THE Declaration of Independence, by which these States took an equal Station among the Nations of the Earth, is dated July 4, 1776. The Articles of Confederation between the said States were finally ratified on the 1st of March, 1781. The Supreme Power of the United States is lodged in a Congress of Delegates from each of the States; but each State retains its Sovereignty and Independence, and every Right which is not expressly delegated to the United States in Congress assembled.
By the Definitive Treaty of Peace, signed at Paris, September 3, 1783, the Boundaries of the United States are fixed as follows: Northwardly, by Nova Scotia, Canada, and the Lakes; on the West by the Mississippi; on the South by East and West Florida; on the East by the Atlantic, including all Islands within twenty Leagues of the Coast: Extending from the 45th to the 32d Degree of North Latitude, and from the 67th to the 98th Degree of West Longitude in the most Northerly Part, and in the most Southerly. from the 80th to the 90th Degree of the same: containing 1,000,000 of square Miles. Great Part of this Territory is not under the Jurisdiction of any particular [Page 4]State, but is in Possession of the Natives, or Indians. These Lands Congress propose laying out into 10 new States viz. The Territory from the 45th Degree to the Lake of the Woods, to be called Sylvania, i. e. Woodland. That under the 45th and 44th Degrees, Westward of Michigan, to be called Michigania: and that which is Westward thereof within the Peninsula formed by the Lakes of Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie, to be called Assenisipia, i. e. Rocky State: and that to the Eastward, in which are the fountains of the Muskingum, the two Miamis, of Ohio, the Wabash, the Illinois, and Sanduski Rivers, to be called Metropotamia, i. e. Head of the Rivers.
That under the 41st and 40th Degrees, the Western, thro' which the Illinois runs, to be called Illinoia: that next adjoining to the Eastward, to be called Saratoga: and that between this last and Pennsylvania, to be called Washington. That under the 39th and 38th Degrees, adjacent to which are the Confluences of the Rivers Wabash, Sewanee, Tanissee, Ohio, Illinois, Mississippi and Missouri, to be called Polypotamia, i. e. Many Rivers: and that to the Eastward, farther up the Ohio, to be called Pelisipia, i. e. the Country of Skins. [Page 5]The Inhabitants of Vermont, bordering on Massachusetts and New Hampshire, have formed themselves into a separate State.
The Counties of Washington, Sulivan and Greene, in North Carolina have also lately formed themselves into a separate State to bear the Name of Franklin.
Some other Parts of the United States, it is said, are meditating the same Mode of Independence; particularly the Eastern Parts of Massachusetts.
Those Parts of North America not under the Dominion of the United States, belong to Great Britain and Spain.
The British Colonies are Canada and Nova Scotia, the Capitals of which are Quebec and Halifax; and a Colony lately erected called New Brunswick, the Capital named Shelburne. The Spanish Colonies are East and West Florida, the Capitals of which are St. Augustine and Pensacola; with the Territory west of the Mississippi.
New Hampshire.
Situation. Between 43 and 46 Degrees of North Latitude, and 67 and 72 West Longitude.
Boundaries. On the East by the Atlantic, [Page 6]on the West by New York and Lake Champlain, on the North by Canada, and on the South by Massachusetts.
Soil and Produce. Nearly the same as Massachusetts.
Rivers. Piscataqua, and some smaller Rivers.
Capital. Portsmouth, situated on Piscataqua Bay, has a fine Harbour, where the largest Ships may ride in safety.
Constitution. The same as Massachusetts, except instead of a Governor and Lieutenant Governor, a President of the State is annually chosen.
Number of Inhabitants. 150,000.
Massachusetts Bay.
Situation. Between 42 and 45 Degrees of North Latitude, and 70 and 73 of West Longitude.
Boundaries. On the North by New Hampshire and Nova Scotia, on the East by the Atlantic, on the West by New York, and on the South by Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Soil and Produce. The inland Part of The Country is high and mountainous, and consequently barren; but on the Coast and by the Side of Rivers, it is tolerably [Page 7]fruitful. The produce of the Country is Indian Corn and other Grain, Flax, Hemp, Timber, &c. the Timber makes excellent Masts, Spars, and Staves. The Ground is excellent for Pasture, and on the Coast is a valuable Fishery. Large quantities of Pot and Pearl Ash are manufactured.
