185 



Phenician and Greek colonies, have proved the 

 happy influence of the nearness of opposite 

 coasts which have not the same productions, 

 and are inhabited by nations of different races, 

 on commercial industry and intellectual culti- 

 vation. The importance of the inland sea of 

 the Antilles, bounded by Venezuela on the 

 south, will be still augmented by the progres- 

 sive increase of population on the banks of the 

 Mississipi ; for that river, the Rio del Norte and 

 the Magdalena, are the only great navigable 

 streams which it receives. The depth of the 

 American rivers, their immense branches, and 

 the use of steam boats, every where facilitated 

 by the proximity of forests, compensate to a 

 certain extent the obstacles arising from the 

 uniform line of the coasts, and the general con- 

 figuration of the continent, in the promotion of 

 industry and civilization. 



By comparing, according to the. tables we 

 have furnished above, the extent of the territory 

 and the entire population, we should obtain the 

 result of the connection of those two elements 

 of public prosperity, a connection that consti- 

 tutes the relative population of every state in 

 the New World. We should find to every 

 square marine league, at Mexico, 90 ; in the 

 United States, 58 ; in the republic of Columbia, 

 30 ; and in Brazil, 15 inhabitants ; while Asi- 

 atic Russia furnishes 11 ; the whole Russian 



