Questions.-What is East of Greenland? What is South of Iceland? What is East of Iceland? What is West of the Azores? What is South-west of these Islands? In what direction is Spitzbergen from Greenland? Greenland from Spitzbergen? The West Indies from the Azores ? What places do you find South of Spitzbergen, down to the South pole? In what direction is Kamschatka from Iceland? Iceland from Kamschatka?

NATURAL DIVISIONS OF THE EARTH.

With Questions on the Map of the World.

25. When we look on a map of the world, we see that a greater part of the surface of the earth is covered with a vast collection of water. It is divided by geographers into five principal parts, called oceansthe Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Northern and the Southern Oceans.

26. Oceans are the habitation of innumerable fish, which furnish food to a large part of mankind.

27. The waters of the ocean purify the air by their incessant motion; and the vapours which rise from them, fall in rain and snow, to water the earth.

28. They are always nearly of the same temperature; and the winds which blow from them, cool the earth in summer, and warm it in winter.

They are perpetually circulating in currents, which carry the warm water of hot countries to colder ones and bring back cold water to cool the warmer regions.

29. Oceans also serve as the highway from one part of the globe to another; and make it easy to obtain, by commerce, the valuable productions of all climates, and the useful knowledge of all nations.

Questions.-How much of the surface of the Earth is covered with water? How are its waters divided?

How are oceans useful in furnishing us food? What effect have they on the air, and what benefit do we receive from their vapours? What currents have they? Are they of any use in commerce?

30. In the midst of the waters which surround the globe, are two large portions of land not divided by water, which are called Continents. They are called the Eastern and Western Continents, because one is found in each hemisphere.

31. The land on the globe is also divided by georaphers into four smaller portions, called quarters Europe, Asia and Africa, on the Eastern Continent and America on the Western, including North and South America.

To these may be added the islands of the Pacific Ocean, divided into Australasia and Polynesia.

32. The quarters of the globe are divided into smaller portions, called countries, each of which usually contains men of one nation, speaking the same language.

Countries are divided into states or provinces, containing cities, towns and villages. An empire is composed of many countries united under one government.

Questions.--What large portions of land do we find on the globe? What are they called? How is the Eastern Continent bounded, or what ocean is on the N. and what on the E. S. and W.? (See the map of the World for these questions and others.) How is the Western Continent bounded? What other divisions of the land are there? What ocean must we cross in going from Europe to America? What one in going from Asia to America?

In what direction is Europe from America? In what direction from Europe are Asia and Africa? How is North America bounded? South America? Europe? Asia? Africa? Where are Australasia and Polynesia? How are these great portions of the globe divided? How are countries divided? What is an empire?

33. When a part of the ocean is almost surrounded by land, it is called a sea. A salt lake is also called a

sea, as the Caspian Sea, and Sea of Aral, in Asia.

Questions.--What is a sea? What seas separate Europe from Asia and Africa? What seas are there E. of Asia, and what S. of it? What sea is between Africa and Asia?

Where is the North Sea?

What lakes are called seas,

What sea is N. of South America? and where are they?

34. The narrow passage of water into a sea, or between two portions of land, is called a strait.

A wider passage is called a channel.

A sound is a channel or strait which may be sounded, or whose depth may be measured with a line.

Questions. What is a strait? What are the straits of the Mediterranean and Red Seas? What straits connect the Pacific and Arctic Oceans? What straits south of South America? What is a channel? What channel between Africa and Madagascar? What is a sound?

35. When a part of the ocean runs up into the land, with a broad opening, it is called a gulf or bay. A harbour is a small bay, where ships may anchor. A road is a part of the sea near a coast, where ships may ride or lie at anchor.

Questions.-What is a gulf or bay? What gulf is S. of N. America? What W. of Africa? What bay S. of Asia? What is a harbour? A road?

36. An island is a tract of land, smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.

Questions.-What is an island? What very large island lies S. E. from Asia? What others near it? What one E. of Africa? What islands W. of Europe? What between North and South America? What are some of those in the Pacific Ocean? What is the largest island on the globe?