Rivers. The principal are Penobscot, Kennebeck, and Merrimack: but there are many smaller ones.
Capital. Boston, built upon a Peninsula, of an irregular Form, at the Bottom of a large Bay; the Length of the Town, including the Neck which joint to Roxbury, is 2 Miles, 3 Quarters and 238 Yards; but the Town itself is only 1 Mile, 3 Quarters and 199 Yards; the Breadth is various, at the Entrance it is narrow; the greatest Breadth (from Foster's Wharf to Barton's Point) is 1 Mile and 139 Yards; the Number of Acres on which the Town stands is supposed to be about 1000; in it there are near 1800 dwelling Houses, in many of which are two or more Tenements; by a late Computation the Number of Inhabitants was 14,640, of these 6570 are Males, and 8070 are Females; the number of ratable Polls (exclusive of Strangers and transient Persons, which generally amount to near one third of the [Page 8]whole number of Souls) is about 2620; there are in Boston, 70 Streets, 38 Lanes, 21 Alleys, exclusive of Squares & Courts and about 80 Wharves and Quays, very convenient for Vessels to lade or unlade; it is provided with an excellent. Harbour▪ diversified with many Islands, which afford rich Pasturing, Hay and Grain.
One Blaxton was the first Settler in Boston; he resided at the western Part of the Town, and claimed the whole Peninsula, but this Claim was not allowed.
Constitution. The Executive Power is in a Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Privy Council; the Legislative consists of two Branches, a Senate and a House of Representatives, who are chosen annually.
Religious Test. There is properly none; all who renounce every foreign Jurisdiction, civil and ecclesiastic, are admissible to Offices of Government.
Number of Inhabitants. 400,000.
Rhode-Island.
Situation. Between 42 North Latitude and 72 West Longitude.
Boundaries. On the North by Massachusetts, on the South and East by the Atlantic, and on the West by Connecticut.
[Page 9] The State of Rhode Island consists of an Island of that Name about 16 Miles in Length, and of the old Plantation of Providence. It has been called the Paradise of New England from the fertility of it's soil, and the temperature of it's Climate.
Capital. Newport, it is situated on Rhode-Island, and has a very good Harbour.
Constitution. The Government of this State is the same as established by the Charter of Charles II, for in that the King ceded to the People all Powers, Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary. the Legislative consists of two Branches; the Governor sits in the upper House. The Legislature are chosen annually by the People. Every Freeman has a Right to elect or to be elected into office. They have lately made an. Act there for the gradual Abolition of Slavery.
Religious Test. None.
Number of Inhabitants. 59,670.
Connecticut.
Situation. Between 41 & 43 Degrees North Latitude and 73 and 75 West Longitude.
Boundaries. On the North by Massachusetts, [Page 10]on the East by Rhode-Island, on the West by New York, and on the South by Long Island Sound.
Rivers. The principal are Connecticut and Thames.
Soil and Produce. The Soil is fertile, and the Produce much the same as Massachusetts, though they raise a much greater Quantity of Grain of all Kinds, particularly Wheat, than in that State.
Capital. Hartford.
Constitution. This State also retains it's antient Form of Government, which is nearly the same with that of Rhode-Island. They have a very respctable Seminary of Learning, called Yale College.
Religious Test. None.
Number of Inhabitants. 192,000.
New York.
Situation. Between 40 & 45 Degrees of North Latitude, and 74 and 76 of West Longitude.
Boundaries. On the North by Canada, on the East by Connecticut and New Hampshire, on the West by Pennsylvania and New Jersey, on the South by new Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean.
Soil and Produce. The Soil is extremely [Page 11]fertile, producing Wheat, Rye, Indian Corn, Oats, Barley, Flax, and Fruit in great Abundance and Perfection. The timber is much the same with that of New England. A great Deal of Iron Ore is found here.
