APPENDIX. ELEMENTS OF GEOGRAPHY. This Appendix contains a few of the outlines of general Geography, with a number of small maps, delineating the parts described. The exercises are brief, and designed for the good scholar, as a ninth lesson, after he shall have successfully accomplished his eight daily recitations, regularly assigned in this part of his studies. SECON I. (Lesson 1.) THE EARTH. 1. Geography is that branch of study which describes the earth; the globe on which we live. The earth is round, like a ball. A line through its centre woul! reach nearly 8,000 English miles; and a line round it, nearly 25,000; and its mean density is 4 times that of water. 2. The earth is nearly 35,000,000 of miles from the sun, the cause of light and heat. It revolves round that luminary once in each year, which occasions the seasons; and it turns upon its own axis every 24 hours, which causes the change of day and night. 3. The earth is known to be globular, from its having been repeatedly sailed round;-and, for the first time, by F. Magellan's fleet, in 1519. The component parts of the earth are land and water; and these parts, taken at the surface, are about 2 of the latter to 1 of the former. 4. To aid in the location of places and the description of the earth's surface, the natural divisions, both of land and water, are designated by different names. Those of the land, are continents, islands, isthmuses, peninsulas, capes, and mountains;--and those of the water, are oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, gulfs or bays, havens or harbours, friths or estuaries, straits, creeks, channels, and roads. NOTE.-The pupil will bear in mind, that the land, though seen in parts, is in one united body; and that the several divisions of water constitutes one great connected ocean. Questions on the above Lesson. 1. What is Geography? 2. What the earth's form? 3. Its diameter? Circumference? 8. When, and by whom first sailed round? 9. What the component parts? 4. Its density? Its distance from the 10. The proportions at the surface? sun? 11. What the divisions of land? 5. Its annual revolution and effects? 12. What those of water? 6. Its daily revolution, and effects? 7. How known to be round? 13. Why these distinctions? (Lesson 2.) THE EARTH. The divisions of land. 1. Continents. A continent is a large tract of country not separated by water. There are three continents; the eastern, the western, and the southern. The eastern continent contains Eu rope, A'sia, and Africa; the western, North and South America: and the southern, New Holland and the adjoining islands. [Sec map.] 2. Islands. An island is a portion of land surrounded by water; as, the island of Cuba. 3. Isthmuses. An isthmus is a narrow neck of land, joining two large portions of the earth's surface; as, the isthmus of Dủ rien'. 4. Peninsulas. A peninsula is a tract of land mostly surrounded by water; as, South America. 5. Capes. A cape is a point of land extending into the sea; as Cape Horn. 6. Mountains. A mountain is a high elevation of land, rising toward the clouds; as, the An'des. The divisions of water. 7. Oceans. An ocean is a large extent of water, no where separated by land. There are three oceans; the Atlantic, the P cific, and the In'dian oceans. The Atlantic lies between Americ. and Europe; the Pacific, between America and Asia; the Idian, between Asia and New-Holland. [See map.] 8. Seas. A sea is a less extent of water, partially surrounded by land; as the Mediterranean sea. 9. Lakes. A lake is a portion of water surrounded by land: as, lake Superiour. 10. Rivers. A river is a large stream of water passing throug the country and falling into the ocean; as the Mississippi. 11. Gulfs. A gulf, or bay, is a portion of water, less than a sco, and partly inclosed by land; as, the Bay of Bis'cay. 12. Havens. A haven, or harbour, is a small bay, near the land, where ships ride at anchor; as, New-York Harbour. 13. Friths. A frith, or estuary, is the wide outlet of a river where it falls into the ocean; as, the River of Plate. 14. Channels. A channel is a navigable passage of water between two bodies of land; as, the British Channel. 15. Straits. A strait is a navigable passage of water, less than a channel; as, the Strait of Magellan. 16. Creeks. A creek is a kind of small bay, running up into the land; every portion of the sea coast is full of creeks. 17. Roads. A road is a place of anchorage, distant from land where vessels lie when waiting for wind or tide. 18. Coasts. A coast is the region of water bounding the land and a shore is the land joining the water. Questions on the above Lesson. 1. What is a Continent? 9. How many and where? (Lesson 3.) 10. What a Sea? Example? 14. A Haven or Harbour? 18. How are Shore and Coast applied? OF MAPS. 1. A map is a correct picture of the earth's surface, or some part of it, delineated upon paper. It should represent the divi sions of land and water, in their relative proportions and situa tions; and exhibit the kingdoms, cities, mountains, rivers, &c. of the earth. 2. A map of the world has all the circles usually drawn upon an artificial globe. They are of two kinds, great circles and small circles. The great circles divide the map into equal parts; they are the equator, ecliptic, horizon, and meridian. The small circles divi le the map into unequal parts; they are the tropics and the polar circles: To the above circles may be added the parallels of latitude, and the circles of longitude. 3. The principal divisions of the mariner's compass are transferred to the margin of the map; the cardinal points of which are east, west, north and south. 4. In general, the top of the map is north; the foot, south; the right hand, east; and the left hand, west. 5. Latitude is the distance of places from the circle of the equator, counted in degrees and minutes, north or south. When the figures on the map increase toward the top, the latitude is north; when they increase toward the foot, the latitude is south: --but, in no case, can it extend beyond 90 degrees. 6. Longitude is the distance of places from a given meridian, east or west. If the figures increase toward the right hand, the longitude is east, but if they increase toward the left, the longitude is west;--but can never be above 180 degrees. Observe that latitude is counted on the sides of the map, and longitude, at the top and foot, or on the equator. 7. The foregoing circles, though merely imaginary, divide the earth's surface into 5 zones. To wit: two frigid, two temperate, and one torrid; all of which will be seen by a single inspection of the map. Questions on the above Lesson. 1. What a map? What represent? 4. The compass, and cardinal points? 7. What is latitude? How distinguished? 8. What is longitude? How known? 9. What tropics? What zones? 10. Point out the cardinal points, 1k Find 900 from the equator... |