is less extensive and less defined at its edges, but entirely surrounds the eyes, which are placed in both birds almost on a level with the general surface of the head. The wings are long, reaching to, or even beyond the extremity of the tail, and are rounded in their outline. In manners this bird resembles the genuine eagle, having the same upright attitude, subsisting entirely upon flesh, and refusing fish if offered to them.

The Chilian Sea Eagle measures about two feet from the point of the beak to the extremity of the tail, and from four to five in the expanse of its wings. The feathers of the head, neck and upper part of the body are of a blackish blue. The naked part of the leg is of a light yellow.

The ornithology of this country is extremely rich and varied. Birds of the most singular forms, and of the most superb plumage flutter, singly, or in companies, through the fragrant bushes. The green, blue, or red parrots, assemble on the tops of the trees, and fill the air with their screams. The toucan, sitting on the extreme branches, rattles with his large hollow

bill, and in loud plaintive notes calls for rain. This bird is prized for its feathers, which are of a lemon and bright red color, with transversal black stripes reaching the extremity of its wings: it is about the size and shape of a jackdaw, with a large head to support its monstrous bill, which, from the angles of the mouth to the point, is six inches and a half; and its breadth in the thickest part is a little more than two. Among the other birds of this country are the orioles, the macaws, and the delicate hummingbirds, which rival in beauty and lustre, diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, and dart like beams of light from flower to flower.

9. POPULATION. The population of South America is about 13,000,000.

CHAPTER LIV. ATLANTIC OCEAN.

1. BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT. The Atlantic Ocean extends from the Arctic Ocean on the north to the Southern Ocean on the south; it is bounded E. by Europe and Africa and W. by North and South America.

It is

9,000 miles in length from N. to S. and between 3,000 and 4,000 miles in width from America to Europe. From Norway to Greenland its width is not above 700 miles, and from Africa to South America about 1,500.

2. GULF STREAM. One of the most remarkable phenomena in the Atlan tic is the Gulf Stream. It is caused by the equinoxial currents from the East, which pass through the Carribean group of islands toward the coast of America into the Gulf of Mexico, from which it again rushes out into the Atlantic between the peninsula of Florida and the island of Cuba. Here its velocity is 5 miles an hour. It continues along the coast of the United Sates, expanding in width and diminishing in rapidity till it approaches the shore of Europe, where its course becomes hardly perceptible. It may be known by the beauti ful blue color of its waters.

3. ISLANDS. St Helena stands entirely detached from any group, and about 1,200 miles from the nearest land, on the coast of Southern Africa; lon. 15° 55′ W.; lat. 5° 49′ S. It is 10 miles long by 63 broad, and about 28 miles in circumference. It presents to the sea, throughout its whole circuit, nothing but an immense wall of perpendicular rock, from 600 to 1,200 feet high, like a castle in the midst of the ocean. There are only four openings in the great wall of rock which surrounds St Helena, by which it can be approached with any facility. These are all strongly fortified. The climate is moist and liable to strong gusts of wind. The principal plain in the island, called Longwood, has become celebrated by the residence of Napoleon, who died here May 5, 1821. His tomb is in a secluded recess, and is surrounded by a fence, enclosing a piece of ground containing weeping willows. St Helena was granted to the English East India Company by Charles II. and still remains in their possession. It is frequently resorted to as a place of refreshment by vessels returning from India.

Ascension is a small island situated to the N. W. of St Helena, in lat. 8° 8' S., lon. 14° 28' W. It is entirely barren and destitute of water, but has an excellent harbor and abounds in fish, sea-fowl and turtles. It is occupied by the British government as a military station. The island of St Matthew lies N. of Ascension, in lat. 1° 24′ S.

The Azores, or Western Islands, are a group of nine Portuguese islands lying between Europe and America, extending from 36° to 39° N. lat., containing 1,160 square miles. The inhabitants are of Portuguese origin, and governed by Portuguese laws. These islands have all a clear sky and salubrious air; are extremely fertile in corn, wine, and various fruits; and breed great numbers of cattle. They are free of all venomous animals; but they are subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The highest mountain, called the Pico, or Peak of the Azores, is 7,016 feet high. The Portuguese discovered these islands A. D. 1446, and found them uninhabited. Their names are St Michael, Pop. 80,000; Terceira, Pop. 28,900; Pico, 20,910; St George, 11,200; Fayal, 16,300; Santa Maria, 5000; Graciosa, 7,400; Flores, 7,100; and Corvo, 800. Angra, the chief city, on Terceira, contains 15,000 inhabitants. The total population of the Azores is estimated by some at more than 200,000.

