Principal Towns.] Newbern, Edenton, Wilmington, Halifax, Hillsborough, Salisbury, and Fayetteville, each in their turns have been the feat of the General Aflembly. The city of Raleigh is now the etablished • feat of government, and cent ins 8, houfes and 669 inhabitants. The ftate houfe cât £6,000 currency.

Newbern is the largest town in the i. te. It hands en a flat fandy point of land, formed by the coplu ne of the rivers Neus on the north, and Trutten the wooth, and contains 2467 inhabitants.

Edenton is fituated on the north side of All emarle Sound, and has about 150 indifferent wood houfes, and a few handiome buildings, and 1302 inhabitants.

Wilmington is a town of between 200 and 300 houfes, fituated on the eaft fide or the eastern branch of Cape Fear, or Clarendon river, 34 miles from the fea. It has 1639 inhabitants.

Hillsborough is an inland town, fituated in a high, healthy and fertile country, 180 miles north of the welt from Newbern. It has 474 inhabitants.

Salisbury is agreeably situated, about five miles from Yadkin river, and contains about 100 dwelling houfes, and 645 inhabitants.

Halifax is a pretty town, and ftands on the western bank of the Roanoke, about 6 miles below the falls, and has about 30 or 4c dwelling-houfes, and 382 inhabitants:

Fayetteville ftands on i welt fide of Clarendon, commonly called Cape Fear river, and about a mile from its banks, and has 1656 inhabitants.

Washington is fituated in the courty of Beaufort, on the north fide of Tar river, in latitude 35° 30'; diftant from Ocrecock Inlet, go miles, and has 600 inhabitants.

Greenfville, fo called, after Major General Nathaniel Greene, is fituated in Pitt county, on the fouth bank of Tar river, in latitude 35° 35'; diftant from Ocrecock Inlet 110 miles, and has 174 inhabitants.

Tarborough is fituated in the county of Edgecomb, on the fouth bank of Tar river, in latitude 35° 45'; distant from Oerecock Inlet 140 miles, and has 523 inhabitants.

Face of the Country, Soil and Production.] North Carolina, in its whole width, for 60 miles from the fea, is a dead level. A great proportion of this tract lies in forest,

foreft, and is barren. On the banks of fome of the rivers, particularly of the Roancke, the land is fertile and good. Interfperfed through the other parts, are glades of rich fwamp, and ridges of oak land, of a black, fertile foil. Sixty or eighty miles from the fea, the country rifes into hills and mountains, as described. under this head in South Carolina and Georgia.

Wheat, rye, barley, oats and flax, grow well in the back hilly country. Indian corn and pulfe of all kinds, in all parts. Cotton and herop are alfo confiderably cultivated here, and might be raifed in much greater plenty. The cotton is planted yearly; the talk dies with the froft. The labour of one man will produce 1,000 pounds in the feeds, or 250 fit for manufacturing.

Trade.] A great proportion of the produce of the back country, confifting of tobacco, wheat, Indian corn, &c. is carried to market in South Carolina and Virginia. The fouthern interior counties carry their produce to Charleston; and the northern, to Petersburg and Norfolk. The exports from the lower parts of the State, are tar, pitch, turpentine, rofin, Indian corn, boards, fcantling, ftaves, fhingles, furs, tobacco, pork, lard, tallow, bees wax, myrtle wax, and a few other articles, amounting in the year ending September 30, 1791, to 524,548 dollars. Their trade is chiefly with the Weft Indies and the northern States.

Climate, Difeafes, &c.] the flat country, near the fea-coaft, the inhabitants, during the fummer and autumn, are fubject to intermitting fevers, which often prove fatal, as bilious or nervous fymptoms prevail. The countenances of the inhabitants, during thefe feafons, have generally a pale, yellowifh caft, occafioned by the prevalence of bilious fymptoms. They have very little of the bloom and freshness of the people in the northern States.

The western hilly parts of the State are as healthy as any part of America. That country is fertile, full of fprings and rivulets of pure water. Autumn is very pleafant, both in regard to the temperature and ferenity of the weather, and the richness and variety of the vegetable productions, which the feafon affords. The winters are fo mild in fome years, that autumn may be

faid

faid to continue till fpring. Wheat harvef 1, in the beginning of June, and that of Indian corn eail; in Sep-' tember.

Natural Hiftory, Manufactures, E.] The large rat ural growth of the plains, in the low country, is aimest univerfally pitch pine, which is a tall, handfimo tree, far fuperior to the pitch pine of the northern States. This tree may be called the staple commodity of North Carolina. It affords pitch, tar, turpentine, and various kinds of lumber, which, together, conititute at least one half of the exports of this State. No country produces finer white and red-oak for itaves. The fwamps abi und with cyprus and bay trees. The latter is an evergreen, and is food for the cattle in the winter.

