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continue; and they will probably continue as long as there are unfettled lands with the limits of the United States, on which emigrants can more easily fubfift by agriculture, than in their native state.

Face of the Country, Mountains, Soil and Productions.] The counties of Suffex, Morris, and the northern part of Bergen, are mountainous. The South mountain, which is one ridge of the great Allegany range, croffes this ftate in about latitude 41°. This mountain embofoms fuch amazing quantities of iron ore, that it may not improperly be called the Iron Mountain. The Kittatinny ridge paffes through this ftate north of the South mountain. Several fpúrs from thefe mountains, are projected in a fouthern direction. One paffes between Springfield at Chatham. Another runs weft of it, by Morristown, Bafkinridge and Vealtown. The interior country is, in general, agreeably variegated with hills and vallies. The fouthern counties which lie along the fea-coaft, are pretty uniformly flat and fandy. The noted Highlands of Naveĥink and Center Hill, are almoft the only hills within the distance of many miles from the seacoat. The Highlands of Navefink are on the fea-coaft near SandyHook, in the township of Middletown, and are the first lands that are difcovered by mariners as they come upon the coaft. They rise about 600 feet above the furface of the water

As much as five-eighths of moft of the fouthern counties, or one-fourth of the whole state, is a fandy barren, unfit for cultivation. The land on the fea-coaft in this, like that in the more fouthern ftates, has every appearance of made ground. The foil is generally a light land; and by digging, on an average, about fifty feet below the furface, (which can be done, even at the distance of twenty or thirty miles from the fea, without any impediment from rocks or ftones) you come to falt marfh. The gentleman who gave this information adds, I have feen an oyster-fhell that would hold a pint, which was dug out of the marsh, at fifty feet deep in digging a well.' About seven years fince,' continues my informer, at Long Branch, in the county of Monmouth, in the banks of the Atlantic, which were greatly torn by a great rife of the fea in a violent easterly storm, was difcovered the skeleton of fome huge carnivorous animal. The country people who firfl faw it had fo little curiofity, as to fuffer it to be wholly destroyed, except a jaw tooth which I faw. This was about two and an half inches wide, five inches long, and as many deep. The perfon who helped to take it out of the bank, affured me there was one rib feven feet four inches, and another four feet long.To account for thefe curious phenomena is not my bufinefs, This is left for the ingenious naturalift, who has abilities and leifure to compare facts and appearances of this kind, and who probably may thence draw conclufions which may throw much light on the ancient history of this country.

This ftate has all the varieties of foil from the worft to the beft kind. It has a greater proportion of barrens than any of the ftates, if we except North-Carolina; and even than this, if we include the premature State of Franklin. The good land on the fouthern counties lies principally on the banks of the rivers and creeks. The foil, on thefe banks, is generally a ftiff clay; and while in a state of nature, produces various fpecies of oak, hickory, poplar, chefaut, afh, gum, &c. The barrens produce little elfe

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but shrub oaks and white and yellow pines. There are large bodies of falt meadow along the Delaware, which afford a plentiful pafture for cattle in fummer, and hay in winter; but the flies and mufketoes frequent these ineadows in large fwarins, in the months of June, July and Auguft, and prove very troublesome both to man and beast. In Gloucester and Cumberland counties are feveral large tracts of banked meadow. Their vicinity to Philadelphia renders them highly valuable. Along the fea-coaft the inhabitants fubfift principally by feeding cattle on the falt meadows, and by the fish of various kinds, fuch as rock, drum, fhad, perch, &c. black turtle, crabs and oysters, which the fea, rivers, and creeks afford in great abundance. They raife Indian corn, rye, potatoes, &c. but not for exportation. Their fwamps afford lumber, which is easily conveyed to a good market.

In the hilly and mountainous parts of the ftate, which are not too rocky for cultivation, the foil is of a stronger kind, and covered in its na tural state with stately oaks, hickories, chefnuts, &c. &c. aud when cultivated produces wheat, rye, Indian corn, buck-wheat, oats, barley, flax, and fruits of all kinds common to the climate. The land in this hilly country is good for grazing, and the farmers feed great numbers of cattle for New-York and Philadelphia markets; and many of them keep large

dairies.

The orchards in many parts of the state equal any in the United States, and their cyder is faid, and not without reafon, to be the best in the world. It is pretty certain that it cannot be furpaffed in goodness. It is only to be regretted that too many of the inhabitants make too free a ufe of it, to the injury not only of their healths, but of their reputations; and that the pernicious practice of diftilling it, and thereby rendering it ftill more prejudicial, is prevailing. It is pity that the bleffings of bounteous heaven Thould thus, by their abuse, be turned into curfes.

