PREFACE.

7

great migration of nations. The "geography of the middle age" extends from that period to the discovery of America; and this point begins the region of " modern geography." But if the subject were to be expressed in rigidly philosophical language, we should be obliged to make a distinction of geographies, corresponding to the number of nations and of ages. Each of these may be considered as a separate body of knowledge. They are indeed imperfect and erroneous systems, compared with that of the present age; but it is interesting and important even for mere amateurs, to have an idea of the slow progress, and sometimes retrograde course of the science, in so far as that progress is known to us with certainty. We shall therefore accompany the present work with an "Outline of the history of discoveries, and of geographical systems." We shall first take up this science in her cradle. Moses and Homer present us with a picture of two most antique nations. Soon after this, the Phoenician sailor, guided by the light of the stars, traverses the Mediterranean, and discovers the Atlantic Ocean. Herodotus relates to the Greeks what he has seen and heard, concerning different nations and countries. The extensive colonial system of Carthage, and the adventurous voyages of Pytheas of Marseilles bring the western world into view, and create conjectures respecting the north. The military glory of Alexander throws a brilliant light on the countries of the east. The Romans inherit the greater part of the discoveries made by the polished nations of antiquity. The Eratostheneses, the Strabos, the Plinies, and the Ptolemies, arrange the materials still obscure and incomplete. Next comes the great migration of nations, to overturn the whole edifice of ancient geography. It was by losing their ascendency that the Greeks and Romans learned how much more extensive the world was than their systems had represented it. The chaos thus produced, gradually gives place to regularity; and, with the rise of modern Europe, the elements of a new geography are formed. The spirit of travelling revives. It had already conducted, without profit, the Arabs to the Moluccas, and the Scandinavians to America. No science accompanied these people, to gather the fruit of their bold undertaking. Equally courageous, and better informed, the Italians and Portuguese, by the help of the magnetic needle, navigate the high seas with confidence. On every hand the barriers raised by prejudice, which contracted the horizon of geography, fall in pieces. Columbus now conducts us to a new world. By sea and by land, every nation emulously enters on the career of discovery; and, by their united efforts, the vast theatre of the globe, notwithstanding some partial shades, is now finally opened to the gaze of science.

This forms a subject which demands much perusal of old geographical works, and much attention to various ancient histories; but it cannot, in the eye of the general reader, be entitled to such a full description as the state of modern geography.

Even modern geography must be restricted within certain limits, which, without reducing it to a dry unmeaning nomenclature, will avoid the error of confounding it with other sciences. Intelligent minds, no doubt, often delight to bring together under the same point of view the results of sciences the most different from one another in their origin and progress, as well as in the nature of their objects. Geography, like history, certainly ought not to be blamed for taking an interest in every thing that influences the fate of nations and of empires. It must also be granted that she confers, in her turn, a benefit on other sciences, by bringing their discoveries into notice, in order to place them in a new light. When political economy, for example, weighs in her balance the powers of a state, when she ascertains the existing relation which the superficial area of

8

PREFACE.

each canton bears to the number of its inhabitants, the results of these laborious inquiries may often be of such a nature as to interest history. In the same way they may also interest geography. Such dry truths, when arranged in tables of political geography, acquire a lustre and an interest from the great geographical views with which they are associated. This species of interchange gives life to the whole republic of science and of literature. But the different regions of which that republic consists, have each its own language, its constitution, its separate interests. These objects are not to be confounded. Every discussion in politics, in religion, in morality-every research in history, chronology, or antiquities, which does not bear a direct reference to geographical changes-every calculation of the higher geometry-every superfluous quotation of the principles of chemistry or of physics-every detail in natural history which does not admit of any other description than the technical explanations of the naturalist, and which forms no essential feature in the physical picture of a country is to be considered as foreign to a good universal geography, though entering with great propriety into special treatises on mathematical, physical, or political geography.