CHAPTER LV.-ENGLAND.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

THIS kingdom comprises the southern and greater part of the island of Great Britain which lies on the western coast of Europe, and extends from 50° to 58° 30′ N. lat.; and from 20 E. to 60 W. longitude.

The island is

580 miles long from North to South, and 370 wide at the broadest part, which is along the southern coast. It is very narrow in some of the northern parts. Its whole area is estimated at 87,000 square miles. It is usual to regard it as consisting of two political divisions: the southern, comprising England and Wales, and the northern, Scotland. In our description, we shall consider Wales as included in England.

1. BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT OF ENGLAND. This kingdom is bounded north by Scotland; east by the German Ocean; south by the British channel, separating it from France, and west by St George's channel and the Irish Sea, by which it is separated from Ireland. It extends from 50° to 55° 40′ N. lat. and from 1° 40′ E. to 5° 40′ W. lon. It contains 58,335 square miles. Wales occupies 8,125 miles of this territory, and forms a part of the western

coast.

The

2. MOUNTAINS. The general direction of the mountain ranges is from north to south. The Cheviot Hills, in the north of England, which is the narrowest part of the island, approach within 18 miles of the sea. Cumberland Hills are a continuation of the same range. The Welsh Mountains lie farther south; the Snowdon range occupies their centre; and its chief summit is the highest mountain in England, being 3,570 feet in height. The general elevation of these heights is from one to three thousand feet. There are several detached groups in the southern and central parts of the kingdom. All these eminences, with little exception, are covered with vegetation, and inclose many sequestered glens, some of them gloomy and solitary, and others interspersed with fertile and romantic valleys, affording the most picturesque scenery. Wales is remarkable for the beauty of its mountain landscapes and the number of streams and lakes with which it is watered. Most of the mountains of England abound in valuable minerals.

3. VALLEYS. There are no valleys of any great extent. The basin of the river Severn is skirted by the Welsh mountains on the west, and by some lofty eminences on the east. The valleys of the smaller streams are too inconsiderable for notice.

4. RIVERS. The largest river of England is the Severn, which rises near Plinlimmon, a high mountain in Wales, and flows at first easterly, and then south and southwesterly to the sea. Its embouchure forms a wide bay, called the Bristol Channel. It is 200 miles long, and is navigable in the latter part of its course. The tide rolls up this stream in waves three or four feet

high.

The Thames rises near the Severn in the lower part of its course, and flows east into the German Ocean. It is 160 miles long, and is navigable for ships to London, 60 miles. This is the most important river of Great Britain for navigation. The Mersey is a small stream flowing southwest into the Irish Sea at Liverpool; it is navigable 35 miles. The Dee rises in Wales, and flows northwest into the Irish Sea near the mouth of the Mersey. The Trent and Ouse rise in the north, and by their junction form the IIumber, which is a good navigable stream, and falls into the German Ocean.

5. LAKES. These are small, and would be styled ponds in the United States. They are, however, very celebrated for their natural beauty, heightened by cultivation and the charming country seats around them. The largest, and

the greatest number, are in the counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland, near the northern extremity of England. Winandermere is about 10 miles long, and from one to two broad; it contains several islands. Ulswater is somewhat smaller. The handsomest is Derwentwater, 4 miles in length; the approach to it, in one direction, is embellished by a beautiful cascade. There are many other small lakes in this neighborhood.

6. ISLANDS. The isle of Wight lies upon the southern coast. Its shape is an irregular square, and its surface contains about 270 square miles. A little stream divides it north and south, and a chain of hills crosses it from east to west. The soil is fertile, but the shores are rocky. The isle of Anglesey or Anglesea, on the west coast of Wales, is 24 miles long and 17 broad. That part toward the main land is covered with forests, the ancient sanctuaries of druidical supersti tion, where barrows and heaps of stones remain to remind us of its bloody ceremonies. The rest of the island is naked, but contains a copper mine.

Near the southwest extremity of England lie the isles of Scilly, known to the ancients by the name of Cassiterides. They are 145 in number, but only 5 are inhabited; the rest are mere barren rocks. Numbers of Druidical monuments are found upon them. The Anglo Norman islands lie near the French coast, and constitute the remnant of the British Dominion over the ancient Duchy of Normany. These are Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, and Sark. The largest is 12 miles in length, and they are all well inhabited. 7. BAYS AND HARBORS. The largest bay is the Bristol Channel, 20 miles wide and 60 in extent. The Thames at its mouth enlarges to a considerable bay. The Wash is a wide bay on the Eastern coast. Small harbors are numerous in every part.

