pecially in fummer. This wind occurs but rarely in the fummer months, in the northern and middle regions of the United States. It sweeps the Atlantic. coaft, but rarely penetrates beyond the mountains weftward. It is obferved, that a north-eaft ftorm begins at the fouth-weft, and is felt in the fouthern parts of the United States, before it is in the northern.

149. Summer Rains, The rains of fummer are of two kinds; durable rains from the east or south, or fudden and temporary fhowers. In fome years the summer rains are mostly from the fouth or fouth-eaft, attended with a humid ftate of atmosphere, extremely relaxing to the human body. Such rains are not ufually accompanied with thunder. Sudden fhowers collect in the weft, in hot weather, or after two or three days of extreme heat; and ufually between noon and evening. A black cloud is fpeedily formed, and driven by violent wind from the north-weft or weft, accompanied with livid flashes of lightning and tremendous thunder. With torrents of rain or hail. The duration of thefe fhowers is from half an hour to three hours. Sometimes these fhowers are attended with a hurricane of wind, called a tornado, drive ing forward with a whirling motion, twisting off the trunks of the firmeft trees, and levelling buildings, fences and plants in promifcuous destruction.

150. Effects of thefe Showers. The fummer fhowers, collecting over the mountainous parts of the country and accompanied with a current of air from the cool regions of the atmosphere, not only refresh vegetation by a copi ous fupply of water, but bring along a portion of pure and cool air, which is highly falubrious and invigorating to the human body, when almost exhausted with extreme heat: and for a day or two after the guft, the wind ufually blows from the weftward. At the fame time the coolness of the air is increased and continued by the rapid evavoration which follows a fhower; the heat of the earth combining with the water, being carried off in an invifible form.

151.

The Weather Weftward of the Mountains. That part of the United States which lies westward of the high lands, which divide the streams falling into the Atlantic, from thofe which fall into the lakes and the Miffsippi, has a more temperate climate than the fame latitudes on the Atlantic, and is lefs fubje& to violent ftorms. It is remarkable alfo that thowers collect more fuddenly over that part of the country-the rain does not begin gradually, but almost instantly pours down a torrent of water--and all at once it ceafes, as in the twinkling of an eye. Snow falls frequently and without wind. Thunder alfo is lefs frequent in fome parts of the interior country, than it is eastward of the mountains.

152. Climate in Regard to Health. The northern Atlantic region of the United States, being moftly dry, hilly land, is favored with a pure air and good water, and dif tinguifhed by the falubrity of its climate. In a very few places, low and marthy lands are found to produce autumnal diseases. The mountainous parts of the middle and fouthern regions, are, as in all parts of the globe, healthy. From the Hudfon fouthward, the flat lands along the Atlantic and by the fides of rivers, are infested with autumnal fevers. In the northern region, one half the children born live to be nineteen years old-one feventh live to the age of feventy, and one thirteenth, to eighty. The annual deaths amount only to one in feventy or feventy-five of all the inhabitants living.

153 Difeafes of the United States. The ordinary dif eafes of the United States are the fame as thofe which invade mankind in all fimilar climates. The ufual epidemics are hooping cough, meafles, influenza, scarlet fever, with fome milder eruptive difeafes. Thefe diseases are periodical, tho the periods are not exactly uniform.. The autumnal difeafes are chiefly dyfentery and bilious fevers of all grades, from flight intermittents to the malignant fever, which is denominated peftilence. The dyfentery appears, in fcattered cafes, every year; but in fome autumns becomes epidemic with great mortality. It however never invades large cities with fuch general

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mortality, as it does particular parts of the country. The malignant bilious fever occurs occafionally, but chiefly in large towns on the fea coast or on rivers, or near lakes and stagnant water.

154. Chronic Difeafes. In the northern region of the United States, and efpecially on the fea fhore, the confumption is the most general and fatal chronic complaint; carrying off in fome places, a fifth, or even a fourth of the inhabitants. In the middle region, it is, prevalent, but in a lefs degree; and in the fouthern, is fill lefs deftructive. Rhumatic complaints, gout and hypocondriac affections are common. In the country west

of the mountains, between the Ohio and the lakes, the goiter, or fwelling upon the throat, is very prevalent,. among the whites, but not among the natives.

VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS..

