G16 
vered between different parts-ef America, 
and countrics fituate nearly on the fame 
paralle! Is, Bee: in Europe and Afia, 
‘In the {cond chapter, we learn, that 
where the labour of man has not inter- 
fered to clear it, nearly the whole of the 
American territory is covered with -impe- 
netradle forefts, which conceal the very _ 
foil, and. prevent the traveller from pur- 
feing bis journey without immenfe labour. 
Vohiey oblerves. “that the perfecuting 
iwarms of gad-fles, mulquitoes, and 
gna S, are enough to diffipate thofe charm- 
zz dreams which wiiters of romance fa- 
hicate inthe great cities of Europe.” 
After this, be deftribes the northern 
paris, whieh are the molt far:drous, on ac- 
econt of the fpecies of tres of which 
they confit... He obferves, that the chain 
of mountains which runs parallel to the 
there of the Atlantic, within a diftance of 
frem twenty to fifty leagues, bends weft. 
wardly tewards the Miffifippi; and that 
from their fummits, defiend rivers, either 
in the form of cafcades or waterfalls, from 
20 tO 240 feet high. He then follows 
chem: in ‘their coutie, to their mouths, 
which refemble guiphs; and having de- 
feribed the comparatively {mall portion of 
territory which the hand of the cultivator 
has foatched from the ** univerfal foreft,”’ 
which fill environs it, he proceeds as fol- 
lows : 
*¢ Let us add to this, (continues he) a 
climate at once flormy and capricious ; 
the dir, by turns, very hum'd and. very 
dry, very feet gy or very ferene, very hot 
er very cold ; “fo variable, that in one and 
tie fame day, you are prefented with the 
boar frefit of Norway, the feorching fun 
of Africa, with all the four feafons of the 
year; and you will have an abridged 
peyiical defcription of the United States.” 
The object of the third chapter is, to 
defcribe the general configuration and di- 
vihon of the country, together with the 
eireétion and difiribution of the rivers 
and mountains. We fhall cnly mention 
two obfervations under this head: the 
frit is, that in -Kentucky many ftreams 
are become more abundant fince the 
woods have been cutdown. This is at- 
tributed by our author to the immentie 
beds of leaves, accumulated dyring the 
courfe of ages, under the trees, \which 
hitherto. prevented the rain from pene- 
traiing into the bofom cf the earth, and 
thus permitted it, to evaporate. The 
other is, that in Kentucky, and the Te- 
n-iée country, ** are immenfe bafons of 
fc M §0 'O 500 paces C deep, abounding with 
crevices, through which not only the rains 
Retrofpeet of French Literature.—Mifcellanies. 
\ 
penetrate, but even rills and rivers -are 
“ingulfed, difappearing in _the midft of 
thickets betore the’ aitonifhed -traveller, 
and continuing their courle in a fubterra- 
‘neous direStion.”” 
While mentioning the territory fituate 
between the Ouabache and the Miffiffi opi, 
Voiney compares this perition of America 
with the Tartar fepps. To render this 
comparifon more exact, he cb/erves,- that 
the favages called Nutzcaoue, or Nacu- 
dafis, have been accultonied for the Jait 
25 cr 30 years, to fteal the Spanifh borfes 
which wander in the favauzabs in the 
north of Mexico; this has enabled them 
to make their yahenen m the fame man- 
ner-as the. Ahat:e VYartars, and confe- 
quently with greater probability of fucceis 
than-any of the other American Indians. 
The internal ftructure of the foil, forms 
the fubject of the fourth chapter. He 
divides the fundamental roeks of the 
United States into three principal {pecics, 
which are diftributed throughout the dit. 
ferent regions. The firft confifts of gra- 
nite, the fecond of free fione, and the 
third of calcareous fubftances. Thefe are 
all indicated on the chart by different co- 
lours, and tend to elucidate the conjectures 
of the learned relative to the primitive 
ftate of this portion of the globe. 
Here, as well as on the ancient conti. 
nent, are to be met with the moft un- 
doubted proofs of the preflure of the fea. 
The calcareous rock, in general, repofes 
on a bafe of fulphureous fchifius, which 
may ferve to explain the Immenfe changes 
which all the coaft on the fheres of the 
Atlantic formerly experienced from earth- 
quakes, to which it is ftill greatly ex- - 
pofed:- but it is not a litte fingular, that 
a fingle trace of theie is not to be found 
to the wefiward of the Alleghany moun- 
tains. Dr. Barton has accordingly af 
ferted, that the words ‘‘ earthquake and 
volcano were unknown to the natives of 
the weftern pcriion cf America, while 
they have been cuitomsry and familiar in 
all the dialeéts cf the eaf.” 
The immentfe rivers of the new conti- 
pent, traverfiing a tract of land covered 
with eternal forcits, and cosfequestly pof- 
feffing a thick layer of vegetable mould, 
carry along with tiem in cheir impetucus 
and irregular couric, confiderable porzions: 
of this earth, togeihcr with the branches 
and trunks io trees. In their annuak 
cverflowings, {me of them cover the flat: 
country to the Gepth of twenty feet, while 
the beds of others are from 6co to 2000 
fathoms in breadth, with a correfpondent: 
depth of from 20 to 50 feet. The a€tion 
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