37. That part of the continent, or main land, which lies next to the sea, is called the shore or coast.

Questions. What is a coast? What countries are on the western coast of Africa? What on the eastern coast of North America? What on the western?

38. When a point of land on the coast projects into the sea, it is called a cape. A high cape is called a promontory.

What

Questions. What is the southern cape of America ? is that of Africa? What of Hindoostan? What is the most western cape of Africa? The most eastern of S. America

What is the northern cape of Europe? Of North America? The southern of Greenland? What is a promontory?

39. When a portion of land runs out into the sea, joined to the continent only by a narrow strip or neck of land, it is called a peninsula.

South America and Africa are the largest peninsulas. Questions.--What is a peninsula? Mention some on the globe. What peninsulas in Asia? What in Europe?

43. The neck of land which joins a peninsula to the main land, is called an isthmus.

Questions.--What isthmus joins S. America to N. America? What one joins Africa to Asia?

DESERTS.

41. Deserts are immense tracts of land, usually level, on which no water is found, and plants cannot grow.

42. The most remarkable desert known is the Sahara of Africa, a vast plain of burning sand, 2000 or 3000 miles long, with fertile spots scattered here and there in it, like islands in the ocean.

Questions.--What are deserts? Which is the most remarkable? Younger pupils should omit all that is printed in small type, (marked with Roman numerals, as XLIII) until they review

the book.

XLIII.

a. Other parts of Africa, and some parts of Arabia and Persia, are covered with similar deserts.

b. The desert of Cobi or Shamo, in Asia, is a lofty, cold region, 1500 miles long.

c. A large part of Siberia, and the northern parts of North America are made almost deserts by perpetual frost.

d. Sometimes immense plains are found covered with grass, --In Asia called steppes, in South America, pampas, and in the United States, prairies.

Questions.--In what other countries are there deserts? Describe that of Cobi. What is the state of Siberia, and parts of N. America? What plains are sometimes found?

MOUNTAINS.

44. Mountains are vast prominences on the surface of the earth. Some which send forth fire and smoke from their tops are called volcanoes.

45. The tops of the loftiest mountains are about five miles above the level of the sea.

They appear vast to us; but they are no more when compared to the earth, than a grain of sand on a common globe.

46. Mountains sometimes occur single, but generally united, forming chains or ridges, of various lengths and heights.

Questions. What are mountains? How high are the loftiest mountains? What is the diameter of the earth? (See Astronomy.) How do these mountains compare with the earth? Are mountains generally found single? What are the principal chains of mountains in America? (See map of the World.) What in Europe? What in Asia and Africa?

XLVII. (For the Review.)

a. Mountains may be arranged in 12 classes, according to their height.

Let the pupil here examine the view of mountains in the frontispiece and learn the classes from it.

b. The loftiest mountains yet discovered, are the HimmaLeh, or Himlaya Mountains, north of Hindoostan, in Asia.

c. The Andes, of South America, are the grandest chain of mountains on the globe, extending about 4000 miles, with numerous peaks, four miles high. The most celebrated peak is Chimborazo, and the loftiest volcano is Cotopaxi.

d The Himmaleh mountains, and the Andes are so lofty, that although they are situated in very hot countries, the tops are covered with perpetual snow.

In ascending these mountains, you will find every climate. The foot is burning with heat, the middle is temperate and delightful, and the top always frozen.

e. The Cordillera of Mexico is next in height, containing several peaks about 3 1-2 miles high, of which the most remarkable is the volcano of Popocatapetl. The city of Riobamba was at this height. (Rees' Cyclopedia.)

These with the Rocky Mountains, which are not so high, seem to be a continuation of the Andes, and make the whole American chain 10,000 or 11,000 miles long.

f. The next chain of mountains in height is that of the Alps in Europe, some of whose peaks, as Mont Blanc, are three miles high. (See map of Europe.