8. SHORES AND CAPES. The shores are generally rocky, and in many parts are composed of high chalky cliffs, whose white appearance gave this island in ancient times the name of Albion. In some quarters, are level, sandy beaches. There are no islands on the eastern coast, and here the shore is bolder than on the west. A long cape, which comprises the county of Cornwall, forms the southwestern extremity of England. Its termination is called the Land's End.

9. CLIMATE. England has an atmosphere of fogs, rain, and perpetual change; yet the climate is mild. The rigors of winter and the heats of summer are less felt than on the continent under the same parallel. The winds from the sea temper the extremes of heat and cold; the changes, however, are sudden. Westerly and southwesterly winds are most prevalent, and also the most violent. Next are the north and northeast. The perpetual moisture of the air is sometimes unfavorable to the crops, but its general effect is to cover the whole island with the deepest verdure. The meadows and fields are usually green throughout the winter: and the transient snows that occasionally fall upon them are insufficient to deprive them of their brilliancy. Many kinds of kitchen vegetables, as cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli and celery often remain uninjured in the gardens through the winter.

10. SoL. Of this, there is every variety, but the most common constituents of the soil are clay, loam, sand, chalk, gravel and peat. Mossy soils are very common and extensive in the northern parts, and here are the widest tracts of barren territory. On the eastern coast, are extensive fens and marshes. The most fertile districts are in the centre and south. There are also very large heaths and plains, which are nearly insusceptible of cultivation, and only serve for the pasturing of sheep. On the whole, England may be regarded as not naturally a fertile country.

11. GEOLOGY. The whole country is composed of a series of flat or undulating beds, placed one above another, and sloping gently upwards from northeast to northwest. Sandstone and chalk are the most common rocks. Argillaceous schistus occupies a large tract of territory upon the western coast. Graywacke occurs at intervals. Belts of red and blue marl and lias, with beds of limestone, chalk, and gypsum occur towards the south.

12. MINERALS, MINES AND QUARRIES. Slate and coal are the most common minerals. Coal is most abundant in the north, but is also plentiful in the central and western parts. Mines of iron and lead are numerous, both in the north and south. In the tin mine of Carglaise in Cornwall, the ore is

surrounded by masses of decayed granite; this rock is much softer than the ore, and is washed to powder by the rills of water produced by the rain. The tin mines of Cornwall are very productive, and with those of copper, yield a product of 3,000,000 dollars yearly. The coal mines of Newcastle afford annually above 1,500,000 tons of coal, and employ in the digging and transportation, 70,000 men. The copper mine of Parys, in Anglesey, consists of the greatest solid mass of that metal hitherto discovered. It is 60 feet thick, and worked in the open air like a quarry. In Cumberland, is a mine of the best plumbago or black lead, in the world. Cheshire produces rock salt in great plenty. This is the Liverpool salt of commerce.

13. ANIMALS. The English horse has been greatly improved by crossing with the finest foreign breeds, till in spirit, strength, and speed he is fully equal or superior to that of any country. The different breeds of sheep, too, have been greatly improved by the care and skill of the breeder. Dogs of every variety have been naturalized here; but the bull-dog is said to be peculiarly English, and it possesses strength and courage in an extraordinary degree. Of savage animals, since the extirpation of the wolf, which was effected in the reign of James VII., the largest and strongest are the fox and wild cat. The badger is frequently met with, as also the stoat, the martin, of which there are two species, the otter, the squirrel, and the dormouse. Rats are numerous, particularly the brown rat of India, falsely called the Norway rat, which has nearly extirpated the native iron-gray rat. Mice of various kinds are common. The hedgehog is not rare, and the mole is still a nuisance in every rich and well-cultivated field. The stag is yet found in its native state upon the borders of Cornwall, and two species of fallow-deer are still preserved. Hares are abundant. The sea-calf and great seal are frequently seen upon the coasts, particularly the coast of Wales.

The larger birds of prey have now almost everywhere disappeared, as indeed they generally do from a country well-cultivated and well-inhabited. The golden eagle is still found on Snowdon in Wales, and the black eagle is sometimes seen in Derbyshire; but the osprey or sea-eagle seems to be extinct. The peregrine, or foreign falcon, is confined to Wales; but the various kinds of hawks are numerous all over the country. The largest wild bird is the bustard: it is found only in the eastern counties, and weighs from 25 to 27 lbs. ;