The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-08-29


place within thele FIVE and twenty or thirty years. the
Nhicawa or Nsdowedee favages, ti that period ac-
enitomed foley to travel on foot, having oeu many
| OF the Spanh horfes wandering in the favannahs of
| the north of Mexico. In lefs than half century
thee new Tatars may become very tronbefome neigh
bours on the frontier Of the United States and the
feheme of co!on;Gng the borders of the Miouri and
MiiInippi will experience difficulties unknown to che
interior countries OF the confederation r.2S
The mountainous county is better known. Indeed
mountains impoiing objeas, which force them
ielves attention rivulets muf be invelpate,l
plains fedulouay explored. The American mountains
are, indeed, regular in their direction their rdye.
uninterrupted, and equal; yet they rife incon.
iiderable heighth, compared with the .Pyrenees the
Alps, and the Andes. They fcarcely for inaance,
exceed 400 totes, while the Alps are eliminated al,
1900, and the Ande, $500; eaimations probably
too great, but not far exceeding the truth. The
particular direction Of the chain cannot. follow ;
nor canwe notice the little geographical differences
between author aud Mr.. Arrofn,i,h.
With reipea to the internal Fracture Of this var
continent iad extenlive account, which great
!y illutrates the ply Zeal geography of America IL
ia with regret We perceive that we can only
trace its outline. The granatc region extends from
long Iiland northward, aud wefternly on the Ale
ganhies, bounded by the lakes on the rfouth. The
Calcarcous region extends wefward, and to the
fouth, beyond lake Michigan, far a, the fources
of the MIiihpp, and from thence to the fources Of
the Saskatchewan, joining the grand chain OF the 40
| ny mountains, whchs continuation of the Cordil-
leras of the Andes. Thee fas are of peculiar n,por
tace they thew what parts of the continent ere pri-
n'Ival x what countries, alater period, left by
th. iea When philosophical geography becomes anob-
jea Of attention, thee elements traced by the hand
OF nature herfelf, will claim peculiar attention The
Description of the regions of flone ealeareous
earth, oflea fand, and river auvions, admit not of
| Va, .t~,.. 49,,
encroaches on the limits above generally traced but
the kind is the primitive aone; and the animals bu-
ried in the Ca!careous hrata, in the m;dh OF this
watt continent, are hofe which ufualy thedeep-
citreeelies OF the This continent was certainly
once the bottom of vaff Tea and the Gulf of Mex
leo, in1ead of breaking in on the land, is perap-
the ait remains OF rereating The nnumerabie
brine pits, and males of a!t, vaf ditance from
the iea, fupport the fame idea. The Description Of
the probable consequences of river alluvens contains
many facts, accurately detailed, and fone iul ober
vation'. We notice them with more peafure as the
author does not recur to the lapfe of ferries OF in
Vulnerable ages.
The mountains of North America are in direc-
ton at right angles to the courie of the rivers This
toircumitaDce not peculiar to the new continent flor
! I'VE have rers-led :. cifc :. ~ c=:--.,:. &C AfsI
has, however, given uncommon appearance to its in
ternai parts; and M. Voiney, has urveyed the nte-
rior OF this country with the eye OF philosopher and
m'neraogii, has given a very clear and confident
explanation Of its formation. In his chapter on the
ancient lakes that have diiappeared, he points out
the peculiarly of the courfe of the rivers ranfverf
TO that Of the mountains, and hows that in former A.
ges, the whole of the we0ern territory NUT have con-
fitted of ferries of lakes from the conn of tbofe
rivers which now How either the Atlantic or into
the Gull OF Mexico. We neither copy nor abridse
our authors more Minute explanations, the map
not no" before US IL will be obvious, however, that
this explanation is fupported by the vaf horizontal
ai!uval tirata, which found in the weern coun-
! try This view will explain ALTO the deitruaion of
tome fpecies OF animals of which the Indians have re-
ceived traditional defcriptions and whole bones are
fouud III ioihi Rate; nuif we forget TO obferve
that it will alto confirm fyitem of the population
OF the eaitern Rates from the country we of the M
ii6ppi, in fouth-ealiern progrefs.
| We have formerly remarked the very high ftuati-
on OF the country which Contains the Canadian lakes
and may now add that, between Lake Erie, and the
Ohio, isl kind of table land which does not hope or
at leaf falls alot impsrcep.bly. This is proved from
the following obiervatous, which merit in maay ref
pe6t., our attention.
i. The Ohio in it's annual inunda,ions even be-
fore it idues from it's bed TO cover the rh bancuet.e
or beforeit is fwoen to the depth Of fifty feet keeps
back the water OF the Great Miami far as renyile
which s le"e.;' -: ::: s!:s ,;;;ty 10 is'.e
north; where it occafioss nagnaton of that river
and even an inundation, was alfured by the of
tieers whom found at that poa. the head quarters
OF the expedition under general Wayne in 1894
2. in the vernal foundations the north branch of
the Great Miami forms but one with the f,uth branch
OF the Miami of Lake Erie, called st Mary's river
the carrying place of three miles, which feparates their
heads, being covered with water, 70 that You can 30
IN boat from Loromie's Store to rty's Town tina,
is from branch Of the Ohio one of river that
runs into Lake Erie, as nayielf law the lpot in
1896.
50. At this fame place of Toronto, Store COM
mences an eafern branch Of the Wabaih which MIGHT
he united with both the above rivers by fimpIe
ditch and above Fort Wayne this fame Wabah in
the food fea!on always forms communication, by
means of one OF northern branches with the Mi
ami of Lake Erie.
4. During the winter Of 1909 e1ercantile houfe,
from which received the Information, difpatche,
two canoes from Fort Detroit on the ST. Lawrence,
which psfied Immediately, without carrying from the
river Huron, running into Lake Erie, to Grand Ri
YER winch runs into Lake Michigan, by the waters
at the head Of each of thele rivers OVERLOOKING
IS. The MufcnguTn, which runs into the Ohio.
alto communicates by means of it's fources, and of
lmall lakes, with the of the river Cayuqa
which flows into Lake Erie.' p. 30.
Beds of coal, found in the tuaton OF thefe fuppo.
fed lakes fupport, in authors opinion his fyf-
ten fnce he thinks coal to be nineraIifed vepeta-
bes-au Observation-Disclosures philosopher though
highly probable.
The following chapter is that fingular phscnome-
non, the falls Of Niagara NOT aupendous cata-
ract ruhing ledge Of rocks 27O feet above the
lower ground, and 900 feet wide. This phapome-
nan may be eaily uDderAood when the he; l cC ,b