nected with the Andes on the W. and N. W., by
an intermediate range, called the mountains of
Chiquitos.

This country is noted for the vast plains, call-
ed pampas. From the banks of the Paraguay
immense plains extend westward to the frontiers
of Los Charcas, and northward to the mountains
of Chiquitos. These plains are generally elevated
and dry, though traversed by numerous rivers.
They are skirted by extensive and ancient forests,
which afford shelter to the wild animals of the
'ountry, and are inhabited by Gauchos and other

scattered tribes of Indians, who roam over their
deserts in a state of savage independence. See
Pampas.

A country so extensive as Buenos Ayres, must
possess a great variety both of climate and soil.
While, on the frozen summits of the Andes, the
cold is intolerable even in summer, in the plains
the heats of summer are extremely oppressive.
The S. W. wind prevails only about one month
during the year. In the northern parts of the
country and in the interior, the W. wind is
scarcely known, and seldom lasts three hours to-
gether. At Buenos Ayres, and on the coast, the
winds are more violent; the westerly wind is
most common, and, sweeping down the immense
plains of the interior, rushes over upon the coast
with inconceivable violence. The S. E. wind is
generally followed by rains in winter, and by dry
weather in summer. In the spring and summer
these winds are often very violent, raising clouds
of dust which obscure the sun, and which cause
great inconvenience to the inhabitants, by des-
troying their clothes, and penetrating into their
houses and apartments. The atmosphere is very
humid, and the apartments which have a southern
exposure have always wet floors.

But, notwithstanding the exuberant fertility and
benign temperature which pervades the greater
part of this extensive country, its cultivation has
been greatly neglected ; and a colony which have
been the granary of Europe, has hitherto produced
little more than what merely supplies its own
wants. The native pride and indolence of the
Spaniards, and the extreme sluggishness of the
Indians, effectually stop all agricultural improve-
ments in this part of the New World ; and exten-
sive plains, watered by innumerable streams, are
only employed to rear and fatten cattle.

The inhabitants of this extensive country are
composed of the same classes as those of the other
Spanish colonies, viz. :    European Spaniards,

Creoles, people of Colour, Negroes, and Indians.
Of these, the Europeans held (till the late revo-
lution) the first rank: and filled, with few excep-
tions, every office of trust, power, and influence,
in the country. The Creoles who have at pres-
ent gained the ascendency, held an inferior opli
tical rank to the Europeans. The people of colour,
the negroes, and Indians, still hold the same rel-
ative situations in society,xe2x80x94the Indians, as usual,
being lowest in the scale. It is difficult to fix
the number of inhabitants, and the relative pro-
portions of the classes to each other.

The internal commerce of Buenos Ayres, or
that carried on with its own provinces, is consid-
erable. Of this traffic, the herb of Paraguay forms
the most important branch: 2,500,000 lbs. of it
pass annually into Peru, and 1,000,000 lbs. into
Chile. It is conveyed in covered waggons drawn
by oxen, from Santa Fe to Jujuy and Mendoza,
and from thence is carrried on the backs of mules
to Potosi, La Paz, Peru, arid Chile. In Paraguay,
the price of this article is 4 dollars, or 18s. per
arroba of 25 lbs. At Potosi, however, the price is
more than double, and increases as it proceeds
north. Immense droves of cattle pass annually
into Peru; and 60,000 mules of two years old,
are annually purchased in the territory, for
that country. The greatest part of European com
modities consumed in Chile, are drawn from
Buenos Ayres. A considerable commerce is also
carried on with the independent tribes that sur-
round the country, particularly with the Pap
pas and Puelches. Some gold of a very superior
quality, which is supposed to be collected among
the mountains and upland springs on the banks
of the Uraguay, has been lately brought to Buenos
Ayres by the Indians, who contrive to barter it
with the Americans or other foreign merchants.

The foreign commerce of this country is trans-
acted chiefly at Buenos Ayres, from Which place
are exported hides, tallow, corn, beef, furs and
peltry, gold and silver. The government is re-
publican, but has been for some time in an unset-
tled state. Buenos Ayres is the capital. This
country was formerly a viceroyalty under the
Spanish goverment but revolted and declared its
independence immediately after the invasion of
Spain by the French in 1808. The population is
above 2,000,000.

United States of America, a federative republic,
ocupying the middle division of North America,
and consisting ofthe States of Maine, New Hamp-
shire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylva-
nia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, N. and S.
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Missis-
sippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illin-
ois, and Missouri, all which are independent states
with regard to their internal government, and the
Territories of Florida, Michigan, Arkansas, Mis-
souri, Oregon and the district of Columbia, which
are under the dominion of the general government.
This republic is bounded N. by British and Rus-
sian America, E. by the Atlantic Ocean, S. by the
Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mexican ter-
ritories, and W. by the Mexican territories,and the
Pacific Ocean. It extends from 25. to 55. N. lat.
and from 43. 5. to about 130. W. long, and con-
tains upwards of 2,300,000 square miies.

This country is traversed by two great chains
of mountains; the Rocky mountains which are a
continuation ofthe great Mexican chain and pass
through the western territories of the United
States in a northwesterly direction toward the
Frozen Ocean ; and the Apalachian chain, which
has its whole extent in this country and stretches
from the southeastern side of the Mississippi
valley, in a northeast direction parallel to the coast
of the United States nearly to the Gulf of St.
Lawrence. The different ridges of this chain,