Radio Script #617

Little Talks on Common Things

May 31, 1964

A few weeks ago I talked about the old Webster’s Spelling Book. I want now to tell you about another textbook used in the schools nearly 200 years ago.

There recently came to my notice a kind of geographical dictionary published in 1773, two years before the beginning of the American Revolution. It was printed in London, for use in the schools by a group of six booksellers and was priced at seven shillings. equivalent to 98 cents today, but considering the subsequent decrease in purchasing power of money at that time more nearly equivalent to five dollars.

Like most books of the 18th century, this one carries a long, cumbersome title: “The General Gazeteer or compendious geographical dictionary, containing all the empires, kingdoms, provinces, cities. chief towns, forts, castles, seas, harbors, bays, rivers, mountains and capes in the known world, together with the government, customs and religion of the inhabitants, the extent and natural productions of each country, their trade, manufactures and curiosities, and also the sieges they have undergone and the battles fought near them. Embellished with nine maps. Especially recommended for use in the schools of all British lands.”

The first map in this volume was a two-page spread of the two hemispheres, showing the outline of the continents rather accurately as they are today. The map reveals why even now sailors speak of the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic. The seas, both Atlantic· and Pacific, south of the equator, were then looked upon as separate oceans. Between Europe and America the map designates the Western or Atlantic Ocean; between Africa and South America it is called the Southern Ocean. Only the northern part of the great Pacific was then called the Pacific Ocean; the southern part was the Great South Sea. The Indian Ocean bore a name of which I was not aware, the Ethiopian Ocean. As for the land areas, Australia is marked Terra Australia, and the whole region we now know as Indonesia was New Holland. The African area of the Congo and the Gold Coast was called Negroland. The northwest coast of Africa was Barbary, and the name Egypt does not appear on the map at all.

The book contains a map of North America that reveals how little was known of this continent in 1773. There is not even a true outline shape of the continent west of the Mississippi and north of what is now Texas. California is designated, but not the area of the present state. The map gives that name to what is now the Mexican territory of Lower California and north about as far as the present site of Los Angeles. Although the area already had ancient Spanish missions, the map does not even show the shape of the San Francisco Bay. On the east coast the map shows Boston, Philadelphia and Charleston, but not New York and Baltimore. Nova Scotia had its name translated into New Scotland.

Let us now see what the old book had to say about places on this continent. Bearing in mind that England’s difficulties with her American colonies were acute in 1773, which was the very year of the Boston Tea Party and three years after the Boston Massacre, it is interesting to note what this London volume said about Massachusetts: “Massachusetts Colony is a subdivision of New England in North America, bounded on the north by New Hampshire, on the east by the sea, and on the west and south by New York and Connecticut. Massachusetts produces plenty of Indian corn, flax and hemp, as well as beef, pork, fowl and fish. They have mines of copper and iron, and the chief trade is with the Caribbean islands, to which they send provisions and get sugar and molasses in return. This is the most powerful colony in North America and has given the governor, appointed by the king, some trouble. In religion they are Independents, but of late there are many of the Church of England.”

Of New Hampshire the book says: “A province of North America in New England, bounded on the north by New Scotland. on the east by the ocean, on the south by Massachusetts Bay, and on the west by New York. Is it is a very prOj.)~r country for producing naval stores, a great part of it has been appropriated for furnishing masts and yards for the Royal Navy.”

I find this old book in error in its comments about Maine. It says: “A province of North America in New England, bounded on the northeast by New Scotland, on the south by Massachusetts Bay, and on the southwest and northwest by the province of New Hampshire. ” Of course it is well known that Mai ne was never a separate province and had gone through a long history of disputed charter titles before 1773, but by the time this old book was published Maine was definitely a part of Massachusetts and was fully recognized as such in London as well as on this side of the Atlantic.

Now note what the book says about New York: “New York is bounded on the east by New England, on the north by Canada, on the south by New Jersey, and on the west by the Delaware River. It produces corn, abounds in cattle, and has a good breed of horses. They export dried and salted fish to Europe, whale oil and whale bone to England, whence they get their tools, clothing and furniture. There are some forts on the north to defend them against the native Americans.”

