Moshtahs. ;known to modern fyftems of mineralogy, and whldh may ft>e termed
calcareous-granite, the abfence of the felfpar being fupplied by primitive
limeftone. The Swedifh traveller minutely deferibes this fubftance, as
.conft-fting of grey limeftone, purple, or garnet coloured quartz, and black
mica.9 The limeftone effervefees ftrongly with aqua-fortis ; and there are
fome particles of felfpar. Another mountain, near the river St. Lawrence,
is compofed of red felfpar, black mica, white limeftone, with, grains
of the purple or red quartz. Sometimes this calcareous granite is
fchiftofe, cr aflumes the form of gneifs. Part of the hills near the ille
of Orleans is compofed of grey quartz, reddiih and grey limeftone,
and grains of fand. Near fort St. Frederick,' or Crown Point, Kalm
obferved fragments of granite mixed with fchorl, without any cal-
careous addition; and he found ammonites about two feet in diameter.
Towards the lake Champlain he obferved quantities of red fand, which
fee me d to be decompofed or pounded garnets.1“ The Apalachianfaoun-
tains he does not appear to have examined«: but he mehti&sttbf -Gal-
careons granite as frequent in Pennsylvania, and often ulSd’inRaiding
at Philadelphia. He deferibes the lapis ollaris of New E r f g ^ d ^ » e -
times fpotted with ftarry afbeftos; while gfeen'foap r-oc’k and amianthus
ate common in Eennfylvania. Th^hatchets of ifcfe freqheh%'
df fe e bafalt; their knives ^quartz and* ^etroffek ;«hir
kettles of lapis dlaris, grey or green; and their
fame fubftance ; but thofe of the chiefs, of beautiful red lfrpeqtiq&,
from the weft of the Miffiffippi.*
The mountains in the Ifthmus, as well as thofe in the weftern part
of North America, are eeftairtly dF far fuperior-elevation , and irpTmoft.
maritime divifions of the old and new continents the higheft mountains
a r e towards the weft, as their m o l precipitous fides uniformly front the
weft and fouth. But of the Ifthmus, the kingdom of Mexico, and
■•s 346. 34 9 . 357. " I b - I 9 6 - »99-
* ©f the fame defeription were the celebrated Ca lum e t s , or pipes of peace, fo M R P
French fettlers in Canada, from the Norman word chalum eau, the native term being p oa g a n , m
h^the Iroquois g f f g Lahontan, i. 270. He means the head of the calumet, eight g g
W • while the mouth projefted about three inches ; the pipe or fern, being about, four or ft
feet in length, was probably of wood, and was adorned with feathers. Ib. 47- California,
California, the natural hiftory and geography are far from being clearly Mountains.
fjiftated. In 4the pfjovihpif^’f^almh f ie Andes, according, to the
hefl^maps; feqm toe^pi^e in th4|rid*gé' called* Sierra* Tagar^jfta^ which
maylfl«* fai'd ;to# be Isft^n^hè iêi on the weft of th4 ghftNbf DarieW
Tn®rj*|ge, with the peak of Pa-nama,'*hfefebg^tofioush ,AmerLG%:' but
th'c wï'WüffièiehtPy fhew that •
thf ridges in the, pfo^nicè of-Panama ftpaileftï’fconnecïion
■ i l l s but, fcat>ed in.,every WW|||||[ On thé. weft of
tfiat^p®oyincp;i''aS'|adY€ady flawed, ' paffes-*1 north and
i^S.which may between the two
Sr?^fi|p0, of America.? This- chain ig célféd‘1 thé’ Sief fa ‘:d'é ‘ C^na-
Veragya alfo’run N. the'weft of
th^fcmvince is|&-volcano of Yarn, ‘ Of the. nfelure and height"
mountains' in4 'Mfxicq; thereLfe* no particular; a^ u 1^ Not? F&*
Vera; Crujz, 'Chappè D-Autefoehe ale ended a meiiptaki of?M|laÉjhkighf
wh^^fèein.s tqhave heen yoMhic^1 ,aml fe adek that, the paountainof
OrilabaTs laidJqfhe the Kigneft'in'mat: fe|ih¥J;tim"fnówyi'füm-|nit
being yifiblOffrom Mexico at the"üifencèfdf" twenty 'feagufsl’ f i
On the weftern, fide of North America yqkanoes,Kavcbèeh qhrefvcd
| I navigators; and one is laid to exift ib .the prqvihfe^of
Hampshire.
Acceding^to the ufual arrangement of this y^ork, ,th|'-^|fgript|qn eff tj
9 ^e^ epntinent begins with North* America, thaTuiv;i|Lo/i
cmt;ams the moft important ppwetq* that-of the^United Sthteïs. * TÊe acconrftf
pf their territory fliall be rpp^wea py .^^hf-tlm ®anifh "anè
Britilh poffeffionS in "North -America., Another èiviiion^-allfbVe rel
ferved for the Native Trikes, and Uncopqrjfite^ and* this
part fhall clofe with a brief defeription of thofe North American iflands
commohly called the Wêft Inaies. I
1 Voyage to California, p. 33.
** Pennant, A. Z. ccxxx. Mprfc, p. 29,1,, mentions. ■aiyo|her,™onntam in the fame province
«f volcanic appearance, and 3254 feet high, if the. meafur,emeri|vfee ea!at£k.'
4 B 2