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AMERICA
[north
centration of the population, industry, progress, wealth, ward into Mexico. On this broad desert few trees are and power of North America—the focus of attention from found, although pihons grow on the cliffs and ledges, and all other parts of the continent. The regions of the far cottonwoods occur along the watercourses. The vegetation north and north-east, including the greater part of the as a whole consists of cacti, agaves, sage-brush (Artemisia), Laurentian highland and the extreme northern stretch of and other plants adapted to and conditions. North ot the Medial plains and the Western highlands, remain and the eastern forested area and east of the northern Cordil- will long remain thinly populated. The furs of wild animals lera are the “ barren lands,” with frozen subsoil, extending are their characteristic product. Timber is taken from their thence to the Arctic coast. The growing season here is more accessible forests; but only in mining districts does short and the climate forbidding, so that trees cannot the population notably increase, as in the iron region develop, although birches, poplars, willows, and other around Lake Superior and in the recently-discovered Genera, which southward attain great size, are present Klondyke gold region. as dwarf shrubs. The vegetation of this northern barren In the south-eastern United States lies a belt of coastal district, like that of bleak mountain summits southward, lowlands skirting the Appalachians, long blighted by negro is very similar in character to that of other extreme boreal slavery and still suffering under its consequences, not only regions. Blueberries, crowberries, and some other small fruits are abundant, but the brief summer will not mature because the institution of slavery demanded the importation most crops of the temperate zone. The Gulf coast, on the of African savages, but even more because its perpetuation other hand, supports a vegetation decidedly tropical in its held the slaves in ignorant poverty and made labour disgracenature. Somewhat developed in Florida and the other ful, and still more because its abolition has not yet removed southern states, this flora becomes the prevailing one on the race prejudice under which the progress of the negro, even the coast of Mexico and Central America, especially from only to political equality with the whites, is so long delayed. the region of Yera Cruz southward, where the forests are This is nowhere the case with European immigrants of largely composed of palms and live oaks, and where giant whatever nationality or religion. The descendants of the bamboos often attain a height of 40 feet. In these early French settlers of Canada stand in political rights as tropical forests many orchids and other showy plants of well as in loyalty to the Government on an equal footing with the British citizens of the Dominion. The Italians northern conservatories are native. North America, with an area of about 8,000,000 square of the cities, the Hungarians of the mines, the Scandimiles (16 per cent, of all the lands, or 4*12 per cent, of the navians of the northern prairies, the Irish and Germans whole earth’s surface), and a mean altitude of everywhere are “ Americanized ” in the second or third generation, rapidly entering local and national politics, and develop ab0Ut 2000 feet’ at.Present l,layS ,a Part in meat of human history that is of greater importance hardly less rapidly attaining an honourable social standing the coati- than is warranted by its size alone, although it as tested by intermarriage with English and other stocks. nent has not in this respect the extraordinary import- But the negro is set aside, even though he has adopted ance of Europe. The continent has the good fortune to the language and the religion of his former masters: lie chiefly in a temperate rather than a torrid zone, and political and social rights are denied him, and interin temperate latitudes to be much nearer to Europe than marriage with whites is practically excluded, although to Asia. Whatever may have been the first home of the mulattos are numerous. Thus has slavery left upon a aboriginal inhabitants, the dominating people of to-day people, amongst whom political rights and social opportuare derived from the leading countries of the Old World. nities should be equal for all, the heavy burden that has Not only so, temperate North America has become the always retarded progress where strongly contrasted races most progressive part of the continent because of receiving are brought together. Farther south still are the tropical its new population chiefly from the most advanced nations islands and the narrowing mainland, rich in possible proof middle western Europe—Great Britain, France and Ger- ductiveness, but slowly developed because of a prevailing many ; while the torrid islands and the narrowing southern diversity and instability of government and lack of promainland of North America have been settled chiefly gressive spirit among the people. Here also there is a from the less energetic peoples of southern Europe; and considerable proportion of negroes, but they live under the inhospitable northern lands are hardly entered at all less unhappy conditions than those now obtaining in the by newcomers, except in the recently-discovered gold fields United States. West of the Mississippi in middle latitudes the populaof the far north-west. From the plantation of colonies on the eastern coast, the movement inland has been governed tion rapidly decreases in density, and over a large extent of to a remarkable degree by physiographic factors, such as the semi-arid plains it must long remain sparse. The settleform, climate, and products. The cities of the Atlantic ments bordering the plains on the east longitude for a time harbours and of the adjacent lowlands still take a leading marked the “ Frontier ” of civilisation, for the vast stretch part in industry and commerce, because of their longer of dry country was a serious barrier to farther advance. establishment and of their relation to Europe. The up- But the plains are now crossed by many railways leading lands, ridges, and mountains of the Appalachian system—- to the Cordilleran region—the “ Far West in large part the “ Backwoods ” of a century ago—still remain rather too rugged or too arid for occupation, but rich in minerals thinly occupied except at certain centres where coal or from one end to the other, the seat of many mining other earth-product attracts an industrial population. camps of unstable population, and containing numerous Beyond the Alleghenies, the middle interior contains a regular settlements in the intermontane basins. On very large proportion of habitable land. It was long ago nearing the farther ocean the climatic conditions improve,, recognized as a land of great promise, and it is to-day a land and the population is rapidly increasing in number and of great performance, covered with a wonderful network of wealth; this district not being content to take its name single-line railways, yielding an enormous product of grain, with respect to the east, not considering itself as included and developing industries of all kinds towards a future of in the “ Far West,” but choosing the distinctive designarapidly increasing power. Indeed, within and closely around tion of the “ Pacific Slope,” and, while maintaining an an area marked by the St Lawrence system on the north, the active intercourse all across the breadth of the continent, Ohio on the south, and stretching from the Atlantic coast already opening relations with the distant Orient by a between the Gulf of St Lawrence and Chesapeake Bay new approach. Among the earliest results of the latter inland to the middle prairies, there is a remarkable con- movement was the arrival of Chinese labourers, a humble,