Capital. New York; an elegant and populous City, situated on an Island; has a safe and convenient Harbour.
There is a College in this City, called Columbia College.
Constitution. The Executive Power is lodged in a Governor; the Legislative consists of two Branches, a Senate and House of Assembly; the Governor is chosen every three Years; he must possess a clear Freehold of 100l. he is chosen by Freeholders of the same Qualification; the Senators and their Electors must be qualified as aforesaid; the Assembly is chosen by all those who have been resident in the State for six Months, possess a Freehold of 20l. or have rented a Tenement of the yearly Value of 40s.
Religious Test. None.
Number of Inhabitants. 250,000.
New Jersey.
Situation. Between 39 and 42 Degrees [Page 12]of North Latitude, and 74 and 76 of West Longitude.
Boundaries. On the North by New York, on the West by the River Delaware, which divides it from Pennsylvania, on the South by Delaware Bay, and on the East by the Atlantic Ocean.
Rivers. These are Delaware, Raritan and Passaick.
Soil and Produce. The Soil is various; at least one fourth Part of the State is barren, sandy Soil, producing Pines and Cedars; the other Parts an general are good, and produce Wheat, Barley, Rye, Indian Corn, &c.
Capital. Burlington. There is an excellent College at Princetown; which has been the Nursery of a great number of Statesmen and Warriors.
Constitution. The Executive Power is lodged in a Governor, who is chosen annually by the Legislature; the Legislative Power is in a Council and General Assembly; the Qualifications of the Governor and Counsellors are, one Year's Residence, and an Estate of 1000l. an Assembly Man must have an Estate of 400l. and be an Inhabitant one Year. The Electors must be Residents one Year, and be worth 50l. The Council and [Page 13]Assembly are chosen annually.
Religious Test. All Protestants are admitted to the Offices of Government.
Number of Inhabitants. 150,000.
Pennsylvania.
Situation. Between 39 & 44 Degrees of North Latitude, and 75 and 80 of West Longitude.
Boundaries. On the North by New York and the Iroquois, on the East by Delaware, which divides it from New Jersey, on the West by Lake Erie and the Indian Country, and South by Maryland and the Delaware State.
Rivers. The principal Rivers are the Delaware, the Susquehannah, and the Schuylkill.
Soil and Produce. The Soil of this Country is fertile; it produces a great Variety of excellent Fruit, Indian Corn, and the finest of Wheat, Flax-Seed, &c.&c.
Capital. Philadelphia; it is a large, elegant and populous City, situated about 150 Miles from the Sea, with a good Harbour; it forms, a Parallellogram two Miles in Length and one in Breadth, extending from the Delaware to the Schuylkill, the Streets intersecting one another at right [Page 14]Angles, the State-House and other public Buildings are magnificent; the Hospital here is a humane, excellent Institution; there is also a respectable University in the City; and a College is erected at Carlisle, a flourishing inland Town.
Constitution. The Executive Power is lodged in a President and Council; the Legislative is in a House of Representatives; the President is chosen annually by the Council and Assembly; the Council is chosen triennially, and the Assembly annually, by the People; one Year's Residence, and having paid public taxes, qualify a Man to be an Elector; and two Years Residence renders a Man eligible to any Office: a Council of Censors are chosen every seven Years, to enquire into the Abuses of the Costitution.
Religious Test. All who profess the Christian Religion are admitted to the Offices of Government.
Delaware.
Situation. Between 38 and 40 Degrees of North Latitude, and 76 of West Longitude.
Boundaries. Northeasterly by Pennsylvania, on the East by Delaware River [Page 15]and Bay, West by Maryland, Eastern Division and South by Maryland and the Atlantic. The three Counties of Newcastle, Kent and Sussex which now form the independent State of Delaware, had formerly the same Governor as Pennsylvania, with an Assembly of their own Election and distinct; the whole of this Stare is situated on the Delaware; they here carry on a considerable Trade; the Soil of the Country is fertile.
Constitution. The Executive Power is in a Governor and Privy Council, who are elected by the Legislature; the Legislature consists of two Branches, a Council and House of Assembly; the Governor is chosen triennially, and the Privy Council for two Years; the Legislative Council is triennial, and the House of Assembly annual, both chosen by the People.
