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rous acceffions which are made almost every month. In 1783, in the county of Lincoln * only, there were, on the militia rolls, 3570 men, chiefly emigrants from the lower parts of Virginia. In 1784, the number of inhabitants were reckoned at upwards of 30,000. From the accounts of their aftonishing increafe fince, we may now fafely eftimate them at 100,000. It is afferted that at leaft 20,000 migrated here in the year 1787. Thefe people, collected from different ftates, of different manners, cuftoms, religions, and political fentiments, have not been long enough together to form a uniform and diftinguishing character. Among the fettlers there are many gentlemen of abilities, and many genteel families, from feveral of the ftates, who give dignity and refpectability to the fettlement. They are in general, more orderly, perhaps, than any people who have fettled a new country.

Religion.] The Baptifts are the moft numerous religious fect in Kentucky. In 1787 they had 16 churches eftablished, befides feveral congregations where churches were not confituted. Thefe were fupplied with upwards of 30 minifters or teachers. There are feveral large congregations of Prefbyterians, and fome few of other denominations.

Government.] The fame as Virginia. But they expect to be admitted into the union as an independent itate, in a convenient time after the new government is put in operation. The inconveniencies to which they are neceffarily fubjected, from their connection with Virginia, are great. Thefe inconveniencies the legislature of Virginia have confidered; and, in their feffion of 1786, paffed an act, providing, on their part, for the erec tion of the diftrict of Kentucky into an independent ftate. In no part of the United States is juftice adminiftered with more popriety and difpatch.

Literature and Improvements.] The legislature of Virginia have made provifion for a college in Kentucky, and have endowed it with very confiderable landed funds. The Rev. John Todd has given a very handsome library for its use. Schools are established in the feveral towns, and, in general, regularly and handfomely fupported. They have a printing office, and publish a weekly Gazette. They have erected a paper-mill, an oil mill, fulling mills, faw mills, and a great number of valuable grift mills. Their falt works are more than fufficient to fupply all the inhabitants, at a low price. They have confiderable quantities of fugar from the fugar trees. Labourers, particularly tradefmen, are exceedingly wanted here. No tradefman will work for lefs than fifty per cent. advance upon the Philadelphia price.

Curiofities.] The banks, or rather precipices, of Kentucky and Dick's rivers, are to be reckoned among the natural curiofities of this country. Here the aftonished eye beholds 3 or 400 feet of folid perpendicular rock, in fome parts of the lime-ftone kind, and in others of fine white marble curiously chequered with ftrata of aftonishing regularity. Thefe rivers have the appearance of deep, artificial canals. Their banks are level, and covered with red-cedar groves.

Caves have been discovered in this country, of feveral miles in length, under a fine lime-ftone rock, fupported by curious arches and pillars.

* This county, it is to be remembered, has fince been divided.

Springs

Springs that emit fulphurcus matter have been found in feveral parts of the country. One is near a falt fpring, in the neighbourhood of Boon!borough. There are three fprings or ponds of bitumen near Green river, which do not form a fiream, but empty themfelves into a common refervoir, and when ufed in lamps, anfwer all the purposes of the best oil. Copperas and alum are among the minerals of Kentucky.---Near Lexington are found curious fepulchres full of human skeletons. I have been told that a man, in or near Lexington, having dug 5 or 6 feet below the furface of the ground, came to a large flat ftone, under which was a well of common depth, regularly and artificially ftoned.

Hiftory. The firft white man we have certain accounts of, who difcovered this province, was one James McBride, who in company with fome others, in the year 1754, paffing down the Ohio in canoes, landed at the mouth of Kentucky river, and there marked a tree, with the first letters of his name, and the date, which remains to this day. These men reconnoitred the country, and returned home with the pleafing news of their difcovery of the best tract of land in North America, and probably in the world. From this period it remained concealed till about the year 1767, when one John Finley and fome others, trading with the Indians, fortunately travelled over the fertile region, now called Kentucky, then but known to the Indians, by the name of the Dark and Bloody Grounds, and sometimes the Middle Ground. This country greatly engaged Mr. Finley's attention. Some time after difputes arifing between the Indians traders, he was obliged to decamp; and returned to his place of refidence in North-Carolina, where he communicated his discovery to Col. Daniel Boon, and a few more, who conceiving it to be an interefting object, agreed in the year 1769 to undertake a journey in order to explore it. After a long fatiguing march, over a mountainous wilderness, in a weftward direction, they at length arrived upon its borders; and from the top of an eminence, with joy and wonder, defcried the beautiful landscape of Kentucky. Here they encamped, and fome went to hunt provisions, which were readily procured, there being plenty of game, while Col. Boon and John Finley made a tour through the country, which they found far exceeding their expectations, and returning to camp, informed their companions of their difcoveries: But in fpite of this promifing beginning, this company, meeting with nothing but hardships and adverfity, grew exceedingly difheartened, and was plundered, difperfed and killed by the Indians, except Col. Boon, who continued an inhabitant of the wildernefs until the year 1771, when he returned home.

