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STATE OF

DELAWARE.

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SITUATION, EXTENT, &c.

THIS State is fituated between 38° 30′, and 45° north latitude,

and o° and 1° 45' weft longitude. It is ninety-two miles ing, and twenty-four miles broad. It is bounded on the caft, by the river and 'bay of the fame name, and the Atlantic ocean; on the fourth, by a line from Fenwick's-ifland, in latitude 38° 29' 30", drawn weft till it interfects what is commonly called the tangent line, dividing it from the State of Maryland; on the weft, by the faid tangent line, paffing northward up the peninfula, till it touches the western part of the territorial circle; and thence on the north, by the faid circle, defcribed with a radius of twelve miles about the town of Newcastle.

This State appears to have derived its name from Lord Delawar, who completed the fettlement of Virginia.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY, SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. The State of Delaware, the upper parts of the county of Newcastle excepted, is, to fpeak generally, extremely low and level. Large quantities of stagnant water, at particular eatons of the year, overspreading a great proportion of the land, render it equally unfit for the purposes of agriculture, and injurious to the health of the inhabitants. The fpine, or highest ridge of the peniofula, runs through the State of Delaware, inclined to the eastern or Delaware fi de. It is defignated in Suffex, Kent, and part of Newcastle county, by a remarkable chain of swamps, from which the waters defcend on each fide, paffing on the east to the Delaware, and on the weft to the Chesapeak. Many of the fhrubs and plants growing in thefe fwamps are fimilar to those found on the highest mountains.

Delaware is chiefly an agricultural State. It includes a very fertile tract of country; and fcarcely any part of the Union can be felected more adapted to the different purposes of agriculture, or in which a

greater

greater variety of the most useful productions can be fo conveniently and plentifully reared. The foil along the Delaware river, and from eight to ten miles into the interior country, is generally a rich clay, producing large timber, and well adapted to the various purposes of agriculture. From thence to the fwamps above mentioned the foil is light, fandy, and of an inferior quality.

The general afpect of the country is very favourable for cultivation. Excepting fome of the upper parts of the county of Newcastle, the furface of the State is very little broken or irregular. The heights of Chriftiana are lofty and commanding; fome of the hills of Brandywine are rough and ftony; but defcending from these, and a few others, the lower country is fo little diverfified as almost to form one extended plain. In the county of Newcastle, the foil confifts of a ftrong clay; in Kent, there is a confiderable mixture of fand; and in Suffex, the quantity of fand altogether predominates. Wheat is the ftaple of this State: it grows here in fuch perfection as not only to be particularly fought by the manufacturers of flour throughout the Union, but also to be diftinguifhed and preferred, for its fuperior qualities, in foreign markets. This wheat poffeffes an unconmon foftnefs and whitenefs, very favourable to the manufacture of fuperfine flour, and in other refpects far exceeds the hard and flinty. grains raifed in general on the high lands. Befides wheat, this State generally produces plentiful crops of Indian corn, barley, rye, oats, flax, buck-wheat, and potatoes. It likewife abounds in natural and artificial meadows, containing a large variety of graffes. Hemp, cotton, and filk, if properly attended to, doubtless would flourish very well.

The eastern fide of the State is indented with a large number of creeks, or small rivers, which generally have a fhort course, numerous fhoals and foft banks, skirted with very extensive marfhes, and empty into the river and bay of Delaware. In the fouthern and western parts of this State fpring the head waters of Pocomoke, Wicomico, Nanticoke, Choptank, Chester, Saffafras, and Bohemia rivers, all falling into Chesapeak bay, and fome of them navigable twenty or thirty miles into the country, for veffels of fifty or fixty tons.

The county of Suffex, befides producing a confiderable quantity of grain, particularly of Indian corn, poffeffes excellent grazing lands. This county also exports very large quantities of lumber, obtained chiefly from an extenfive fwamp, called the Indian River or

Cypress

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Cyprefs Swamp, lying partly within this State, and partly in the State of Maryland. This morafs extends fix miles from east to west, and nearly twelve from north to fouth, including an area of nearly fifty thousand acres of land. The whole of this swamp is a high and level bafon, very wet, though undoubtedly the highest land between the fea and the bay, whence the Pocomoke defcends on one fide, and Indian river and St. Martin's on the other. This fwamp contains a great variety of plants, trees, wild beafts, birds, and reptiles.

In the county of Suffex, among the branches of the Nanticoke river, large quantities of bog iron ore are to be found. Before the revolution, this ore was worked to a confiderable extent; it was thought to be of a good quality, and peculiarly adapted to the purpofes of caftings. Thefe works have chiefly fallen into decay.

