TRAVELS IN 
476 
men of the county, feeing plainly the fuperior 
advantages of this fituation, on the banks of a 
famous navigable river, petitioned the Affembly 
for a charter to empower them to purchafe a di- 
ftri£t, fufficient for founding a large town ; which 
being granted, they immediately 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 habitations ; and now there 
are above a thoufand houfes, many wealthy mer- 
chants, and refpedlable public buildings, a vaft 
refort of inhabitants and travellers, and continual 
briik commerce by waggons, from, the back fet- 
tlements, with large trading boats, to and from 
Wilmington, the feaport and flouriihing trading 
town on the Clarendon, about forty miles above 
the capes, which is about one hundred miles be- 
low this town. The Clarendon or Cape Fear river 
lias its fource in the Cherokee mountains, where 
its numerous confederate ftreams unite ; after leav- 
ing the firft ridges of the mountains, it afTumes 
the name of Haw river, and courfing the hilly 
fertile country, above one hundred and fifty miles, 
receives through its Weft banks the Weft branch, 
called Deep River, and after this union, takes the 
name of the North-Weft of Cape Fear, from 
\vhence down to Cambelton, about eighty miles, 
it is navigable for perriauguas of confiderable 
burthen. 
Obferved near Cambelton a very curious fcan- 
dent Fern (Pteris fcandens) rambling over low 
bufhes, in humid fituations ; the lower larger 
fronds were digitated, or rather radiated, but 
towards 