155. Native Trees of the United States.

N the variety, fize and beauty of its foreft trees, no

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country can exceed the United States. The kinds of trees found in every part of our country are, oak, pine, maple, beech, ash, spruce, fir, hemloek, hickory, elm, chefaut, willow, poplar, cedar, locuft, faffafras, laurel, birch, cherry, bafs wood, butternut, hornbeam, bay, buttonwood, elder, dog-wood. Of feveral of these kinds there are many varieties.

156. Trees peculiar to Particular regions. The blackwalnut is indigenous, in the country fouthward of the Hudson, and not eastward; but when tranfplanted, it grows well in New-England. The perfimmon, chincopin, eatalpa, papaw, plane-tree, magnolia, aloe cypress, paccan, pimento, and fome others, are found folely or chiefly in the middle, fouthern and western regions of the United States. The live oak, the best of timber for fhips, is a native of the fouthern regions, chiefly of the islands op

the coaft of South Carolina and Georgia, and of the Miffifippi territory.

157. Shrubs and wild Fruit Trees. The crab-apple is found in all parts of the United States, and in the Southern and middle regions, cider is made of its fruit. Moft parts of this country abound with wild cherries, currants; grapes, ftrawberries, huckleberries, blackber ries, dewberries, raspberries, barberries, mulberries, bayberries, juniperberries, filberts, hazle-nuts, bilberries, plums, goofeberries, fumac, honey-fuckle myrtle, cranberries. The latter fhrub is peculiar to America, and furnishes our tables with one of the richest sauces.

158. Foreign Trees and Fruits Cultivated in America. Most of the fruit trees cultivated on the eastern continent,. thrive well in the United States. Among these are apples, peaches, pears, quinces, cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines, gooseberries, raspberries, melons, oranges, lemons, figs, pomgranates, olives, and almonds. Apples thrive beft in the middle and northern regions-peaches and melons, in the fouthern. The peach is found in a good degree of perfection as far north as Bofton, but farther northward, degenerates, and is cultivated with dif ficulty. Oranges, lemons, pomgranates, almonds figs, and olives, grow as far north as Virginia, but are fubject. to be killed by the frofts of winter-In South-Carolina and Georgia they are cultivated with fuccefs..

159. Garden Vegetables. Every species of vegetable, cultivated for the ufe of the table in the old world, thrives well in America. Of these we have peas, beans, cabbages, calliflowers, fpinnage, celery, lettuce, afparagus, turnips, onions, beets, radishes, carrots, parfnips, cucumbers, and a variety of other kinds, ufed in cookery and for medicinal purposes. The fugar cane has been lately introduced into the Miffifippi territory, and is cultivated with fuccefs, affording fugar of the best quality.

160. Plants indigenous in America. Maiz, potatoes, tobacco, pumpkins, fquafhes, hops and ginfeng, are native. productions of America. Of these the three firft are of the most use. Maiz, commonly called Indian corn, is

one of the most extenfively useful grains known in the world; as it thrives through a range of nearly one hundred degrees of latitude, or fifty degrees on each file of the equator, and is one of the moft, nourishing articles of food for man and beat. In the fouthern parts of the United States, this plant grows to the height of twelve or fourteen feet, and the ear fprings from the twelfth or thirteenth joint, far above the reach of a man ftanding on the ground-In the middle parts of the United States the fpecies cultivated grow to the height of eight or ten feet, and the ears fpring from the fifth, fixth, or feventh joint-In the more northern parts and in Canada, a species of four or five feet growth, with ears fhooting from. the fecond and third joints, is the only one which the fhortness of the fummer heat, will permit to come to maturity. What an admirable proof is this of the wif dom and goodness of the Creator, thus to fit the several fpecies of this all-important grain, to the feveral climates of the globe!

161. The Potatoe. The difcovery of America added this invaluable root to the efculent vegetables of the eastern continent. It was found and carried to Europe by fome of the adventurers under fir Walter Raleigh. The eafe with which it is cultivated, the great quantity of: food which it furnishes from a small portion of land, the little injury that its cultivation does to the foil, and its nourishing qualities, which render it a fubfitute for bread, and the eafe and little expenfe of dreffing it for the table, render it one of the most useful plants, especially to the poor; and its cultivation has, in no fmall degree, diminished the chances of famin, which was formerly fo frequent in Europe.

162. Tobacco. When tobacco was first introduced into England, king James iffued a proclamation against the ufe of fuch an offenfive plant. But the prejudices againft it gradually fubfided, and it now forms a confiderable article of confumption in all parts of the world. It thrives well in all parts of the United States. In the northern region, it is cultivated chiefly for domestic use, but in the