D) 
132 Observations made during a Tour in the United States. [Sept. 1, 
wherein he shews that Columbus had Offices at the latter period was 18483 
cousnited Toscanelli, and that the An- 
tilles, which he conjectured to be Ame- 
rica, were the Azores, which he recog- 
nized in a chart of 1867; and he thence 
concludes, that it must have been Chris- 
topher Columbus who discovered Ame- 
rica. I have shewn, however, ‘in my 
Abridgement of I Navigation, that there 
were several preceding events which led 
‘him to it. 
The Class of Sciences has also pub- 
lished the first volume of Savans Efran- 
gers, which was long expected ; it con- 
tains some observations by M. Bouvard, 
several memoirs by M. Burckhard upon 
various comets, and on micrometers, a me- 
moir by M. Dangos, on terrestrial re- 
fractions, and meteorological observa- 
vations made at Cayenne, during ten 
vears, by M. Mentelle, whose loss we 
have to regret. He was brother to our 
celebrated geographer, and I had pro- 
-cured him the means of going to exercise 
his zeal in a country very little known, 
where observations of the greatest im- 
portance might be made: and it is to 
him we are indebted for the knowledge 
we have obtained of the marshes of Cay- 
enne. 
The Class of Sciences resolved to pub- 
lish their Memoirs half yearly; but they 
found it impossible to finish “the volume 
for the first: half vear of 1806 before the 
Sth of December. It comprehends me- 
moirs by M. Legendre on triangles in the 
spheroids, by M. Burckhardt « upon the 
omets of 1762, 1770, and 1784, as welias 
upon the planet Paniae and some ex- 
periments by Messrs. Biot and Arage, 
on the refractive power of the different # NOW preparing by Mr 
gases, which must prove extremely in- 
teresting to those engaged in the study 
of astronomical refraction. A aletek 
‘able prize 1s offered by the Class of Sci- 
ences for an account of the perturbations 
of the planet Olbers. 
M. Delambre has observed the egni- 
noxes and the solstices, and has found no 
cause for altering his new tables. 
(To be continued.) - 
—= aa 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
OESERVATIONS made during a TOUR 
through the UNITED STATES of AME- 
RICA.—=-NO. XVII. . 
N my last I omitted to state, that the 
revenues of the General Post Office 
of the United States, from July 1805, to 
July 1806, amounted to $05,396 dollars, 
and the expences of that department to 
956,127 dollars; that the number of Post- 
/ 
that from Janvary, 1801, to January 
1807, twenty-four nuilions of the national 
debt had been discharged: that in the 
present and following Meio nine more 
millions will be paid; so that on the- dst* 
day of January, 1808, the ‘ale ance due. to 
the creditors of the United States will 
be 57,491,888 dollars. By contract, 
however, with those creditors after that 
pericd, no’ more of the debt can be an- 
nually ‘paid than 4,500,006 dollars, which 
will extinguish the whole in. the year 
1884, except the 3 per cent. stock, 
amounting to about 19 millions, bearing 
an interest of 575,635 dollars. This debt 
by the original contract, can only be paid 
the creditors at par, but the present very 
able Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Gal- 
Jatin, has produced a plan, wliich most of 
the holders in this stock, it is expected, 
will agree to; by which it will be nearly, 
if not altogether liquidated by the year 
1818. Inthe mean time our population 
not only will increase, but the consump- 
tion ‘of taxable articles;—add to which 
the money saved heretofore payable as 
interest, and you will readily -see the 
great .extent of national improvement 
the United States are capable of promo- 
ting without taxation. How much ther 
are we interested in avoiding unnecessary 
wars, the prindiples and politics of Eu- 
rope? Should, however, we be ‘forced’ 
into a war, with sech a government, and 
such high privileges, we should be less 
than men, wheré we not to defend to 
the last life our invaluable immunities. 
But let us hope we shall not be driven to 
such extremities, and that the report 
. Gallatin to be laid 
efore the next. Congress, which I un- 
derstand embraces a water-communica- 
tion between the lakes.and the principal 
rivers falling into the Atlantic, will be 
acted upon. 
When we left our friends at Painsville, 
the river was very full of water;- we 
crossed in a canoe, but our horses were 
not got over without difficulty, nor without 
much hazard to my friends. From Pains- 
ville to the Chagrine, it\is twelve miles, 
the road very good, as is the land, except 
about a mile square in Mentor, which 
seemed the worst I had seen ia the Re 
serve. The Chagrine differs from the 
other rivers, which empty themselves into 
the Lake in this neighbourhood, being very 
clear; whilst the rest are all muddy. We 
crossed it about twelve miles from its mouth 
without difficulty, and posted ourselves for 
the night at Mr. Abbott’s, His farm, con- 
sisting “of two hundred acr es, lies on the 
banks 
\ 