About this time Kentucky had drawn the attention of feveral gentlemen. Doctor Walker of Virginia, with a number more, made a tour weftward for difcoveries, endeavouring to find the Ohio river; and afterwards he and General Lewis, at Fort Stanwix, purchafed from the Five Nations of Indians the lands lying on the north fide of Kentucky. Col. Donaldfon, of Virginia, being employed by the ftate to run a line from fix miles above the Long Ifland, on Holftein, to the mouth of the Great

The following hiftory is mostly taken from Mr. John Filfon's account of the difcovery and fettlement of Kentucky. To this gentleman I am indebted for much of the information contained in the foregoing defcription. Kanhaway,

Kanhaway, and finding thereby that an extenfive tract of excellent country would be cut off to the Indians, was folicited, by the inhabitants of Clench and Holstein, to purchase the lands lying on the north-fide of Kentucky river from the Five nations. This purchafe he completed for five hundred pounds, fpecie. It was then agreed, to fix a boundary line, running from the Long Ifland on Holftein to the head of Kentucky river;" thence down the fame to the mouth; thence up the Ohio to the mouth of Great Kanhaway; but this valuable purchase the ftate refufed to confirm.

Col. Henderfon, of North-Carolina, being informed of this country by Col. Boon, he, and fome other gentlemen, held a treaty with the Cherokee Indians at Wataga, in March 1775, and then purchafed from them the lands lying on the fouth fide of Kentucky river for goods, at valuable rates, to the amount of £.6000 specie.

Soon after this purchase, the state of Virginia took the alarm, agreed to pay the money Col. Donaldfon had contracted for, and then disputed Col. Henderson's right of purchase, as a private gentleman of another ftate, in behalf of himself: However, for his eminent fervices to this country, and for having been inftrumental in making fo valuable an acquifition to Virginia, that state was pleased to reward him with a tract of land, at the mouth of Green river, to the amount of 200,000 acres; and the ftate of North-Carolina gave him the like quantity in Powel's Valley. This region was formerly claimed by various tribes of Indians; whofe title, if they had any, originated in such a manner, as to render it doubtful which ought to poffefs it: Hence this fertile spot became an object of contention, a theatre of war, from which it was properly denominated the Bloody Grounds. Their contentions not being likely to decide the right to any particular tribe, as foon as Mr. Henderfon and his friends proposed to purchase, the Indians agreed to fell; and notwithstanding the valuable confideration they received, have continued ever fince troublefome neighbours to the new fettlers.'

The progrefs in improvements and cultivation which have been made in this country, almoft exceeds belief.-Eleven years ago Kentucky lay in foreft, almost uninhabited but by wild beafts. Now, notwithstanding the united oppofition of all the western Indians, fhe exhibits an extenfive fettlement, divided into feveral large and populous counties, in which are a number of flourishing little towns-containing more inhabitants than are in Georgia, Delaware, or Rhode-Island ftates-and nearly or quite as many as in New-Hampshire. An inftance of the like kind, where a fettlement has had fo large and fo rapid a growth, can scarcely be produced from the page of hiftory.

NORTH

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Boundaries.] BOcean; fouth, by South-Carolina and Georgia; weft,

OUNDED north, by Virginia; eaft, by the Atlantic

by the Miffifippi*.

Rivers.] Chowan river is formed by the confluence of three rivers, viz. the Meherrin, Nottaway and Black rivers; all of which rife in Virginia. It falls into the north-west corner of Albemarle found, and is three miles wide at its mouth, but narrows faft as you ascend it.

Roanoke is a long rapid river, formed by two principal branches, Staunton river, which rifes in Virginia, and Dan river, which rifes in NorthCarolina. This river is fubject to inundations, and is navigable but for fhallops, nor for thefe but about 60 or 70 miles, on account of falls, which in a great measure obftruct the water communication with the · back country. It empties, by feveral mouths, into the fouth-west end of Albemarle found. The planters on the banks of this river are fuppofed to be the wealthiest in North-Carolina. One of them; it is said, raises about 3000 barrels of corn, and 4000 bushels of peas annually.

