*66 A M E R I C A. 
eighty-four decrees weft longitude from Greenwich ; but, 
as the Americans have fixed their meridian at the city of 
Philadelphia, the extent in longitude from that city is, 
from nine degrees eaft to twenty-four degrees weft. 
Although the longitudinal extent is laid down to be near¬ 
ly double to the latitudinal, yet the limits are fo interfer¬ 
ed on the northward, that toward the north-weft coaft it 
lies in forty-five degrees, except a fmall di drift of land, 
which reaches to almoft fqrty-fcven degrees; but, in the 
interior country, on lake Erie, the boundary is on forty- 
two degrees : its greateft extent is on the coaft, toward the 
r.orth-eaft, where only it is forty-nine degrees. Its longi¬ 
tudinal extent, from New England on tire eaft, to a little 
below Nootka Sound on the weft, comprehends the whole, 
continental breadth, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean; 
and it is only in that part that its breadth is 1040 miles. 
Mr. Hutchins, late geographer to the United States, 
computed that the furface contained within the boundaries 
fo deferibed, is one million of fquare miles, which com¬ 
prehends 640 millions of acres; and he computes that of 
thefe, fifty-one millions are water, or about parts of 
the whole: fo that the land within the United States 
amounts to 589 millions of acres; about three-fifths of 
which is comprifed within the States which now compofe 
the union; the remaining 220 millions of acres, which lie 
weft of the northern and middle States, and north-weft of 
of the river Ohio, and extend to the river Miffiflippi, 
together with an cxtenlive territory fouth of the Ohio, 
originally ceded to the United States, by North Carolina, 
South Carolina, and Georgia, forms what is ufually deno¬ 
minated “ the weftern territory.” 
The face of the country belonging to the United States, 
is happily variegated with plains and mountains, hills and 
vallies. Some parts are rocky, particularly New England, 
the north parts of New York, and New Jerfey, and a broad 
fpace, including the feveral ridges of the long range of 
mountains which run fouth-weftward through Pennfylva- 
nia, Virginia, North Carolina, and part of Georgia, divi¬ 
ding the waters which flow into the Atlantic from thofe 
which fall into the Mifliflippi. 
In this extent of country are to be found every fpecies 
of foil that the earth affords ; and in one part or other are 
produced all the various kinds of fruits, grain, pulfe, and 
liortuline plants and roots, which are found in Europe, and 
have been thence tranfpianted to America; and belides 
thefe, a great variety of native vegetable productions. 
The American States are compofed of almoft all nations, 
languages, characters, and religions, which Europe can 
furnifh ; the greater part, however, are defeended from 
the Englifti; and all may, perhaps with propriety, be de¬ 
nominated Federal Americans. 
The Englifh language is univerfally fpokenin the States, 
and in it bufinefs is tranfafted, and the records are kept. 
It is fpoken with great purity, and pronounced with pro¬ 
priety, in New England, by perfons .of education; and, 
excepting fome few corruptions in pronunciation, by all 
ranks of people. In the middle and fouthern States, where 
they have had a great influx of foreigners, the language, 
m many inllances, is corrupted in pronunciation. At¬ 
tempts are making, however, to introduce an uniformity 
of pronunciation, throughout the provinces; which, for 
political, as well as other, reafons, it is hoped will com¬ 
pletely fucceed. Intermingled with the Americans, are 
the Dutch, Scotch, Irifli, French, Germans, Swedes, and 
Jews; all thefe, except the Scotch and lrifti, retain in a 
greater cr lefs. degree their native language, in which 
they perform their public worfhip, converle, or tranfaft 
their bufinefs with each other. 
