oaks, locuft trees of feveral kinds, walnut, elm, linn, and cherry trees fome of which are three feet in diameter.

Wheat, rye, barley, oats, and flax grow well in the back hilly country. Indian corn and pulse of all kinds in all parts. Ground peas run on the furface of the earth, and are covered by hand with a light mould, and the pods grow under ground. They are eaten raw or roafted, and tafte much like a hazlenut. Cotton is alfo confiderably cultivated here, and might be raifed in much greater plenty. It is planted yearly the ftalk dies with the froft.

Trade.] A great proportion of the produce of the back country, confifting of tobacco, wheat, Indian corn, &c. is carried to market in SouthCarolina and Virginia. The fouthern interior counties carry their produce to Charleston; and the northern to Petersburg, in Virginia. The exports from the lower parts of the ftate, 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. Their trade is chiefly with the Weft-Indies, and the northern ftates. From the latter they receive flour, cheefe, cyder, apples, potatoes, iron wares, cabinet wares, hats, and dry goods of all kinds imported from GreatBritain, France, and Holland, teas, &c. From the Weft-Indies, rum, fugar, and coffee.

Climate, Difeafes, &c.] In the flat country near the fea coast, the inhabitants, during the fummer and autumn, are fubject to intermitting fevers, which often prove fatal, as bilious or nervous fymptoms prevail. These fevers are feldom immediately dangerous to the natives who are temperate, or to ftrangers who are prudent. They, however, if fuffered to continue for any length of time, bring on other diforders, which greatly impair the natural vigor of the mind, debilitate the conftitution, and terminate in death. The countenances of the inhabitants, during thefe feafons, have generally a pale yellowish caft, occafioned by the prevalence of bilious Lymptoms. They have very little of the bloom and freshness of the people in the northern states.

It has been obferved that more of the inhabitants, of the men efpecially, die during the winter, by pleurifies and peripneumonies, than during the warm months by bilious complaints. Thefe pleurifies are brought on by intemperance, and by an imprudent exposure to the weather. Were the inhabitants cautious and prudent in thefe refpects, it is alledged by their phyficians, that they might, in general, efcape the danger of thefe fatal difeafes. The ufe of flannel next to the skin is reckoned an excellent preventative, during the winter, of the difeafes incident to this climate. The western hilly parts of the ftate are as healthy as any of the United States. That country is fertile, full of fprings and rivulets of pure water. The air there is ferene a great part of the year, and the inhabitants live to old age, which cannot fo generally be faid of the inhabitants of the flat country. Though the days in fummer are extremely hot, the nights are cool and refreshing. 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 to continue till spring. Wheat harveft is the beginning of June, and that of Indian corn early in September.

Natural

Natural biftory.] The large natural growth of the plains in the low country, is almoft univerfally pitch pine; which is a tall, handfome tree, far fuperior to the pitch pine of the northern ftates. This tree may be called the ftaple commodity of North Carolina. It affords pitch, tar, turpentine, and various kinds of lumber, which together conftitute at least one-half of the exports of this ftate. This pine is of two kinds, the common and the long leaved. The latter has a leaf fhaped like other pines, but is nearly half a yard in length, hanging in large clusters. No country produces finer white and red oak for ftaves. The swamps abound with cyprefs and bay trees. The latter is an ever-green, and is food for cattle in the winter. The leaves are fhaped like thofe of the peach tree, but larger. The moft common kinds of timber in the back country, are, oak, walnut, and pine. A fpecies of oak grows in the moist, gravelly foil, called Black Jack. It feldom grows larger than 8 or 9 inches diameter. It is worthy of remark, that the trees in the low country, near the fea coaft, are loaded with vast quantities of a long, fpongy kind of mofs, which, by abforbing the noxious vapour that is exhaled from ftagnated waters, contributes much, it is fuppofed, to the healthiness of the climate. This hypothefis is confirmed by experience, fince it is commonly obferv ed, that the country is much lefs healthy after having been cleared, than while in a state of nature.

The Miletoe 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 ever-green, refembling the garden box-wood.

The principal wild fruits are plums, grapes, ftrawberries, and blackberries.

