A. D. 1796. 395 



ing this war, and the advance of the value of its exports from 1,576,588 

 dollars in the year 1791 to about 8,500,000 in 1796. The town itfelf 

 is not acceflible by large veflels, which lie at Fell's point, a fuburb built 

 on a fmall peninfula, formerly about a mile from the main body of the 

 town, but now almoft joined to it by buildings. 



Annapolis, the feat of the government of Maryland, had once fome 

 commerce, the whole of which is now removed to Baltimore. 



It is yet too foon to fay any thing of the commerce of the federal city 

 of Wafhington. 



Alexandria in Virginia, a regular and handfome town on the weft 

 bank of the Potowmack, enjoys a confiderable fhare of the trade of an 

 extenfive and fertile back country, the produce of which is fhipped for 

 the Weft-Indies, and partly for Europe, It is fomewhat fingular, that 

 the bank of Alexandria is the only one in Virginia. 



Richmond, the capital of Virginia, fituated on the north bank of 

 James river, contained in 1796 about 4,000 white people and near 2,000 

 negro flaves. The houfes have been moftly built of brick, fmce a great 

 number of them were deftroyed 'by fire. It is the (eat of but little 

 trade, the river admitting nothing larger than boats to come up to it, 

 and only fmall veffels to reach its ftiipping place, called Rocket's land- 

 ing, about a mile below the city. 



Norfolk, near the mouth of Elizabeth river in the fouth weft corner 

 of Cheftapeake bay, had now arifen from the afties of the total con- 

 flagration it underwent in the revolutionary war, to a town of near 800 

 houfes containing almoft 4,000 inhabitants, about half the number of 

 its population before the war. Being the only port in the fouthern part 

 of Virginia, moft of the tobacco, corn, flour, lumber, naval ftores, and 

 other produce of that ftate, and of North Carolina, is fliipped from 

 Norfolk, which, notwithftanding its unhealthy (ituation, is, from its 

 commercial advantages, likely to recover its former population and im- 

 portance. 



Edenton, New Berne, and Wilmington, in North Carolina, though 

 each of them is fituated on a navigable river, and at fome diftance from 

 the fea, enjoy but very little trade. The rivers, though navigable for 

 a confiderable way up the country, are fliallow at their mouths, and of 

 difl&cult accefs ; and thence the greateft part of the trade of North 

 Carolina is carried on in fmall vefl^els, which convey the produce to 

 Charlefton and Norfolk, and bring in return fupplies of foreign goods 

 from thofe places. 



Charlefton, the capital of South Carolina, and the commercial capital 

 of the fouthern part of America, is a handfome town, confifting moftly 

 of wooden houfes, though many, which were deftroyed during the war, 

 have been rebuilt of brick, and fome few of ftone. The population . 

 was at this time eftimated at above 32,000. 



q D 2 



