PATAGONIA, and the TERRA DEL FL' F1GO. For the particular geography and history of these provinces, we refer to the articles attached to,their respective names.
2. The chief rivers of North America, are the Mississirri, and the Ohio, the Illinois, and Alissouri, which run into it ; the St Lawrence, the Potomac, the Delaware, the Hudson, the Rio Bravo, or Rio del Norte, and the Oregon, or River of the 'West. Those of South America are the Oroonoco ; the River of the AmAzoNs, or Maragnon ; and the Rio DE LA PL ATA, or Parana. The principal mountains of the New World, are the ANDES in the South ; and the Stony, and ALLEGANY, or Appalachian mountains in the North. (See the arti cles under the names of these rivers and mountains.) As it would be impossible in a work like the present, to mention here all the islands, bays, and capes belonging to this extensive continent, those who wish for distinct and minute information, with regard to these particulars, may consult the works r•f-rr•d to at the end of this article, under the title of, Books relating to the geogra phy of America.
The discovery of America, prior to the expedi tion of Columbus, has been claimed by several nations. The Welsh historians and antiquaries have affirmed, that Madoc, a prince of their country, quitted his native land in the year 1170, and sailing westward, arrived at those regions to which the name of America was after wards given. But the traditions on which the authority of this account must ultimately rest, are confused and discordant, as well as remote ; (Lyttelton, Thst. of Henry II. I. v. p. 371.) and the report of a tribe of Indians, who are said to have been found in North America, and to speak a language which bears some resemblance to the Welsh, is equally unworthy of credit.
The pretensions of the Norwegians to the discovery of the New AVorld, appear to be better founded. There is unquestioned evidence that they settled in Iceland A. D. 874, and in the year 982 they landed upon Green land, and established themselves in that country. From Greenland they sailed towards the west ; and if we give credit to Snorro Sturlosons, in his Chronicle of Olaus, p. 104, 110, 326, they reached a country more pleasant and inviting than the inhospitable regions which they had left. Here they remained for some time, and planted a colony. The account of Snorro, however, is liable to many objections. The tale of the discoveries of Lief and Biorn, the Norwegian adventurers, is ut terly confused. It is not easy to gather from it on what part of America they settled, though, from the length of the days and nights at the time of the year when they arrived, it must have been some part of Labrador, and as tar north as the 58th degree ; yet as they gave to the region, wherever it was, the name of Vinland, from the grapes which they found there, it seems to he evident, that it must have approached much nearer to the south.
(Mallet. Introd. a l' Hist. de DC17171eMare, p. 175.) But notwithstanding this difficulty, and others which could be mentioned, it is generally allowed, that the Nor wegians landed on the American shore, and that a colony planted by adventurers from that nation existed for some time in the New World. The settlers, however, torn by divisions among themselves, and forgotten or neglected by their countrymen, speedily perished.
The claim of the Germans is more questionable than that of the Norwegians. From the archives of the city of Nuremberg it appears, that Martin Behaim, or Be lt( nira, a Entice of that city, and the pupil of Regio tiontanus, had made such advances in cosmographical knowledge, as led him to visit those parts of the world, the situation and physical properties of which he had been accustomed to describe, hut which had not as yet been suflicientiy explored. With this view, he entered the serv.ce of the Portuguese, and was ed, A. 1). 1483, as the commander of a squadron, fated out for the purposes of discovery. Alter having established himself at Fayal, one of toe islands called the Azores, he is reported to have sailed tar towards the east mid south, and to have reached the coast of Guinea, nearly eight years before the expedition 01 Coitimbus. lie was the intimate l•iend and frequent associate of the Genoese navigator ; and, upon his visit to Nureinbcrg, in the year 1•9'2, he constructed a terrestrial gione, from the inspection of w inch, Magellan is said to nave formed the design of pursuing tie course which he af terwards follow I co. (See two papers in Nicnulsoir s Journal, vol. i. pp. 73. and 107.) But as Behaini was the friend and associate of Columbus, it is as probable that he derived his ideas of the unexplored regions from the conjectures which the latter had for many years been revolving in his mind, as it is, that Columbus was in debted to Behaini for his first thoughts ol the western continent. Nor is it at all certain dint Behaim ever visited any part of America. A copy of the map which was drawn with his own hand, and kit with his family at Nuremberg, has been published by Dupplemayer, in his account of the mathematicians and artists of that place but it is remarkable for little else than the im perfection of the cosmographical know ledge of those times. It is true, Behaini delineates an island to which he gives the name of St Brandon, and which he places considerably to the west of Africa. This, however, ap pears to be nothing more than one of those imaginary islands which were often introduced at that period to occupy an empty space in the charts of geographers ; and the existence of which rested on authority equally ques tionable with that which is given for the legend of St Brandon himself.