NORTH AMERICA, 
a 3 
who* on thefe occafions, inftantly infpires them, 
and as with a ray of divine light, points out to them 
at once the dignity, propriety, and beauty of vir- 
tue. 
The land on, and adjacent to, this river, not- 
withflanding its arenaceous furface, appears natu- 
rally fertile. The peach trees are large, healthy, 
and fruitful ; and Indian corn, rice, cotton, and 
indigo, thrive exceedingly. This fandy furface, 
one would fuppofe, from its loofe texture, would 
poffefs a percolating quality, and fuffer the rain- 
waters quickly to drain off; but it is quite the con- 
trary, at leaft in thefe low maritime fandy coun- 
tries of Carolina and Florida, beneath the moun- 
tains ; for in the lands, even the heights, where the 
arenaceous ftratum is perhaps five, eight, and ten 
feet above the clay, the earth, even in the longeft 
droughts, is moift an inch or two under the furface $ 
whereas, in the rich tenacious low lands, at fuch 
times, the ground is dry, and, as it were, baked ma- 
ny inches, and fometimes fome feet deep, and the 
crops, as well as almoff all vegetation, fuffer in 
fuch foils and fituations. The reafon of this may 
be, that this kind of earth admits more freely of a 
tranfpiration of vapours, arifing from intefdne wa- 
tery canals to the furface ; and probably thefe va- 
pours are impregnated with faline or nitrous prin- 
ciples, friendly and nutritive to vegetables; how- 
ever, of thefe caufes and fecret operations of nature 
I am ignorant, and refume again my proper em- 
ployment, that of difcovering and collecting data 
for the exercife of more able phyfiologifts. 
The favannas about St. Mary’s, at this feafbn, 
difplay a very charming appearance of flowers and 
verdure ; their more elevated borders are varied 
C 4 with 
