4y 6 
TRAVELS IN 
of Cumberland. The leading men of the county, 
feeing plainly the fuperior advantages of this fitua- 
lion, on the banks of a famous navigable river, 
petitioned the Aflembly for a charter to empower 
them to pur chafe a difiricl, fufficient for founding a 
large town ; which being granted, they immedi- 
ately proceeded to mark out its precincts, and 
named the new city Cambelton, a compliment to 
— - Cambel, Efq. a gentleman of merit, and a 
citizen of the county/ When I was here about 
twenty years ago, this town was marking out its 
bounds, and there were then about twenty habita- 
tions ; and now there are above a thoufand houfes 3 
many wealthy merchants, and refpeclable public 
buildings, a vaft refort of inhabitants and travellers, 
and {continual brifk commerce by waggons, from 
the back fettlements, with large trading boats, to 
and from Wilmington, the feaport and flourifhing 
trading town on the Clarendon, about forty miles 
above the capes, which is about one hundred miles 
below this town. The Clarendon or Cape Fear 
river has its fource in the Cherokee mountains, 
where its numerous confederate dreams unite ; af> 
ter leaving the fir ft ridges of the mountains, it af- 
fumes the name of Haw river, and courting the 
hilly fertile country, above one hundred and fifty 
miles, receives through its Weft banks the Well 
branch, called Deep River, and after this union* 
takes the name of the North-Weft of Cape Fear, 
from whence down to Cambelton, about eighty 
miles, it is navigable for perriauguas of conlider- 
able burthen. 
Obferved near Cambelton a very curious fcan* 
dent Fern (Pteris fcandens) rambling over low 
bullies, in humid situations ; the lower larger 
fronds were digitated, or rather radiated, but 
towards 
