STATE OF

KENTUCKY.

"

THIS

SITUATION, EXTENT, AND BOUNDARIES.

HIS State is fituated between 36° 30′ and 39° 30′ north latitude, and 8° and 15° weft longitude from Philadelphia; its length is about two hundred and fifty miles, and its breadth two hundred. It is bounded on the north and north-weft by Great Sandy creek and the Onio river; on the weft by Cumberland river; on the fouth by the lands laid off from North-Carolina, called the Tenneffee government; and on the east by Sandy river, and a line drawn due fouth from its fource, till it ftrikes the northern boundary line of NorthCarolina.

CLIMAT E.

This country is more temperate and healthy than almoft any of the other fettled parts of America. In fummer it is without the fandy beats which Virginia and Carolina experience, and receives a fine air from its rivers. In winter, which at moft only lafts three months, commonly but two, and is but feldom fevere, the people are fafe in bad houses; and the beafts have a good fupply without fodder. The winter begins about Christmas, and ends about the firft of March, at fartheft does not exceed the middle of that month. Snow feldom falls deep or lies long. The weft winds often bring ftorms, and the eaft winds clear the fky; but there is no fteady rule of weather in that refpect, as in the northern States. The weft winds are fometimes cold and nitrous. The Ohio running in that direction, and there being mountains on that quarter, the wefterly winds, by fweeping along their tops, in the cold regions of the air, and over a long tract of frozen water, collect cold in their courfe, and convey it over the Kentucky country; but the weather is not fo intenfely fevere as thefe winds bring with them in Pennfylvania. The air and

feafons

feafons depend very much on the winds, as to heat and cold, drynefs and moisture.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY, SOIL, AND PRODUCTIONS.

In defcribing a country like this, it is almoft impoffible to treat thefe fubjects feparately without a repetition of the fame remarks and obfervations; we, therefore, have preferred blending them together, and as an attention to the different rivers which water this State will greatly affift the European reader, in attaining a proper view of the foil, &c. we fhall firft mention the principal of them.

The beautiful river Ohio bounds Kentucky on the north-western fide in its whole length, being a mile and fometimes lefs in breadth, and is fufficient to carry boats of great burthen: its general course is fouth 60° weft; and in its course it receives numbers of large and fmall rivers, which mingle with its ftreams. The only disadvantage this fine river has, is a rapid, one mile and a half long, and one mile and a quarter broad, called the falls of Ohio. In this place the river runs over a rocky bottom, and the defcent is fo gradual, that the fall does not probably in the whole exceed twenty feet. In fome places we may obferve it to fall a few feet. When the ftream is low, empty boats only can pafs and repafs this rapid; their lading must be tranfported by land; but when high, boats of any burthen may pafs in fafety. Excepting this place, there is not a finer river in the world for navigation by boats. Be fides this, Kentucky is watered by eight fmaller rivers, and many large and small creeks.

LICKING RIVER, heading in the mountains with Cumberland river, and the north branch of Kentucky, runs in a north-west direction for upwards of one hundred miles, collecting its filver ftreams from many branches, and is about an hundred yards broad at its mouth.

RED RIVER heads and interlocks with the main branch of Licking, and flows in a fouth-weft courfe into Kentucky river, being about fixty miles long, and fixty yards wide at its mouth.

* The river Ohio is, beyond all competition, the most beautiful in the universe, whether we confider it for its meandering courfe through an immenfe region of forests, for its clean and elegant banks, which afford innumerable delightful fituations for cities, willages and improved farms, or for thofe many other advantages, which truly entitle it to the name originally given it by the French, of La Belle Riviere. Journal of a Tour in Kentucky, American Museum, for 1792.

This river is a principal branch of the Kentucky.

KENTUCKY RIVER, rifes with three heads, from a mountainous part of the country: its northern branch interlocks with Cumberland; runs half way in a westerly direction, and the other half northwefterly. It is amazingly crooked upwards of two hundred miles in length, and about one hundred and fifty yards broad.

ELKHORN, is a small river which empties itself into Kentucky in a north-west-by-weft courfe; is about fifty miles long, and fifty yards broad at the mouth.

DICK'S RIVER, joins the Kentucky in a north-weft direction; is about forty-five miles long, and forty-five yards wide at its mouth. This river curiously heads and interlocks its branches with Salt river, Green river, and the waters of Rockcastle river.

SALT RIVER, rifes at four different places near each other. The windings of this river are curious, rolling its ftreams round a fpacious tract of fine land, and uniting almoft fifteen miles before they approach the Ohio, and twenty miles below the falls. It is amazingly crooked, and runs a western courfe near ninety miles.

GREEN RIVER, interlocking with the heads of Dick's river, as mentioned above, is alfo amazingly crooked; it keeps a weftern courfe for upwards of one hundred and fifty miles, and is about eighty yards wide at its mouth, which is about two hundred and twenty miles below the falls.

