ing day of Pafcha, and from thence gave it the name of Florida. A COUNTRY fo extenfive in latitude must be fuppofed to vary somewhat in point of air and climate, but it may, upon the whole, be called very warm, though the great heats in the fouthern parts are much allayed by the cool breezes from the fea; and fuch as are more inland, towards the north, feel a little of the roughness of the northweft wind, which, more or lefs, with its chilling breath, prevails over the whole continent of Northern America, and is obferved to bring with it, and spread the inclemency of froft and fnow many degrees more to the fouthward in thofe regions, than the north-east wind does in ours; which, though the coldeft we feel, yet is of fhorter duration, as the wefterly winds generally prevail here. Severe cold is commonly known in the winter months on the American continent, fo low as 34 or 35 degrees of north latitude, which is rather more fouthern than the ftraits of Gibraltar in Europe; and vaft fhoals of ice are feen floating, and the fea frequently frozen to a fmall diftance from the fhore, in the latitude of 44 or 45 degrees north, which are the fame parallels under which the fouthern parts of France lie. This difference in temperature may, perhaps, in a great measure, be accounted for by confidering the amazing extent of uncultivated land, covered with forests, and intermixed with vaft lakes, and marthes of ftagnated frefn water, over which the north-west wind blowing, meets with no accidental cause to mollify its rigour; whereas the fmaller continent of Europe is broken and interfperfed with many large feas and gulphs of falt water, which, having a communication with the warmer parts of the main ocean, do, with the motion and formation of their faline particles, greatly mellow and foften the circumambient air impreg-、 nated therewith. But to return; notwithstanding the climate of Florida is, as we have faid, very warm, it is not for that reafon lefs pure and wholefome; the best teftimony of which that can be given is the fize, firmness, ftrength of constitution, and longevity of the Floridan Indiant in all thefe particulars they far exceed the Mex ians. THE foil of Florida is remarkably rich and fruitful, frequently producing two or three crops of Indian corn in the year, and might, with proper cultivation, be made to bear every fort of grain. It abounds with all kinds of timber, particularly pines, cedar, palms, laurel, cyprefs, and chefnut trees; trees; but, above all, faffafras is found in the greatest plenty ; excellent limes and plums alfo grow here in great abundance, with many other fruits of delicious flavour; vines likewife of various forts are the natural product of the country, and the land is thought to be as proper for the cultivation of the grape, as thofe of Europe are found in general to be. Cotton alfo grows wild here in great abundance, hemp and flax are likewife very common. The many rivers with which Florida is watered render it fertile. The fea-coaft is very flat, fandy, and full or fhoals: on this level fhore there are prodigious numbers of oyfters adhering to the mangrove-trees, with which the fouthern coaft is covered. ANIMAL food is plenty here, and very good in its kind, particularly beef, mutton, and veal. The country alfo feeds great numbers of fwine, the fich of which is very good, there being no want of acorns, chefnuts, and fuch nourishment as is proper for theie creatures. Their cattle have a kind of long black hair upon them, so fine that, with a little mixture, it is thought by fome capable of being manufactured into hats, cloathing, &c. Horfes are alfo bred here yery good both for the faddle and draught, and fo cheap that one of them may be purchased for any trifle that is brought from Europe. THE wild animals found in this country are the panther, bear, catamountain, ftag, goat, hare, rabbet, beaver, otter, fox, racoon, and fquirrel. The rivers abound with fnakes and alligators. Birds are here in great plenty, fuch as partridges, jays, pidgeons, turtle-doves, thrushes, crows, hawks, herons, cranes, geefe, ducks, and an infinite number of others, fome of which have their plumage most elegantly variegated. AMONG its more precious productions cochineal may be reckoned, of which there is both the wild and the cultivated, but the latter is by far the more valuable. The indigo plant alfo grows plentifully in many of the fouthern parts of this province. Ambergreafe too is frequently to be met with on the coaft, from Porta de Ianche, the most southern cape of Florida, as far as Mexico. THE native Indians of Florida are of an olive complexion, their bodies robuft and finely proportioned; both fexes go naked, excepting that they faften a piece of deer-skin about their middle. They ftain their skins with the juice of plants. Their hair is black and long, and they have a method of twisting it about their heads, fo as to make it look very graceful. Their weapons are bows and arrows, which which they manage with great dexterity; the ftrings of their bows are made the finews of ftags, and they arm the points of their arrows with the teeth of fishes, or harpened ftones. The women are very handfome and well fhaped, and withal fo active, that they will swim acrofs broad rivers with their children on their backs, or climb, with furprizing agility, to the tops of the higheft trees. In religion they are bigotted idolaters, worshipping the fun and moon, and bearing an extreme averfion to all Chriftians; which indeed is not to be wondered at, fince the horrid cruelties exercifed by the Spaniards upon the natives of the adjacent ifland of Cuba, and other places, even to extirpation, could not fail to excite the utmost ab. horrence and dread of them in thofe favages, instead of recommending to them the purity of Chriftianity. THE chief fettlements the Spaniards ever made in this country, were at St. Auguftine and St. Mattheo. Penfacola, fituated in 30 degrees 25 minutes north latitude, is chiefly frequented by our fhipping. Its road is one of the best in all the gulph of Mexico, in which vellels can lie in fafety against every kind of wind. The bottom, which is fandy, mixed in many places with ooze, is excellent