NORTH CAROLINA (CAnomttA, NORTH, ante), was first explored by a party of 108 persons sent from England by sir Walter Raleigh in 1584, and the first settlement was made on Roanoke island during that year. Trouble with the Indians, however, caused the colonists eventually to return to England, and no further attempt was made to colo ni::e the region until several years later when people' from Virginia succeeded in estab 1:shing themselves on the noVhern border. In 1663 Charles made a grant of the province, which included both of the Carolinas, to eight noblemen by whom great efforts were made to induce colonization, and shortly afterwards colonies of French, German, and Swiss Protestants came over. About 1700 the province was divided into North and South Carolina, and separate governments were organized. From this time up to the revolution, North Carolina was ruled by successive governors appointed by the English king. But in Aug., 1776, the colony ratified the .Declaration of Independence, and in the following December held a convention at Halifax and framed a constitution for the st rte, which remained the organic law until 1835. After the revolution the state enjoyed .much prosperity, and its history is marked by no particularly eventful period until the breaking out of the rebellion. The popular sentiment in the state at the beginning of 1361 was apparently in favor of the union; but after the surrender of fort Sumter and the declaration of war, an extra session of the legislature was called, and an ordinance of secession passed, April 20. The state thenceforth during the next four years suffered many disasters of war. In Aug., 1861. fort Hatteras and fort Clark were seized by fed eral forces; Roanoke island and New Berne were next captured by Burnside's expedition; aid later the region about Plymouth, Kinston, and Washington was taken and occupied by fedaral troops. Other important battles fought in the state during the war were at Averysborough, Bentonville, and the taking of fort Fisher. As soon as peace was declared; a provisional governor, W. W. Holden, was appointed, and on Oct. 2, 1865, a convention assembled at Raleigh declared the ordinance of secession null, abolished slav ery, and repudiated the state debt created to carry on the war. An election was held soon after, and a governor, legislature, and members of congress chosen. But as the re-organized government refused to ratify the fourteenth amendment to the constitution of the United states, the state was declared to be still under military authority, and was placed under the command of gen. D. E. Sickles. Another convention, therefore, was called. and the delegates met in Raleigh in Feb., 1868, and prepared a constitution that 'was' ratified by the people and which congress approved. Accordingly the state was restored to the union 'in July; 1868. The. state has suffered. much in many ways during the past 15 years, its peace having been seriously disturbed for a long while by organized bands of outlaws known as ku-klux klan and its political and financial affairs having been in a troubled condition.
The mineral resources embrace not only coal and iron of superior quality, but the precious metals. Of" the coal deposits there are two fields, one in Stokes and Rocking ham counties with an area of 30 sq.m., and another in Chatham and Moore counties with an area of 40 sq.m., of which each square mile is believed to contain 6,000,000 tons of coal of the best quality. The beds have been mined to some extent, principally at
Egypt, Farmville, and Homsville. Gold has been found in 23 counties and has been mined to a considerable extent for nearly half a century. The most productive mines are the Gold Hill mines in Rowan' co., which were discovered in 1842. Other regular veins have been worked in Davidson, Cabarrus, Stanley, Montgomery, and Mecklen burg counties; and irregular veins and surface gold are also found in the sane coun ties to some extent, and in Catawba, Randolph, I, uion, and Franklin counties. Between 1838 and 1874 more than $10,000,000 in North Carolina gold was deposited in the U. S. mints. Silver is found in Davidson and Clay counties, but the mines have been little worked. Copper ores of various kinds exist in several parts of the state; also lead, zinc, antimony, and other metals are known to exist, with some small amounts of pla tinum and palladium. Mica is profitably wined in Mitchell and Yancey counties. Alum, graphite, jade, buhrstone, granite, kaolin, limestone, whetstone, grindstone, soapstone, and corundum are found, the latter in great abundance; and, in fact, the mineral wealth of the state is remarkably great. The agricultural products are chiefly rice, cotton, tobacco, sweet potatoes, wheat, and Indian corn; but the soil, as well as the climate, differs touch in different parts of the state. The temperature of the lowlands is hot and humid; but in the interior, particularly in the Piedmont and the mountain section, the air is singularly pure, dry, and elastic. The mean annual temperature at Raleigh is 60'; at Asheville, 50'; at Wilmington, 63'; and the average rainfall is about 45 inches. Along the coast region the swamp lands when drained and the river bottoms are fertile, and rice grows \Veil. Further inland the soil improves and is well adapted to wheat, rye, barley, oats, and flax. Cotton is raised principally in the counties along the south ern border. The western and mountainous portions arc best adapted to grazing, and in these parts stock raising is the leading pursuit. The forest trees of the uplands are oak, hickory, ash, walnut, and lime; in the lowlands, the long-leaf pine: and in the swamps, cedar, cypress, maple, oak, and poplar. A very large extent of territory, extending from a point near the line of Virginia across the entire state, varying in width from 30 to 80 m., is covered with the long-leaved pine, which yields a large Share of the world's supply of resin, oil of turpentine, raw turpentine, tar and pitch. In 1$70 the state con tained 5,258.742 acres of improved land, 12,026,894 acres of wood land, and 2,549,774 acres of other unimproved land. The total number of farms was 913,565, the average size of which was 212 acres. Their cash value was estimated to be $78,211,083, and that of their products, including betterments and additions to stock, about $57,845,940. Among the productions of that veer were: spring wheat, 405,238 bushels; winter wheat, 2,454,641; rye, 3.52,006; Indian corn, 18,454,215; oats, 3.21.10,105; barley, 3,186; buck wheat. 20,109; peas and beans. 532.749; potatoes, 738.803; sweet potatoes, 3,071,840; hay, 83,540 tons; cotton. 141,935 balesk rice, lbs.; tobacco, 11,150,0S7 lbs.; wool, 709,667; batter, 4,297,834: cheese, 75,185; flax, 59,552; honey, 1,404,040; cane sugar, 35 hfigsheads; wine, 62,348 gallons; maple molasses, 418.