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are twenty-four climates between the equator and each of the polar circles. Forty-eight in the whole.

Under the polar circles, the longeft day is twenty-four hours. The fun, when at the tropics, fkims the horizon without fetting. As you advance from the polar circles to the poles, the fun continues above the horizon for days, weeks and months, in a conftant increase until you arrive at the poles, where the fun is fix months above the horizon; and the whole year may be said to consist of but one day and one night.

There are thirty climates between the equator and either pole. In the first twenty-four, between the equator and each polar circle, the period of increase for every climate, is half an hour. In the other fix between the polar circles and either pole, the period of increase for each climate is a month. Thefe climates continually decrease in breadth as you proceed from the equator, as may be seen by attending to the following

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TABL E.

Names of countries and remarkable places fituated in the respective climates, north of the equator.

Within the firft climate lie,

1.The Gold coast in Africa, Cayenne and Surinam in S. Amer. 2 Abyffinia, Sam, Madras, Darien, Barbadoes.

3 Mecca, Bengal, Canton, Mexico, Jamaica, Gaudelupe.
4 Egypt, Delhi, Carary Ifles, E. Florida, Havanna.

5 Gibraltar, Jerufalem, Ninking, Georgia, and Carolinas.
6 Lisbon, Madrid, Afia-Minor, Virginia, Maryland, Philadel.
7 Rome, Conftantinople, Cafpian Sea, New-England.

8 Paris, Vienna, Nova-Scotia, Newfoundland, Canada.

9 London, Flanders, Prague, Drefden, Cracow.

10 Dublin, Warfaw, Holland, Hanover, Labrador.
11 Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Moscow.

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12 18 13 18

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14 19 15 19

61 18 14 Bergen in Norway, Petersburgh in Russia.
62 25 15 Hudfon's Straits.

16 20 63 22 16 South Part of Weft Greenland.

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Latitude.] The latitude of a place is its diftance from the equator, north or fouth. The greateft latitude is that of the poles, which are ninety degrees diftant from the eqnator.

The

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The elevation of the pole above the horizon, is always equal to the latitude of the place; for to a perfon fituated on the equator, both poles will reft in the horizon. If you travel one, two or more degrees north, the north pole will rife one, two or more degrees, and will keep pace with your diftance from the equator.

Longitude.] Every place on the furface of the earth has its meridia n. The Longitude of a place, is the distance of its meridian from fome ot her fixed meridian, measured on the equator. Longitude is either eaft or weft. All places eaft of the fixed or firft meridian, are in eaft longitude; all weft, in weft longitude. On the equator, a degree of longitude; is equal to fixty geographical miles; and of course, a minute on the equator is equal to fixty miles. But as all the meridians cut the equator at right angles, and ap-. proach nearer and nearer to each other, until at laft they crofs at the poles, it is obvious that the degrees of longitude will leffen as you go from the equator to either pole; fo that in the fixtieth degree of latitude, a degree of longitude is but thirty miles, or half as long as a degree on the equator; as is evident from the following table.

A TA B L E,

Shewing the number of miles contained in a degree of longit pde in each parallel of latitude from the equator.

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The Atmosphere.] The earth is furrounded by a thin invifible fluid; compofed of a mixture of faline, fulphureous, watery, earthy, and fpirituous particles, rifing to the distance of between forty-five and fifty miles from the earth's furface. This fluid is called the atmosphere. Experiment has fhewn, that this atmosphere is effential to animal and vegetable life. It is a neceflary vehicle of found; and without it few things would be vifible, excepting those upon which the rays of the fun fall in a direct line between the fun and the eye: But the rays of light, falling on the particles which compofe the atmosphere, are thence reflected in every direction; in this way day-light is produced, even when the whole hemifphere is covered with clouds.

Winds.] Wind is air put in motion; the swifter this motion, and the more denfe the air, the greater will be the force of the wind. If it be foft and gentle, it is called a breeze; if fresh and violent, a gale; if the gale be attended with rain and hail, it is called a ftorm. As the air is a fluid, its natural ftate is reft, which it always endeavours to keep, or recover by an univerfal equilibrium of all its parts. Whenever, therefore, this equilibrium is deftroyed by the rarefaction of the air in particular parts, which renders it lighter in those parts than in others, there neceffarily follows a motion of all the furrounding air towards these rarefied parts, to restore the equilibrium; this motion is called wind. The velocity of the wind in a storm has been afcertained by Philofophers, and found to be about fixty miles an hour.

