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, Florida, and New Mexico on the north, and the southern sea on the west and south. The air is temperate and healthful, and the soil fruitful, producing wheat, barley, pulse, and maize; and variety of fruits, as citrons, lemons, oranges, pomegranates, apples, pears, cherries, cocoa nuts, figs, &c. with great plenty of roots, plants, and herbs. There are some rich mines of gold and silver, in which about 4000 Spaniards continually work. The people are civil, and excel in painting and music: they are subject to the King of Spain: their religion is a mixture of Paganism and Christianity.
An Account of NEW MEXICO, or GRANADA.
THIS part of the world is not fully discovered by the Europeans. The soil is sandy and barren, the air healthful and temperate, but not a little subject to hurricanes, thunder and lightning. There are some silver mines, turquoise, emeralds, crystal, &c. The natives are naturally good and civil, governed by a captain named Casich, whom they choose themselves. They are given to idolatry, and some adore the sun, others believe in a God, and some of them have no religion at all.
An Account of FLORIDA.
FLORIDA is a large and fruitful country in North America, bounded on the north-east by Carolina, on the south, and some part of the west, by New Galicia and some countries not yet discovered. The air is very temperate, and soil extremely fertile, and produces grain, herbs, and fruit in great abundance. Ferdinando Soto, after the conquest of Peru, entered this country May 25, 1538, and gave it the name Florida, because the flowers were then on the ground, but died of grief, for being disappointed of the treasures which he expected. The native inhabitants were extirpated by the Spaniards, who disregarded every principle of humanity when the security of their acquisitions in the New World was in question; but this fine country was conquered from them by the English, to whom it was confirmed by the peace of Paris
; its importance was however never sufficiently considered by them, and to gratify the jealousy of Spain it was restored to her at the peace of 1783. It was divided into East and West: St. Augustine and Pensacola are its chief towns; and its commodities furs, pearls, and the most delicious fruits. The Spaniards regard it as forming a desirable frontier between them and the United States of America; but as the soil and climate are inferior to none in the world, it will doubtless one day emerge from its obscurity, become populous, and hold a high rank in the world.
An Account of CANADA.
CANADA is the chief province now possessed by the English in America; it is bounded by New Britain and Honduras Bay on the North and East; by Nova Scotia, New England, and New York on the South; and by some of the great lakes, the new settlements of the United States, and the yet remaining possessions of the native Indians, on the West. The soil and climate are not very different from those of New England, though it has a much severer winter; but the air is very clear, the summer hot and pleasant. The meadow grounds are well watered, yield excellent grass, and breed vast numbers of cattle.
This country was originally settled by the French; and in so doing Louis XIV. seems to have formed the vast design of consolidating all North America under his dominion: the English, under Wolf