Part 8

In no country do desert and fertile lands come in so close a neighborhood as in Africa. The northern part along the Mediterranean has a fertile soil, but immediately south is the great desert which is entirely devoid of vegetation. In other parts of Africa fertile spots may be found, on the margin of streams, or scattered in the midst of the almost uninhabitable Desert.

The most numerous class of inhabitants are the negroes, who inhabit almost the whole central and western parts of the country, except the Desert of Zahara. The moors inhabit the northern parts, and resemble in form and physiognomy, the natives of Europe. The Hottentots inhabit the southern extremity of the country. The wandering Arabs live on the Desert of Zahara, which they are enabled to traverse by the aid of the camel. This animal requires little food, and will live many days without a fresh supply of water.

Egypt was anciently a powerful nation, evidences of which exist in the ruins of buildings, catacombs and pyramids, which are numerous in the land. At present it is inhabited partly by barbarous tribes, and seems to have lost its ancient grandeur.

The climate of Egypt is exceedingly hot, and the air unrefreshed by rain. The soil is fertile when sufficiently moistened, and produces wheat, barley, corn, flax, sugar-cane, olives, dates, and oranges in abundance.

The only river is the Nile, and the possession of this river is an incalculable blessing to the country, as it serves the double purposes of internal communication, and watering the country. This river annually overflows its banks, in consequence of rain in the Abyssinian mountains, where it rises. It begins to rise about the middle of June, and spreads a muddy deluge to a great extent, on both sides of its channel. The waters subside to their natural bed in October, leaving a rich and wet manure on the surface of the ground. That part of the year called the winter months, is here the most productive, the ground being covered with vegetation, and is so fertile during the season that it yields three crops.

Sierra Leone, so named by the Portuguese because the mountains are infested with _Lions_, is an English settlement, which was commenced with a view to extend the benefits of civilisation and Christianity to the natives, and to afford a refuge for Africans rescued from slave ships. Freetown is the capital of the colony.

Liberia is the name given to a colony established by the American Colonization Society, on the western coast of Africa, three hundred miles southeast from Sierra Leone. Great numbers of the free people of color have removed from the United States to this settlement. Commerce and agriculture flourish, and efforts are made to extend the benefits of education and the christian religion through the colony, and to the natives. Monrovia is the chief town.

GENERAL QUESTIONS.

1. _What is diameter?_ 2. _What is circumference?_ 3. _How is the earth proved to be a globe or round body?_ 4. _How many miles is it through the centre of the earth?_ 5. _How many degrees round it?_ 6. _How many miles round it?_ 7. If you were to sail from the island Owhyhee sixty degrees in a westerly direction, at what cluster of islands would you arrive? 8. _How many degrees east and west is longitude reckoned?_ 9. What is the longitude of the New Hebrides?

10. Between what islands would a ship pass in sailing directly from Otaheite to Van Dieman’s land? 11. What direction would a ship take in sailing by the shortest route from Owhyhee to Canton? 12. Which way would you sail by the shortest route from Madagascar to the Friendly Isles? 13. Through what States would you pass in going from Mobile to Cincinnati? 14. From Charleston to Albany? 15. St. Louis to Boston?

_The word_ ANTIP´ODES _means those people who live on the opposite side of the earth, and have their feet under ours._ 16. The inhabitants of what city of Asia are nearly antipodes to the citizens of New Orleans?

17. How many degrees further north latitude is Liverpool than Boston? 18. Madrid than Savannah? 19. Which is further south, Cape Town or Rio Janeiro? 20. Which is further east, Algiers or St. Petersburg?

_There is a scale of miles attached to each map; thus on the map of Massachusetts, if you wish to find the distance, in miles, from Boston to Providence, you must measure the distance and compare it with the scale, and it will be found to be about forty miles. Another method is, to find the distance in degrees, and multiply the amount by 69½, because 69½ English miles make a degree._

21. How many miles is it from Boston to Middletown, Con.? 22. From Paris to London? 23. From London to Liverpool? 24. From Tombuctoo to Morocco? 25. From Madagascar to New Holland?

WEST INDIA ISLANDS.

A fertile soil, a hot and unhealthy climate in summer, and a pleasant and healthful winter, is common to all the West India Islands. Being situated in the torrid zone, they produce most of the tropical fruits, spices, &c. viz. indigo, coffee, cinnamon, cocoa, cloves, pine-apples, pomegranates, oranges, lemons, limes, figs, &c.