Religious Test. All who "profess Faith in God the Father, and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, one God," are admitted to the Offices of Government.
Capital. Wilmington; a neat little Town, pleasantly situated on Christiana Creek, near the Delaware.
Number of Inhabitants in the two States. 350,000.
Maryland.
Situation. Between 37 and 40 Degrees of North Latitude, and 75 and 79 of West, Longitude.
Boundaries. On the North by Pennsylvania, by the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware State on the East, and by Virginia on the West and South. The Bay of Chesapeak divides Maryland into two Parts, the Eastern and Western.
Rivers. The chief are Potowmac, Pocomoc, Patuxent, Choptank, Severn, Sassafras, and Wicemoca.
Soil and Produce. The Soil is extremely good when improved by Cultivation; that Part of the Country situated towards the Apalachian Mountains is very hilly; but in general the Hills are of an easy Ascent; they yield a great Quantity of Iron Ore; the Exports from this Country consist of salted Pork, Iron, Flax, Hemp, Indian Corn, Tobacco, &c. No Slave can now be imported into Maryland.— They have a Seminary of Learning called Washington College.
Constitution. The Executive Power is lodged in a Governor and Privy Council, chosen annually by the Legislature; the Legislature consists of two Branches, a [Page 17]Senate and House of Delegates; the Senators are chosen for five Years, and the House of Delegates annually; the Governor must have Property to the Value of 5000l. and have been five Years an Inhabitant; and a Privy Counsellor or Senator must have been a Residenter for three Years, and have a Freehold above the Value of 1000l. A Delegate must have been a Residenter one Year, and possess Property above the Value of 500l. Electors must have a Freehold of fifty Acres, or Property above the Value of 50l. before they be entitled to vote. They have no religious Test.
Capital. Annapolis; not populous, but an elegant City.
Number of Inhabitants. 320,000.
Virgina.
Situation. Between 36 and 40 Degrees of North Latitude, and 75 and 90 West Longitude.
Boundaries. By the River Potowmac, which divides it from Maryland, on the North East; by the Atlantic on the East, by North Carolina on the South, and by the River Mississippi on the West.
Capes, Bays, and Rivers. In sailing to [Page 18]Virginia, or Maryland, you pass a Strait between two Points of Land, called the Capes of Virginia, which opens a Passage into the Bay of Chesapeak, one of the largest and safest in the World, for it enters the Country near 300 Miles from the South to the North, is about 18 Miles wide for a cosiderable Way, and seven where it is narrowest, the Waters in most Places being 9 Fathoms deep. This Bay through its whole Extent receives a vast Number of navigable Rivers from the Sides both of Maryland and Virginia; from the latter, besides others of less Note, it receives James's River, York River, the Rappahanock, and the Potowmac; these are not only navigable for large Ships into the Heart of the Country, but have so many Creeks, and receive such a Number of navigable Rivers, that Virginia is, without Doubt, the most convenient Country in the World for Navigation.
Soil and Produce. Towards the Sea Shore and the Banks of the Rivers, the Soil consists of a dark, rich Mould, which for many Years, without Manure, returns plentifully what is committed to it; at a Distance from the Water there is a lightness and sandiness in the Soil, which, however, is of a generous Nature, and [Page 19]helped by a kindly Sun, yields Corn and Tobacco extremely well.
Constitution. The Executive Power is exercised by the Governor, who is chosen annually, and a Privy Council, who are chosen triennially, by the Legislature; the Legislature is formed of two distinct Branches, a Senate chosen every four Years, and a House of Delegates, chosen annually by the People. They have no Religious Test.
No Slave can be imported into Virginia.
Capital. Richmond.
Number of Inhabitants. 650,000.
North Carolina.
Situation. Between 35 and 37 Degrees of North Latitude, and 76 and 90 of West Longitude.
Boundaries. By Virginia on the North, the Atlantic on the East, by South Carolina on the South, and by the Mississippi on the West.
