This obstinate and bloody struggle was equivalent in its effects to a decisive victory in favor of the Americans. The firmness and conduct which their raw levies had exhibited against regular troops, gave them the highest confidence. No further attempt was made by the British to penetrate into the country, and they remained as closely blockaded as before. All hope of reconciliation was now cast aside. The Congress organized a body of forces for the defence of the country, and placed Washington at the head. The new general pressed the siege of Boston, and in the spring of 1776 drove the British from the place.

On the 4th of July, 1776, Congress declared the American States free and independent. In the summer of the same year, the British, with a powerful army, attacked New York. Washington attempted to defend it, but the disastrous battle of Long Island threw the city into their power. He retreated into New Jersey, and the end of the year beheld him with a handful of half clad, starving men, retreating before a victorious foe. The fate of the country appeared to be decided, but the fortitude and enterprise of Washington turned the tide of war against the enemy. The victories of Trenton and Princeton revived the drooping spirits of the Americans, gave them confidence in their leader, and brought an efficient army under his banners.

In 1777, Philadelphia fell into the hands of the British, and an army of 10,000 men under General Burgoyne invaded the country from Canada. The march of this General was, at first, highly successful; all the strong posts on his route were captured, and a panic spread through the country at his approach. But at Bennington the militia cut off a detachment of his army, and this victory inspirited the people; bodies of militia gathered around him; the battle of Stillwater arrested his march; his retreat was cut off: a fruitless attempt was made by the British from New York to relieve him, and he surrendered his army to General Gates, at Saratoga, October 17th, 1777. By the help of this important success, Franklin negociated a treaty of alliance with France, in February, 1778. The British evacuated Philadelphia the same year. In 1779, the seat of active war was transferred to the Southern States. The Carolinas fell into the hands of the British, and various battles were fought with alternate success. In 1781, Lord Cornwallis with an army of 10,000 men, after traversing Carolina and Virginia, took post at Yorktown, on the Chesapeak, where he was besieged by the Americans and French ander Washington, and at length surrendered on the 10th of October, 1781.

This event was decisive as to the fate of the war. The British government had now lost all hopes of reducing the Americans to obedience, and in 1782, Great Britain by a treaty acknowledged the independence of the States.

After the restoration of peace, the states remained as they had been during the war, united by a slight confederation, without any efficient general government. But this state of things not being found conducive to the prosperity of the country at large, a new form of government was resolved upon. A convention from the several states assembled, and after much deliberation, formed the present constitution, which was established and went into operation in 1789. Since this period the country has seen no change in its political institutions. New territories have been acquired, wars and factions have disturbed our domestic tranquillity, but the union of the states has to the present moment, survived every struggle.

CHAPTER XXXVI. BRITISH AMERICA.

1. BOUNDARIES, EXTENT AND DIVISIONS. This country, taken in its largest limits, is bounded N. by the Arctic Sea, and Baffin's Bay; E. by the Atlantic; S. by the United States and W. by Russian America and the Pacific Ocean. It extends from 420 30 to an undefinable limit North, and from 55° W. lon. also to an undefinable limit westerly. Its area is equal to that of the United States. The principal divisions are Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Upper and Lower Canada, and New Britain. 2. NOVA SCOTIA. This province is bounded N. by the Gulf of St Lawrence, E. and S. by the Atlantic, and W. by the Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick. Including the Island of Cape Breton, it has an area of 19,000 square miles.

The surface of this province is uneven, but there are no high mountains. Its southern shores are generally bold and rocky, and the harbors are studded with islands. The principal bays are the Bay of Fundy, the Bay of Mines, and Chebucto Bay. The chief rivers are the Annapolis, and the Shubenacadie. Following the course of the last is a canal of the same name. There are numerous small lakes.

The climate is cold but healthy, and with the progress of cultivation is gradually ameliorating. Spring is late and irregular in its approach, but when vegetation commences it is very rapid, and in a few days alters the whole face of nature. On the coast, the soil is generally poor; in the northern parts it is well adapted to cultivation. Oats, rye and barley are raised here without difficulty; potatoes thrive well, and there are numerous good orchards.

The principal town is Halifax, which was founded in 1749, and now contains about 20,000 inhabitants. Its harbor is one of the finest in America, and a thousand vessels may ride in it in safety. Among the other important towns, are Yarmouth, Liverpool, Lunenburg, and Windsor, at the last of which is a college, with considerable endowments.

Louisburg, on Cape Breton, was once very strongly fortified, but

ruins. It is famous for having been twice taken from the French during the French wars.

The government is in the hands of a Lt. Governor and Commander in Chief, appointed by the King, a Council of 12 members, appointed by the King, or the Governor, and a House of Assembly of 41 members, elected by the freeholders. Nova Scotia was first settled by the French, who gave it the name of Acadie, but the colony fell into the hands of the English, and in 1762 France renounced all claim to the country. This province abounds in coal, iron ore, gypsum and limestone. The chief employment of the inhabitants is in agriculture, fisheries and the lumber trade. The population is about 150,000. A remnant of the Micmac tribe of Indians exists in Cape Breton; and there are 3000 blacks in the province.

