522 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 9 



namel}', North River, North-west River, and 

 Perquimonds. Ail these hide their heads, pro- 

 perly speal<iiig, in the Difjmal, there being no 

 signs of tiiem above ground. For this reason 

 there must be plenlilull subterranean stores of wa- 

 ter to teed so many rivers, or else the soil is so re- 

 plete with this element, draind li'om the higher 

 land that surrounds it, that it can abundantly af- 

 Ibrd these supplys. This is most probable — be- 

 cause the ground of this swamp is a meer quag- 

 mire, trembleing under the tt;et of those that walk 

 upon it, and every impression is instan !y filld 

 with water. We coud run a long stick up to the 

 head without resistance — and wherever a fire was 

 made, so soon as the crust of leaves and trash 

 burnt through, the coals sunk down into a hole, and 

 were exiinguisht. The skirts of the Dismal to- 

 wards the east were overgrown with reeds ten or 

 12 tieet high, interlaced every where with stron<i 

 bamboe-bryers, in which the men's (eet weve per- 

 petually intangled. Among these, grows here and 

 there a cypress, or a white cedar, which last is 

 commonly mistaken for the juniper. Towards 

 the south end of it, is a very large tract of reeds, 

 without any trees at all growing amongst them, 

 which being constantly green, and waving in the 

 wind, is called the Green Sea. In many parts, es- 

 pecially on the borders, trrows an evergreen shrub 

 very plentifully, that gos by the name of a gall- 

 bush. It bears a berry which dyes a black colonr, 

 Hke the gall of an oak, from whence it borrows its 

 name.' Near the middle of the Dismal the trees 

 grow much thicker — the cypresses as well as the 

 cedars. These being always green, and loaded 

 with very large tois. are ni\icli exposed to the 

 winds, and easily blown down in this bogiry place 

 where the soil is soft, and consequently affords but 

 slender hold for the roots, that shoot into it. By 

 these the passage is in most filaces interrupted, 

 they lying piled in heaps, and horsing on one 

 another: nor is this all, for the snags left upon 

 them point every way, and require the utmost 

 caution to clamber over them. 'Tis remarquable 

 that, towards the heart of this horrible desart, no 

 beast or bird approaches, nor so much as an insect 

 or a reptile. This must happen, not so much 

 from the moisture ol the soil, as from the everlast- 

 ing shade occationd by the thick shrubbs and 

 bushes, so that the fi'iendly beams of the sun can 

 never penetrate them to warm the earth. Nor 

 indeed do any birds care to fly over it, anv more 

 than they are said to do over the lake Avernus, 

 for lear of the noisome exhalations that rise from 

 this vast body of dirt and nastiness. 'I'hese noxious 

 vapours inlect the air round about, oivmiT agues 

 and other distempers to the neighbourin<r inhabi- 

 tants. On the western border of the Dismal, is a 

 pine swamp above a mile in breadth, great part of 

 which is covert! with water knee-deep ; however, 

 the bottom is firm, and though the pines growing 

 upon it are very tall, yet are they not easily blown 

 down by the wind. So that the people waded 

 through this part of it, without any other hin- 

 drance but what the depth of water gave them. 

 With all these disadvantages the Dismal is in 

 many places pleasant to the eye, though disagree- 

 able to the other sences, because of the perpetual 

 verdure, which makes every season look like the 

 spring, and every month like May. This dread- 

 full swamp was ever judgd impassable, 'til the line 

 divideing Virginia from North Carolina ivas car- 



ryd through it in the year 172S, by the order of hia 

 late majesty. JSor woulil it have been practicable 

 ihen, but by the benefit of an exceeding dry season, 

 as well as by the invincible vigour and industry of 

 those that undertook it. Some of the neighbours 

 have lost themselves here lor some days, but never 

 had either the courage or curiosity to advance very 

 fiir. Nor can the difficultys of passing this inhos- 

 pitable place be better conceivd, than by the 

 long time that was spent in doing it, even by men 

 who were not altogether without apprehentions of 

 being starved — they being no less than ten whole 

 days in pushing on the line 15 miles, tho' they 

 proceeded ivith all possible diligence and resolu- 

 tion, and besides, hail no disaster to retard them. 



jjdvantages of Draining the Dismal. 



The foregoing being a true and faithful account 

 of the present condition of the Dismal, if any way 

 coud be found to drain it, the benefits both to his 

 majesty and these colonys, would be very consi- 

 derable. 



1. First, that vast extent of bogg, which is now 

 of no value to the crown, nor ever can be, in the 

 condition it lyes at present, will come in time to 

 pay the same quit-rent that other lands pay in 

 this colony, and employ a great number of peo- 

 pie. 



2. By draining the Dismal, it will make all the 

 adjacent country nmch more wholesome, and, 

 conse(iuently, ])reserve the lives of many of the 

 kmg's subjects; this will happen by correcting 

 and purilying the air, which is now inlt'cled by 

 the malignant vapours rising continually i'rom that 

 large tract of mire and filthiness. 



3. After ihe Dismal comes to be drained, it will 

 be the finest soil in the wcrld for j)roducing of 

 hemp : the propagating of which, is with so much 

 reason desired and encouraged in his majesty's 

 plantations. Besides, the hemp made in this place 

 will have the advantage of being nearer to navi- 

 gation than it can commonly be in this colony. 



4. As the Dismal must be draind by the help 

 of canals, to be cut from the northern to the south- 

 ern rivers, there will be a safe and easy communi- 

 cation, by water, betwixt Virginia and North Ca- 

 rolina, to the rnanil(3st advantage of both. Virgi- 

 nia will have the benefit of being the port and pub- 

 lic mart, to which the inhabitants of North Caro- 

 lina must bring their conmioditys ; and these, 

 again, will have the convenience of shipping the 

 efl'ects of their industry, and receiving their returns 

 li-om Great Britain, in good ships — there being 

 no inlets into the hither part of that province, but 

 what are dangerous even to the small vessels that 

 can enter them. 



Conditions of Draining the Dismal. 



The Dismal then being so utterly useless to the 

 crown, and such a nusance to the neighbouring 

 country, and the advantages of draining it being 

 so many, there remains no difficulty but to find 

 out a method of doing it without leading his ma- 

 jesty into an expcnce, or laying a burthen on the 

 people; and I humbly conceive that neither of 

 these objections can be raised against the follow- 

 ing scheme. 



It is therefore proposed that his majesty be gra- 

 ciously pleaed to grant the Dismal, and all the land 