CIVIL DIVISION S.

This State is divided into three counties, viz. Newcastle, Kent, and Suffex, which are fubdivided into hundreds.

Before the revolution this diftrict of country was denominated, "The three lower Counties."

CHIEF TOWN S.

DOVER.

Dover, in the county of Kent, is the feat of government. It stands en Jones's creek, a few miles from the Delaware river, and confifts of about one hundred houses, principally of brick. Four streets interfect each other at right angles, whofe incidencies form a fpacious parade, on the caft fide of which is an elegant state-house of brick. The town has a lively appearance, and drives on a confiderable trade with Philadelphia. Wheat is the principal article of export. The landing is five or fix miles from the town of Dover.

NEWCASTLE.

This town is thirty-five miles below Philadelphia, on the weft bank of Delaware river. It was first settled by the Swedes, about the year 1627, and called Stockholm; it was afterwards taken by the Dutch, and called New Amfterdam. When it fell into the hands of the English, it was called by its prefent name. It contains about fixtỷ houfes, which have the afpect of decay; it was formerly the feat of go vernment, and was the first town fettled on Delaware river.

WILMING

WILMINGTON.

Wilmington is fituated a mile and a half west of Delaware river; on Christiana creek, twenty-eight miles fouthward of Philadelphia. It is much the largest and pleasanteft town in the State, containing upwards of four hundred houfes, which are handfomely built upon the gentle afcent of an eminence, and fhow to great advantage as you fail up the Delaware; it contains about two thousand four hunded inhabitants. In this town are two Prefbyterian churches, a Swedish Episcopal church, a Baptift, and a Quaker meeting, and a few Methodifts. There is alfo a flourishing academy of about forty or fifty fcholars, who are taught the languages, and some of the sciences. This academy, in proper time, is intended to be erected into a college. There is another academy at Newark in this county, which was incorporated in 1769. These academies were interrupted during the war, and their funds ruined by the depreciation of continental paper money. Since the peace learning feems to revive and flourish.

MILFORD.

Milford is fituated at the fource of a small river, fifteen miles from Delaware bay, and one hundred and fifty fouthward of Philadelphia. This town, which contains about eighty houfes, has been built, except one house, fince the revolution; it is laid out with much good tafte, and is by no means disagreeable. The inhabitants are Epifcopalians, Quakers, and Methodists.

DUCK CREEK CROSS ROADS

Is twelve miles north-west from Dover, and has eighty or ninety houfes, which stand on one street. It carries on a confiderable trade with Philadelphia, and is one of the largest wheat markets in the State. Kent is alfo a place of confiderable trade.

LEWES

Is fituated a few miles above the light-houfe on Cape Henlopen ; it contains about one hundred and fifty houfes, built chiefly on a street, which is more than three miles in length, and extending along a creek which feparates the town from the pitch of the cape. The fituation is high, and commands a full profpect of the light-house and the fa. The court-house and gaol are commodious buildings, and give an air of importance to the town. The fituation of this

place

COUNTIES.

place muft at fome future time render it confiderably important. Placed at the entrance of a bay, which is crowded with vessels from all parts of the world, and which is frequently clofed with ice a part of the winter feason, neceffity feems to require, and nature seems to fuggeft, the forming this port into a harbour for shipping. Nothing has prevented this heretofore but the deficiency of water in the creek. This want can be cheaply and easily supplied by a small canal, fo as to afford a paffage for the waters of Rehoboth into Lewes creek, which would enfure an adequate fupply. The circumjacent country is beautifully diverfified with hills, wood, ftreams, and lakes, forming an agreeable contraft to the naked fandy beach, which ter minates in the cape; but it is greatly infested with mufketoes and fand flies.

POPULATION.

The population of Delaware, in the fummer of 1787, was reckoned at thirty-feven thoufand, which is about twenty-fix for every square mile, according to the cenfus of 1790 it was as follows:

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Newcastle

Kent
Suffex

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3973

4747

3705

7767 6392562) 19686)

3467 68782570.2300 18920 4105 3929 7739 6904025 20488

11783 12143 2238438998887 5909+1

If the population of this State has increafed fince 1790, in a like proportion, its prefent population must be upwards. of one hundred

thoufand.

RELIGION.

In this State there is a variety of religious denominations. Of the Prefbyterian fect, there are twenty-four churches; of the Epifcopal, fourteen; of the Baptift, fevén; of the Methodist, a confiderable humber, efpecially in the two lower counties of Kent and Suffex, the number of their churches is not exactly afcertained. Befides thefe, there is a Swedith church at Wilmington, which is one of the oldest VOL. II. 30

churches

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