Tn eftimating the extent of thefe large and flourishing poffelhons it
will be neceflarv, in the firft place, to confider the boundaries. That
I towards, the S- E. is decidedly the eaftern boundary of Veragua, the laft
province of North America; confifting, according to Lopez, of a ridge,,
as already mentioned, called Sierras de Ganatagua. Towards the north
thé Spaniards do not readily afl'ent to a b ou nd a r yb ut even according
to the Englilh maps it afcends to the Turtle lake, one of the fources of
the Miffiffippi, fince Louifiana was furre.ndered by France to Spam on
the peace of 1763^ On the weft , the Englilh fpeciaJly claim the port
Gf Sir Francis Drake j and mark the Spanilh boundary at Fort St. Fran-
cifco, to the N. of the town o f Monterey. Upon the whole the fources
of the Rio Bravo jmayTe affumed as a medial boundary,, as. tteire » f
feveral fmall Spanilh fetdemeqfsto the north of ^anta Fe, that ^^out
lat. 390 30' while the foüthem boundary is about lat.
a length of. thirty-twa degrees, or 1920'^. miles;-0 But th&i&cadth;
little eorrgfponds to this prodigious length of t^ r k p $ & ;K g l | S |K
plaLcé^from the AtlanticjQiore. of Eaft Florida fo tfloffe ^Cal$fogia on
the PaerBb, it’ amount to about three.quarters1 of thmTBngthTButfe
narroweff part of the ifthmus in Veragua | not above tvyenty^v| B.
miles?/in general the medial breadth, can fcarcely he
than 4.00 g . miles. a...4 , I
Of this wide empire, the chief part is diftingmlhedjjy the.flaTnf ot
’Mexico or New Spain/; the provinces, in
to the north,, being Veragua, Cofta Rica, Nicaragua, .Honduras^^th
the Mofquito fhore claimed by the Englilh) Guatunala aüd-V ^ f».
Chiapa, Tabafco, and the peninfula of Yucatan, Guaxaca Mexico
pr0per including fubdiv-ifions : with New Gallxcia,, Bifcay, and Leon.
What is called the- empire of Mexico was in truth only a moderate-
kingdom ; about 600 miles in length, by 140. in breadth. Nay the. 1
republic, of Tlafcala was within fix-ty mifes of the capital.,
’ * They- in faft daim the whole .North..weft, of America, pretending a prior right o fk c o g
■ The provinces, further to the north are Cirialoa and others on the Equhdakibs.
gulf Qf California, with that large Cherfonefe itfelf:" New Mexico in- ‘
eludes the moft northern central feitlements on the Rio Bravo ; whjles
tojwd^f Ae |eaf 5>Euuifimay||iglb ’^^l^^^da^^lnplip^itlifi^tti^f
denonfm*tion,s. Butf* thgj- are?/, pjjG5p,'e,rly«^c|nl>y/ ffofjfpjj
1. dt^tfiShANA. (2.-1'feThe*}tyf€K,hY^||'^) Ayst> M w ^ ^ p h i e h .
c6ntei^!^agui'Hiai7^v^Erfl|Femadnra,hS#W^r^^^|^*/diewJ'#a^f5^
4. Mexico, or New S»a er.pW^heferiahd
f£|®pt^ extendflto 4-he; Ui^q^iJ^ul^hte/ih^ndaries'jbet'ween
GW: had -New Mexico; dor nqft feem 40 beidtedicated^ilriithi
ctfiq&vr.
Th6 ’i origina'F' popuMiefdi the/eSltixtenfiiwfesfvarious^ S fe&L»,, -
cdn&lilg.-cJf Mexicans, >and ttrid>fesf 7 Population'
caritfe1,' whildffo’ the north andTouth',v5^e>ftvage|’^ ;M ...Thef’ori^ih of
I he Mexicans remains' in? great 'OMcnrity;' aftetTthWruhlhfs ^fearrftesJpf/f
man.yrfeagenious and'/lear,necl feck-. IFh^rristrt'gifa^aitfppearsito he fishily
different from that'of the Peruvians ;< hutrihtel'Mesfeinri^dfcahu 1 aries/a‘re
veryt-iinperfesS. Thefe foefbsfnot <hd.w:dver to •. b^'any?dfe|htnS£richi$e-
tweehfelther oh thefe ^languages;- and? tbat-hf; -Mhkiysf >wK~cA p&opLyft
thd numerous. iflands:in the i’Bahifte» Ocean';■ nor a;M5Ifo'Titart’ari, ’wTJt.
Mandflmn' features« to fbe"traced tin? aayface&uat ;of Ihe'j’Mexicans' m
Peruvians,t-fhdugh ftngulafly'diftintft from thofe’1 of'fithefysfaeesih The
amtt’ilsf of America are mpftly diftindl'riomytntife'df.the’bM continent^
andifcbuld in trio cafe /have-defeen&teff 'from them. ^f-p-M'*'-ealiari0t "
lowed that the great Creator, in like manner, ordained a diftitnft .race ©f
* The Spanifli x is- pronounced or jh , as Xah Tarrias is .Shall Tatnas. The y *
wBeRmR &
In the travels of M. de Pag6s round the: world it is aflertedilhat New Mexico; is further to the1
fouth than our maps bear; which is indeed far more probable than the'credit of that author- ,
Clavigero, p. x. regrets the defeats of the maps of Mexico. Two maps cf the coafts of Spanilh
North Amei iea'were piihlifhetl at Madrid; 1797. ■'
1 See the table of Languages in Dr. Forller’s obferyations on- iiis. voyage to the South
®?a- In his liiftory of voyages in |he "North, p. 43, he {uppofes that thefe kingdq'ms ‘ were *
founded in the thirteenth century, by the’troops contained in fome of the. (hips fept Ky KuWai . ■
Khan from China; to f&bdtir Japan ; that great fleet having been fcattered, and fuppofed to
have been loft in a fevere tempeft. Careri has publifhed a .curious Mexican drawing' of the pro’s; -f 1
grefs s f the colony.
4 G 2 men