3914

8394 8696 16488 994) 19198; 53770 9635 9821 19348 836 15900 5540 4049 7801 215 10053 26035 7046 7335 13352 608 5679 34020 9194 10084 18586 1364 25402 64630 10925 12893 21958 7011 13:06 59983 13908 15826 28366 242 8138 60480 6979 8802 14811 15 2693 33293

(60988 775061407107075 1005713007

To the return the following note was prefixed:

"The Marshal begs leave to obferve, that the affifants having not returned the numbers of the different towns feparate from the counties in which they were fituated, renders it out Vol. III.

E e

Total.

of his power to make a distinct return of them, but is satisfied that not one town in North-Carolina contains more than two thousand inhabitants.

What is the prefent number of inhabitants cannot be determined with precifion; but, on the most moderate calculation, they must be more than four hundred and seventy thousand.

RELIGION AND CHARACTER.

The western parts of this State, which have been settled within the last forty years, are chiefly inhabited by Prefbyterians from Pennfylvania, the defcendants of people from the north of Ireland, and are exceedingly attached to the doctrines, difcipline and ufages of the church of Scotland. They are a regular, induftrious people. Almoft all the inhabitants between the Catawba and Yadkin rivers are of this denomination, and they are in general well fupplied with a fenfible and learned minif try. There are interfperfed fome fettlements of Germans, both Lutherans and Calvinifts, but they have very few minif

ters.

The Moravians have feveral flourishing fettlements in this State. In 1751 they purchafed of Lord Granville one hundred thousand acres of land, between the Dan and Yadkin rivers, about ten miles fouth of Pilot mountain, in Surry county, and called it Wachovia, after an eftate of Count Zinzendorf, in Austria. In 1755, this tract, by an act of Affembly, was made a feparate parifh by the name of Dobb's parifh. The firft fettlement called Bethabara, was begun in 1753 by a number of the brethren from Pennfylvania, in a very wild uninhabited country, which, from that time, began to be rapidly fettled by farmers from the Middle States.

In 1759, Bethany, a regular village, was laid out and fettled. In 1766, Salem, which is now their principal fettlement, and nearly in the center of Wachovia, was fettled by a collection of tradesmen. The fame conftitution and regulations are esta blished here as in other regular fettlements of the united brethren. Befides, there are in Wachovia three churches, one in Friedland, one in Friedburgh, and another at Hope, cach of which has a minifter of the brethren's church. Thele people, by their indaftry and attention to various branches of manufacture, are very useful to the country around them.

The friends, or Quakers, have a fettlement at New-Garden, in Guilford county, and feveral congregations at l'erquimins

and Pafquotank. The Methodifts and Baptifts are numerous and increafing. Befides the denominations already mentioned, there is a very numerous body of people in this, and in all the Southern States, who cannot properly be claffed with any fect of Christians, having never made any profeffion of Chriftianity.

The inhabitants of Wilmington, Newbern, Edenton, and Halifax diftricts, making about three-fifths of the State, once profeffed themselves of the Epifcopal church; the clergy in thefe diftricts were chiefly miffionaries, and in forming their political attachments, at the commencement of the late war, perfonal fafety, or real intereft, or perhaps a conviction of the impolicy of oppofing Great-Britain, from whence they received their falaries, induced them almoft univerfally to declare themfelves in favour of the British government, and to emigrate. There may be one or two of the original clergy remaining, but at prefent they have no particular paftoral charge; indeed the inhabitants in the diftricts above mentioned feem now to be making the experiment, whether Chriftianity can exit long in a country where there is no visible Chriftian church: the Baptifts and Methodists have tent a number of miffionary preachers into thefe diftrifts, and fome of them have large congregations: it is probable, that one or the other of thele denominations, and perhaps both, may acquire confiftency, and establish permanent churches.

The North-Carolinians are mostly planters, and live from half a mile to three and four miles from each other on their plantations; they have a plentiful country, no ready market for their produce, little intercourfe with ftrangers, and a natural fondnefs for fociety, which induce them to be hofpitable to ftran

gers.

The general topics of converfation among the men, when cards, the bottle, and occurrences of the day do not intervene are negroes, the prices of indigo, rice, tobacco, &c.. They appear to have little tafte for the fciences. Political inquiries and philofophical difquifitions are attended to but by a few men of genius and induftry, and are too laborious at prefent for the minds of the people at large in this State. Lels attention and respect are paid to the women here, than in those parts of the United States where the inhabitants have made greater progrefs in the arts of civilifed life; indeed it is a truth confirmed by obfervation, that in proportion to the advancement of civilization, in the fame proportion will refpe&t for the women be increased; fo that the progrefs of civilization in countries, in

ftates, in towns, and in families, may be marked by the degree of attention which is paid by hufbands to their wives, and by the young men to the young women.

Temperance and induftry are not to be reckoned among the virtues of the North-Carolinians; the time which they wafte in drinking, idling and gambling, leaves them very little opportunity to improve their plantations or their minds; the im provement of the former is left to their overseers and negroes; the improvement of the latter is too often neglected. Were the time which is thus wafted fpent in cultivating the foil, and in treafuring up knowledge, they might be both wealthy and learned for they have a productive country, and are by no means deftitute of genius.

Time that is not employed in fludy or ufeful labour, in every country, is generally spent in hurtful or innocent exercises, according to the custom of the place, or the tafte of the parties. The citizens of North-Carolina, who are not better employed, fpend their time in drinking, or gaming at cards and dice, cock-fighting or horfe-racing.

A ftrange and very barbarous practice prevailed among the lower clais of the people before the revolution, in the back parts of Virginia, North and South Carolinas, and Georgia; it was called gouging, and was neither more nor lefs than a man when boxing, putting out the eye of his antagonist with his thumb. How QUICK UNDER A MILD AND UPRIGHT GOVERN MENT, IS THE REFORMATION OF MANNERS! In a particular county in this State, where, at the quarterly court twenty years ago, a day feldom paffed without ten or fifteen boxing matches, it is now a rare thing to hear of a fight.

North-Carolina, as already observed, has had a rapid growth; in the year 1710 it contained but about twelve hundred fencible men; it is now, in point of numbers, the fourth State in the Union. During this amazing progrefs in population, which has been greatly aided by emigrations from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other States, while each has been endeavouring to incre le his fortune, the human mind, like an unweeded garden, has been fuffered to fhoot up in wild diforder. But when we confider, that, during the late revolution, this State produced many diftinguished patriots and politicians, that the fent her thoufands to the defence of Georgia and South-Carolina, and gave occafional fuccours to Virginia; when we confider, too, the difficultics fhe had to encounter from a mixture of inhabitants, collected from different parts, ftrangers to each other,