The markets of New-York and Philadelphia receive a very confiderable proportion of their fupplies from the contiguous parts of New-Jersey. And it is worthy of remark that thefe contiguous parts are exceedingly well calculated, as to the nature and fertility of their foils, to afford these fupplies; and the intervention of a great number of navigable rivers and creeks, renders it very convenient to market their produce. Thefe fupplies confift of vegetables of many kinds, apples, pears, peaches, plumbs, ftrawberries, cherries, and other fruits-cyder in large quantities, and of the best quality, butter, cheese, beef, pork, mutton, and the leffer

meats.

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Trade.] The trade of this ftate is carried on almoft folely with and from thofe two great commercial cities, New-York on one fide, and Philadelphia on the other; though it wants not good ports of its own. veral attempts have been made by the legislature, to fecure to the fta e its own natural advantages, by granting extraordinary privileges to mer chants, who would fettle at Amboy and Burlington, two very commodious ports. But the people having long been accustomed to fend their produce to the markets of Philadelphia and New-York, and of courfe having their correfpondencies eftablished, and their mode of dealing fixed, they find it difficult to turn their trade from the old channel.

Befides,

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Besides, in these large cities, where are so many able merchants, and fo many wants to be fupplied, credits are more eafily obtained, aud a better and quicker market is found for produce, than could be expected in towns lefs populous and flourishing. These and other causes of the fame kind, have, hitherto, rendered abortive the encouragements held out by the legislature.

New-York and Pennfylvania, however, not contented with the privilege of being the factors and carriers for this ftate, charge it with the same duties they do their own citizens. This heavy and unreasonable tax upon the people, together with the lofs they fuftain in dealing with a depreciated paper currency, occafions the balance of trade to be against the ftate in almost every refpe&t.

The articles exported, befides thofe already mentioned, are, wheat, flour, horfes, live cattle, hams, which are celebrated as being the best in the world, lumber, flax-feed, leather, iron in great quantities, in pigs and bars, and formerly copper ore was reckoned among their most valua ble exports; but the mines have not been worked fince the commencement of the late war.

The imports confift chiefly of dry and Weft-India goods, and teas from the Eaft-Indies.

Manufactures and Agriculture.] The manufactures of this ftate have hitherto been very inconfiderable, not fufficient to fupply its own confumption, if we except the articles of iron, nails and leather. A fpirit of industry and improvement, particularly in manufactures, has however greatly increased the two last years. Moft of the families in the country, and many in the populous towns, are clothed in strong, decent homefpun and it is a happy circumstance for our country, that this plain AMERICAN drefs is every day growing more fashionable, not only in this, but in all the eastern and middle ftates.

In Trenton and Newark, are several very valuable tan-yards, where leather, in large quantities, and of an excellent quality, is made and exported to the neighbouring markets. Steel was manufactured at Trenton in time of the war, but not confiderably fince. In Gloucester county is a glass-house. Paper-mills, and nail manufactories, are erected and worked to good advantage in many parts of the state. Wheat also is manufactured into flour to good account, in the western counties, where it is the ftaple commodity. But the iron manufacture is, of all others, the greatest fource of wealth to the ftate. Iron works are erected in Gloucefter, Burlington, Morris, and other counties. The mountains in the county of Morris, give rife to a number of streams neceffary and convenient for thefe works, and at the fame time furnish a copious fupply of wood and ore of a fuperior quality. In this county alone are no less than feven rich iron mines, from which might be taken ore fufficient to fupply the United States; and to work it into iron are two furnaces, two rolling and flitting mills, and about thirty forges, containing from two to four fires each. Thefe works produce annually about 540 tons of bar iron, 800 tons of pigs, befides large quantities of hollow ware, fheet iron, and nail rods. In the whole ftate, it is fuppofed there is yearly made about 1200 tons of bar-iron, 1200 do. of pigs, 80 do. of nail rods, exclunue of hollow ware, and various other caftings, of which vast quantities are made.

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Early in the late war, a powder-mill was erected in Morristown by "Col. Ford, who was enabled, by the ample fupply of faltpetre furnished by the patriotic inhabitants, to make a confiderable quantity of that valuable and neceffary article, at a time when it was moft needed; and when the enemy were at the door, it afforded a timely fupply.

Although the bulk of the inhabitants in this ftate are farmers, yet agriculture has not been improved (a few inftances excepted) to that degree which, from long experience, we might rationally expect, and which the fertility of the foil, in many places, feems to encourage. A great part of the inhabitants are Dutch, who, although they are in general neat and industrious farmers, have very little enterprize, and seldom adopt any new improvements in hufbandry, becaufe, through habits, and want of education to expand and liberalize their minds, they think their old modes of tilling the beft. Indeed this is the cafe with the great body of the common people, and proves almost an infurmountable obstacle to agricultural improvements.

