62 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA t 
creek which runs into James River. Rich¬ 
mond, on the contrary, which is the present 
capital of the state, has increased very fast, be¬ 
cause it stands on a large navigable river ; yet 
Richmond is no more than an intermediate 
place for the deposit of goods passing to and 
from the back country, vessels drawing more 
than seven feet water being unable to come up 
to the town. 
The principal place of trade in Virginia is 
Norfolk. This town has a good harbour, and 
is enabled to trade with the upper parts of 
the country, by means of James River, near 
the mouth of which it stands. By land also a 
brisk trade is carried on with the back parts of 
North Carolina, for in that state there are no 
towns of any importance. The entrances 
from the sea into the rivers in that state, are 
all impeded by shoals and sand banks, none 
of which afford more than eleven feet water, 
and the passage over some of them is very 
dangerous from the sand shifting. ’Wilming¬ 
ton, which is the greatest place of trade 
in it, contains only two hundred and fifty 
houses. In order to carry on their trade to 
North Carolina to more advantage, a canal is 
now cutting across the Dismal Swamp, from 
Norfolk into Albemarle sound, by means of 
the rivers that empty into which, a water 
communication will be opened to the remote 