Our science, when disencumbered of all that diversity of foreign matter, is still a subject of vast extent; and to an author desirous of exhibiting it in an advantageous light, it presents thorns and difficulties in sufficient number. When we have read, compared, and formed a judgment on all the accounts given by travellers of every nation, accounts often false, and often unsatisfactory, when we have analyzed an immense multitude of travellers' journals, astronomical observations and dissertations, descriptions and notices, enumerations and official statements, together with the estimates and calculations made by individuals; when we have, with much labour, searched out geographical documents, lost in memoirs of natural history, in monographs of medical, mineralogical, or botanical topography, often even in commercial almanacks and political journals; we have not yet done all that is required. Much remains to be brought to light that lies hid in the archives of governments, or buried in the portfolios of individuals; and much knowledge which is even openly exhibited in the great book of nature, but has not yet found an attentive observer, requires to be discovered by original observations.

Since geographical knowledge, like every thing of a historical nature, is derived from many sources, varying in their degrees of authenticity, it is indispensably necessary, in order to satisfy the inquiring reader, to give the names of such sources as have been consulted. The learned will thus judge what degree of credit they ought to repose in each instance. It is also an act of literary justice to make our readers acquainted with the names of those who have served as our masters and guides; names which to many will thus become known for the first time. Influenced by these considerations, we have at the bottom of each page given a reference to the principal passages in other authors, (generally original, rarely compilers,) on which our assertions are founded. At the same time, we have rigorously avoided such foot-notes as are injudiciously lavished in many learned works. None of our references will force our readers to make a halt. While one who is critically curious may, by means of them, bring our accuracy to the test, or obtain the means of extending his information on particular parts of our subject, another, whose object is to obtain as much interesting information as possible in the easiest manner, may peruse our work without suffering himself to be in any degree impeded by the references.

Persons disposed to patronize this valuable work, will please send in their names to the publishers, WELLS & LILLY, Boston.

BOOKS.

LATELY PUBLISHED BY WELLS AND LILLY.

Law.

I.

A TREATISE ON CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS. In two volumes. By WM. OLDNALL RUSSELL, of Lincoln's Inn, Esq. Barrister-at-Law. First American Edition; with additional Notes of Decisions in the American Courts. By DANIEL DAVIS, Solicitor General of Massachusetts.

THIS Treatise contains, in a lucid and appropriate arrangement, the principles of the Common Law, the Statutes, and the decided cases, relative to every offence which may be the subject of a prosecution by indictment, except only that of high treason. It contains the substance of the law of crimes, collected from the ancient and more modern writers; to which are added, Cases from the various printed Reports, together with such manu script cases as the learned author has thought to be of sufficient importance and authen. ticity.

The work contains less superfluous matter, in proportion to its extent, than any other English treatise upon the law of crimes, and on that account, its usefulness and value are much enhanced to an American lawyer-indeed it may be safely asserted, that the possession of this work, will supersede the necessity of resorting to any other upon the same branch of the law.

The accumulation of new matter, both by statutes and adjudged cases, since the publi cations of the valuable works of Hale and Hawkins, rendered a revision of the criminal code extremely necessary in England-it being now more than a century, since the last of these works was first published. This revision was some time since undertaken by Sir Edward Hyde East, and had the undertaking been completed, would doubtless have ren⚫ dered that of Mr. Russell unnecessary. But only two volumes of that work have been published, and it is probable the learned and distinguished author has relinquished all thoughts of publishing the third.

The works of Foster and Blackstone are of great value so far as they extend, and for the purposes for which they were originally designed. That of Foster was not intended as a general view of the criminal law; and the 4th vol. of Blackstone's Commentaries, is little more than an excellent digest of the preceding authorities.

As to the late Treatise of Mr. Chitty, published in 1816-it comprises, in addition to the principles of the criminal law, the practice, pleadings and law of evidence in criminal prosecutions, together with a copious collection of precedents-a great proportion of which are of little use in this country.

It seems therefore to be manifest, that a work upon the plan, and executed in the unexceptionable manner of that of Russell on Crimes and Misdemeanours, was greatly to be desired, and will be particularly useful and acceptable to the American bar.

It will be found also, that though the Law of Evidence on Criminal Prosecutions, is not fully treated of, yet the points relating to it, and the law relative to the competency of witnesses which applies more immediately to particular offences, are introduced in the conclusions of the several chapters.

In the edition of this work now offered to the public, such parts of it as can be of no use, and have no application in this country, have been omitted; such for instance as a variety of Statutes which are altogether local, and which refer to subjects entirely foreign to the administration of justice here. Any omissions. however, of the original work; been made with the utmost caution.

