16 
THE HISTORY OF 
mire, but disdaining to be balked, they could hardly be persuaded from 
pressing forward by the surveyors, who found it absolutely necessary to 
make a traverse in the deepest place, to prevent their sticking fast in the 
mire, and becoming a certain prey to the turkey buzzards. 
This horrible day’s work ended two miles to the northward of Mr. Mer- 
chant’s plantation, divided from North-west river by a narrow swamp, which 
is causewayed over. We took up our quarters in the open field, not far from 
the house, correcting, by a fire as large as a Roman funeral pile, the aguish 
exhalations arising from the sunken grounds that surrounded us. 
The neck of land included betwixt North river and North-west ri^er, with 
the adjacent marsh, belonged formerly to Governor Gibbs, but since his decease 
to Colonel Bladen, in right of his first lady, who was Mr. Gibbs’ daughter. 
It would be a valuable tract of land in any country but North Carolina, 
where, for want of navigation and commerce, the best estate affords little 
more than a coarse subsistence. 
10th. The sabbath happened very opportunely to give some ease to our 
jaded people, who rested religiously from every work, but that of cooking the 
kettle. We observed very few corn-fields in our walks, and those very small, 
which seemed the stranger to us, because we could see no other tokens of 
husbandry or improvement. But, upon further inquiry, we were given to 
understand people only made corn for themselves and not for their stocks, 
which know very well how to get their own living. Both cattle and hogs 
ramble into the neighbouring marshes and swamps, where they maintain 
themselves the whole winter long, and are not fetched home till the spring. 
Thus these indolent wretches, during one half of the year, lose the advantage 
of the milk of their cattle, as well as their dung, and many of the poor crea- 
tures perish in the mire, into the bargain, by this ill management. Some, 
who pique themselves more upon industry than their neighbours, will, now 
and then, in compliment to their cattle, cut down a tree whose limbs are 
loaded with the moss afore-mentioned. The trouble would be too great to 
climb the tree in order to gather this provender, but the shortest way (which 
in this country is always counted the best) is to fell it, just like the lazy In- 
dians, who do the same by such trees as bear fruit, and so make one harvest 
for all. By this bad husbandry milk is so scarce, in the winter season, that 
were a big-bellied woman to long for it, she would lose her longing. And, in 
truth, I believe this is often the case, and at the same time a very good reason 
why so many people in this province are marked with a custard complexion. 
The only business here is raising of hogs, which is managed with the least 
trouble, and affords the diet they are most fond of. The truth of it is, the 
inhabitants oif North Carolina devour so much swine’s flesh, that it fills them 
full of gross humours. For w^ant too of a constant supply of salt, they are 
commonly obliged to eat it fresh, and that begets the highest taint of scurvy. 
Thus, whenever a severe cold happens to constitutions thus vitiated, it is apt 
to improve into the yaws, called there very justly the country distemper. 
This has all the symptoms of syphilis, with this aggravation, that no prepara- 
tion of mercury will touch it. First it seizes the throat, next the palate, and 
lastly shows its spite to the poor nose, of which it is apt in a small time 
treacherously to undermine the foundation. This calamity is so common and 
familiar here, that it ceases to be a scandal, and in the disputes that happen 
about beauty, the noses have in some companies much ado to carry it. Nay, 
it is said that once, after three good pork years, a motion had like to have 
been made in the house of burgesses, that a man with a nose should be inca- 
pable of holding any place of profit in the province ; which extraordinary mo- 
tion could never have been intended without some hopes of a majority. 
Thus, considering the foul and pernicious effects of eating swine’s flesh in 