E.

3. NEW BRUNSWICK. This province is bounded N. by Lower Canada; by the Gulf of St Lawrence, S. by the Bay of Fundy and W. by Maine. The country in general is neither mountainous nor level, and the soil is tolerably good. Great quantities of excellent pine timber are obtained from the forests. The exports consist of lumber, fish and furs. Fredericton, on the St John's river is the seat of government, and contains a population of 2,000.

St Johns, at the mouth of the river of the same name, is the principal town, and has 8,000 inhabitants. This river is navigable by vessels of 50

tons burden for nearly 50 miles, and merchandise can easily be transported in boats three times that distance. The population of this province is about 100,000.

4. NEWFOUNDLAND. This island is situated in the eastern extremity of North America, at the mouth of the Gulf of St Lawrence. The coasts are high, and the shores bold and indented. Concerning the inland country little is known. The climate is extremely cold, and the inhabitants subsist almost entirely by the fisheries. The cod-fishery here carried on is the richest in the world, and gives employment to many thousands, and food to many millions. St John's in the S. E. part of the island is the chief town and seat of government; the other principal towns are Placentia and Bonavista. Near the coast of Newfoundland are the small islands of St Pierre and Miquelon, which comprise all the French possessions in North America.

Prince Edward's Island. This island, situated in the Gulf of St Lawrence, is 110 miles long and 35 miles wide. It is divided into three countries and 67 townships. The soil is good and well adapted to agriculture. Its capital is Charlestown, which has a good harbor and about 3,000 inhabitants. The population of the island is 18,000. There is a separate colonial government.

Sable Island lies about 90 miles from the coast of Nova Scotia. It is little more than a heap of sand, but has some inhabitants.

5. CANADA is situated between 42° 31' and 50° N. lat. ; and between 64° and 970 W. lon. It was divided by an act of 31 George III. into Upper and Lower Canada, and the line of separation is the river Utawa. Lower Canada lies on both sides of the St Lawrence; Upper Canada is separated from the United States by the chain of great lakes and the St Lawrence, but to the north and west, its limits are not defined.

Immense branches of the Rocky Mountains stretch into the Canadian provinces from the west. They are characterized by all the boldness and ruggedness of what may be called their parent-stem, and are interspersed with the same variety of lofty plains, immense, woods, and waters of every shape and name.

The principal river is the St Lawrence, which is 2500 miles in length, and 90 wide at its mouth, and navigable for ships of the line nearly 400 miles. In its course it receives the waters of the Saguenay, the Chaudiere, the St Ann, the Jacques Cartier, the Chambly, and the Utawa. The St Lawrence frequently presents scenes of great beauty, especially in that part called' the Lake of the Thousand Islands.'

There are many lakes in Canada, but some much superior to the rest in magnitude. Of these, the chief is Lake Superior, which is the largest body of fresh water in the world, being 400 miles in length, and 100 at its greatest breadth. Its shores are rocky and uneven, and it has a rocky bottom. Its waters are pure and transparent, and abound in fish, particularly sturgeon and long trout, many of which are from 50 to 70 pounds weight. It has five large islands, one of which, called Isle Royal, is not less than 100 miles in length. More than 40 rivers discharge themselves into this lake, and the storms which occur here are felt as severely as on the Atlantic. There is only one outlet, by the straits of St Mary, which is not supposed to discharge one tenth of the water accumulated from so many rivers.

Lake Huron, into which Lake Superior flows, is 250 miles in length. Near the centre its depth is said to be unfathomable. Its form is triangular. It contains many islands, one of which, on the N. side, about 100 miles in length and 8 in breadth, is called by the natives Mantaulin, or the place of spirits,' being supposed by them to be the habitation of supernatural beings. A vast

plain separates this from the Lake Michigan, which is claimed by the Chippeway and Ottoway Indians.

Lake Michigan, formerly called Lake Illinois, and Lake Dauphin, extends from the western angle of Lake Huron in a southerly direction, and is separated from Lake Superior by a tongue of land about 30 leagues in length. It lies wholly within the territory of the United States, between the parallels of 42° and 46°. Its length from N. to S. is 260 miles; its mean breadth is 50 miles. Its waters are sufficiently deep for navigation. At the S. extremity of the lake is the Chicago Creek, by which in the rainy season the head waters of the Illinois communicate with the lake; but the bar at the mouth of the creek does not admit boats drawing above two feet of water. A number of streams flow into the lake both on the E. and W. sides.

From the southern corner of this which swells into the Lake St Clair. circumference, scarcely deserves to be of water on both sides of it.

lake, the waters issue by a strait, This lake, though about 90 miles in mentioned with the immense bodies

After passing this lake, the waters again pass through a strait called Detroit, and fall into Lake Erie; which is 225 miles in length from E. to W., with a mean breadth of 40, and a circumference of 610 miles. Its depth varies from 40 to 300 feet. It lies between 41° and 43° N. lat. and between 78° and 83° W. lon. It has but few islands, and those chiefly towards the western end. Near the shores of these islands, the water, for many acres, is covered with water lilies, on which innumerable water snakes lie basking and glistening in the sun. The elevation of Lake Erie above the tide water of the Hudson river at Albany is 565 feet, with which it communicates by a canal 356 miles in length.

