The soil of Georgia, and the degrees of its fertility, va ry according to situation, and the differences that have taken place as to the manner or the extent of its improvement. The islands just mentioned are in their natural state cover ed with a plentiful growth of pine, oak, hiccory, live oak, and some red cedar. The soil is grey, formed by a mix ture of sand and black mould. A considerable part of it, that particularly on which are chiefly found the oak, hie cory, and live oak, is very fertile, and yields on cultivation good crops of indigo, corn, cotton, and potatoes. The soil of the main land, adjoining to the marshes and creeks, is nearly of the same quality with that of the islands. The portion of it which borders on the creeks and rivers, forms the chief exception, being the ground which furnishes the valuable rice swamps. These begin immediately upon the termination of the salts, and lie most of them on rivers, which, as far as the tide flows, arc called tide lands, or on creeks and particular branches of water, flowing in some deeper or lower parts of the lands, which are called inland swamps, and extend hack in the country from 15 to 25 miles, beyond which, for the most part, little rice is planted. Those lands immediately adjoining to the rivers arc near ly level, continuing so in a breadth from two to three or four miles, for the space, in a direct line front the sea, of not less than 100 miles. In this distance, wherever a piece of high land extends to the bank of the river on one side, there may almost invariably be expected, on the other, a low or swampy ground of proportionable width. The interme diate lands, which are covered chiefly with pine, and a sort or wild grass and small reeds, aflbrd a large range of feed ing ground, both summer and winter. The oak and hiccory ranges that are interspersed, and which arc of superior quality, yield, when cultivated, good crops of corn, indigo, or other valuable produce. At a distance from the sea, the soil changes from grey to red; in some places it is gra velly, but fertile; and farther back into the country its tint is gradually deepened, till it becomes what is called the mulatto soil, consisting of a black mould and red earth. This sort of land is generally strong, and affords abundant crops of wheat, tobacco, corn, Er.c. It is succeeded in its turn by a soil that is nearly black, and very rich, and on which there grow large quantities of black walnut and mulberry. This sort of succession, in the different soils which occur in the state, is throughout pretty regular and uniform. They stretch in the same order, in lines nearly parallel with the sea coast, not only across this state, but all along northwards, as far even as to Hudson's river. The staple commodities of Georgia are cotton and rice. It yields also small quantities of indigo, cotton and silk, be sides Indian corn, potatoes, oranges, figs, pomegranates, with other useful grains or fruits. The forests afford an abundant supply of fine timber, consisting chiefly of oak, hiccory, mulberry; pine, and cedar.
The manufactures of Georgia have not hitherto beer very considerable. The people in the lower part of the state have not been accustomed to prepare even their own clothing, or that worn by their negroes. For almost every article, as well of their wearing apparel as of the tools used by them in their husbandry, they have been indebted to their merchants, who imported them from Great Bri tain or the northern states. Brit in the upper parts of the country', the inhabitants themselves manufacture the chief part of their clothing from cotton and from flax. The principal manufactures are those of indigo, silk, and sago. The latter is a kind of sediment or starch, that is obtained by properly macerating and washing potatoes. The large
crops of this kind that grow on the dry plains of the coun try, besides affording wholesome nourishment, have been made to yield, by distillation, a spirituous liquor of a tolera ble quality, though inferior to that which is made from rye. The chief articles of export from this state are rice, cot ton, tobacco, indigo, sago, lumber of various kinds, naval stoics, leather, deer-skins, snake-root, myrtle, and bees wax, corn, live stock, ice. The value in sterling money of the whole amount of those exports in the year 1755, was 15,7441.; in 1760, 20,8521.; in 1765, 73,4261. ; and in 1772, 121,6771. In 1791, the value of articles in like manlier exported, was, in dollars, 491,472 ; in 1792, 458,973 ; in 1793, 501,383 ; in 1794, 676,154; in 1796, 950,658 ; and in 1801, 1,854,95E' The tonnage employed in this state was, in the year 1755, 1899 ; in 1760, 1457 ; in 1765, 7685 ; in 1772, 11,246; and in 1790, 28,540 tons. The number of American seamen, during the last of those years, was 11,235. In return for her exports, Georgia receives West India goods, teas, wines, clothing, and dry goods of all kinds ; from the north ern states, cheese, fish, potatoes, apples, cyder, and shoes. The imports and exports are principally to and from Sa vannah, which has a fine harbour, and is the chief empo rium or the state.
Before the revolution, Georgia, like the rest of the southern states, was divided into 'ravishes ; but since that period, the division has been into counties. According to this distribution, Georgia, under two districts, viz.* the Upper and the Lower, comprehends 24 counties, of which 15 are included in the former division, and nine in the latter.
The counties of the upper district arc Montgomery, Wash ington, Hancock, Green, Franklin, Oglethorpe, Elbert, Wilkes, Lincoln, Warren, Jefferson, Jackson, Bullock, Columbia, and Richmond ; those of the lower district arc Camden, Glynn, Liberty, Chatham, Bryan, APIntosh, El fingham, Scriven, and Burke. The principal towns arc Augusta, foi mercy the scat of government, Savannah, the former capital of the state, both on the river Savannah, Sunbury, Brunswick, Frederica, \Vashington, and Louis ville, which last is now the metropolis of the state, and the place in which are deposited its records.t The situation of these towns is generally advantageous ; most of them stand ing on the banks of considerable rivers, and some of them, as Savannah, Brunswick, Frederica, and Sunbury, having safe and commodious harbours.
In the grand convention at Philadelphia, in 1787, the inhabitants of Georgia were reckoned to amount in all to 90,000. By the census of 1790, it did not exceed 82,548 persons, of whom 29,264 were slaves4 Subsequent to that period, however, there has been a very considerable augmentation. The disposition and character of the inhabi tants, collected as they were led by interest, necessity, or inclination, from different parts of the world, are very much diversified. They have been charged with indolence, which is attributed partly to the relaxing heat of the cli mate, and partly to the want of the necessary motives to the excitement of industry. They are more advantageously distinguished by their open and friendly hospitality, par ticularly towards strangers. Their diversions are dancing, gaming, horse-racing, cock-fighting, and chiefly hunting. To this latter amusement the nature of the country is suf ficiently favourable, the woods abounding with deer, ra coons, rabbits, wild turkies, and other game, at the same time that they are commonly so thin and free from ob struction, as to throw no impediment in the way of the Chace.