boufes of Affembly jointly; but he cannot be re-elected till after four years. He must be thirty years old, have been an inhabitant of the State ten years, and have an estate in it worth one thousand five hundred pounds fterling, clear of debt. He can hold no other office except in the militia. A lieutenant-governor is chosen in the fame manner, for the fame time, and poffeffing the fame qualifications; and holds the office of governor in cafe of vacancy. The governor is commander in chief of the military force; has power to remit fines and forfeitures, and grant reprieves and pardons, except in cafes of impeachment; to require information of executive officers; to convene the General Affembly on extraordinary occafions, and to adjourn them to any time not beyond the fourth Monday in November next ensuing, in case they cannot agree on the time themselves. He must inform the General Affembly of the condition of the State; recommend fuch measures as he shall judge expedient; and take care that the laws are faithfully executed in mercy. The legislature has power to veft the judicial authority in fuch courts as it fhall think proper. The judges hold their commiffion during good behaviour; thofe of the fuperior courts are elected by joint ballot of both houses of Affembly; have a stated falary, and can hold no other office. All officers take an oath of fidelity to their duty, and to the constitution. of this State, and of the United States; and for malconduct, may be impeached by the House of Reprefentatives, and tried by the Senate. This constitution afferts the fupreme power of the people; liberty of conscience; trial by jury; and fubordination of the military to the civil power. It excludes ex poft facto laws; bills of attainder; exceffive bail; and titles of nobility and hereditary diftinction.

The legislature has power, under certain regulations; to make amendments to the conftitution. And a convention may be called by a vote of two-thirds of both branches of the whole representation. This conftitution was ratified June 3d, 1790.

LAWS.

The laws of this State have nothing in them of a particular nature, excepting what arifes from the permiffion of flavery. The evidence of a slave cannot be taken against a white man; and the master who kills his flave is not punishable otherwife than by a pecuniary mulct, and twelve months imprisonment.*

* We are not abfolutely certain, that these unjust distinctions have not since been done away. Editor.

A com

A committee was appointed, at the feffion of the legislature in 1792, to put in train the business of revifing and amending the negroe act, or the law for governing the flaves. The iffue has meliorated the condition of the flaves, and afforded an evidence to the world of the enlightened policy, and increafing humanity of the citi zens of this State. Prior to this a disposition to soften the rigors of flavery was manifefted, by allowing them fish, tobacco, and fummer clothing, which formerly was not customary. Thus while a veftige of flavery remains the fituation of the flaves is rendered tolerable, and no doubt can be entertained but that farther fteps will be taken to prepare their minds for the enjoyment of that freedom which the federal government has acknowledged to be their right, and which they have paved the way for their obtaining.

A law, altering the mode of defcent of inteftate eftates, which formerly defcended according to the laws of England, was paffed in 1792. According to the prefent law, a more equal partition takes place, and more conformable to a republican government, to the dictates of natural affection, and the principles of common sense.

By a late regulation, the judges of the court, who before had a falary of five hundred pounds each, and fees, have now fix hundred pounds and no fees. The chief juftice has eight hundred pounds.

From the first settlement of this country in 1669, to the year 1769,. a fingle court, called the court of common pleas, was thought fufficient to tranfact the judicial bufinefs of the State. This court was invariably held at Charleston, where all the records were kept, and all civil bufinefs tranfacted. As the province increased, incon veniencies arose, and created uneafinefs among the people.

To remedy thefe inconveniencies an act was paffed in 1769, by which the province was divided into feven diftricts, which have been mentioned. The court of common pleas, invested with the powers of the fame court in England, fat four times a year in Charleston. By the above-mentioned act, the judges of the court of common pleas were empowered to fit as judges of the court of feffions, invested with the powers of the court of king's bench in England, in the criminal jurifdiction. The act likewife directed the judges of the courts of common pleas and feffions in Charleston district, to divide, and two of the judges to proceed on what is called the northern cir. cuit, and the other two on the fouthern circuit, distributing justice

in their progrefs. This mode of administering justice continued till 1785, when, by the unanimous exertions of the two upper districts, an act was paffed, establishing county courts in all the counties of the four diftricts of Camden, Ninety-Six, Cheraws, and Orangeburgh. The county courts are empowered to fit four times a year. Before the establishment of county courts, the lawyers all refided at Charlefton, under the immediate eye of government; and the Carolina bar was as pure as any in the United States. Since this eftablishment, lawyers have flocked in from all quarters, and fettled in different parts of the country, and law-fuits in confequence have been multiplied beyond all former knowledge.

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DAMAGE BY THE LATE WAR.

