



CAROLINA, NORTH. 



CAROLINA, NORTH. 



:i 



to the height of nbout 800 feet Th r'trt-n which rim- 

 between the tiro ridgee run west to the Tennessee River. The eleva- 

 Uoo of the whole country comprehended between the two mountain 

 ridges is 1000 feet above the sea. The iH.il u in general fertile iu 

 grain. 



Ufdrograplty, OommtHticatioiu. All the riven have rapid* where 

 they pass from the hilly country to the low region. Their oourn 

 bore the rapids u rather swift ; but below them no other cum nt i 

 observed than that produoeJ by the tide, which ascends to the rapid*. 

 They oflirr therefore an easy navigation up to the hilly country ; but 

 mod-ban invariably occur at their mouth, and they are 

 ly (hallow ; they arc eoftseqnentiy only available for Ta*eli of 

 i draught 



be KoamJtt U formed by two branches, the Dan and SUuuton, 

 which rise and unite in Virginia. After their union the river run* 

 outh-eaat by east, and six mile* above Halifax form* the Mnndford 

 Pall*. Lower down it* courae U excessively circuitou* ; it {all* into 

 Albrmarle Sound. IU courae from the junction of the two streams 

 ta 160 mile*. It i* navigable nearly 30 mile* from it* mouth for the 

 vessel* which navigate the sound, and boat* of 45 ton* can ascend to 

 UM Mia, which are 75 mile* from it* mouth. A canal enables boat* 

 to pau round the fall*, and the navigation i* thin continued for bout* 

 of 5 ton* up to the Dan and Stounton. The Nrute rUe in the centre 

 of the upper terrace, and run* about 200 miles, first south-cant and 

 then south-east by east Below Newborn it gradually spread* into a 

 semicircular bay, which opens into the wider expanse of Pamlico 

 Sound : it is navigable for boats in the greater part of its cotir.se. 

 Between the Roanoke and the Reuse is the Tar, which also enters 

 Pamlico Sound, and is navigable for vessels drawing 8 feet of water 

 up to Washington, 80 miles, and for boats to Tarborough, 90 mile*. 

 Cape Pear Hirer is formed by the confluence of Deep River and Haw 

 River, which rise in the northern part of the state, and unite at Hay- 

 wood, in Chatham county. The Cape Fear River flows by a general 

 course south-nut for 250 miles, till it enters the Atlantic about 10 

 mile* N. from Cape Fear. It is navigable for veasels drawing 12 feet 

 of water to Wilmington, 34 miles from the sea; and sloops may ascend 

 to Fayettoville, which is 95 miles higher up. There are several other 

 stream*, but none of any great importance, for purposes of communi- 

 cation ; many of them are capable of being made largely available for 

 mechanical power. The only canals are the Dismal Swamp Canal, 

 which with it* branchea is chiefly used for lumbering purposes, and 

 Harlow Canal, which unites the Neuse River to Beaufort Some 

 important works are however projected for the improvement of the 

 navigation of the Deep and Cape Fear rivers. 



The total length of railways completed in North Carolina on 

 January lit, 1853, was 492 miles. The only through line yet 

 finished U the Weldon and Wilmington railway, which unites with 

 the Petersburg railway running north, and the Seaboard and Roanoke 

 line to Norfolk (Virginia) ; and at Wilmington with the Wilmington 

 and Manchester railway, which connects it with the railways of South 

 Carolina : its entire length is 102 miles. The North Carolina Central 

 railway runs from the Weldon and Wilmington line, near Guilds- 

 borough, through Raleigh, Hillsburough, and Lexington to Charlotte, 

 when it unites with the South Carolina railways : its entire length is 

 223 miles. The Gaston and Raleigh line runs from Qnstou, on the 

 Roanoke, to the capital, Raleigh (87 miles), where it joins the Central 

 line. At Gaston it is connected with the Greenville and Roanoke 

 line, which is 21 miles long, and joins the Petersburg line at Hicksford 

 in Virginia, 



Qrology and ifineraloyy. The geological character of this state has 

 been incidentally noticed under AI.LEUUAXY MOUNTAINS. The low 

 country stretching inland from the coast is of the tertiary and creta- 

 ceous formation*, consisting generally of deposits of cUy, marl, and 

 sand, in which have been found the remains of extinct gigantic 

 quadruped*, a* the mastodon, and large quantities of shells. Veins 

 of limestone, copperas, and bog-iron also occur. Sir Charles Lyell 

 esimllstes these strata to the English crag and the faluns of Ton- 

 nine. West of this district are mica-schist and granite rocks, 

 covered in parts with unconformable red-sandstone. According to 

 Profncor Olmitead, who has made an official survey of North Caro- 

 lina, UM great slate formation U about 20 miles wide, and runs from 

 Oranville county in a south-western direction across the state. Within 

 thin district occur numerous beds of porphyry, soapstone, serpentine, 

 Ac. Connected with these formation* are the carboniferous strata, 

 which occur chiefly in Chatham, Moore, and Orange counties, near the 

 middle of the state, and afford valuable vein* of bituminous coal 

 West of the slate and coal district* i* another 1* It of prirnnry, silnrian, 

 and qiiartcifirrons rock*, which reaches to the Blue Ridge, and in thi* 

 belt occurs the celebrated North Carolina Gold Replon prior to the 

 remarkable discoveries in California the richest gold district in the 

 United States. 



The mineral wealth of this state is very considerable. The gold 

 district of this part of Nnrth America extends along the foot of the 

 raitern declivity of the AUegbany Mountains between 82* and 88* 

 N. lat, and the richest part of this district lire within the state of 

 North Carolina. The axis of the gold formation lies generally in a 

 north-east and math-west direction, and extends through the counties 

 of Rockinghaui. Guildford, Davidson, Rowan, Cabarras, Mecklenburg, 



and Anaon, all of which belong to the hilly country or upper terrace. 

