America, or the New-World , or the Western Indies , is one of the 4 parts of the world, bathed by the ocean, which was discovered by Christopher Columbus, from Genoa, in 1491. It was called America for the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who in 1497 reached the part of the continent below the equator. The continent is principally controlled by the Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, and Dutch. It is divided into north and south by the Gulf of Mexico and by the strait of Panama. The known part of North America extends from the 11th to the 75th degree of latitude. Its major regions are Mexico, California, Louisiana, Virginia, Canada, Newfoundland; and the islands of Cuba, Saint-Domingue, and the West Indies. South America extends from the 12th degree north to the 60th degree south; its regions are Terra-firma [Colombia], Peru, Paraguay, Chile, the Magellanic regions [Patagonia], Brazil, and the Amazon.

South America offers gold and silver: silver in ingots, specks, pepins and in powder; silver in bars and piasters. North America offers beaver, otter, moose and lynx pelts. Pearls come either from Margerita in the Northern Sea, or from the Las-Perlas islands in the Southern Sea. Emeralds come from the region of Santa Fe de Bogota. The most commonly traded merchandise is sugar, tobacco, indigo, ginger, cassia, mastic, aloe, cotton, shells, wool, leather, cinchona, cocoa, vanilla, logwood, sandalwood, sassafras wood, brazilwood, gaiac wood, cinnamon-bark, indigo wood, &c. Also Tolu, Copahu and Peru balsam; plus bezoar, cochineal, ipecacuanha, dragon's-blood, amber, gum copal, nutmeg, quicksilver, pineapples, jalap, mechoacan, wines, liqueurs, Barbados-water, canvas, &c.

Each region in America does not produce each of these products: we refer the reader to the articles on the commerce of each province or kingdom, which give more detail on the goods produced there.