Mines and Minerals.] This ftate embofoms vaft quantities of iron and copper ore. The iron ore is of two kinds; one is capable of being manufactured into malleable iron, and is found in mountains and in low barrens; the other, called bog-ore, grows* in rich bottoms; and yields iron of a hard, brittle quality, and is commonly manufactured into hollow ware, and used fometimes inftead of stone in building.

A number of copper mines have been discovered in different parts of the ftate. One is in Bergen county, which when worked by the Schuylers, (to whom it belonged) was confiderably productive; but they have for many years been neglected.

The following account of a copper mine at New-Brunswick, is given by a gentleman of distinction, well informed upon the subject.

"About the years 1748, 1749, 1750, feveral lumps of virgin copper from five to thirty pounds weight, (in the whole upwards of 200 pounds) were ploughed up in a field, belonging to Philip French, Efq; within a quarter of a mile of New-Brunfwick. This induced Mr. Elias Boudinot, of the city of Philadelphia, to take a leafe of Mr. French of this land, for ninety-nine years, in order to fearch for copper ore, a body of which he concluded muft be contained in this hill. He took in feveral partners, and about the year 1751 opened a pit in the low grounds, about 2 or 300 yards from the river. He was led to this fpot by a friend of his, who, a little before, paffing by at three o'clock in the morning, obferved a body of flame arife out of the ground, as large as a common fized man, and foon after die away. He drove a ftake on the fpot. About fifteeen feet deep, Mr. Boudinot came on a vein of a bluish ftone, about two feet thick, between two perpendicular loose bodies of red rock, covered with a fheet of pure virgin copper, a little thicker than gold leaf. This bluish ftone was filled with fparks of virgin copper, very much like copper filings, and now and then a large lump of virgin copper from five to thirty

Some perfons perhaps will be surprised at my faying that ore grows, but that it does in fact grow is well known to many curious naturalifts who have carefully obferved it.

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pounds weight. He followed this vein almoft thirty feet, when, the water coming in very faft, the expence became too great for the company's capital. A ftamping-mill was erected, when by reducing the bluish ftone to a powder, and washing it in large tubs, the stone was carried off, and the fine copper preserved, by which means many tons of the pureft copper was fent to England without ever paffing through the fire; but labour was too high to render it poffible for the company to proceed, Sheets of copper about the thickness of two pennies, and three feet fquare, on an average, have been taken from between the rocks, within four feet of the furface, in feveral parts of the hill. At about fifty or fixty feet deep, they came to a body of fine folid ore, in the midst of this bluith vein, but between rocks of a white flinty fpar, which, however, was worked out in a few days. Thefe works lie now wholly neglected, alThere was though the vein when left was richer than ever it had been. alfo a very rich vein of copper ore discovered at Rocky Hill, in Somerset county, which has alfo been neglected from the heavy expence attending the working of it. There have been various attempts made to search the hills beyond Boundbrook, known by the name of Van Horne's Mountain, but for the fame reason it is now neglected. This mountain discovers the greatest appearance of copper ore, of any place in the ftate. It may be picked up on the furface of many parts of it. A fmelting furnace was erected, before the revolution, in the neighbourhood, by two Germans, who were making very confiderable profit on their work, until the British The inhabitants made it worth destroyed it in the beginning of the war. their while, by collecting the ore from the furface, and by partially digging into the hill, to fupply the furnace. Befides, a company opened a very large fhaft on the fide of the hill, from which alfo a great deal of valuable ore and fome virgin copper were taken. Two lumps of virgin copper were found here in the year 1754, which weighed 1900 pounds."

Curious Springs.] In the upper part of the county of Morris, is a cold mineral fpring, which is frequented by valetudinarians, and its waters have been used with very confiderable fuccefs. In the township of Hanover, in this county, on a ridge of hills, are a number of wells, which regularly ebb and flow about fix feet twice in every twenty-four hours. These wells are nearly forty miles from the fea, in a straight line. In the county of Cape May, is a spring of fresh water, which boils up from the bottom of a falt water creek, which runs nearly dry at low tide; but at flood tide, 'is covered with water directly from the ocean to the depth of three or four feet; yet in this fituation, by letting down a bottle well corked, through the falt water into the fpring, and immediately drawing the cork with a ftring prepared for the purpose, it may be drawn up full of fine, untainted fresh water. There are springs of this kind in other parts of the fate. In the county of Hunterdon, near the top of Mufkonetkony mountain, is a noted medicinal fpring, to which invalids refort from every quarter. It iffues from the fide of the mountain in a very romantic manner, and is conveyed into an artificial reservoir for the accommodaIt is tion of those who wish to bathe in, as well as to drink, the waters. a ftrong chalybeate, and very cold. Thefe waters have been used with very confiderable fuccefs; but perhaps the exercife neceffary to get to

them,

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