 The meUl is found in superficial deposits and in rock-veins, and 

 usually in aanection with quarto, but in slate, gueiu, and granite 

 itrata. The superficial deponU generally yield the richest ore, in the 

 deeper veins the gold requiring much trouble to extract from the 

 ulphuivts with which it is combined. The gold is found in small 

 flakes and grains, and also in lumps of from 20 to 30 ounces : lump* 

 of 4 lb*. weight have occasionally been found, and on one occasion a 

 mass was obtained weighing 28 Ibs. No authentic account ha* been 

 rendered of the quantity of gold annually obtained ; it has been esti- 

 mated at between three and four millions of dollars, but the estimate 

 is of little value owing to the fact of a Urge part of the gold being pur- 

 chased on the spot by dealers for manufacturers and other*, while a good 

 deal pauses into the banks as deposits, and a good deal more circulates 

 thn.iiL.-li the mining district, the smaller grains being put into goose- 

 quills and employed as currency ; and no return of these amounts is 

 mode. The quantity converted into coin at the mint of North Caro- 

 lina, though considerable, affords a very insufficient indication of the 

 entire quantity obtained. 



Iron-ore is found extensively, and largely wrought, especially in the 

 rnimtie* of Rockingbam, Stokes, Surrey, and Lincoln, where it occurs 

 chiefly in the form of magnetic oxide ; in the vicinity of the Deep 

 River it is found overlying the coal, and consequently in the most 

 advantageous situation for smelting : it also occurs in the form of 

 argillaceous iron ore, and as bog-iron. Copperas and plumbago are 

 found in some places. 



The great coal deposits are believed to occupy an area of 150 square 

 miles. The region which has been most thoroughly examined occu- 

 pies a length of 1 5 miles and a breadth of from five to six miles, chiefly 

 in Chatham and Moore counties and along the valley of tin 

 River, one of the principal affluents of Cape Fear River. The I 

 coal average upwards of seven feet of thickness, and afford both bitu- 

 minous and anthracite coal of the best quality. Coal U also found in 

 some other parts of the state. 



Climate, Soil, Agriculture. The climate varies in the three natural 

 divisions of the state. In the mountain region the frost sometimes 

 lasts three or four months ; but is not much felt in the hilly country, 

 and still less in the low plain. The summers are hot and sultry in 

 the plain ; and the exhalations from the swamps render it unhealthy 

 from June to October. In the hilly region the heat is moderated by 

 cool breezes. The changes of temperature are sudden and frequent, 

 a cold night being often succeeded by an intensely hot day. The 

 climate of the mountains is very temperate and healthy. The average 

 range of the thermometer at the University at Chapel Hill, '27 miles 

 X.W. from Raleigh, is 86 Fahr., the greatest heat being 96, the 

 lowest 10, mean temperature 597. The average number of rainy 

 days in the year U 98, of cloudy days 333, of clear days only 32. 

 (Fisher.) 



The difference of the climate influences the agricultural products. 

 On the hot plain cotton is the staple production ; rice also is exten- 

 sively cultivated, and indigo to a small amount. Farther westward 

 these crops are superseded by wheat, maize, and other species of groin, 

 as well as by flax and tobacco. In the mountain region grain is the 

 principal object of cultivation. The fig-tree and the peach generally 

 succeed ; and in the western districts apples and pears are plentiful. 

 The pine-forests occupy a vast space, covering nearly the entire eastern 

 section of the state. In the swamps the pine attains an immense 

 bulk, while long spongy mosses hang in clusters from the limbs. 

 These forests produce a Urge amount of lumber for exportation, and 

 also yield a great quantity of turpentine, tar, and pitch. Cedars and 

 cypresses abound in this low part of the country. In the hilly dis- 

 tricts the prevalent trees are the oak, elm, walnut, cherry, lime, &c. 

 The maple and poplar are indigenous throughout the state. Among 

 the wild-growing plants are the ginseng, sarsaparillo, myrtle, and 

 sugar-maple. The wild vine is found all over the country, and in 

 some parts the vine has been successfully cultivated. 



In 1850 there were in the state 6,453,977 acres of improved farm- 

 lands, and 15,543,010 acres of unimproved land attached to farms, 

 which together were valued at 67,891,766 dollars. The number of 

 farms under cultivation ou the 1st of June, 1850, was 56,916. The 

 total produce of the principal crops in 1850 was as follows: Wheat, 

 2,130,102 bushels; rye, 229,503 bushels; maize, 27,941,051 bushels; 

 oate, 4,062,078 bushels; potatoes, 5,098,444 bushels; rice, 6,465,868 

 pounds; tobacco, 11,984,786 pounds; cotton, 29,639,600 )> 

 Barley and buckwheat and peas and beans are also raised iu consider- 

 able quantities. The culture of flax and hemp and the making of 

 wine appear to be declining. 



The number of horses in I860 was 148,698 ; of asses and mules, 

 25,259 ; milch cows, 221,779 ; working oxen, 37,309 ; other cattle, 

 434,402; sheep, 596,249; pigs, 1,812,813. The products of animals 

 were thus returned : Wool, 970,378 Ibs. ; butter, 4,146,290 Ibs. ; 

 cheese, 06,921 lb*. ; and the value of animals slaughtered during the 

 year, 6,767,866 dollars. 



Wild animals were formerly very numerous, especially deer, bears, 

 Ac.; but except wolves and wild cats few of them m>w ronmiii. In 

 tin upper country the wild turkey is Mtill common, and sometimes 

 weighs from 25 to 30 Ibs. Snakes occur everywhere ; alligators inhabit 

 the swamps and lower part* of the rivers. 



