waters of the Miftouri. Below Lewis's river, the Columbia 

 bends to the S. and E., and then pafles through the moun- 

 tains ; and about 300 miles below are the Great Falls. 

 About twenty miles below the falls, the river makes a con- 

 fiderable bend, and pafles through another chain of moun- 

 tains ; below which, about 60 miles, it receives from the 

 S.E. the large and important river called the Multnomah. 

 From the Multnomah, fuppofed to rife near the head waters 

 of the Rio del Norte, to tiie ocean, which is a diftance of about 

 90 miles, it is all tide-water, through good land, with many 

 Indian fettlements. The waters of the Columbia are clear, 

 and abound with every variety of fifli. 



The St. Francifco river is a very large ftream, 270 miles 

 in the interior of the country ; a part of it being formed by 

 the Rio Buenaventura, and its waters, which interlock with 

 the waters of the Rio del Norte and La Platte, and open- 



ing, in procefs of time, an excellent communication with the 

 fettlements on the W. coaft of America. 



The Rio del Norte rifes among the mountains between 

 N. lat. 44° and 42°, and 33° and 34° W. long. Its head 

 waters interlock with thole of the Miftouri, Columbia, La 

 Platte, Arkanfas, Multnomah, and Francifco : and the 

 waters of the Rio Colorado of the weft, which fall into the 

 gulf of California, approach near it. In a progrefs of 

 about 300 miles to the point where the traveller Pike and 

 his party firft encamped upon it, it is prefumed to be the 

 S.W. boundary of Louiliana. About 100 miles below 

 this is Santa Fe, an interefting Spanifli fettlement : below 

 Santa Fe, the river runs about 4J0 miles in a direftion E. 

 of S., without any material augmentation, when the Rio 

 Conchos falls into it from the S.W. Below this it makes 

 a bend of about 100 miles, and receives the Rio Puerco 

 from the N. At this river the Rio del Norte again becomes 

 the S.W. boundary of Louifiana. Below this it purfues an 

 E. courfe of between jo and 60 miles, when it receives a 

 confiderable ftream from the N. ; and from hence, without 

 much increafe, its courfe is nearly S.E., about 400 miles, to 

 the gulf of Mexico. See Rio. 



The Mifiburi and Miffidippi, with their numerous 

 branches, water the interior of the United States. The 

 higheft fourceof the Mijfourt (which fee) lies on Jefferfon's 

 river, a little above the 44th degree of latitude, and near 

 the 35th degree of W. longitude, 3000 miles from the 

 Miffifllppi. From this point, in defcending it, we arrive in 

 fucceflion at Philanthropy river, Wifdom river, Philofophy 

 river, Madifon's river, Gallatin's river, Ordway river. 

 Dearborn's river, and Smith's river, and then reach the falls 

 of the Mlflouri, which are perpendicular defcents, and 

 partly rapids, the river falling no lefs than 365 feet in the 

 courfe of 18 miles. The higheft pitch is 87 feet, the next 

 47, and the next 26. Pafling the falls, we arrive at 

 Portage river. Snow river, Maria's river. Stone-wall 

 creek, Slaughter river. Big Horn river, Judith river, 

 Turtle creek, Windfor creek. North Mountain creek, 

 others of lefs note, Bralton's creek. Milk creek. Porcupine 

 creek, and Martha's creek, and then come to the Yellow- 

 ftone river, which flows in from the S.W. The Yellow- 

 ftoiie is a large river, the main branch of which rifes in lake 

 Euftus, and after receiving numerous tributary ftreams, the 

 Big Horn, a river nearly equal to it in fize, which riies in 

 lake Biddle, falls in from the fouthward ; and the ftreams thus 

 united and augmented by others, particularly the Tongue 

 river, form a confluence with the MifTouri, in N. lat. 48'-\ 

 W. long. 27°. Beyond this, at a fmall diftance, the Mif- 

 fouri reaches its northern extremity in N. lat. 48° 22', where 

 it receives the White-earth river, and beyond this the head 

 waters of the Moofe river approach within one mile of the 

 main ftream of the Miffouri. Below this, the river is aug- 

 mented by the Little Miffouri, and after pafling the Knife 

 river, we arrive at Fort Maniian. Between 43^ and 44% 

 there is a great bend in the river ; and below it the river 

 receives a number of pretty large ftreams, before we reach 

 the La Platte, a little above N. lat. 41". This is a very 

 large ftream, extending through feveral ridges of tlie rocky 

 mountains, the head waters of wiiich are higher than cither 

 the Arkanfas or Rio del Norte. Paffing the La Platte, the 

 Miflijuri receives many tributary ftreams, before it reaches 

 the Kanfes, a large river, which falls in from tlie W., a little 

 above the 39111 degne of N. lat. Below this it is aug- 

 mented by fome important ftreams from the N., and after- 

 wards the beautiful Ofage river f.ills in from the S.W. 

 B0I..W this river, about 120 miles, the Miftouri joins the 

 Milfiflippi, above St. Louis ; from whence the united 

 ftreams flow with majeftic rapidity to the ocean. 



The 