Cufbai is a fmall river, which empties into Albemarle found, between Chowan and the Roanoke.

Pamlico or Tar river opens into Pamlico found. Its courfe is from north-weft to fouth-eaft. It is navigable for veffels drawing nine feet water to the town of Washington, about 40 miles from its mouth; and for

* The charter limits of North-Carolina are, a line beginning on the fea fide, at a cedar ftake, at or near the mouth of a little river, (being the fouthern extremity of Brunswick county) and running thence a north-west course through the boundary boufe, in lat. 33° 56' to lat. 35°, and on that parallel weft as far as is mentioned in the charter of King Charles II. to the original proprietors of Carolina, viz. to the South Sea. Their northern line begins on the fea coast in lat. 36° 30, and runs due weft to the termination of the fouthern line. This line ftrikes the Mififippi 15 miles below the mouth of the Ohio. Thefe limits were afcertained and confirmed agreeable to an order of George II. in couucil in the year. Great-Britain, by the treaty of 1763, gave up her claim to all territory to the weftward of the Miffifippi, and the courts of France and Spain, at the fame time, gave her the free navigation of the Miffifippi. By the treaty of 1783, Great-Britain yielded her intereft in that river to the United States. But fince Spain now claims the exclufive right of navigating the Miffifippi, which right she had given up by the treaty of 1763 as abovementioned, North-Carolina refumes her claim to the lands beyond the Miffifippi, included within the limits of her original charter.

fcows

fcows or flats, carrying 30 or 40 hogfheads, 50 miles further, to the town of Tarborough. Beyond this place the river is inconfiderable and is not navigable.

Neus river empties into Pamlico found, below Newbern. It is navigable for fea veffels about 12 miles above the town of Newbern; for icows 50 miles, and for fmall boats 200 miles.

It

Trent river, from the south-weft, falls into the Neus at Newbern. is navigable for fea veffels about 12 miles above the town, and for boats thirty.

There are feveral other rivers of lefs note, among which are the Pafquetank, Perquimins, Little River, Alligator, &c. which discharge themselves into Albemarle found. All the rivers in North-Carolina, and, it may be added, in South-Carolina, Georgia, and the Floridas, which empty into the Atlantic Ocean, are navigable by any vefiel that can pass the bar at their mouths. While the water courfes continue broad enough for veffels to run round, there is generally a fufficient depth of water for them to proceed.

Cape Fear river opens into the fea at Cape Fear, in about lat. 33° 45'. As you afcend it, you pafs Brunfwick on the left, and Wilmington on the right. The river then divides into north-east and north-west branches, as they are called. It is navigable for large veffels to Wilmington, and for boats to Fayetteville, near 90 miles farther. This river affords the best navigation in North-Carolina. Yadkin river rifes in this ftate, and running fouth-eastwardly, croffes into South-Carolina, where it takes the name of Pedee, and paffes to fea at George-town.

Pelifen Holftein, Noley Chuckey and Frank rivers, are all branches of the Broad Tennefee, falling into it from the north-east. This noble river croffes the parallel of 35° north latitude into the state of Georgia, juft before it paffes through Cumberland or Laurel Mountains. The passage of the river through these mountains, occafions a remarkable whirl. The river, which a few miles above is half a mile wide, is here compreffed to the width of about 100 yards. Juft as it enters the mountain, a large rock projects from the northern fhore in an oblique direction, which renders the bed of the river ftill narrower, and caufes a fudden bend; the water of the river is of courfe thrown with great rapidity against the southern thore, whence it rebounds around the point of the rock, and produces the whirl, which is about 80 yards in circumference. Canoes have often been carried into this whirl, and efcaped without damage.—In less than a mile below the whirl, the river fpreads into its common width, and, except mufcle fhoals, flows beautiful and placid, till it mingles with the Ohio.

Sound's, Capes, Inlets, Swamps, &c.] Pamlico found is a kind of lake or inland fea, from 10 to 20 miles broad, and nearly 100 miles in length. It is feparated from the fea, in its whole length, by a beach of fand hardly a mile wide, generally covered with fmall trees or bufhes. Through this bank are feveral fmall inlets, by which boats may pafs. But Ocrecok inlet is the only one that will admit veffels of burden into the districts of Edenton and Newbern. This inlet is in lat. 35° 10', and opens into Pamlico found, between Ocrecok ifland and Core bank; the land on the north is called Ocrecok; and on the fouth Portsmouth. A bar of hard fand croffes this inlet, on which, at low tide, there are 14 feet water. Six

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