The damages which this State fuftained in the late war are thus eftimated: the three entire crops of 1779, 1780, and 1781, all of which were used by the British; the crop of 1782, taken by the Americans; about twenty-five thoufand negroes; many thoufand pounds worth of plate, and houfhold furniture in abundance; the villages of George-town and Camden burnt; the lofs to the citizens directly by the plunderings and devaftations of the British army, and indirectly by American impreffments, and by the depreciation of the paper currency, together with the heavy debt of one million, two hundred thousand pounds fterling, incurred for the fupport of the war, in one aggregate view, make the price of independence to South-Carolina, exclufive of the blood of its citizens, upwards of three million pounds sterling.

INDIAN S.

The Catabaws are the only nation of Indians in this State. They have but one town, called Catabaw, fituated on Catabaw river, in latitude 34° 49', on the boundary line between North and South Carolinas, and contains about four hundred and fifty inhabitants, of which about one hundred and fifty are fighting men.

It is worthy of remark, that this nation was long at war with the fix nations, into whofe country they often penetrated, which it is faid no other Indian nation from the south or weft ever did. The fix nations always confidered them as the braveft of their enemies, till they were furrounded by the settlements of white people, whose neighbourhood, with other concurrent caufes, have rendered them sorrupt and enervated.

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STATE

STATE OF

GEORGI A.

SITUATION, EXTENT, AND BOUNDARIES.

THIS State is fituated between 31° and 35° north latitude and g

and 16° weft longitude: its length is fix hundred miles, and its breadth two hundred and fifty. It is bounded on the east, by the Atlantic ocean; on the fouth, by Eaft and Weft Florida; on the weft, by the river Miffiffippi; and on the north and north-eaft, by SouthCarolina, and the lands ceded to the United States by North-Carolina, or the Tenneffee government.

CLIMATE, &c.

In fome parts of this State, at particular seasons of the year, the climate cannot be esteemed falubrious. In the low country near the rice fwamps, bilious complaints, and fevers of various kinds, are pretty univerfal during the months of July, Auguft and September, which, for this reafon, are called the fickly months.

The diforders peculiar to this climate originate partly from the badness of the water, which in the low country, except in and about Savannah, and fome other places, where good springs are found, is generally brackish, and partly from the noxious putrid vapours which are exhaled from the stagnant waters in the rice fwamps. Besides, the long continuance of warm weather produces a general relaxation of the nervous system, and as a great proportion of the inhabitants have no neceffary labour to call them to exercise, a large share of indolence is the natural confequence; and indolence, especially amongst a luxurious people, is ever the parent of disease. The immense quantities of fpirituous liquors which are used to correct the brackishnefs of the water, form a fpecies of intemperance which too often proves ruinous to the conftitution. Parents of infirm, fickly habits, often, in more fenfes than one, have children of their own likeness. A con

.

A confiderable part of the diseases of the prefent inhabitants may, therefore, be confidered as hereditary.

Before the fickly feafon commences, many of the rich planters remove with their families to the fea iflands, or fome elevated healthy fituation, where they refide three or four months for the benefit of the fresh air. In the winter and spring, pleurifies, peripneumonies, and other inflammatory diforders, occafioned by fudden and violent colds, are generally common and frequently fatal. Confumptions, epilepfies, cancers, palties and apoplexies, are not so common among the inhabitants of the fouthern as northern climates.

The winters in Georgia are very mild and pleasant. Snow is feldom or never seen. Vegetation is not frequently prevented by fevere frofts. Cattle fubfift well through the winter, without any other food than what they obtain in the woods and favannahs, and are fatter in that feason than in any other. In the hilly country, which begins about fifty, and in fome places one hundred miles from the fea, the air is pure and falubrious, and the water plenty and good. From June to September, the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer commonly fluctuates from 76° to 90°; in winter, from 40° to 60o. The most prevailing winds are fouth-weft and east; in winter, north-weft. The east wind is warmeft in winter, and coolest in fummer. The fouth wind, in the fummer and fall particularly, is damp, fultry, unelastic, and, of course, unhealthy.

In the fouth-east parts of this State, which lie within a few degrees of the torrid zone, the atmofphere is kept in motion by impreffions from the trade winds. This ferves to purify the air, and render it fit for refpiration; fo that it is found to have a very advantageous effect on perfons of confumptive habits.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY.

The eastern part of the State, between the mountains and the ocean, and the rivers Savannah and St. Mary's, a tract of country, more than one hundred and twenty miles from north to fouth, and forty or fifty from east to west, is entirely level, without a hill or ftone, At the distance of about forty or fifty miles from the feaboard, or falt-marsh, the lands begin to be more or less uneven. The ridges gradually rife one above another into hills, and the hills fucceffively increafing in height, till they finally terminate in mountains. That vaft chain of mountains which commences with the Katt's Kill, near Hudfon river, in the State of New-York, known

by