The origin of the prefent fyftem of government in Ame¬ 
rica, had its rife from a general congrefs, which, as we 
have feen, was fir ft held at Philadelphia, in September, 
J774, and was compofed of delegates chofen by the houles 
of reprefentatives of each of the twelve old colonies, 
Georgia alone being unreprefented in that aflembly; but 
it afterward acceded, and the number of members then 
amounted to fifty-four, and a prefident; two years after, 
the number was reduced to forty-eight. In this aflembly 
each colony had no more than a Angle voice, whether its 
deputation was more or lefs numerous; fo that a contra¬ 
riety of opinion among the deputies from any particular 
colony, if the majority were in favour of the meafure 
did not ocealion a diifenting voice in the congrefs; the 
fenfe of any colony could not be taken if its deputies were 
equally divided in their opinions; which was likely fre¬ 
quently to occur, as feven of the colonies fent either two 
or four deputies ; the other five were reprefented by three, 
five, feven, or nine. 
In the year 1776 congrefs, by a folemn act, renounced' 
allegiance to the king of Great Britain, and declared the- 
American colonies to be Independent States. In March, 
17S1, articles of confederation were ratified ; and the ftyle- 
of the confederation was fettled to be, “ United States of 
America.” The particular articles agreed upon by this 
compact need not here be fpoken of, as in a convention of 
all the ftates, which was held at New York, where gene¬ 
ral Wafhington prefided, a new conftitution was agreed 
upon, from which the delegates front Rhode Ifland alone- 
diftented. It confifted of feven articles, which were tranf- 
mitted to congrefs for their approbation, which having 
received, in the year 1789, general Waflrington was cho- 
fen prefident of the congrefs thus formed. 
This new fyftem of republican government retains much' 
of the fpirit of the Engliflt conftitution ; and thofe two;- 
eflential fecurities to individuals in their perfons and their 
property, the habeas corpus aft and trial by jury, are re¬ 
tained. It unites the American States in a much clofer 
confederation than the Helvetic union brought the Swifs 
Cantons, or even than the compaft entered into by the- 
Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands placed the 
Dutch. Indeed, in many important points, it is fuch a 
form of government as the world had not before feen. The- 
moll: efteftual meafures feem to have been taken to remove- 
what was formerly a fruitful fource of animofity and dif- 
fenlion among the colonies, the undefined bounds of their 
rel'peftive territories, as every Hate has now renounced all- 
right of deciding upon their claims, and has agreed that 
they fhall be laid before congrefs, and decided upon by 
that aflembly as a court of judicature. In this new form 
of government the feveral independent ftates may be faid 
to have delegated to congrefs all the functions of govern¬ 
ment, except retaining their interior conftitution, but de¬ 
prived of the power of levying duties on merchandize, of 
equipping fliips of war, of making foreign alliances, or 
waging war; for, as the preamble to the new conftitution- 
exprell'es it, in the federal government of thefe ftates, “ it ^ 
is impoffible to fecure all right of independent fovereignty - 
to each, and yet provide for the intereftand fafety of all.” 
The prefident of the congrefs, the fenate, and reprefen¬ 
tatives, form a legillative body fomewhat fimilar to the 
king, lords, and commons, of Great Britain, in that every 
aft of congrefs muft have a majority of votes in the two 
houfes, and receive the aflent of the prefident, before it 
can pals, into a law; but the American conftitution-differs 
in many particulars : the prefident of the congrefs has not 
a power abfolutely to negative any bill; he can only refufe 
his aflent, and at the lame time is required to affign the 
reafons on which he founds his refufal; the Bufinefs is then 
to undergo a- frefh difeuflion in both houfes, and the bill 
muft be palfed by two-thirds of the members of each 
hotife, which then conllitutes it a law without the concur¬ 
rence of the prefident- 
No fpecific portion of property, whether real or per- 
fonal, is required to be poffelied as a qualification either 
for a reprefentative, a fenator, the vice-prefident, or the 
prefident. Nor is any one excluded on account of the re¬ 
ligious principles which he profeftes, whatever they may 
be ; fo that Jews or Roman Catholics are as eligible as any 
other citizens. The houfe of reprefentatives are chofen- 
every two years, by the people of the feveral ftates. The 
only legal requifites in a candidate are his having attained 
to 