The Misfletoe is common in the back country. This is a fhrub, which differs in kind, perhaps, from all others. It never grows out of the earth, but on the tops of trees. The roots (if they may be fo called) run under the bark of the tree, and incorporate with the wood. It is an evergreen, refembling the garden box word.

The late war, by which North Carolina was greatly convulfed, put a stop to feveral iron works. There are four or five furnaces in the State, that are in blit, and a proportionable number of forges.

Religion. The western parts of this State, which have been fettled within the last 50 years, are chiefly inhabited by Prefbyterians from Pennsylvania, the de fcendants of people from the worth of Ireland, and are exceedingly attached to the doctrines, dicipline and ufages of the church of Scotland. They are a regular, induftrious people.

The Moravians have feveral flourishing fettlements in the upper part of this State.

The Friends or Quakers have a fettlement in New Garden, in Guilford county, and feveral congregations at Perquimens and Pafquotank. The Methodists and Baptifts are numerous and increafing.

The inhabitants of Wilmington, Newbern, Edenton and Halifax districts, making about three-fifths of the State, formerly profeffed themfelves of the Epifcopal church. One or two only of the original clergy remain, and at prefent they have no particular paitoral

charge. The Baptists and Methodists have fent a num ber of Miffionary preachers into thefe diftricts; and fome of them have pretty large congregations. It is not. improbable that one or other of thefe denominations, and perhaps both, may acquire confiftency, and establith permanent churches.

College and Academies.] The General Affembly of North Carolina, in December, 1789, paffed a law incorporating 40 gentlemen, 5 from each diftrict, as truftees of the Univerfity of North Carolina. The State has given handfome donations for the endowment of this feminary. The General Affembly, in December, 1791, loaned 5,000l. to the trustees, to enable them to proceed immediately with their buiklings. Thefe have fince been erected 32 miles weft of Raleigh, the inftitution organized with profeffors, and has now about 100 ftudents.

There is a very good academy at Warrenton, another at Williamsborough, in Granville, and three or four others in the State, of confiderable note.

Population, Character, Manners and Culloms.] From the Marthal's return, it appears that the number of inhabitants in the year 1791, was 393,751, of whom 293,179 were citizens. In 1800, 478,103, of whom 133,296 were flaves.

The North Carolinians are mostly planters, and live from half a mile to 3 and 4 miles from each other, on their plantations. They have a plentiful country-no ready market for their produce-little intercourse with ftrangers, and a natural fondnefs for fociety, which induce them to be hofpitable to travellers. They appear to have little tafte for the fciences.

North Carolina has had a rapid growth. In the year: 1710, it contained but about 1,200 fencible men. It is now, in point of numbers, the fourth State in the Union. During this amazing progrefs in population, which has been greatly aided by immigrations, from Pennfylvania, Virginia, and other States, while each has been endeavouring to increase his fortune, the human mind, like an unweeded garden, has been fuffered to fhoot up in wild diforder. But when we confider, that, during the late revolution, this State produced many diftinguifhed pat

riots and politicians, that fhe fent her thousands to the defence of Georgia and South Carolina, and gave occa fional fuccours to Virginia-when we conûder too the difficulties fhe has had to encounter, from a mature of inhabitants, collected from different parts, ftrangeto each other, and intent upon gain, we shall find many things worthy of praise in her general character.

Confitution.] By the constitution of this State, which was ratified in December, 1776, all legislative authority is vested in two distinct branches, both dependent ca the people, viz. a Senate and Houfe of Commons, which, when convened for business, are ftyled the General Assembly.

The fenate is compofed of reprefentatives, one from each county, chofen annually by ballot.

The house of commons confifts of reprefentatives chofen in the fame way, two for each county, and one for each of the towns of Edenton, Newbern, Wilmi: gton, Salisbury, Hillsborough, Halifax, and Fayetteville.

Hiflory.] The hiftory of North Carolina is lefs known than that of any other of the States. From the bet accounts that history affords, the first permanent fettlement in North Carolina was made about the year 1710, by a number of Palatines from Germany, who had been reduced to circumstances of great indigence, by a calam-itous war.

The infant colony remained under the general government of South Carolina, till about the year 1729, when feven of the proprietors, for a valuable confideration, vested their property and jurifdiction in the crown; and the colony was erected into a feparate province, by the name of North Carolina, and its prefent limits estab-lished by an order of George II. From this period, to the revolution in 1771, the history of North Carolina-is unpublished, and of course unknown.

Dr. Hugh Williamíon is about publishing a history of this State. See American Univerfal Geography,. article N. Carolina.

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