HISTORY OF

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The inhabitants of the north are hardy, industrious, frugal, and, in ge-neral, well informed; those of the south are more effeminate, indolent,and imperious. The fisheries and commerce are the sinews of thenorth; tobacco, rice, and indigo, of the south. The northern statesare commodioufly situated for trade and manufactures; the southern to•furnish provisions and raw materials; and the probability is, that thesouthern states will one day be supplied with northern manufactures in-stead of European, and make their remittances in provisions and raw.materials.”

SOUTH AMERICA.

WE have so little knowledge of South America, that it is impossibleto fay any thing, with certainty, relative to any improvements bycanals or inland navigations carried on in that remote part of theworld. The care with which the Spaniards endeavour to keep the stateof this country, its productions, and immense wealth, a secret from therest of Europe, prevents us from knowing what works of this kind mayhave been projected or undertaken: but the natural indolence of itsmasters, and the laziness of the natives, who have no other prospect thanperpetual slavery, render it extremely improbable that any such improve-ments should be attempted there.

I have mentioned, when treating of the canals of Spain, the projectfor cutting a canal through the isthmus of Darien, from Panama toNombre de Dies ; to which I have now to add, that, in the ColleSlion ofVoyages , vol. iv. mention is made of a great canal, cut to draw downthe lake of Mexico, which employed four hundred and seventy-onethousand one hundred and sifty-four men.

Having thus given an historical account of the eanals that have beencompleted or projected in this and other countries, as far as I have beenenabled by my own knowledge, or the relations of historians and travel-lers,