a province of North America, comprehending the most westerly part of Florida, and lying between 29 and 36 degrees of N. Lat. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic, and on the west by the Pacific ocean, on the north by Virginia, and on the south by the remaining part of Florida.

This country is seated between the extremities of heat and cold, though the heat is more troublesome in summer than the cold in winter; their winters being very short, and the frothy mornings frequently succeeded by warm days. The air is generally serene and clear the greatest part of the year; but in February and March, the inhabitants have a custom of burning the woods, which causes such a smoke as to strangers would seem to proceed from a fog or thickness in the air. The smoke of the tar-kilns likewise deceives strangers, and gives them an ill opinion of the air of Carolina; to which also conduces a custom of the Indians of setting fire to the woods in their hunting, for many miles round. The greatest rains are in winter, though they are not without heavy showers at midsummer; add to these the continual dews that fall in the night, which refresh the ground and supply the plants with moisture. In North Carolina, the north-west winds in the winter occasion very pleasing weather; but they are not of long continuance. Westerly winds bring very pleasant weather; but the southerly are hot and unwholesome, occasioning fevers and other disorders. But this must be understood of summer, for in winter they are very comfortable. The depth of winter is towards the latter end of February, and then the ice is not strong enough to bear a man's weight. In August and September, there are sometimes great storms and squalls of wind, which are so violent as to make lanes of 100 feet wide, more or less, through the woods, tearing up the trees by the roots. These storms generally happen once in about seven years; and are attended with dreadful thunder, lightning, and heavy rains. They commonly happen about the time of the hurricanes which rage so fatally among the islands between the tropics; and seem to be occasioned by them, or to proceed from the same cause: but by the time they reach Carolina, their force is much abated; and the farther north they proceed, so much the more do they decrease in fury. The soil on the coast is sandy; but farther up, the country is so fruitful, that they have not yet been at the trouble to manure their land. The grains most cultivated are Indian corn and rice, though any sort will thrive well enough; they have also pulse of several sorts, little known in England. All kinds of garden stuff usual in England are cultivated here, and may be had in great plenty. They export large quantities yearly of rice, pitch, tar, turpentine, deer-skins, and timber for building; cypresses, cedar, taffetas, oak, walnut, and pine. Besides these they also send out beef, pork, tallow, hides, furs, wheat, peas, potatoes, honey, bees-wax, myrtle-wax, tobacco, snake-root, cotton, several sorts of gums and medicinal drugs. Indigo is also cultivated in this province, but of an inferior quality to that which comes from the Caribbee islands. It hath been attempted in vain to cultivate vines, and produce silk, in this country; for though the frosts here do not continue long without intervals of warmer weather, they are sufficient to check the growth of the vine, as well as olives, dates, oranges, &c. The furs are bought of the Indians with vermilion, lead, gunpowder, coarse cloth, iron, and spirituous liquors. As yet they have not a sufficient number of handicraftsmen; which renders labour very dear, and a supply of cloaths from Europe necessary. The aspect of the country is very fine, being adorned with beautiful rivers and creeks, and the woods with lofty timber, which afford delightful and pleasant seats for the planters, and render the fencing their lands very easy. And as they have plenty of fish, wild-fowl, and venison, besides other necessaries which this country produces naturally, they live easy and luxuriously. The planters and their families that are born here, are troubled with few distempers; and are generally tall, well-made, and active. The women who are not exposed to the weather are remarkably fair and handsome, with fine eyes. They marry at thirteen or fourteen; and where there is no clergyman, the ceremony is performed by a justice of the peace. They are very fruitful, have easy labours, and the children at nine months old are able to run about the house. Both sexes, as well young as old, are very dextrous in paddling and managing the canoes, being bred to it from their infancy. The religion of the planters is that of the church of England; but, as there is liberty of conscience, there are dissenters of all sorts.—The most substantial people build their houses with brick and lime made with oyster-shells; for there is no stone except near the mountains. The meaner sort make theirs with rough boards, and cover them with shingles. Their diet, except Indian corn, differs little from ours; and they import several sorts of strong liquors. Besides which they have cider, persimmon, and cedar-beer, of their own. They have likewise a beer made with molasses, wheat-bran and hops, which is very good. There are mines of pit-coal in this country; but they have such plenty of wood for firing, that there is no occasion to work them.

