about an hundred and feventy foreigners. Afterwards feveral ad venturers, both from Scotland and Germany, followed their country? men, and added farther ftrength to the province, and the trustees flattered themselves with the hope of foon feeing it in a promifing condition. Their hopes, however, were vain their injudicious regulations and reftrictions, the wars in which they were involved with the Spaniards and Indians, and the frequent infurrections among themfelves, threw the colony into a state of confufion and wretchedness; their oppreffed fituation was represented to the trustees by repeated complaints; till at length, finding that the province languished under their care, and weary with the complaints of the people, they, in the year 1752, furrendered their charter to the King, and it was made a royal government. In confequence of which, his Majesty appointed John Reynolds, an officer of the navy, governor of the province, and a legislature, fimilar to that of the other royal governments in America, was established in it. Great had been the expenfe which the Mother Country had already incurred, befides private benefactions, for fupporting this colony; and fmall had been the returns yet made by it. The veftiges of cultivation were fcarcely perceptible in the forests, and in England all commerce with it was neglected and defpifed. At this time the whole annual exports of Georgia did not amount to ten thousand pounds fterling. Though the people now poffeffed the fame liberties and privileges which were enjoyed by their neighbours, yet several years elapsed before the value of the lands in Georgia was known, and that spirit of industry broke out in it, which afterwards diffused its happy influence over the country. In the year 1740, the late Rev. George Whitefield founded an orphan house academy in Georgia, about twelve miles from Savannah. For the support of this, he collected large fums of money from all denominations of Chriftians, both in England and America. A part of this money was expended in erecting proper buildings to accommodate the students, and a part in supporting them. In 1768 it was propofed, that the orphan house should be erected into a college; whereupon Mr. Whitefield applied to the Crown for a charter, but, in confequence of fome difpute, the affair of a charter was given up, and Mr. Whitefield made his affignment of the orphan houfe, in truft, to the late Countefs of Huntingdon. Mr. Whitefield died at Newbury port, in New-England, September 30, 1770, in the fifty-fixth year of his age, and was buried under the Prefbyterian church in that place. Soon after his death, a charter was granted to his institution in Georgia, and the Rev. Mr. Piercy was appointed prefident of the college. Mr. Piercy accordingly went over to execute his office, but, unfortunately, on the 30th of May, 1775, the orphan house building caught fire, and was entirely confumed, except the two wings, which are ftill remaining. The American war foon after came on, and put every thing into confufion, and the funds have ever fince lain in an unproductive ftate. It is probable, that the college eftate may hereafter be fo incorporated with the univerfity of Georgia, as to fubferve the original and pious purposes of its founder. From the time Georgia became a royal government, in 1752, till the peace of Paris, in 1763, fhe ftruggled under many difficulties, ariling from the want of credit from friends, and the frequent moleftations of enemies. The good effects of the peace were fenfibly felt in the province of Georgia. From this time it began to flourish, under the fatherly care of Governor Wright. During the late war Georgia was over-run by the British troops, and the inhabitants were obliged to flee into the neighbouring States for fafety. The fufferings and loffes of its citizens were as great, in proportion to their numbers and wealth, as in any of the States. Since the peace the progrefs of the population of this State has been rapid its growth in improvement and population has, however, been checked by the hoftile irruptions of the Creek Indians, which have been frequent, and very diftreffing to the frontier inhabitants.* Having thus briefly sketched the hiftory of the settlement of the States comprehended in this divifion, we now proceed to a more para ticular defcription of them. : * For a more minute hiftorical account of this State, fee Hewitt's History of South Carolina and Georgia. VOL. III. F STATE STATE OF MARYLAND. SITUATION, EXTENT, AND BOUNDARIES. THIS State is fituated between 37° 56′ and 39° 44′ north latitude, and 0° and 4° 30' weft longitude, from Philadelphia-its length is about one hundred and thirty-four miles, and its breadth one hundred and ten. It is bounded on the north by the State of Pennsylvania; on the caft by the State of Delaware; and on the fouth-eaft and fouth by the Atlantic ocean; and a line drawn from the ocean over the peninfula (dividing it from Accomack county in Virginia) to the mouth of the Potomack river; thence up the Potomack to its fource; thence by a north line till it interfects the fouthern boundary of Pennsylvania, in latitude 39° 43′ 18′′; fo that it has Virginia on the fouth, fouth-west and weft; it contains about fourteen thousand fquare miles, of which from one-fixth to one-fourth is water. AIR AND CLIMATE. The climate of this