UNITED STATES, an extensive country of North America, having the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean on the west, the British territories or Cabotia on the north, Russian America on the northwest, the Mexican provinces on the southwest, the Gulf of Mexico south, and the archipelago of the West Indies southeast.
Without pretending to absolute accuracy, the fol lowing outlines will show the great frontier lines.
To determine the exact surface contained within this extended perimeter, would demand a very te dious and complex calculation, admitting every part of the outline to be fully defined, and the length exactly determined, but as the elements are far from being either adequately ample to decide the problem, we must adopt a proximate tabular result.
It ought to be carefully remembered, that the data on which Table I. was constructed were used without reference to minute fractions. If, indeed, the entering and retiring angles were disregarded, and the outlines assumed as regular curves or straight lines, as the case might be, the actual area of the United States might be assumed at two mil lions of square miles; or, if taken comparatively, at the one-twentieth part of the habitable land area of the earth.
In the construction of this article, we shall first take a succinct view of the general structure and most prominent physical features; secondly, a view of the climate; thirdly, survey the political subdi visions; and fourthly and lastly, give a sketch of its history. In the latter section will be included the most prominent and important principles of the United States' constitution, and of those of the in dividual states.
This article being a continuation, or more cor rectly a supplement to section United States, under the head of AMERICA, in the first volume of the En cyclopxdia, the reader is referred to that part of the work for much matter necessary to a compre hensive view of the subject.
Taken in its utmost extent, as given in Table I., the territory of the United States extends, in lati tude from Thompson's Island, 24° SO' N. to 48° 2'
on the northern part of Maine, as laid down on Tanner's map; but to N. Lat. 51° on the Pacific ocean;• or perhaps more correctly, to Vancouver's Sound, Lat. 54°.
The most easterly point in the United states is on the eastern side of Manan Island, off Passama quoddy Bay, 10° 20' E. from W.C., and the most westerly point, if the latitude is extended to 54°, will be on the northwestern coast of Queen Char lotte's Island, 56° \V. from W.C. These geogra phical limits give an extent of twenty-nine and a half degrees of latitude, and sixty-six and one-third degrees of longitude.
The longest line that can be drawn in the exten sive regions included in the preceding outlines, and over land without intersecting any sea, would be from the Atlantic coast at Cape Connaveral, North Lat. 28° 20', Lon. 3° 25' W. to the northern end of Queen Charlotte's Island, say North Lat. 54°, Lon. 56° W. from W.C. This line would deflect from the meridians by an angle of 56° 28', and measure a fraction above 3214 statute miles, Based upon this diagonal, the mean breadth is 664 very nearly. The whole territory is equal to an immense square of about 1460 miles each side.
Combined into one view, the United States' ter ritory comprises four, or part of four vast inclined planes. These great planes are the descents from two of mountains, which, in relation to conttguous oceans, might have been very correctly called the Atlantic and Pacific systems. Rising from the Atlantic, and in the First part near that ocean, by a very moderate ascent, swells a plain, which gradually breaking into hills, finally termi nates in a system of mountains. This system, de signated by some writers " the Appalachian," but more generally " the Alleghany Mountains." To the latter name, there is an insuperable objection, as a generic term; that objection is, that the same term, Alleghany, is applied to one of the minor chains. Therefore, to avoid confusion of names, the eastern or Atlantic system of mountains will, in this trea tise, be designated Appalachian.