Cuba, 700 miles long, is the largest, and belongs to Spain; its capital, Havanna, is a place of much commerce. St. Domingo, or Hayti, is next in size. In this island the black population have established an independent government, and their chief magistrate is called the President of Hayti. Jamaica is a prominent island, highly cultivated, belonging to Great Britain; its chief town is Kingston.

Guadaloupe and Barbadoes are the principal of the Caribbee Islands. Hurricanes are common in these fertile islands.

OCEANICA.

EAST INDIA ISLANDS.

Comprise two groups of islands, viz. the Isles of Sunda and the Philippine Islands.

BORNEO is the largest of these islands. It has an unhealthy climate, and a fertile soil. The Ourang Outang, the largest of the monkey species, is common in this island.

SUMATRA is a mountainous and wild country. Its forests abound with the elephant, rhinoceros, bear, and wild boar. Bencoolen, the only European settlement, belongs to England.

JAVA has many volcanic mountains, an unhealthy climate, and fertile soil. Batavia is the chief town, and was founded by the Dutch.

CELEBES and GILOLO, together with many of the neighboring smaller isles, are called the Moluccas or Spice islands. All these islands, from their broken and rocky appearance, seem to have been formed by volcanic agency. Earthquakes are frequent. These islands belong to the Dutch.

The PHILIPPINE ISLANDS are very numerous, and abound in marshes, and are frequently visited by earthquakes. Luzon is the largest of them, and Manilla is the principal town.

The East India Islands produce in abundance rice, cotton, pepper, camphor, coffee, sugar, nutmegs, cloves, sago, sandal wood, and diamonds.

AUSTRALASIA.

Embraces many large islands, lying in the south Pacific Ocean.

NEW HOLLAND is the largest island in the world, having a greater extent of surface than the United States. It is at present but little known. Its native inhabitants are said to approach nearer to the brute creation than any other savages.

VAN DIEMAN’S LAND is a fertile island, belonging to the British. Of NEW GUINEA little is known.

NEW BRITAIN and NEW IRELAND have a fertile soil, and produce abundance of nutmegs. The inhabitants resemble those of New Holland in their characters. They are exceedingly warlike.

POLYNESIA.

This name is given to those islands lying in the Pacific ocean between Asia, the West India and Australasian islands on the one side, and America on the other. In this division Owhyhee, one of the Sandwich islands, is the largest. The inhabitants of the Sandwich, Ladrone and Navigator’s islands, are notorious thieves. Those of the Friendly, the Society, the Pelew islands, are hospitable and kind. Otaheite is the largest of the Society islands, and has a missionary establishment, as has also, Owhyhee. Many of the people have embraced Christianity.

The climate and soil of these islands are peculiarly adapted to the production of numerous fruits and necessaries of life. The productions are bread fruit, sugar, cocoa-nuts, oranges, limes, sandal wood, plantain, yams, and sweet potatoes.

ELEMENTAL ASTRONOMY,

IN WHICH THE SCIENCE IS CONSIDERED PRINCIPALLY IN ITS RELATION TO THE EARTH.

ASTRONOMY is the science which treats of the System of the Universe.

The system of which the Earth is a part, is called the SOLAR SYSTEM; and is composed of the _Sun_, the _Planets_, _Satellites_, and _Comets_.

The SUN is the source of light and heat to the whole system, and is the centre of motion, round which all the other bodies revolve from west to east.

The PLANETS are opaque or dark bodies, which revolve round the Sun at different distances. There are eleven planets, viz. _Mercury_, _Venus_, _Earth_, _Mars_, _Jupiter_, _Saturn_, _Herschell_, _Ceres_, _Pallas_, _Juno_, and _Vesta_.

SATELLITES are opaque bodies moving round the planets, in company with the planets round the Sun. They are generally called moons. There are eighteen Satellites, viz. the Earth has _one_, Jupiter _four_, Saturn _seven_, and Herschell _six_.

COMETS are bright bodies moving round the Sun. Coming from a far distant part of the universe, they approach very near the Sun, and then return with equal swiftness. Their nature is but little known.

The paths of the planets and comets round the Sun, and of the satellites round their planets, are called their ORBITS.

