A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels Volume Xviii Part 50

792. Notizias Americanas sobre las America Meridionel y la Septentrionel- Oriental. Par Don Ant. de Ulloa. Madrid, 1772. 4to.--This work, which must not be confounded with the conjoint work of Ulloa and Juan, is rich in valuable matter, physical, political, and moral; it was translated into German by M. Diez, Professor of Natural History at Gottingen, who has added learned and judicious observations.

793 Voyages interessans dans differentes Colonies Francaises, Espagnoles, Anglaise. Paris, 1788. 8vo.--The most original and interesting portions of this work relate to Porto Rico, Curacoa, Granada, the Bermudas, &c.; there are also valuable remarks on the climate and diseases of St. Domingo.

794. Catesby's Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands. 1734-43. 2 vols. folio.

795. Appendix to ditto. 1748. folio.--The celebrated naturalist, George Edwards, published an edition of this splendid work, with the appendix, in Latin and French, in 2 vols. folio. 1764-71.

796. Peter Kalm's Travels in North America, translated by R. Forster. 1772.

2 vols. 8vo.--Chiefly geological and mineralogical; in other respects not interesting.

797. Adair's History of the American Indians. 1775. 4to.--The speculations of this writer are abundantly absurd; but there are interspersed some curious notices of the Indians, collected by the author, while he resided and traded with them.

798. Travels through Carolina, Georgia, Florida, &c. By W. Bertram. 1792. 2 vols. 8vo.--A most interesting work to lovers of natural history, especially botany, a study to which Bertram was enthusiastically attached.

There is an account of Mr. Bertram in the American Farmer's Letters.

799. An Account of the Countries adjoining to Hudson's Bay. By Ar. Dobbs.

1744. 12mo.

800. The State of Hudson's Bay. By Ed. Humphraville. 1790. 8vo.

801. Account of Prince of Wales Island, in the Gulph of St. Lawrence. By J.

Stewart. 1808. 8vo.--A good deal of information on the soil, agriculture, productions, climate, &c.: the zoology imperfect.

802. Hall's Travels in Canada and the United States, 1816-17. 8vo.

802. Howison's Sketches of Upper Canada. 8vo. 1821.

Hall's is a pleasant and lively work, unfolding many of the peculiarities of the manners, customs, &c., of Canada and the adjacent parts of the United States. Howison's is the work of an abler man: it is rich in valuable information to emigrants; and is, moreover, highly descriptive of scenery and manners. The part relative to the United States is superficial.

804. Collection des Plusieures Relations du Canada, 1632-1672. 43 vols.

12mo.

805. Charlevoix's Travels in North America, translated from the French.

1772. 2 Vols. 4to.--The physical and moral state of the inhabitants are the princ.i.p.al objects of this work.

806. Carver's Travels through the Interior Parts of North America, 1766-68.

8vo.--There is much information in this work respecting that part of America, which has lately attracted so much attention from its vicinity to the supposed north-west pa.s.sage; it is in all other respects, except natural history, an interesting and instructive work.

807. Long's Voyage and Travels of an Indian Interpreter. 1774. 3 vols. 4to.

Volney characterizes this work as exhibiting a most faithful picture of the life and manners of the Indians and Canadian traders.

808. Weld's Travels through North America, 1795-7. 2 vols. 8vo.--Travels in the United States derive their interest and value from a variety of sources: the inhabitants of these states under their government, and the peculiar circ.u.mstances in which they are placed, must be a subject of deep attention and study to the moralist, the philosopher, the politician, and the political economist, while the country itself presents to the naturalist many and various sources of information and acquisitions to his knowledge. The travels of Mr. Weld, and most of those which we shall have to enumerate, were undertaken for the purpose of ascertaining what advantages and disadvantages an emigrant would derive from exchanging Europe for America. Thus led to travel from the princ.i.p.al motive of self-interest, it might be imagined that these travellers would examine every thing carefully, fully, most minutely, and impartially: in all modes except the last, it has certainly been done by several travellers; but great caution must be used in reading all travels in the United States, because the picture drawn of them is too often overcharged, either with good or evil. Mr, Weld's is a respectable work; and like all travels, even a few years back, in a country so rapidly changing and improving, from this cause as well as its information on statistics, toil, climate, morals, manners, &c. may be consulted with advantage. It is to be regretted that he, as well as most other travellers in America, was not better prepared with a scientific knowledge of natural history. Canada, as well as the United States, is comprized in Mr. Weld's travels.

809. Mellish's Travels through the United States of America, 1816-17. 2 vols. 8vo.--This is perhaps as impartial and judicious an account of the United States as any that has lately appeared.

