THE TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 41 



for timber, and grows larger in proportion to the 

 greater richness of the land. It is the principal and 

 largest timber Pine in the original forests of all the 

 low, flat and firm but moist lands bordering on Albe- 

 marle Sound, and also farther South ; and I have 

 seen it growing as well, but much more sparsely, on 

 'the rich swampy borders of the Roanoke and in the 

 best Gum lands bordering on the Dismal Swamp, 

 and some on the low bottom lands of Tar River. 

 Among the other gigantic forest trees on the rich 

 and wet Roanoke Swamps (on the land of Henry 

 Burgwyn, Esq.), mostly of Oak, Gum, Poplar, &c, 

 the few of these Pines which yet remain, tower far 

 above all others (20 feet or more) so as to be seen 

 and distinguished at some miles' distance. I have 

 visited several standing trees and the stumps of 

 others which had been cut down, which measured 

 nearly or quite five feet in diameter, and were sup- 

 posed to have been from 150 to 170 feet in height. 

 But the sizes and heights of the trees may best be 

 inferred from the list below of hewn (or squared) 

 stocks, which was furnished to me from Mr. Herbert's* 

 timber accounts. These stocks were cut in Bertie 

 county, made the whole of one raft which was then 

 (May, 1856,) on its passage through the Dismal 

 Swamp Canal to New York. The stocks were thence 

 to be shipped to Amsterdam for naval construction, 

 under a contract with the Dutch government. 



* Of Virginia ; a large contractor for the supply of timber to the 

 Navy Yards. 