Their rivers are large, and navigable a great many miles up the country. They rise near the mountains, and abound with delicate fish, besides water-fowl of different kinds. In some there are islands which yield good pasture, without the annoyance of wild beasts. The chief mountains are the Cherokee or Allegany mountains, which are situated north and north-west, five or six hundred miles distant from the sea. They are very high; and abound with trees, plants, stones, and minerals, of different kinds. The inhabitants chiefly make use of paper-money among themselves.

The most common diseases are agues, cachexies, fluxes, the yaws, colicks, convulsions, the hooping-cough, tetters, the prickly heat, and the itch.

The Indians, like those in other parts, are well made, of a red copper colour, with black hair, and the whites of their eyes streaked with red. They have no beard nor hair on any part of the body but the head*. Those that are clothed and brought up among the planters, have their skins of a bright reddish colour; but those that go naked are more dusky, from a custom of daubing themselves with bear's Carolina grease. However, by painting themselves with rouge, they appear more red than they naturally would be. They use other colours on different occasions. They generally go stark naked, except a few who have been taught to be a little more modest. They are great smokers, and good marksmen; and will walk on the ridge of a house without fear or danger of falling.

This country is divided into North and South Carolina, and Georgia; each of which is under a particular governor. The North is subdivided into four counties, Granville, Colleton, Berkley, and Craven; and South Carolina into two, Clarendon and Albemarle. This last is also divided into fourteen parishes or townships, each of which has a brick or timber church. The former likewise has the same number of parishes. Charlestown is the capital of the whole country.

Carolina was discovered by Sebastian Cabot, about the year 1500, in the reign of Henry VII, but the settling of it being neglected by the English, a colony of French Protestants, by the encouragement of Admiral Coligny, were transported thither; and named the place of their first settlement Ava Carolina, in honour of their prince, Charles IX, of France; but in a short time that colony was destroyed by the Spaniards; and no other attempt was made by any European power to settle there till the year 1664, when 800 English landed at Cape-Fear in North Carolina, and took possession of the country. In 1670 Charles II, of Britain granted Carolina to the Lords Berkley, Clarendon, Albemarle, Craven and Ashley, Sir George Carteret, Sir William Berkley, and Sir John Colliton. The plan of government for this new colony was drawn up by the famous Mr Locke, who very wisely proposed an universal toleration in religious matters. The only restriction in this respect was, that every person claiming the protection of that settlement, should, at the age of 17, register himself in some particular communion. To civil liberty, however, our philosopher was not so favourable; the code of Carolina gave to the eight proprietors who founded the colony, and to their heirs, not only all the rights of a monarch, but all the powers of a legislature. The court, which was composed of this sovereign body, and called the Patrician Court, was invested with the right of nominating to all employments and dignities, and even of conferring nobility; but with new and unprecedented titles. They were, for instance, to create in each county two caciques, each of whom was to be possessed of 24,000 acres of land; and a landgrave, who was to have 80,000. The persons on whom these honours should be bestowed were to compose the upper house, and their possessions were made unalienable. They had only the right of farming or letting out a third part of them at the most for three lives. The lower house was composed of the deputies from the several counties and towns. The number of this representative body was to be increased as the colony grew more populous. No tenant was to pay more than about a shilling per acre, and even this rent was redeemable. All the inhabitants, however, both slaves and and freemen, were under an obligation to take up arms upon the first order from the Palatine court.

It was not long before the defects of this constitution became apparent. The proprietary lords used every endeavour to establish an arbitrary government; and, on the other hand, the colonists exerted themselves with great zeal to avoid servitude. In consequence of this struggle, the whole province, distracted with tumults and dissensions, became incapable of making any progress, though great things had been expected from its particular advantages of situation. Tho' a toleration in religious matters was a part of the original constitution, dissentions arose likewise on that account. In 1705, Carteret, now Lord Granville, who, as the eldest of the proprietors, was the governor of the colony, formed a design of obliging all the non-conformists to embrace the ceremonies of the Church of England; and this act of violence, though disavowed and rejected by the mother-country, inflamed the minds of the people. In 1720, while this animosity was still subsisting, the province was attacked by several bands of savages, driven to despair by a continued course of the most atrocious violence and injustice. These unfortunate wretches were all put to the sword; but, in 1728, the lords proprietors having refused to contribute towards the expenses of an expedition, of which they were to share the immediate benefits, were deprived of their prerogative, except Lord Granville, who still retained his eighth part. The rest received a recompense of about 24,000 l. The colony was taken under the immediate protection of the crown, and from that time began to flourish. The division into North and South Carolina now took place, and the settlement of Georgia commenced in 1732. See GEORGIA.