Rivers. The chief are the Roanoke, Pamlico, and Cape Fear River.
Soil and Produce. Those Grounds which bear the Oak, the Walnut and the Hickory, are very fruitful. The People of North Carolina used to supply the West [Page 20]India Islands with Beef, Pork, Grain, Pease, Butter, raw Hides and Leather, they export also Tar, Turpentine, Masts, Furs, Pitch, Indigo, and Rice.
Constitution. The Executive Power is in a Governor and Council of the State chosen annually by the Legislature, the Governor must have been an Inhabitant five Years, and have a Freehold of the Value of 1000l. The Legislature consists of two Branches, a Senate and House of Commons: a Senator must have resided in the State one Year, and possess at least 300 Acres of Land in Fee; a Member of the House of Commons, must possess 100 Acres in Fee; both Houses are chosen annually; and all Freemen who have been Inhabitants one Year, and paid Taxes, may vote for Commoners, but they must possess 50 Acres of a Freehold before they can vote for Senators.
Religious Test. All Protestants are admitted to the Offices of Government.
Capital. Newbern.
Number of Inhabitants. 300,000.
South Carolina.
Situation. Between 32 and 35 Degrees of North Latitude, and 79 and 90 of [Page 21]West Longitude.
Boundaries. By North Carolina on the North; by the Atlantic on the East, by Georgia on the South, and by the Mississippi on the West.
Rivers. The Principal are Pedee, Santee, Cooper, Ashley, Edisto, and Combay.
Soil and Produce. The Lands near the Sea are little better than an unhealthy Salt Marsh, and for eight Miles distant from it the Country is one continued Level, no Hill, and scarce even a Pebble, much less a Rock to be met with, but beyond this it gradually improves; about 100 Miles from Charlestown, where it begins to grow hilly, the Soil is fertile. The low swampy Grounds are sit for the culture of Rice, which is here produced in the utmost abundance; and even the worst Land in the Country produces Indigo, that valuable Article in Commerce.
Capital. Charlestown; it is situated at the Confluence of two navigable Rivers, is large and elegant: Negro Slaves, since the Treaty of Peace, are allowed to be imported from Africa into this State.
Constitution. The Executive Authority is administered by a Governor, assisted by a Lieutenant Governor and Privy [Page 22]Council, who are chosen by the Legislature every two Years; the Legislative Power is vested in two distinct Bodies, a Senate and House of Representatives, who are chosen every two Years by the People. A Governor and Lieutenant Governor must have been Residents ten Years, and Privy Counsellors five Years, and each possess an Estate of 10,000l. a Senator must be 30 Years of Age, have been a Residenter five Years, and have an Estate of 2000l. or if a Non-resident in the Parish he is chose for, an Estate of 7000l. a Representative must have been a Resident three Years, and be possessed of an Estate. Any free white man, who has been one Year an Inhabitant, and paid Taxes equal to the Tax on fifty Acres of Land, has a Right to elect Members of the Legislature.
Religious Test. All who believe in God are admitted to the Offices of Government. Inhabitants. 225,000.
Georgia.
Situation. Between 30 and 33 Degrees of North Latitude, and 76 and 90 of West Longitude.
Boundaries. By South Carolina on [Page 23]the North, by the Atlantic on the East, by East and West Florida on the South, and by the Mississippi on the West.
Rivers. The Chief are the Alatamaha, the Savannah, and St. Mary's, which divides Georgia from Florida.
Soil and Produce. The Soil in general is tolerably fertile; the Productions of Georgia are Indian Corn, Wheat, Tobacco, &c. Nectarines, Plumbs, Peaches, and other Fruit, grow in great Abundance, and in the Southern Parts, Lemons, Oranges, Olives, &c. may be successfully cultivated. The Soil is excellent for Tobacco, and the Timber is good for Ship building.
Capital. Savannah: situated on a River of the same Name, with a good Harbour. The celebrated Mr. George Whitefield founded here an Orphanhouse, which is now converted into a College.
Constitution. The Government of this State has lately been new modelled, we have not been able to obtain a Copy.
Number of Inhabitants. 56,000.