District of Pennsylvania, To wit :

BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the twenty-ninth day of October, in the thirtieth year of the indepen dence of the United States of America, A. D. 1805, John M'Culloch, of the said District, hath deposited in this office, the title of a Book, the right whereof he claims as Proprietor, in the words following to wit:

"Elements of Geography, designed for Young Stu"dents in that Science. In seven Sections. Sect. "I. Of the Solar System. Sect II. Of the Earth in particular. Sect. III. Of Maps and Globes. The foregoing sections contain the Scientific or Astro"nomical part of Geography, digested in a clear and "comprehensive manner. Sect. IV. Of the different "Religions, Governments, Languages, Civilization, "and Commerce of Nations, with an Outline of Universal History. Sect. V. Of the Political Divisions of the Earth into Empires, Kingdoms, &c. or "the Historical part of Geography. Sect. VI. Of "Natural Philosophy: or the Properties of Matter. "Sect. VII. Of Chronology.-By Benjamin Work"C man, A. M. The eleventh Edition much improved "and enlarged. Illustrated with, 1. A Map of the "World 2. A Plate of the Solar System. 3. A plate "of the Seasons. 4. A Globe in a darkened room. "5. A Representation of Eclipses. 6. A Map of "North America. 7. A Map of the United States. "8 A Map of South America. 9. A Map of Europe. "10. A Map of Asia. 11. A Map of Africa.

In Conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entituled, "An Act for the Encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of aps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned." And also to the Act entituled, "An Act supplementary to an Act, enti tuled, "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned," and extending the Benefits thereof to the Arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other Prints."

D. CALDWELL, Clerk

of the District of Pennsylvania.

TO THE THIRTEENTH EDITION.

THE title page has already declared the contents of this little book; and the twelve editions it has gone through fince its first publication, are fufficient evidences of its utility as a Compendium of Geography.

The Editor has been, in every edition, careful to insert such improvements as comported with his plan, both in the Scientific and Historical part, in order that the present state of things might always be prefented to the young ftudent.

In this Edition is inferted, an Article, to explain the Equation of Time;-on Alphabetical Writing-of the Dionyfian Period; to find the Dominical Letter; and from the Dominical Letter to find on what day of the week, any given day of the month will fall;-with feveral other additions. And the Maps have been all repaired.

The fuccefs the work has met with, has ftimulated the exertions of the Editor to render it ftill more worthy of the public favour.

May 2d, 1809.

JOHN MCCULLOCH.

(iv)

PUBLISHED BY JOHN M'CULLOCH,

Geographical Queftions, adapted to Workman's Syftem; to which is appended, Promiscuous Questions, on the Study of Geography in General. Price 25 cents. Epitome of Workman's Geography, containing fuch parts only as are neceffary to commit to memory. Published at the defire of Sundry teachers. Price 25

ELEMENTS, &c.

1.

G

SECT. I.

Of the Solar System.

EOGRAPHY is a defcription of the Earth, fhewing its real and imaginary lines and divifions. The word is derived from the Greek words Ge, the Earth, and Grapha, to defcribe.

2. The elementary part of Geography is fo blended with aftronomy, that a proficiency car.not be acquired in the one, without a competent knowledge in the other.

3. Aftronomy is that fcience which exhibitsthe magnitude, order, motions, and distances, of the heavenly bodies; and teaches how to discover the time and quantity of eclipfes, and all other celeftial phenomena. The term is derived from the Greek words Astron, a ftar, and Nomus, a law or rule; and confequently had not originally that extenfive meaning, which latter times have annexed to it.

4. The infinite abyfs of space, unbounded in every direction, which the Greeks cailed To pan, every thing, the whole; the Latins Inane, the

A

void

void; and we the Univerfe, comprehends innumerable Suns, round each of which, as a centre, probably revolve a fyftem of other bodies, called Planets or Worlds, receiving their light and heat therefrom. Now, to have a juft norion of any of these funs, with his fyftem of worlds moving round him, it will be fufficient to exhibit briefly, a juít and natural idea of the Solar or Mundane Syftem: that is, the System of our fun, fo called from the Latin words, Sol, the fun, and Mundus, the world.

5. The Sun, () that immenfe and amazing globe of fire, and the fountain of light and heat to the whole fyftem, is about a million of times larger than our earth, and placed near the centre of our fyftem, giving light and heat to sevenprimary, and fourteen, (or perhaps more) fe. condary planets, on opaque fpherical bodies, which make their revolutions round him, from weft to eaft in lefs or more time, according to their distances from him.

6. Mercury () is the nearest to the fun; it is twenty times lefs than the earth, and revolves round the fun in two months and twenty eight days.

7. Venus, (9) the fecond planet in the fyftem, is exactly as large as the earth, and revolves round the fun in feven months and fifteen days. Venus and Mercury, but especially the former, become evening and morning ftars by turns; as fhall be more fully explained farther on.

8. The Earth (D is the third planet from the fun; it moves round him in three hundred and

fixty