Those stars which always appear in the same situation in relation to each other are called FIXED STARS. About 1000 can be seen at once by the naked eye, and by the help of the telescope many millions may be seen. Their sizes are little known, but probably some of them are _many million times larger_ than the earth. _They are not considered a part of our Solar System_, but are supposed to be Suns of other systems, round which other planets revolve.

A planet _turns on its axis_ (like a wheel upon an axletree,) and each _turn_ is the cause of day and night. It is _day_ to that half of the planet which is toward the Sun, and _night_ to the other half. Each _revolution of a planet round the Sun_ makes its year; but _because the orbits are not equal_, the years of all the planets are not the same. Thus Herschell’s year is more than _eighty-three of our years_.

The axis of the earth is not perpendicular while the earth is revolving round the sun, but slanting, as is seen in the cut above. Whilst the earth is passing between the points marked March 20, and Sept. 23, the north pole inclines toward the sun, and then the northern hemisphere enjoys more of his rays than the southern. Consequently it is the warm season in the northern, and the cold season in the southern hemisphere; and from 23d Sept. to 20th March, as the south pole is toward the sun, it is the warm season in the southern, and the cold season in the northern hemisphere.

The EARTH is nearly a round body, and revolves on its axis, _once every twenty-four hours_, _from west to east_, which causes the Sun and stars to appear to _rise in the east, and set in the west_.

The earth’s surface contains about _two hundred millions of square miles_, and its orbit is _ninety-six millions of miles from the Sun_. The time occupied by the earth in its revolution round the Sun, is about _365 days_, which space of time constitutes its year.

Planets and satellites do not shine with their own light, but merely _reflect the light of the Sun_; of course only one half can be bright at a time, which must be that half which is _toward the Sun_.

When the moon is on the side of the earth opposite to the Sun, the whole bright side of the moon is toward the earth, and it is then _full moon_; but when the Sun and moon are on the same side of the earth, the dark side of the moon is toward the earth, and it is _new moon_.

The earth’s satellite or _moon_, revolves round the earth in about _twenty-nine and a half days_, and this causes the _phases_ or changes of the moon. It turns on its axis in the same space of time.

The inner circle represents the moon in her different positions as enlightened by the Sun.

The outer circle represents the moon’s appearance in her different positions as seen from the earth.

An ECLIPSE means a temporary obscuration of the Sun or moon, or a part of either, from our sight. When the Sun or moon is wholly hid from our sight, the eclipse is called _total_, and when only a part is obscured, it is called _partial_.

_An eclipse of the Sun_ is caused by the passage of the moon between the Sun and the earth, and can never take place except at the time of _new moon_.

To understand this more fully, observe the cut below, and suppose a person standing on the earth at a place where the shadow of the moon falls upon the earth; he cannot see the Sun, because the moon is between him and the Sun.

The moon being an opaque body, does not shine, when by any cause the rays of the Sun are prevented from reaching her surface. Thus when the moon arrives in her orbit at a point where the rays of the Sun are intercepted by the earth, she is in the shadow of the earth, and is not enlightened by the Sun. Therefore;

_An eclipse of the moon_ is caused by the moon’s passing through the shadow of the earth. This can never happen except at the time of _full moon_.

TIDES.

TIDES are regular motions or successive rising and falling of the waters of oceans and seas. They are caused chiefly by the attraction of the moon, which draws up the waters as seen in _cut_ No. 1. Thus, as the moon revolves round the earth, its attracting or drawing power passes with it over the surface of the ocean, and the elevation of the waters, following that attraction, is drawn along until the shore or coast of a country stops its progress; this causes, all along the coast, a rising of the water, and it is then called high tide. The tides occur twice in twenty-four hours.

The attraction of the moon in producing tides is affected in some degree by the sun. When the sun and moon attract in unison, the tides are very high; and when the sun tends to counteract the action of the moon the tides are not so high. _Cut_ No. 2.

The _highest_ tide is called _spring tide_, and the _lowest_, _neap tide_. These tides follow each other in regular succession, the daily tides gradually decreasing during fifteen days, from the _highest_ to the _lowest_; and during the next fifteen days, increasing from the _lowest_ to the _highest_.

QUESTIONS IN REVIEW OF THE COMPENDIUM.

