22 INTRODUCTION. 



whole day at any particular place. And thus, by cutting off from 

 the length of every day a part proportionable to their own motion, 

 they will gain a complete day at their return, without gaining one 

 moment of absolute time. If they sail westward, they will reckon 

 one day less than the people do who reside at the same port ; 

 because, by gradually following the apparent diurnal motion of the 

 sun, they will keep him each particular day so much longer above 

 the horizon as answers to that day's course ; and thereby cut off a 

 whole day in reckoning, at their return, without losing one moment 

 of absolute time. 



Hence, if two ships should set out at the same time from any port, 

 and sail round the globe, one eastward and the other westward, so as 

 to meet at the same port on any day whatever, they will differ two 

 days in reckoning the time, at their return. If they sail twice round 

 the earth; they will differ four days ; it thi'ice, then six, Sec. 



OF THE NATURAL DIVISIONS OF THE EARTH. 



The constituent parts of the Earth are two, the land and water. 

 The parts of the land are continents, islands, peninsulas, isthmuses, 

 promontories, capes, coasts, mountains, See. This land is divided 

 into two great continents (besides the islands) viz. the eastern and 

 western continent. The eastern is subdivided into three parts, viz. 

 Europe, on the northwest; Asia on the north-east; and Africa 

 (which is joined to Asia by the isthmus of Suez, 60 miles over) on 

 the south. The western continent consists of North and South 

 America, joined by the isthmus of Darien, nearly 70 miles broad. 



A continent is a large portion of land, containing several countries 

 or kingdoms^ without any entire separation of its parts by water, as 

 Europe. An island is a smaller part of land, quite surrounded by 

 water, as Great Britain. A fieninsula is a tract of land, everywhere 

 surrounded by water, except at one narrow neck, by which it joins 

 the neighbouring continent, as the Morea in Greece; and that neck 

 of land which so joins it is called an isthmus ; as the isthmus of 

 Suez, which joins Africa to Asia, and the isthmus of Darien, which 

 joins North and South America. A promontory is a hill, or point 

 of land, stretching itself into the sea, the end of which is called a 

 cafie,a.s the cape of Good Hope. A coast .or shore is that part of a 

 country which borders on the sea-side. Mountains, vallies, woods, 

 deserts, plains, he. need no description. The most remarkable are 

 taken notice of, and described, in the body of this work. 



The parts of the water are oceans, seas, lakes, straits, gulfs, bays, 

 or creeks, rivers, Sec. The waters are divided into three extensive 

 oceans (besides lesser seas, which are only branches of these) viz. 

 the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. The Atlantic or 

 Western Ocean divides the eastern and western continents, and is 

 3000 miles wide. The Pacific divides America from Asia, and is 

 10,000 miles over. The Indian Ocean lies between the East Indies 

 and Africa, being 3000 mile? wide. 



An ocean is a vast collection of water, without any entire separa- 

 tion of its parts by land ; as the Atlantic ocean. A sea is a smaller 

 collection of water, which communicates with the ocean, confined 

 by the land ; as the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. A lake is a 

 large collection of water, entirely surrounded by land ; as the lake 

 of Geneva, and the lakes in Canada. A strqit is a narrow part- of 