810. Lettres d'un Cultivateur Americain, 1770-86. Par M. St. John de Crevecoeur. Paris, 1787. 3 vols. 8vo.--We give the French edition of this work in preference to the English, because it is much fuller. This work of a Frenchman, long settled in the Anglo-American colonies, gives, in an animated and pleasing manner, much information on the manners of America at this period, the habits and occupations of the new settlers, and on the subject of natural history.

811. Voyages dans les etats Unis, 1784. Par J.F.D. Smith. Paris, 1791. 2 vols. 8vo.--Virginia, Maryland, the two Carolinas, and Louisiana, parts of North America, not so often visited by travellers as the northern states, are here described with considerable talent, and in a pleasing style. We are not acquainted with the English work, of which this professes to be a translation.

812. Nouveau Voyage dans les etats Unis, 1788. Par Brissot. Paris, 3 vols.

8vo.--Statistics, religion, manners, political economy, agriculture, commerce, manufactures, the arts and sciences, are here treated of in a sensible, but rather an uninteresting manner.

813. La Rochefoucault's Travels to the United States of America, 1799. 2 vols. 4to.--Agriculture, statistics, manufactures, commerce, national and domestic habits, form the chief topic of these volumes, which, allowing for some prejudices, present a fair picture of America at this period.

814. Tableau du Climat et du Sol des etats Unis. Par C.F. Volney. 1803. 2 vols. 8vo.--Though physical geography and statistics form the princ.i.p.al portion of this valuable work, yet it is by no means uninstructive on the subject of national and domestic character; and it enters fully into the condition of savage life.

Particular histories and descriptions have been published of several of the United States; we shall merely notice such as are the result of personal observation, and as give interesting and instructive information respecting their past or present state.

815. Belknap's History of New Hamps.h.i.+re, 1792. Boston, 3 vols. 8vo.--The two first volumes are historical, but many things in them are instructive to those who wish to trace the formation of character: the third volume relates to climate, soil, produce,&c.

816. The History of Virginia, by a Native and Inhabitant of the place. R.B.

Beverley. 1722. 8vo.--The first part is purely historical; in the second, the author gives an account of the productions of the country; the third relates to the manners, &c. of the Indians; the fourth is political. There are, besides, many pertinent remarks on the physical geography of Virginia, and on its climate and diseases.

817. Notes on Virginia. By Thos. Jefferson. 1788. 8vo.--Politics, commerce, manufactures, and navigation, are here treated of in a satisfactory and instructive manner, but with rather too much the air of philosophy.

818. Michaux's Travels to the West of the Alleghany Mountains. 1805.

8vo.--These travels are instructive regarding the manners, commerce, soil, climate, and especially botany.

819. Lewis and Clarke's Travels up the Missouri to the Pacific Ocean, 1804-6. 4to.

820. Pike's Exploratory Travels through the Western Territory of North America. 4to.

821. James's Account of an Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, 1819-20. 3 vols. 8vo.

822. Schoolcraft's Travels to the Sources of the Mississippi. 1820. 8vo.

823. Nuttall's Travels into the Arkansa Territory. 1819. 8vo.--These travels describe a vast portion of America to the west of the Alleghany Mountains, especially the valley of the Mississippi, and its tributary streams. They are rather prolix and heavily written. Mr. James's work is richest in natural history.

824. A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida. By Bernard Romans.

New York, 1766. 12mo.--The climate, productions, and diseases of Florida are here treated of by this author, who was a medical man, and had good opportunities of observation and experience.

825. Description de la Louisiane. Par L.P. Hennepin, Paris, 1688.

12mo.--This author first made Europe acquainted with Louisiana; but his work is meagre on every topic, except the manners, &c. of the natives.

826. Histoire de la Louisiane. Par M. Le Page du Prats. Paris, 1758. 3 vols. 12mo.--During a residence of 15 years, this author seems to have paid particular attention to geology, mineralogy, and other branches of natural history, and has given the results of his observations in these volumes.

827. Travels through that part of North America called Louisiana.

Translated and ill.u.s.trated with notes by R.B. Forster. 1771-2. 2 vols.

8vo.--The author of this work was a M. Bossu; who also published, a few years afterwards, Nouveaux Voyages dans l'Amerique Septentrionale.

Amsterdam. 8vo.--The first of these works is chiefly interesting from the minute details into which it enters respecting the Illinois territory. Mr.

Forster's translation contains a catalogue of American plants.

828. Voyage en Californie. Par l'Abbe Chappe D'Auteroche. Paris, 1778.

4to.--The city of Mexico, as well as California, is here described in an interesting manner. As concerns the latter, this work may be regarded as a standard one.

829. The History of Mexico; to which are added, Dissertations on the Land, Animals, &c. Translated from the Italian of Clavigero, by C. Cullen. 1787.

2 vols. 4to.--Besides natural history, there is in this work much learned research on the ancient history of Mexico.