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OF

MODERN GEOGRAPHY

OR A

VIEW OF THE PRESENT STATE OF THE

WORLD.

SIMPLIFIED AND ADAPTED TO THE CAPACITY OF YOUTI

CONTAINING NUMEROUS TABLES, EXHIBITING THE

DIVISIONS, SETTLEMENT, POPULATION, EXTENT, LAKES, CANALS,
AND THE VARIOUS

INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE,
THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF GOVERNMENT AND PREVAILING RELIGIONS:
EMBELLISHED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS OF

MANNERS, CUSTOMS, &c.

[graphic]

REVISED AND ILLUSTRATED
BY A NEW AND ENLARGED ATLAS..

By J. OLNEY, A. M.

SIXTIETH EDITION..

NEW YORK.

PUBLISHED BY PRATT, WOODFORD & CO
Sold by all the principal Booksellers in the United States

1849

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THE publishers of this work, grateful for the immense patronage it has received, now present to the public a new edition, which has been thoroughly revised. During the past ten years, great changes have occurred upon the earth's surface. By the enterprise of individuals, either from motives of curiosity, or for the purposes of commerce, and by the efforts of enlightened governments, the most distant parts of the world have been explored and laid open to view, and their natural productions, climate and soil, made known. The manners and customs of savage nations have become well understood; and the boundaries and extent of the various portions of land and water which compose the face of the earth, have been accurately defined. It has become necessary, therefore, to make some changes in the book, that it may conform to the improved state of geographical science, but the outline and general plan of the work remain the same, so that teachers will still find it familiar, and the author has >taken scrupulous care to have the facts agree with the best authorities, and to make it correct in all particulars. The Atlas has been entirely redrawn by Mr. Smith, an eminent geographer in New York, and newly engraved in the best manner on steel. Several important divisions of the world are given upon an enlarged scale; the United States have been more conveniently classified so as to present each state entire. Maps of the West Indies, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the British Isles, Central Europe, Michigan, and the newly settled portions of our own country, have, among others, been added, making it more full than any other School Atlas, and the whole has been done without regard to expense. The utmost care has been taken to make the Atlas progressive and clear, so that it shall lead on the minds of young persons without confusion; by means of appropriate symbols and numerals, the extent of the various countries in square miles; the Population, Government, Religion, and the State of Society, are exhibited on the different maps; and on the Map of the World, the animals peculiar to any portion of the earth's surface. It is confidently believed, that it will be found to surpass every other School Atlas hitherto published. The price of the work is low, and every thing which experience and care could do, has been done to merit the continued confidence of the great body of teachers who have always preferred it for its simplicity and adaptation to the school room, and to recommend it to the favor of all persons who desire to promote good education.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1844, by D. F. Robinson, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut.

CASE TIFFANY & CO.-PRINTERS,

PEARL STREET, HARTFORD.

PREFACE.

THE introduction of Geography into common schools, as a regular branch of education, has of late years become nearly universal. Formerly this science was taught only to the higher classes, it being thought by most teachers that the pupil must be well advanced in other branches before he could study this with advantage. Experience has however taught, that children can learn Geography at a very early age, and hence its introduction into the younger classes at the present time.

But among the books which have been published on this subject, although many of them are works of great merit, there are none suited to the capacities of young beginners. Most of them begin with definitions, which, to be understood, require a degree of knowledge on the subject, never possessed by the new beginner. Children, instead of being made to commit definitions to memory, should, as much as possible, at the beginning, be taught by means of the eye; and hence the use of maps, pictures, and diagrams, in teaching infants. The map is to Geography, what orthography is to the art of reading. The scholar must not only understand its use, but must have an intimate knowledge of all its parts, before he can undertake the study of descriptive geography with advantage. When he has acquired a practical and thorough knowledge of the map of a country, he has then laid the ground work for understanding its description, and not before. Suppose a child should learn by heart every thing about the climate, scenery, and productions of Switzerland, for instance, and suppose him to be intimate with the names of all its mountains, lakes, and forests, how much knowledge of the geography of that country would he possess? It is obvious that without knowing also the relative situation of these mountains, lakes, and forests, in respect to each other, together with their distances and bearings, such knowledge never could be applied to any practical use. The map, then, ought to be the first lesson in geography, for by its means, the child can locate his ideas, and can see, at a single glance, the situation of the places, the names of which he learns.

Having been for a number of years occupied in the instruction of youth, and principally in the science of Geography, I have, in common with others, long regretted that no work well adapted to the instruction of youth on this subject could be obtained, and my excuse for of fering the present volume to the public is founded on that fact. practical knowledge of geography, instead of requiring years, I am taught by experience to believe, may be obtained in a few montl.s; and I cannot but hope that others will find this opinion well founded.

A

In preparing this work, I have endeavored to adapt it to the natu~ ral progress of the youthful mind. Instead of introducing the beginner at once into Astronomical Geography, and requiring him to spend weeks in learning definitions, and the description of the heavenly bodies, I have commenced with the town in which he lives. From the town, the sphere of his observation is extended to the county, from the county *1

to the state, &c. This I am confident will be found not only the natural, but the philosophical method of teaching Geography; for on all subjects the learner must make himself master of simple things, before he can understand those which are complex.

In the present instance, the pupil begins with confidence and alacrity, because he not only knows something about his own town, but the subject itself is highly interesting to him. From these simple descriptions, the pupil is gradually led on, by a series of the plainest and most important questions, to a knowledge of the grand divisions of the globe. When he has become familiar with these divisions, and can without hesitation point them out on the map, he is qualified to commence the Second part. In this part, after a few general observations on the divisions, he is required to learn on the map, the boundaries, names of rivers, towns, &c., and then he commences with a description of the several countries which it contains. In every department of description, great care has been taken to select what is most important for the pupil to know, and to commit to memory, and to reject whatever is of little use; for experience has taught me that long descriptions, however judiciously arranged, do not fail to tire and discourage the young pupil Some of the more prominent features of the country are therefore all that should be required of the beginner.

This work will be found to possess some peculiarities. The use of initial letters, in particular, I consider of much consequence in enabling the pupil to determine the correct answers; so that it is believed in going through the entire work, he will seldom require any assistance from his teacher.

The Third part treats of Latitude and Longitude; and perhaps no part of the work is of more importance than this, and particularly as most books of this kind are deficient in this respect.

The Fourth part contains an introduction to Astronomy and Physical Geography, together with problems on the Globes, also, an introduction to the study of Ancient Geography and History.

The numerous tables which the work contains, it is hoped will be found useful and correct. Some of them have been copied with little variation from Morse and Malte Brun, and others have been arranged with much care and considerable labor, expressly for the work.

In giving this little volume to the public, I cannot but entertain the hope that I shall contribute in some degree to our improved method of teaching a science so necessary and popular as that of Geography. But how far I shall have the satisfaction of seeing this hope realized, the public must determine.

HARTFORD, Dec. 1828.

J. OLNEY.

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