The additional matter in this edition, consists of notes of decisions in all the State Courts (which have been reported) and of the Courts of the United States-and of refe rences, and digests of the Statutes of the several States, and of the United States, rela tive to the Crimes and Misdemeanours, treated of in the original work. With respect to the notes of decisions in the American Courts, not merely a digest of them but as much of the grounds and principles upon which they are founded, are given, as are consistent with the nature of those decisions, and the size of the work.

II.

PICKERING'S REPORTS-forming 18th volume of Massachu

setts Reports.

III.

EIGHTH VOLUME OF TAUNTON'S REPORTS.

Vols. 5, 6 and 7. were published last year.

IV.

SECOND Volume of MASON'S REPORTS.

V.

Volumes IV. & V. of SPECIAL LAWS OF MASSACHUSETTS. These volumes contain Acts passed from 1805 to 1821.

VI.

A TREATISE ON THE LAW OF INSURANCE. BY WILLARD

PHILLIPS.

VII.

A TREATISE ON THE LAW OF EVIDENCE. By S. MARCH PHILLIPS, ESQ.

BARNEWALL & ALDERSON. 4 vols.

Volumes of any of the above Reports sold separate.

Medical.
I.

THE SEATS AND CAUSES OF DISEASES, investigated by Anatomy; containing a great variety of Dissections, and accompanied with Remarks. By JOHN BAPTIST MORGAGNI, Chief Professor of Anatomy, and President of the University at Padua. Abridged, and elucidated with copious notes, by WILLIAM COOKE, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, London,-and one of the Secretaries to the Hunterian Society.

II.

THE STUDY OF MEDICINE. By JOHN MASON GOOD, MD. F.R.S. Mejn. Am. Phil. Soc. and F..S. of Philadelphia. In four volumes.

III.

A PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF NOSOLOGY. By JOHN MASON GOOD, M.D. F.R.S. Mem. Am. Phil. Soc. and F.L.S. of Philadelphia. In one volume.

IV.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE DISEASES OF FEMALES which are attended by Discharges; Illustrated by Copper-Plates of the Diseases, &c. By CHARLES MANSFIELD CLARKE, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Surgeon of the Queen's Lying-In Hospital, and Lecturer on Midwifery in London.

V.

ESSAYS on Various Subjects, connected with MIDWIFERY. BY W. P. DEWEES, M.D. Mem. Amer. Phil. Soc. &c. &c.

"The writings of Dr. Dewees will carry conviction to the mind of every reader, that he is perfectly master of every subject he attempts to discuss. His papers on Puerperal Convulsions, Extra-uterine Conception, on the Rupture and Retroversion of the Uterus, and Uterine Hemorrhage, constitute an invaluable series, which we hope to see yet further extended."-Journal of Foreign Medicine.

"Essays on Midwifery have been just published by Dr. Dewees. We shall very soon review this. But in the mean time, we cannot forbear strongly recommending it to the medical public, as a most valuable production on the various and important subjects of which it treats."-Philadelphia Medical Journal.

VI.

A SHORT TREATISE ON OPERATIVE SURGERY, describing the Principal Operations as they are practised in England and France, designed for the use of Students in operating on the Dead Body. By CHARLES ÁVERILL, Surgeon, Cheltenham, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, London. With additions by JOHN BELL, M.D.

"I have perused with pleasure a small Treatise on Operative Surgery by Averill, which appears to me well calculated for students. W. GIBSON, M. D. Professor of Surgery in the University of Pennsylvania."

"I have examined Averill's treatise on Operative Surgery at your request, and am happy to find that it is exceedingly well suited for the use of Students of Medicine. They will doubtless be glad to obtain a work which combines the advantage of a concise and perspicuous style with the additional recommendation of cheapness." JOHN D. GODMAN.

I HAVE examined Mr. Averill's short Treatise on Operative Surgery, and find it generally correct, and well suited to the purpose for which it was composed. I am, &c. Yours, J. C. WARREN.

VII.

COMMENTARIES ON THE HISTORY AND CURE OF DISEASES. BY WILLIAM HEBERDEN, M. D.

VIII.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE FEVER which existed in Boston, during the Autumn and Winter of 1812-13. With a few general remarks on Typhus Fevers. By W. GAMAGE, Jr. M. D.

DENMAN'S APHORISMS.

IX.