The sea-sand alluvial region has a very promi nent termination on the northeast, at the mouth of the Hudson, or more correctly at that of the Rari tan. The Nevesink hills are detached and belong strictly to the chain which forms Long Island, the inner verge of the sea-sand alluvion meets the pri mitive rock in a line very nearly coinciding with southwest and northeast, from the lower falls of Raritan to the lower falls of Delaware, leaving the peninsula now forming the southern and rather larger section of New Jersey on the sea-sand phy sical tract. Here occurs a phenomenon, nowhere else to be found on the Atlantic slope of North America. That is the rise of a stream on the sea sand tract, with its course towards and over the primitive; this very remarkable case is afforded by Millstone river; which, rising on the sea-sand alluvion, flows directly from the opposite Atlantic coast, and towards the Appalachian chains, crosses the primitive ledge, and unites with the Raritan about ten miles above the head of title water. The Millstone, it may, however, be premised, is one of a series of small rivers and creeks which flow northwestward by west, having the Raritan and Delaware as recipients; but, as has already been noticed, the Millstone is the only stream which has its source on the alluvion, and final discharge within the outer margin of the primitive.
The series of water courses, which commence, advancing from north to south, with the lower con fluents of the Raritan, and which flow inland, is not terminated by Delaware Bay, but is continued on the Chesapeake and Delaware peninsula to its ex treme southern point, Cape Charles. The Manala pan and Millstone flowing into Raritan, and the Assanpink, Rancocus, Pensauken, Coopers, Old mans, Salem, and other creeks entering the Dela ware, are followed beyond that estuary by the Elk, Sassafras, Chester, Choptank, Nantikoke, Poco moke, and numerous smaller streams which, rising on the sea-sand alluvion, find their discharge in Chesapeake Bay.
In the physical features of the small rivers origi nating on the sea-sand alluvion, and which have the Delaware bay as a common recipient, and those of similar origin on the Chesapeake and Delaware peninsula, there are two marked distinctions. The northwestern slope of the New Jersey peninsula does not exceed a mean breadth of 15 miles, and the iNlillstone and Rancocus, the longest of the streams it produces, both fall short of thirty miles direct course; the direction of these numerous but short water courses almost invariably be tween N.W., and N.W. by NV. directly at right angles to the great opposing primitive ledge. But passing the Delaware bay, and traversing the Chesapeake and Delaware peninsula, we discover the rivers have changed their courses, and now flow south of S.W., parallel to the Appalachian chains.
A critical survey of the Atlantic slope of the United States, superinduees the induction, that Long Island Sound, Delaware bay, and Chesapeake bay, are specifically similar to Albemarle, and Pam tico Sounds; and, that Long Island, the peninsula between Delaware river and the Atlantic Ocean; that again, between Delaware hay, the Atlantic Ocean, and Chesapeake bay, the low capes outside of Albemarle and Pamtico sounds, and finally, the pen insula of Florida, were all protuberances of specifi cally similar nature.
Long Island is separated from the continent by a sound, through which the water yet passes to considerable depth, and when compared, there are strong reasons to conclude that such was once the case with the Delaware and Raritan; with the Dela ware and Chesapeake, and with the Chesapeake and Albemarle Sound. Beyond Long Island, a similar theory will apply to Cape Cod, and, exterior to the limits of the United States, to the peninsula of Nova Scotia.
Calling in the aid of comparative geography, to illustrate the particular features of the United States, and seeking another part of the earth most similar in respect to position relatively, our atten tion is arrested by southeastern Asia. By actual calculation, the coast of North America from Cape Tehuantepec, crossing the intermediate land, and thence along the coast of the United States, de flects from the meridian 47° 44', whilst the entire south-eastern coast of Asia is within an inconsider able fraction of N.E. and S.W.; the two coasts only differing in direction 2i°. To the remark, how very nearly parallel are these two coasts at a distance of under 6880 statute miles, we may add that in relation to the respective continents, and to the general course of atmospheric currents, the North American and Asiatic coasts, they are the two objects of such immense extent on earth which coincide in so many points of resemblance. The islands and gulfs of south-eastern Asia are more like the contiguous continent, on a wider scale, than are the corresponding features of the United States At lantic coast. The application of the resemblance here adverted to, will be seen under the head of climate; we now return to our particular subject.
The sea-sand alluvial region, falling, as we have shown, from the primitive ledge over which the rivers are precipitated, is narrow and interrupted by the ocean reaching the primitive to the north eastward from the Hudson; but thence rapidly widening to the southwestward, is traversed by the Delaware, Chesapeake, and lesser bays, and though penetrated by the tides to the margin of the primi tive, the ocean and interior mountains seem to re cede from each other, leaving between the Chesa peake and Gulf of Mexico an immense plain of above 600 miles in length, and upwards of 100 miles mean breadth.