State is in general mild and agreeable, fuited to agricultural productions, and a great variety of fruit trees: the air in the interior of the country is falubrious, and favourable to the inhabitants, who, in the hilly parts, are as healthy as in any part of the Union; but in the flat lands, in the neighbourhood of marshes and stagnant waters, as in the other Southern States, they are fubject to intermittents and other complaints common to swampy fituations. FACE OF THE COUNTRY, &c. Eaft of the blue ridge of mountains, which stretches across the western part of this State, the land, like that in all the Southern States, is generally level and free of ftones; and appears to have been been made much in the fame way; of courfe the foil must be fimilar, and the natural growth not remarkably different. The ground is uniformly level and low in moft of the counties on the eaftern fore, and confequently covered in many places with tagnant water, except where it is interfected by numerous creeks. Here alfo are large tracts of marsh, which, during the day, load the atmosphere with vapour, that again falls in dew in the close of the fummer and fall feafons. Chesapeak bay divides this State into the eastern and western di, vifions. This bay, which is the largest in the United States, has been already defcribed.* It affords many good fifheries, and is remarkable for the excellence of its crabs, and alfo for a particular fpecies of wild duck, called CANVAS BACK. In a commercial view, this bay is of immenfe advantage to the State; it receives a number of large rivers. From the eastern shore in Maryland, among other fmaller ones, it receives the Pocomoke, Nantikoke, Choptank, Chefter and Elk rivers; from the north, the rapid Sufquehannah; and from the weft, the Patapfco, Severn, Patuxent and Potomack, half of which is in Maryland, and half in Virginia. Except the Sufquehannah and Potomack, thefe are finall rivers, Patapfco river is but about thirty or forty yards wide at the ferry, juft before it empties into the bafon upon which Baltimore ftands; its fource is in York county, in Pennsylvania; its courfe is fouthwardly till it reaches Elkridge landing, about eight miles weftward of Baltimore; it then turns eastward, in a broad bay-like ftream, by Baltimore, which it leaves on the north, and paffes into the Chesapeak. The entrance into Baltimore harbour, about a mile below Fell's Point, is hardly pistol fhot across, and of courfe may be easily defended against naval force. Severn is a fhort, inconfiderable river, paffing by Annapolis, which it leaves to the fouth, emptying, by a broad mouth, into the Chesapeak. Patuxent is a larger river than the Patapfco; it rifes in Ann-Arundel county, and runs fouth-eastwardly, and then eaft into the bay, fifteen or twenty miles north of the mouth of the Potomack. There are alfo feveral fmall rivers, fuch as the Wighcocomico, Eaftern Branch, Monocafy and Conegocheague, which empty into the Potomack from the Maryland fide. SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. The foil of the good land in Maryland is of fuch a nature and quality as to produce from twelve to fixteen bushels of wheat, or from twenty to thirty bufhels of Indian corn per acre. Ten bufhels of wheat, and fifteen bushels of corn per acre, may be the annual average crops in the State at large. Wheat and tobacco are the ftaple commodities. Tobacco is generally cultivated in fets, by negroes, in the following manner: The feed is fown in beds of fine mould, and tranfplanted the beginning of May; the plants are fet at the distance of three or four feet from each other, and are hilled and kept continually free of weeds when as many leaves have shot out as the foil will nourish to advantage, the top of the plant is broken off, which prevents its growing higher it is carefully kept clear of worms, and the fuckers, which put out between the leaves, are taken off at proper times, till the plant arrives at perfection, which is in Auguft: when the leaves turn of a brownish colour, and begin to be fpotted, the plant is cut down and hung up to dry, after having fweated in heaps one night. When it can be handled without crumbling, which is always in moist weather, the leaves are stripped from the stalk, and tied in bundles, and packed for exportation in hogfheads, containing eight, or nine hundred pounds. No fuckers nor ground leaves are allowed to be merchantable. An induftrious perfon may manage fix thoufand plants of tobacco, which yield a thousand pounds, and four acres of Indian corn. In the interior country, on the uplands, confiderable quantities of hemp and flax are raised. As long ago as 1751, in the month of October, no less than fixty waggons loaded with flax feed came down to Baltimore from the back country. Two articles are faid to be peculiar to Maryland, viz. the genuine white wheat, which grows in Kent, Queen Ann's and Talbot counties, on the eastern fhore, and which degenerates in other places, and the bright kite's foot tobacco, which is produced at Elkridge, on the Patuxent, on the western shore. Among other kinds of timber is the oak, of feveral kinds, which is of a straight grain, and eafily rives into ftaves, for exportation. The black walnut is in demand for cabinet, tables and other furniture. The apples of this State are large, but mealy; the peaches, plenty |