Tides.] By tide is meant the regular ebbing and flowing of the fea twice in twenty four hours. The caufe of the tides, is the attraction of the fun and moon, but chiefly of the latter. The waters of the immense ocean, as it were, forgetful of their natural reft, rife and roll in tides, obfequious to the ftrong attractive power of the moon, and the weaker influence of the fun. The moon in one revolution round the earth in twenty-four hours, produces two tides; of course there are as many ebbs. Thefe tides, neceffarily following the moon's motions, flow from east to weft. This conftant agitation of the waters of the ocean, together with their faltnefs, are wifely ordained by the Creator to preserve them from putrefaction.

Clouds.] Clouds are nothing but a collection of vapours, exhaled from the earth by the attractive influence of the fun, fufpended aloft in the air, and foaring on the wings of the wind. They are elevated from a quarter of a mile to a mile from the earth, according to their density, and that of the air.

Eclipfes.] An eclipfe is a total or partial privation of the light of the fun or moon. When the moon paffes between the earth and the fun, the rays of the fun are in part intercepted, and the fun is faid to be in eclipfe. When the earth intervenes between the fun and moon, the moon, having no light of her own, appears dark or dufky; and, as we fay, she is eclipsed. An eclipfe of the fun never happens but at a new moon; nor one of the moon but when she is full.

GEOGRAPHY.

GEOGRAPHY,

EOGRAPHY is a fcience defcribing the furface of earth Jas divided into land and water.

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Geography is either univerfal, as it relates to the earth in general; or particular, as it relates to any fingle part.

The globe of the earth is made up of land and water, and is therefore called terraqueous. About one fourth of the furface of the globe is land; the other three fourths are water.

The common divifions of the land and water are as follow:

The divifions of land are,

I. Into Continents.] A continent

The divifions of water are,
I. Into Oceans.] An ocean is a

is a large tract of land, compre- vaft collection of water, not entirehending several countries and king-ly feparated by land, and divides one doms. These countries, &c. are contiguous to each other, and are not entirely separated by water. There are but two continents, the eaftern and western. The eaftern continent is divided into Europe, Afia and Africa; the western into North and South America.

II. Iands.] An island is a tract of land entirely furrounded by water; as Rhode Island, Hifpaniola, Great-Britain, Ireland, New-Zealand, Corneo, Japan, &c.

III. Peninfulas.] A peninfula is almost an island, or tract of land furrounded by water, excepting at one narrow neck; as Bofton, the Borea, Crim Tartary, and Arabia.

continent from the other. There are three great oceans. The Atlantic, lying between America and Europe, three thousand miles wide. The Pacific, lying between Afia and America, ten thousand miles over. The Indian-Ocean, lying between Africa and the East Indies, three thousand miles wide.

II. Lakes.] A lake is a large collection of water in the heart of a

country furrounded by land. Moft of them, however, have a river iffuing from them, which falls into the ocean; as Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, &c. A fmall collection of water surrounded as above, is called a pond.

III. Seas.] A fea or gulf is a part of the ocean, furrounded by land excepting a narrow pafs, called a ftrait, by which it communicates. with the occean; as the Mediterranean, Baltic and Red Seas; and the gulfs of Mexico, St. Lawrence IV. and Venice.

IV.

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Maps.] A map is a plain figure reprefenting the furface of the earth, or a part of it, according to the laws of perspective. On the map of any tract of country, are delineated its mountains, rivers, lakes, towns &c. in their proper magnitudes and fituations. The top of a map is always north, the bottom fouth, the right fide east, and the left fide weft. From the top to the bottom are drawn meridians, or lines of longitude; and from fide to fide the parallels of lattiude.

DISCOVERY of AMERICA.

IT is believed by many, and not without fome reafon, that America

was known to the ancients. Of this, however, history affords no certain evidence. Whatever difcoveries may have been made in this western world, by Madoc Gwinneth, the Carthaginians and others, are loft to mankind. The eaftern continent was the only theatre of history from the creation of the world to the year of our Lord 1492.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, a native of Genoa, has defervedly the honcur of having first discovered America. From a long and clofe application to the ftudy of geography and navigation, for which his genius was naturally inclined, Columbus had obtained a knowledge of the true figure of the earth, much fuperior to the general notions of the age in which he lived. In order that the terraqueous globe might be properly balanced, and the lands and feas proportioned to each other, he was led to conceive that another continent was neceffary. Other reafons induced him to believe that this continent was connected with the East Indies.

As early as the year 1474, he communicated his ingenious theory to Paul, a phyfician of Florence, eminent for his knowledge of cofmography,

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