for anchorage the fea is never agitated here, because the land furrounds it on every fide; but the tides are irregular here as well as upon all the reft of the coaft. OUR colony of Florida is ftill in an infant ftate; but confiderable matters may in time be expected from it. Two governors are affigned it; Colonel James Grant for Ea Florida; and George Johnston, Efq; for West Florida. Carolina NEXT to Florida, lie Geargia and Carolina, which laft and is divided into north and fouth. By the late definitive Georgia. treaty of peace, the boundaries of thofe colonies may be faid to be altered; it being agreed, in confequence of the feventh article, that for the future," the confines between the dominions of his Britannic majefty, and those of his moft Chriftian majefty in that part of the world, shall be fixed irrevocably, drawn by a line along the middle of the river Miiippi, from its fource to the river Iberville, and from thence, by a line drawn along the middle of this river, and the lakes of Maurepas and Portchartrain, to the fea; and for this purpofe, the moft Chriftian king cedes in full right, and guaranties to his Britannic majefty, the river and port of the Mobile, and every thing which he poffeffes, or ought to poffefs, on the left fide of the river Mississippi, except the town of New Orleans, and the island in which it is fituated, which fhall remain to France." THE THE face of thefe countries is low and level, not a hill to be seen from St. Auguftine to Virginia, and a great way being, and is generally covered with wood, where the planters have not cleared it. But about one hundred miles weft of the coaft the country rifes gradually to the Apalachian mountains, which are about 150 miles diftant from the Atlantic Ocean. This ocean is fo fhallow near the coaft, that a fhip of any great burden cannot approach it, except in fome few places. There has not yet been found one good harbour in North Carolina; the beft are thofe of Roanoak, at the mouth of Albemarle River, and Pimlico. In South Carolina there are the harbours of Winyaw, or George Town, Charles Town, and Port Royal. In Georgia, the mouths of the rivers Savannah and Alatamaha, form good harbours. CAROLINA is fituate between the extremities of heat and cold; but the heat is more troublesome in fummer, than the cold in winter. The vegetables are innumerable, for all that grow in Europe grow here, not to mention many that cannot ftand our winters. The country has, and would produce filk, wine, and oil, if properly cultivated; mulberry-trees and grapes grow fpontaneoufly, and the foil is extremely proper for olives. We have had famples of their filk brought over, equal to any we purchase of foreigners. Georgia, the moft fouthern province, is not a fruitful country; but having feveral fine rivers running through it, the banks of them are fortified, and make a very good barrier for the Carolinas, which were before expofed to the incurfions and ravages of the Spaniards and their Indian allies. AMONG their native animals they have the urus, which the English improperly call a buffalo. The other native animals are the fame as in Mexico and Florida; and the European cattle are vaftly increased here, as well as in other plantations. The wool of their fheep is not inferior to the English. Poultry and other fowls are in great plenty. THE English traffic with the Indians for deer-fkins, and bear and buffalo fkins, for which they give them guns, powder, knives, fciffars, looking-glafies, beads, and fome coarfe cloth and duffils. Thefe are carried on packhorfes 5 or 600 miles into the country, weft of CharlesTown; but most of the trade is confined within the limits of the Creek and Cherokee nations, which do not lie above 300 miles from the coaft. THE Virginia. THE chief commodities fhipped off from Carolina yearly, are great quantities of rice, deer-fkins, pitch and tar turpentine, and indigo, which laft thrives better here than in any of our other plantations. CAROLINA was the laft country in America planted by the English, after Sir Walter Ralegh's unfortunate attempts to fix colonies in Carolina, in the latter end of the reign of queen Elizabeth. It feems to have been intirely overlooked till the restoration of Charles II. The then miniftry being informed that Carolina would produce wine, oil, and filk, and almost every thing that England wanted, procured a patent or grant to themfelves, dated the 24th of March, 1663, of great part of this coaft; the grantees being Edward, Earl of Clarendon, lord chancellor; George duke of Albemarle, the general; William, lord Craven; John, lord Berkley; the lord Anthony Afhley Cooper; Sir George Carteret, Sir William Colleton, and their heirs. Thefe proprietors, however, did little towards planting it, until the year 1670, when lord Ashley ftruck out a whimsical kind of government for the colony, creating a palatine or fovereign, with a council to be a check upon him; which involved them in perpetual quarrels, and almost deftroyed the plantation as foon as it was fettled; to prevent which, they were at length obliged to fell their fhares to the crown: and it is now a royal government, only the late earl of Granville thought fit to retain his feventh fhare. The prefent governors, appointed by the crown, are, for South-Carolina, Thomas Boone, Efq; for North Carolina, Ar. Dodds, Efq; and for Georgia, James Wright, Efq; VIRGINIA borders upon Carolina, which is its fouth boundary; its other boundaries being the river Patowmack, which divides it from Maryland on the north-east; the Atlantic Ocean on the eaft; and the Apalachian Mountains on the weft. It is computed to be about 240 miles in length, and 200 in breadth. As we approach it from the ocean, it appears to be low land; and for one hundred miles up into the country, there is fcarce a hill or ftone to be met with. Before being planted it confifted of forefts, bogs, and moraffes, which laft the people in the IVeft Indies call fwamps, and fuch the greatest part of it is at prefent. Their trees are much loftier than ours, and no underwood or bufhes grow beneath. People travel with eafe through thefe forefts on horseback, and never want a fine fhade to defend them from the fum |