*f R AV'feL S IN' 
advantages of tins fituition, on the banks of a 
famous navigable river, petitioned the Afiembly 
for a cha ter to empower them to purchafe a dif- 
being g; anted, they immediately proceeded to mark 
out its precincts, and named the new city Cambelton, 
of merit, and a citizen of the county. When I was 
here about twenty years ago, this town was maiking 
out its bounds, and there were then about twenty 
habitations ; and now there are above a thoufand 
houfes, many wealthy merchants, and refpedtable 
public buildings, a vaft re fort of inhabitants and 
travellers, and continual brifk commerce by wag- 
gons, from the back fettlements, with large trading 
boats, to and from Wilmington, the feaport and 
fburifhing 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 ftreams 
unite i after leaving the firft ridges of the moun- 
tains, it affumes the name of Haw river, and courf- 
ing the hilly fertile country, above one hundred and 
fifty miles, receives through its Weft banks the 
Wef^ 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 tor perriauguas of con- 
fiderable burthen. 
Obferved near Cambleton 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 
a compument to 
Cambel, Efq, a gentleman 
the 