The country is generally covered with herbage of various kinds, and a fpecies of wild grafs. It abounds with medicinal plants and roots. Among others are the ginfeng, Virginia fnake root, Seneca fnake root, an herb of the emetic kind, like the ipecacuanha. Lyons heart, which is a fovereign remedy for the bite of a ferpent. A fpecies of the fenfitive plant is alfo found here; it is a fort of brier, the ftalk of which dies with the froft, but the root lives through the winter, and fhoots again in the fpring. The lightest touch of a leaf caufes it to turn and cling close to the ftalk. Although it fo eafily takes the alarm, and apparently fhrinks from danger, in the space of two minutes after it is touched, it perfectly recovers its former fituation. The mucipula veneris is alfo found here. The rich bottoms are overgrown with canes. Their leaves are green all the winter, and afford an excellent food for cattle. They are of a sweetish, afte, like the stalks of green corn, which they in many respects refemble. Religion.] The western parts of this ftate, which have been fettled within the laft 35 years, are chiefly inhabited by Prefbyterians from Pennfylvania, the defcendents of people from the North of Ireland, and are exceedingly attached to the doctrines, difcipline, and ufages of the church of Scotland. They are a regular induftrious people. Almoft all the inhabitants between the Catawba and Yadkin rivers, are of this denomination, and they are in general well fupplied with a fenfible and learned

miniftry.

miniftry. There are interfperfed fome fettlements of Germans, both Lutherans and Calvinifts, but they have very few ministers.

The Moravians have feveral flourishing fettlements in this state. 1751, they purchased of Lord Granville one hundred thoufand acres of land, between Dan and Yadkin rivers, about 10 miles fouth of Pilot mountain, in Surry county, and called it Wachovia, after an eftate of Count Zinzendorf, in Auftria. In 1755, this tract, by an act of affembly, was made a feparate parish by the name of Dobb's parish. The first fettlement, called Bethabara, was begun in 1753, by a number of the brethren from Pennsylvania, in a very wild, uninhabited country, which, from that time, began to be rapidly fettled by farmers from the middle ftates.

In 1759, Bethany, a regular village, was laid out and fettled. In 1766, Salem, which is now the principal fettlement, and nearly in the center of Wachovia, was fettled by a collection of tradefmen. The fame conftitution and regulations are established here, as in other regular fettlements of the united brethren. Befides, there are in Wachovia three churches, one in Friedland, one in Friedberg, and another at Hope, each of which has a minifter of the Brethren's church. These people, by their industry and attention to various branches of manufacture, are very ufeful to the country around them.

The Friends, or Quakers, have a fettlement in New-Garden, in Guilford county, and feveral congregations at Perquimins and Pafquetank. The Methodists and Baptifts are numerous and increasing. Befides the denominations already mentioned, there is a very numerous body of people in this, and in all the fouthern ftates, who cannot properly be claffed with any fect of chriftians, having never made any profeffion of christianity, and are literally, as to religion, NOTHINGARIANS.

The inhabitants of Wilmington, Newbern, Edenton, and Halifax diftricts, making about three-fifths of the ftate, once profeffed themfelves of the Epifcopal church. The clergy, in thefe diftricts, were chiefly miffionaries; and in forming their political attachments, at the commencement of the late war, perfonal fafety, or real intereft, or perhaps a thorough conviction of the injuftice and impolicy of oppofing Great-Britain from whence they received their falaries, induced them almost universally to declare themselves in favour of the British government, and to emigrate. There may be one or two of the original clergy remaining, but at prefent they have no particular paftoral charge. Indeed the inhabitants in the diftricts above-mentioned, feem now to be making the experiment, whether christianity can exift long in a country where there is no vifible chriftian church. Thirteen years experience has proved that it probably cannot ; for there is very little external appearance of religion among the people in general. The Baptifts and Methodists have fent a number of miffionary preachers into thefe diftricts; and fome of them have pretty large congre gations. It is not improbable that one or the other of the denominations, and perhaps both, may acquire confiftency and establish permanent churches.

Colleges and Academies.] There is no univerfity or college in the ftate. In the original conftitution it is declared, that There fhall be one or more feminaries of learning maintained at the public expence.' But the legif

lature

ture, hitherto, have not confidered that claufe as binding. Probably they do not like it. Academies are established at Newbern, Salisbury, and Hillsborough. The latter has been already mentioned and defcribed. The one at Salisbury had, in 1786, about fifty scholars, under the tuition of a worthy clergyman. It is fituated in a rich, healthy country, and is flourishing.