Here is the comment about New York City: “New York City is the capital of the colony of New York in North America, seated on an island at the mouth of the Hudson River. It stands on an eminence and is surrounded by a wall and has other fortifications. It has a spacious harbor with commodious wharves. It is frequented by a great number of ships employed in trade or fisheries.”

Of Boston the book says: “Boston is the capital of New England, seated on a peninsula at the bottom of a fine bay, defended by a castle and platform of guns, which render the approach of an enemy very difficult. At the bottom of the bay is a pier, nearly 2,000 feet long,to which ships of great burden may come close. On the north side are warehouses for the merchants. The streets are handsome, especially the one that extends from the pier to the town house. There are ten churches of all denominations. At each end of the town is a battery of eight guns. The number of inhabitants is about 14,000, and it is one of the most flourishing towns in North America.”

Here is the book’s description of Philadelphia: “The capital of Pennsylvania in North America, Philadelphia is an oblong square two miles long and one mile wide, and the high street runs from the middle of one front to the other. In the center of the town is a square of ten acres, surrounded by the town house and other public buildings. The high street is a hundred feet wide. Seated on the rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, Philadelphia has a fine wharf, to which may come ships of 500 tons. There are both wet and dry docks for building and repairing ships, and all manner of conveniences for handling merchandise. The houses are mostly of brick. The town house was erected in 1732. In 1749 the dwelling houses were carefully computed and were found to number 2,076.”

It is interesting to note what the book says about the Mississippi River: “A large river in North America whose source is unknown. It passes south through Louisiana, a delightful country inhabited by savages, then runs about 2,000 miles till it falls into the Gulf of Florida. The French lay claim to some part of the country it runs through, but all to the eastward was ceded by the Peace of 1763 to Great Britain. The supposed richness of these parts gave rise to the financial scandal of 1719, known as the French Bubble, which ruined as many families as the South Sea Bubble did in England in 1720.”

Since that account says the Mississippi ran for 2,000 miles after reaching the Louisiana border, it is obvious that much more than the present state of Louisiana was then included in the area of that name. It was in fact the vast extent of territory west of the Alleghenies, from Canada to the Gulf, that Thomas Jefferson later secured for the new United States by purchase from Napoleon’s government in France. This is the way the old geography described Louisiana:

“A large country of North America, divided almost in the middle by the river Mississippi. It is a fruitful country claimed by the French, but the greater part east of the river belongs to England.”

What did the old book say about our neighbor to the north? “Canada, a large country of North America, is bounded on the west by the ocean, on the south by the Mississippi, on the east by the English colonies of New York and Pennsylvania, and on the north by the territory of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Canadian woods are full of game animals of which the beaver is the most useful. Canadian turpentine is greatly esteemed for disorders of the stomach. The native Eskimo lead a wandering life and maintain themselves by hunting. They all seem to worhsip the sun. The French inhabitants of Canada number about 30,000 and have a governor, an intendant and a bishop. Quebec is the capital town and was captured by the English in 1759. The whole country was ceded to England by the Treaty of 1763.”

That leads us to the book’s comment on one of North America’s oldest cities, Quebec: “A handsome, large town of North America and capital of Canada. On the river front is a square, back of which is a huge rock. Between the square and the high street is a steep ascent, where are stairs for pedestrians. The area of the high street is called the Upper Town, where is the bishop’s palace and a Jesuit college. There are two large forts. Almost all of the houses are built of stone and there are about 7,000 inhabitants.”

With Cuba so much in the news today, let us see what the Gazeteer said about that island in 1773: “Cuba is an island in North America at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. It was discovered by Columbus in 1494. The Spaniards are entirely masters of the island, having rooted out the natives. The produce is sugar cane, ginger, cassia, and very good tobacco, from which are made the famous Spanish cigarros. The galleons that return annually to Spain rendezvous at Cuba’s largest port, Havana.”

It is an interesting book, that old geographical dictionary, published in London when George III was king and the great Samuel Johnson was still living. Already British ships were to be found in all the world’s ports; already the British Empire was on the way to its building. What changes, what marvelous changes have been wrought in the world since six booksellers of London put on the market the General Gazeteer and GomperidibusGe9g~aphical Dictionary of 1773.

Year: 1964