By a strait at its N. E. end, this lake communicates with Lake Ontario. This strait is called Niagara, and presents the stupendous cataract which has been minutely described in another part of this work. Ontario is the last

of this great chain of lakes. It is of an oblong form, measuring 160 miles from S. W. to N. E. and with a circumference of 600 miles. It lies between 430 and 45° N. lat., and 76° and 79° W. lon. Its islands are 19 in number. Some rivers flow into it, the chief of which, the Oswego, enters on the S. side. On the N. E. it discharges itself by the St Lawrence.

The sea coast of Canada and Nova Scotia is equal in extent to that of the United States, and well adapted for the support of a maritime population, and the formation of a navy.

The climate of Canada is very cold, considered with reference to its distance from the equator. Little is known there of what may properly be called spring; summer immediately succeeds the winter with a quick and luxuriant vegetation. And in midsummer the heat is little less intense than the cold in winter. The climate of the upper is much milder than that of the lower province.

The northern parts of Lower Canada are too barren to be cultivated with ny success, and even in the neighborhood of the Quebec, the crops of grain seldom exceed 12 bushels to the acre. The soil of the banks of the St Lawrence improves gradually as we ascend the river, and in the vicinity of Montreal, in lat. 45° 30′ the crops of wheat are tolerably abundant. The wheat is sown early in May, and is generally ripe by the end of August. Small quantities of maize are also planted, and a little tobacco. From Montreal the soil improves through all Upper Canada. When in an uncultivated state, the quality of the soil is known by the timber it produces. The larger and heavier the species of timber produced, the more excellent the soil.

Canada produces vast numbers of native flowering trees, shrubs and plants. There is a sort of indigenous vine, but the grapes are small and acid. In the interior, wild rice is found, which might be cultivated to advantage. A great variety of trees, furnishing excellent timber, are found in the immense forests; many of them of stupendous size, and apparently coeval with the soil on which they stand. The durability of this timber, when employed for ship building, is said to be only one half that of European timber. For some purposes, however, it is more useful.

Sugar maple trees are more numerous here than in the United States, and sometimes large tracts of land are entirely covered with them. Several other trees are used in the manufacture of pot and pearl ashes.

Copper, iron and lead are found here, and the two last in abundance. Fine specimens of marble have been recently quarried, and black-lead ore seems to abound in the lower provinces.

The chief natural curiosity is the Fall of Montmorenci, a perpendicular cataract of about 220 feet in height and 50 in breadth, formed near the junction of the river Montmorenci with the St Lawrence. The falls of the Chaudiere, and of the Shawinnegamme are also remarkable for their beauty. Niagara has been described in the chapter upon New York.

The capital of the lower province and of British America, is Quebec, which stands on the N. W. side of the river St Lawrence, about 400 miles from the sea. The town is divided into upper and lower. It is built upon a rock of marble and slate. It is defended by a fine regular citadel; and its other fortifications, though not regular, are strong. The houses are of stone, and tolerably well built. The harbor is safe and commodious. The number of inhabitants is about 22,000. From Quebec to Montreal, is a distance of 180 miles by the river, on the banks of which is what may be described as one continued village, about a mile in breadth, and representing all that is inhabited of Lower Canada. About half way between these two cities, stands Trois Rivieres, a town with some trade, and in a fertile portion of the country.

Montreal is situated on a well cultivated island of the same name, in the river St Lawrence, at the head of ship navigation. It is regularly and handsomely built, in the form of an oblong square. It is the centre of Canadian commerce, and the emporium of the North West Company. The houses are mostly built of a grayish stone, and the roofs are covered with sheet iron or tin. Pop. 24,000.

Upper Canada has been recently divided into 10 districts, and nearly 300 townships. The chief town is Kingston, situated at the northeastern extremity of Lake Ontario. It contains a fort and barracks, is a place of considerable trade, and rapidly increasing. The seat of government for the upper province is York, a place with about 100 well built wooden houses and one or two of brick. Among the other towns of note are Niagara, Queenstown, Chippeway and Malden, all rendered memorable by the events of the late war between Great Britain and the United States. Perth and Lanark are flourishing towns, rapidly rising into importance. The Earl of Selkirk's colony on the Red River, is in a flourishing condition.

There are two large canals in Upper Canada; Welland canal, connecting lakes Erie and Ontario, 41 miles long; and Rideau canal, connecting lake Ontario with the river Ottawa, 160 miles long. The commerce consists chiefly in the exportation of timber and furs.

Canada is governed by a Lieutenant, or Governor appointed by the king, assisted by a Legislative Council and House of Assembly. The members of the legislative union, or upper house, are summoned by the governor under the king's authority. They are 22 in number: 7 for Upper and 15 for Lower

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