NORTH AMERICA® 
n 
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- 
withstanding 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 
poiiefs a percolating quality, and fuffer the -rain- 
waters quickly to drain off ; but it is quite the con- 
trary, at kail in thefe low maritime Tandy coun- 
tries of Carolina and Florida, beneath the moun- 
tains; for in the fands, even the heights, where the 
arenaceous ftratum is perhaps five, eight, and ten 
feet above the clay, the earth, even in the longed: 
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 
many inches, and fometim.es fome feet deep, arid the 
■crops, as well as almoft all vegetation, fuffer in 
fuch foils and fituations. The reafion of -this may 
be, that this kind of earth admits more freely of a 
■tranfpiration of vapours, arifing from inteftine wa- 
tery canals to the furface; and probably thefe va- 
pours are impregnated with feline or nitrous prin- 
ciples, friendly and nutritive to vegetables; how- 
ever, of thefe caufes and fecret operations of nature 
I am ignorant, and relume again my proper em- 
ployment, that of discovering and collecting data 
for the exercife of more able piiyilologifts. 
The favannas about St. Mary's, at this feafon, 
difplay a very charming appearance of flowers and 
verdure ; their more elevated borders are varied 
€ 4 with 