CUMBERLAND RIVER, interlocks with the northern branch of Kentucky, as aforefaid, and rolling round the other arms of the Kentucky among the mountains, in a fouthern courfe for one hundred miles, then in a fouth-western courfe for above one hundred miles, then in a fouthern and fouth-western courfe for about two hundred and fifty more, finds the Ohio four hundred and thirteen miles below the falls. At Nafhville this river is two hundred yards broad, and at its mouth three hundred, having paffed through the territory fouth of the Ohio about half its courfe.

The Great Kanhawa, or New river, rifes in North-Carolina, runs in a northern and north-western courfe, for upwards of four hundred miles, and finds the Ohio four hundred miles above the falls. It is about five hundred yards wide at its mouth. Thefe two rivers are juft mentioned, being beyond the limits of this State. They rua contrary courses, are exceeding large, and it is worth notice, that Clinch, Holftein, Nolachucky and French-Broad rivers, take their rife between thefe two, or rather weftward of New river, fome of them rifing and interlocking with it; and when they meet, form

what

what is called the Tenneffee river, which runs a western course, and finds the Ohio twelve miles below Cumberland river: it is very large; and has fpacious tracts of fine land.

These rivers are navigable for boats almoft to their fources, with out rapids, for the greatest part of the year. Frequent rains in the latter end of the autumn produce floods in the Ohio, and it is an uncommon season when one of those floods does not happen before Christmas. If there is much frofty weather in the upper parts of the country, its waters generally remain low until they begin to thaw. But if the river is not frozen over, which is not very common, there is always water fufficient for boats of any fize, from November until May, when the waters generally begin to fubfide; and by the middle of June, in most seasons, they are too low for boats above forty tons, and these must be flat-bottomed. The froft feldom continues fo long as the middle of February, and immediately upon its breaking, the river is flooded; this flood may in a degree fubfide, but for no length of time; and it is from that period until May, that the boats generally come down' the river. The distance of defcending is in proportion to the height of the water; but the average distance is about eighty miles in twenty-four hours, and from fixty to one hun dred are the extremes; fo that the mean time of going in a flatbottomed boat from Pittsburgh to the rapids is between eight and nine days, and about twenty days more to New-Orleans; which will make a paffage from Pittsburgh to that place nearly a month.

The little rivulets which chequer this country begin to leffen in June, and quite difappear in the months of Auguft, September and October; the autumnal rains, however, in November replenish them again. The method of getting a fupply of water in the dry feafon is by finking wells, which are easily dug, and afford excellent water. The want of water in autumn is the great complaint. Mills that may be fupplied with water eight months in a year, may be erected in a thousand different places. Wind-mills and horfe-mills will fupply the other four months.

The banks of the rivers are generally high and composed of limeftone. After heavy rains, the water in the rivers rifes from ten to thirty feet.

The country in fome parts is nearly level, in others not fo much fo; in others again hilly, but moderately, and in fuch places there is moft water. The levels are not like a carpet, but interfperfed with fmall rifings and declivities, which form a beautiful profpect. A great part

of

of the foil is amazingly fertile, fome not fo good, and fome poor. The inhabitants diftinguifh its quality by firft, fecond, and third rate lands; and scarcely any fuch thing as a marfh or swamp is to be found. There is a ridge where Kentucky rifes, nearly of the fize of a mountain.

All the land below the Great Kanhawa, until we come near the waters of Licking river, is broken, hilly, and generally poor; except in fome valleys, and on Little and Great Sandy creeks, where there is fome first rate land, but mostly second and third rate: it is faid that near this water is found a pure falt rock. Upon the north branch of Licking, we find a great body of first rate land. This stream runs nearly parallel to the Ohio for a confiderable diftance, and is about feven miles from the mouth of Lime-stone creek, where is a fine harbour for boats coming down the Ohio, and now a common landing; it is fixty-five miles from Lexington, to which there is a large waggon road. The main branch of Licking is about twenty-two miles from Lime-stone; on this ftream we find fome first, but mostly fefecond and third rate lands, and towards its head fomething hilly. There we find the Blue Licks, two fine falt fprings, where great plenty of falt may be made. Round thefe licks, the foil is poor for fome diftance, being much impregnated with salt.

The fouthern branch of Licking, and all its other arms, spread through a great body of first, and some second rate land, where there is abundance of cane, and fome falt licks and fprings. On thefe feveral branches of Licking are good mill feats, with navigation to the Ohio, from the fork down to its mouth. The land is hilly, and generally poor, yet along the ftreams and in valleys we find fome excellent land:

The Elkhorn lands are much esteemed, being fituated in a bend of Kentucky river, of great extent, in which this little river, or rather large creek, rifes. Here we find mostly first rate land, and near the Kentucky river fecond and third rate. This great tract is beautifully fituated, covered with cane, wild rye, and clover, and many of the ftreams afford many fine mill feats.

The lands below the mouth of Elkhorn, up Eagle creek, and toward the Ohio, are hilly and poor, except thofe contained in a great bend of the Ohio, oppofite the Great Miami, cut off by the Big-bone and Bank-lick creeks, interlocking, and running feparate courfes. Here we find a great deal of good land, but fomething hilly.

VOL, III.

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