as in America, and
gives valuable intelligence, especially of the Colonies he visited, but
his book has no system. Prof. Kalm has much that is good in his travels
in North America, and often cites Franklin, but did not altogether
understand what he said, and Franklin never saw Kalm's book until he
came across a German translation in Hanover.

The east coast of North America, where the British Colonies lie, is
generally colder than the countries on the same stretch in Europe, nor
has it been observed that owing to the decay of forests and cultivation
the climate is becoming noticeably milder. Almost the whole eastern
coast of North America is sandy, many little islands along the coast are
sand banks, thrown up gradually by the sea. The coast of Florida is
sandy and unfruitful, but the interior is good land. The native Indians
consist of many small nations, each with its own language, quite
different from that of their neighbors. They are all of one figure as if
descended from a common ancestor,--all brown in color, with straight
black hair, eyes all of one color, and all beardless, and they call
Europeans the bearded nation. They live in the wilds, except a few that
have been gathered in villages and are partly civilized. They live on
plants and by hunting, without farms or cattle, chickens, horses etc.

Before the arrival of Europeans, their important plants were Turkish
corn or maize; a sort of beans; tobacco. Maize and Tobacco are found
only in America, and were brought from the new world to the old. Maize
and Beans they cook and use bear fat in place of butter as dressing, but
no salt. Smoking tobacco is an old custom, especially at their national
gatherings. These three plants they look on as a special gift of heaven.
According to an old tradition, an American found a handsome young woman
sitting on a hill,--who in acknowledging a deep bow, said she came from
above and at the end of a year would come again to the same hill. She
was there again at that time, on her right hand Maize, on her left
Beans, and on her lap Tobacco, and these three she left as a present for
the American. Before Europeans brought them, there were no other grain
or vegetables known than maize and beans, but all like the newcomers
have increased wonderfully. The Spanish historian de Solis is altogether
wrong in saying that Mexico at the time of the invasion, was a populous
and mighty state. The Mexicans were savages, without art or knowledge,