PRESENT SITUATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. SOUTHERN STATES. THIS third, which is much the largest divifion of the United States, comprehends MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, KENTUCKY, NORTH-CAROLINA, TERRITORY S. of the OHIO, SOUTH-CAROLINA, and GEORGIA. This extenfive divifion is bounded on the north by Pennfylvania and the Ohio river; on the weft by the Miffiffippi; on the fouth by East and Weft Florida; and on the east by the Atlantic ocean and the Delaware State. It is interfected in a N. E. and S. W. direction by the range of Allegany mountains, which give rife to many noble rivers, which fall either into the Atlantic on the east, or the Miffiffippi on the weft. From the fea coaft, fixty, eighty, and in fome parts an hundred miles back towards the mountains, the country, generally speaking, is nearly a dead level, and a very large proportion of it is covered, in its natural state, with pitch pines. In the neighbourhood of tagnant waters, which abound in this level country, the inhabitants are fickly, but in the back, hilly and mountainous country, they are as healthy as in any part of America. Vol. III. B This diftri&t of the Union contains about two millions of inhabitants, of whom about fix hundred and forty-eight thousand are flaves. The influence of flavery has produced a very diftinguishing feature in the general character of the inhabitants, which, though now defcernible to their difadvantage, has been foftened and meliorated by the benign effects of the revolution, and the progrefs of liberty and humanity, HISTORY OF ITS SETTLEMENT, &. MARYLAND. This State was granted by a patent of King Charles the Firf, June 30, 1632, to George Calvert, Baron of Baltimore, in Ircland,* who had been obliged, on account of the French government, to abandon the province of Avalon, in Newfoundland, after having expended twenty-five thousand pounds in its ad vancement. The government of this province was by charter vefted in the proprietary; but it appears, that he either never exercised these powers alone, or but for a fhort time; for we find, in 1637, that the freemen rejected a body of laws drawn up in England, and tranfmitted by his lordship, in order to be paffed for the government of the province. In the place of these they propofed forty-two bills to be enacted into laws, by the consent of the proprietary: thefe were, however, never enafted, at least they are not on record. The first emigration to Maryland confifted of two hundred gentlemen of confiderable fortune and rank, with their adherents, chiefly Roman Catholics, who hoped to enjoy liberty of confcience under a proprictary of their own profession. They failed from England in November, 1632, and landed in Maryland the beginning of 1633. The Honourable Leonard Calvert, brother to Lord Baltimore, who was the firft governor, very wifely and jufly purchafed, by prefents of various goods, the rights of the Indians, and with their free confent took poffeffion of their town, which he called St. Mary's. The country was fettled with fo much cafe, and furnished with fo many conveniencies, that emigrants repaired thither in fuch numbers, that the colony foon became populous and flourishing. In 1638 a law was paffed, conftituting the first regular House of Affembly, which was to confift of fuch reprefentatives, cal * A Copy of this patent may be feen by referring to Hazard's Hiftorica Collections, page 327. led burgeffes, as fhould be elected purfuant to writs iffued by the governor. Thefe burgeffes poffeffed all the powers of the perfons eleding them; BUT ANY OTHER FREEMEN, WHO DID NOT ASSENT TO THE ELECTION, MIGHT TAKE THEIR SEATS IN PERSON. Twelve burgeffes or freemen, with the lieutenant-general and fecretary, constituted the Affembly or Legislature. This Affembly fat at St. Mary's. Slavery feems to have gained an early establishment in Maryland, for an act of this Affenbly defcribes "the people" to confift of all Chriftian inhabitants, "flaves only accepted." The perfecuting laws which were paffed by the Virginians, foon af ter this period, against the Puritans, made the latter emigrate in confiderable numbers to Maryland, that they might enjoy, under a Popish proprietary, that liberty of confcience of which they were deprived by their fellow Proteftants, In 1642 it was enacted, that ten members of the Affembly, of whom the governor and fix burgeffes were to be foven, should be a Houfe; and if fickness should prevent that number from attending, the members prefent fhould make a Houfe. In 1644 one Ingle excited a rebellion, forced the governor to fly to Virginia for aid and protection, and feized the records and the great feal; the laft of which, with most of the records of the province, were loft or deftroyed, From this period to the year 1647, when order was reftored, the proceedings of the province are involved in almost impenetrable obfcurity. In July, 1646, the House of Affembly, or more properly the burgeffes, requested that they might be separated into two branches-the burgeffes by themselves, with a negative upon bills. This was not granted by the lieutenant-general at that time; but in 1650, an act was paffed dividing the Affembly into two Houses; the governor, fecretary, and any one or more of the council, formed the Upper Houfe; the delegates from the feve ral hundreds, who now reprefented the freemen, formed the Lower House. At this time there were in the province but two counties, St. Mary's and the Ifle of Kent, but another (an Arundel was added the fame feffion. This was during the adminiftration of Governor Stone. In this year there was alfo paffed "an act again raifing mo. ney without the confent of the Affembly." It enacted, "That no taxes fhall be affeffed or levied on the freemen of the province without their own confent, or that of their deputies, firft declared in a General Affembly." The printed words and early date of |