Population, Character, Manners, and Customs.] The inhabitants of this ftate are reckoned at 270,000, of which 60,000 are negroes. The NorthCarolinians are mostly planters, and live from half a mile to 3 or 4 miles from each other, on their plantations. They have a plentiful countryno ready market for their produce-little intercourfel with ftrangers, and a natural fondness for fociety, which induce them to be hofpitable to travellers. In the lower diftricts the inhabitants have very few places for public and weekly worship of any kind; and these few, being deftitute of minifters, are fuffered to ftand neglected. The fabbath of course, which, in moft civilized countries, is profeffionally and externally, at leaft, regarded as holy time, and which, confidered merely in a civil view, is an excellent establishment for the promotion of cleanlinefs, friendship, harmony, and all the focial virtues, is here generally difregarded, or diftinguished by the convivial vifitings of the white inhabitants, and the noily diverfions of the negroes. The women, except in fome of the populous towns, have very little intercourfe with each other, and are almost entirely deflitute of the bloom and vivacity of the north: yet they poffefs a great deal of kindness, and, except that they fuffer their infant babes to fuck the breafts of their black nurfes, are good mothers, and obedient wives.

Lefs

The general topics of converfation among the men, when cards, the bottle, and occurrences of the day do not intervene, are negroes, the prices of indigo, rice, tobacco, &c. They appear to have as little tafte for the fciences as for religion. Political enquiries, and philofophical difquifitions, are attended to but by a few men of genius and induftry, and are too laborious for the indolent minds of the people at large. attention and refpect are paid to the women here, than in thofe parts of the United States where the inhabitants have made greater progrefs in the arts of civilized life Indeed, it is a truth, confirmed by obfervation, that in proportion to the advancement of civilization, in the fame proportion will refpect for the women be increased; so that the progrefs of civilization in countries, in fates, in towns, and in families, may be marked by the degree of attention which is paid by husbands to their wives, and by the young men to the young women.

Temperance and induftry are not to be reckoned among the virtues of the North-Carolinians. The time which they wafte in drinking, idling, and gambling, leaves them very little opportunity to improve their plantations or their minds. The improvement of the former is left to their overfeers and negroes; the improvement of the latter is too often neglected. Were the time, which is thus wafted, fpent in cultivating the foil, and in treafuring up knowledge, they might be both wealthy and learned; for they have a productive country, and are by no means deftitute of genius.

Ee

Time

Time that is not employed in study or ufeful labour, in every country. is generally spent in hurtful or innocent exercifes, according to the cuftom of the place, or the taste of the parties. The citizens of NorthCarolina, who are not better employed, fpend their time in drinking, or gaming at cards or dice, in cock-fighting, or horfe-racing. Many of the interludes are filled up with a boxing match; and these matches frequently become memorable by feats of gouging

*

In a country that pretends to any degree of civilization, one would hardly expect to find a prevailing custom of putting out the eyes of each other. Yet this more than barbarous cuftom is prevalent in both the Carolinas, and in Georgia, among the lower clafs of people. Of the origin of this custom we are not informed. We prefume there are few competitors for the honour of having originated it; and equally as few who are envious of the pleasure of those who have the bonour to continue it.

North-Carolina has had a rapid growth. In the year 1710, it conDained but about 12co fencible men. It is now, in point of numbers, the fourth ftate in the union. During this amazing progrefs in population, which has been greatly aided by emigrations from Pennfylvania, Virginia, and other ftates, while each has been endeavouring to increase his fortune, the human mind, like an unweeded garden, has been fuffered to shoot up in wild diforder. But when we confider that, during the late revolution, this ftate produced many diftinguished patriots and politicians, that the fent her thousands to the defence of Georgia and South-Carolina, and gave occafional fuccours to Virginia-when we confider too the difficulties he has had to encounter from a mixture of inhabitants, collected from different parts, ftrangers to each other, and intent upon gain, we shall find many things worthy of praife in her general character.

Conflitution.] By the conftitution of this ftate, which was ratified in December, 1776, all legiflative authority is vefted in two diftinct branches, both dependent on the people, viz. A Senate and House of Commons, which, when convened for bufinefs, are ftyled the General Affembly.

The Senate is compofed of reprefentatives, one for each county, chofen annually by ballot.

The Houfe of Commons confifts of reprefentatives chofen in the fame way, two for each county, and one for each of the towns of Edenton, Newbern, Wilmington, Salisbury, Hillsborough, and Halifax.

The qualifications for a fenator, are one year's refidence, immediately preceding his election, in the county in which he is chofen, and 300 acres of land in fee.

* The delicate and entertaining diverfion, with propriety called gouging, is thus performed. When two boxers are worried with fighting and bruifing each other, they come, as it is called, to clofe quarters, and each endeavours to twift his forefingers in the ear-locks of his antagonist. When these are faft clenched, the thumbs are extended each way to the nofe, and the eyes gently turned out of their fockets. The victor, for his expertnefs, receives fhouts of applaufe from the fportive throng, while his poor eyeless antagonist is langbéd at for his misfortune.

A men