a city and sea-port of South Carolina, in a district of the same name, is situated on a tongue of land formed by the confluence of the rivers Cooper and Ashley. These unite immediately below the city, and form a spacious and convenient harbour, communicating with the ocean below Sullivan's Island, seven miles from Charleston. The harbour has a dangerous bar at its mouth; but there are two channels through it, one of which has a depth of sixteen feet water at ebb-tide. The city is regularly laid out in parallel streets, which are intersected by others nearly at right angles. Many of the houses are elegant, and furnished with piazzas. It is the largest town in the state, and was formerly the seat of government. It contains a city-hall, an exchange, a custom-house, a guard-house, a theatre, several charitable institutions, two arsenals, two markets, a college, and nineteen houses of public worship for various religious denominations. The library of this place contains 13,000 volumes.

Charleston has a considerable commerce. The exports consist principally of cotton, which is the staple production of the state, rice, lumber, tar, turpentine, pitch, &c. The imports are cotton, woollen, and silk goods, hardware, sugar, coffee, tea, wine, spices, &c. The registered, enrolled, and licensed tonnage, belonging to Charleston in 1828, amounted to 32,445 tons, of which 19,239 tons were employed in the coasting trade. The climate of this city is salubrious; but the yellow fever has frequently committed frightful ravages in it. The effects of this dreadful distemper, however, were principally confined to persons from more northern latitudes. The population by the last census amounted to 30,500. Long. 79° 50'. W. Lat. 32° 47'. N.