CAROLINA, North, one of the United States of America, is bounded on the north by Virginia, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by South Carolina, and on the west by Tenessee. It lies between long. 75.45. and 84. W. and lat. 33. 50. and 36. 30. N., being four hundred and thirty miles in length by a hundred and eighty in breadth, and containing an area of 50,000 square miles. This state is divided into sixty-three counties. It contains no large towns. Besides Ralcigh, which is the seat of government, the most considerable are Newbern, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Edenton, Washington, Hillsborough, Halifax, Tarborough, Salisbury, and Salem. The principal rivers are the Roanoke, Chowan, Neuse, Pamlico, Cape Fear, Yadkin, and Catawba. Of these, Cape Fear affords the best navigation. The two principal sounds on the coast are those of Pamlico and Albemarle. Dismal Swamp lies partly in Virginia and partly in this state. There are three celebrated and dangerous capes on the coast, Hatteras, Lookout, and Fear. For about sixty miles from the sea, and in its whole width, North Carolina is a dead level, diversified only by occasional openings in the immense forest with which it is covered. Beyond this monotonous plain rise mountains and hills, from whose summits is beheld a beautiful tract of country, which recedes westward beyond the range of vision, and is adorned with forests of lofty trees. On the level parts the soil is indifferent; but on the banks of rivers, such as the Roanoke, it is remarkably productive. In some parts of this champaign country there are glades of rich swamp and ridges of oak land of a black and fruitful soil, which form an exception to the general sterility. That portion of the state which extends to the west of the mountains is for the most part very fertile, abounding in trees of various kinds. Wheat, rye, barley, oats, and flax, are the crops usually cultivated. Indian corn and pulse of all kinds are also abundant throughout the state, and cotton is raised in considerable quantities. Of the plains in the low country, the largest natural growth is the pitch-pine, a tall and beautiful tree. It affords pitch, tar, turpentine, and various kinds of lumber, which together constitute about one half of the exports of the state. In the back country a variety of fruits and medicinal plants grow spontaneously. North Carolina abounds in iron ore; and it is the only one of the United States in which gold has been discovered in any considerable quantities. It is found in almost every part of this territory, intermixed with the soil. Mines have been established, but hitherto they have not proved very productive.

This state has not reached that perfection of culture which it is capable of arriving at from its natural advantages. The want of sufficient inland navigation, and also of harbours, is described as the cause of this backwardness. There are several large rivers, but their mouths are blocked up with sand. The best of the harbours, which are all indifferent, are Wilmington, Newbern, and Edenton. Since 1815, however, the state has been zealously engaged in several extensive improvements, such as the construction of canals and roads, and the draining of marshes and swamps.

Like all the southern states, North Carolina has a considerable diversity of climate, occasioned by the physical peculiarities of its parts. The level parts of the country are unhealthy, but in the hilly parts the reverse is the case. The summer day is hot, but the evening is refreshing and cool. Autumn is temperate and serene; and in some years the winters are so mild, that autumn may be said to continue till the spring. The wheat harvest commences in June, and that of Indian corn in September. In 1827 merchandize to the value of 276,791 dollars was imported into North Carolina, and to the amount of 449,237 exported.

The Christian denominations in this state are numerous. At Chapel Hill there is a respectable institution entitled the university of North Carolina. Lately considerable attention has been paid to education, and academies have been established in various places. The population in 1810 amounted to 555,500, and in 1820 to 638,829.

Carolina, South, one of the United States, is bounded on the noļ|h by North Carolina, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south-west and west by Georgia. It lies between 78. 24. and 83. 30. of west longitude, and between 32. and 35. 8. of north latitude. It is 200 miles long by 125 broad, and contains 30,000 square miles. This state is naturally divided into Upper and Lower Carolina. The latter is supposed to have been formerly under the ocean. To the extent of an hundred miles westward from the sea, the country presents a dull uniformity of gigantic forests, swamps, and level fields. This plain is succeeded by a range of little sand hills, which cover a surface of sixty miles, and resemble the undulations of an agitated sea. It is extremely barren, and only here and there enlivened by a small oasis of verdure, or a few straggling pines. Its scanty inhabitants earn a subsistence by the cultivation of corn and sweet potatoes. Stretching beyond these sand hills there is a remarkable tract of ground called the Ridge, which, on approaching it from the sea, is lofty and bold; but on the north-west it is level from its summit. This fine belt of land extends from Savannah to Broad River. It is fertile and well cultivated. Succeeding this ridge, the country is a pleasant alternation of hill and dale; and large rivers roll their broad columns of water through the varied beauties of luxuriant and well-cultivated fields. From these fertile regions the ground continues to rise to the western limits of the state, where several mountains run in a regular direction, the principal of which is called Table Mountain. The others are Oolenoy, Oconee, Paris’s Glassey, Hogback, and Kings. The chief rivers are the Waccamaw, Pedee, Black River, Santee, Cooper, Ashly, Stono, Edisto, Asheppo, Camba-hee, Coosaw, Broad, and Savannah.
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The soil of South Carolina is divided into six classes, first, tide swamp; second, inland swamp; third, high river swamp, or low grounds, distinguished by the name of second low grounds; fourth, salt marsh; fifth, oak and hickery high land; sixth, pine barren. The first two classes are best adapted for rice and hemp; the third for hemp, corn, and indigo; the fourth has been much neglected; the fifth, which is very fertile, for corn, indigo, and cotton; and the last is the least productive, but so much more salubrious than the other soils of the low country, that a proportion of it is an indispensable appendage to every swamp plantation. The staple commodities of this state are cotton and rice, of which great quantities are annually exported. These crops are the most profitable, and hence the planters have almost totally neglected the cultivation of wheat, barley, oats, and other articles equally useful. Of wheat, in particular, so little is raised, that large quantities require to be imported. Tobacco thrives well, as do various kinds of fruits, such as pears, pomegranates, and water melons. The latter grow to an enormous size, and are thought superior to any in the world. In favourable years vegetation continues for about eight months. The frosts are severe; but they seldom penetrate deeper than two inches into the earth, or continue longer than three or four days. At some seasons the weather is very variable. The temperature has been known to vary forty-six degrees in one day. In summer there are several days of excessive heat, and the nights also are sometimes extremely sultry. The low country is infested with all those diseases which are incidental to a warm, moist, and unelastic atmosphere. Of these the most frequent are fevers, from which the inhabitants suffer severely. The upper districts, however, enjoy a very salubrious climate.

The planters in the low country live in a luxurious and splendid style; those in the upper country are of more frugal and industrious habits. The labour of the fields is principally performed by slaves, who in the low country exceed the free inhabitants in the ratio of three to one. Charleston is the largest town, but Columbia is the seat of government. The legislature consists of a senate and house of representatives, who are chosen biennially. In its moral and religious aspect this state bears a resemblance to North Carolina. In 1827 the value of the imports amounted to 1,434,106, and the exports to 8,322,561 dollars. In 1810 the population was 415,115, and in 1820 to 502,741.

Carolina, a town in Spain, of recent foundation, in the province of Andalusia, in one of its kingdoms, distinguished by the name of Jaen. It was formed by German colonists in 1767, who began the process of cultivation, but, from various causes, with little success. It has, however, some excellent wine grown in its vicinity; and olives, hemp, and corn, have been introduced. The district was formerly inhabited only by robbers, gipsies, and pretended conjurors; to extirpate whom, Olavide planted several German families, and introduced the arts of civilized life. The great sufferings of the late war were very much experienced in this town, and it must be long before it can recover its former prosperity. It contains at present 2050 inhabitants, and is situated in lat. 38. 17. 5. N.