_Commencing at Page 9._

1. What does the surface of the earth most naturally appear to be? 2. What is the difference between an island and a continent? 3. What proofs are there that the ocean is not bottomless? 4. What is the chief characteristic of the waters of the ocean? 5. Why is the height of places calculated from the level of the sea? 6. What is the extent of each of the divisions of the ocean? 7. What is the prominent feature of the surface of the land? 8. What is a Defile?—9. A Plateau? 10. Whence is the name _Volcano_ derived? 11. What is the longest range of mountains in the world? 12. At what height does the region of perpetual snow commence—13. Why do geographers disagree concerning the length of rivers? 14. For what is the river Amazon remarkable? 15. From whence are the waters of springs and rivers? 16. How many classes of lakes are there? 17. Describe the differences in the classes. 18. What gives rise to the opinion that there are extensive sheets of water underground? 19. How are mines formed? 20. What is remarkable of the climate of America in comparison with that of the eastern continent— 21. For what is Europe distinguished? 22. Asia? 23. Africa? 24. To whom do the West India Islands principally belong? 25. What are Political divisions? 26. Name their distinguishing traits. 27. What religions are professed by the inhabitants of the earth? 28. What are characteristic features of the different races of men? 29. What do you understand by _Savages_?—30. Barbarians?—31. Civilized nations?—32. Enlightened? 33. What are the distinguishing features of North America? 34. By whom was it inhabited before its discovery by Columbus? 35. For what are the British and Russian Possessions valuable? 36. Describe Mexico? 37. What are the productions of Guatimala? 38. From what causes are the United States divided into groups or sections? 39. For what are the New England States distinguished? 40. Why have Maine and New Hampshire better advantages for commerce than Vermont? 41. What is said of the oldest New England State? 42. What buildings in Boston are venerated as being intimately connected with the history of the American Revolution? 43. What is said of the commercial advantages of Boston? 44. What is said of Connecticut? 45. What is peculiar in the government of Rhode Island? 46. What is the characteristic of the Middle States? 47. What is the staple production? 48. What is said of the rank of New York State? 49. Which is the most commercial city in the United States?

50. What is said of New Jersey? 51. Whence is the name Pennsylvania, derived? 52. What is said of the agriculture of this State? 53. What article is obtained for fuel? 54. What are the productions of Delaware? 55. What is said of the husbandry and productions of Maryland? 56. What is the chief commercial city, and what are its exports? 57. What is said of the District of Columbia? 58. What is said of the Western States?—59. Of the soil, climate and agriculture of Ohio? 60. Of what is the population composed and what is its character? 61. What is the commercial capital of the Western States? 62. What is said of Indiana?—63. Illinois?—64. Missouri?—65. Kentucky?—66. Tennessee? 67. What are the staple productions of the Southern States? 68. For what is Virginia distinguished? 69. What is said of North Carolina?—70. South Carolina and its inhabitants? 71. How many varieties are there of the staple of South Carolina? 72. What is said of New Orleans? 73. For what are the mountains of South America valuable? 74. Which of the countries are republics? 75. What is said of the Araucanian Indians? 76. For what are the pampas of South America valuable? 77. In which part are diamonds found? 78. What is said of the climate and productions of the northern countries of Europe?—79. Of the central part?—80. Of the southern part? 81. For what is France noted and honored? 82. What is the face of the country and climate of England?—83. Of Scotland? 84. Of Ireland?—85. to 87. What is said of the inhabitants of each? 88. What is said of London?—89. Of Edinburgh? 90. What is the general character of the soil and climate of Asia? 91. What is said of Arabia?—92. Of Turkey?—93. Of Persia?—94. Of Hindostan?—95. Of India beyond the Ganges?—96. Of China? 97. What is said of the soil of Africa?—98. Of the inhabitants?—99. Of Egypt?—100. Of the Nile?—101. Of Sierra Leone, and Liberia? 102. What are the soil and climate of the West India Islands?—103. The productions? 104. Which has established an independent government? 105. What groups of islands are called East India Islands? 106. What are some of the peculiarities of these islands? 107. What is said of New Holland? 108. Of Van Dieman’s Land? 109. Of New Britain and Ireland? 110. What is the character of the people of the Ladrone and Navigator’s islands? 111. Of the Friendly, the Society, and the Pelew islands? 112. What is said of the climate and productions of the Polynesian islands?

End of Project Gutenberg's The Boston School Atlas, by B. Franklin Edmands