Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/134

 NORTH CAROLINA

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NORTH CAROLINA

many missioiiiirv iiricsts, durinj; prnal times, were im- prisonnl, Williaiu Watson, llii' la.st l>iit (iiic of the Ma- riaii hisliciiis, (lii'd, a prisoner for the Faith (15X1). Sir

Henry H(Mliiii;telii.t h<'raitlil'ul follower of (^1 n Mary

and the f;entle "Jailor of the I'ririeess l)lizal)elh", is assoeiated with this ilioeese thron};h <)xliiir(h Hall, his mansion, still occupied hy anotlier .Sir Henry Bed- ingfeld, his direct descendant. The Pastonsof I'aston are memorable in connexion with the celebrated " I'as- ton Letters". Many of the priests who sufTer<'d death under the penal laws belonged to the districts now included in the Diocese of Ndrthaii]i)ton, in p;ir- ticular, Henry Heath, born, UiOO, at I'eterboronsh; Venerable Henry Walpole, S.J., (d. 1595), a natiye of Norfolk, and \eiierable Robert Southwell, S.J., (15150- 95), the Catholic poet, also born in Norfolk. In more recent times Bishop Milner was connected with the preseryation of the Faith in this part of England. Alban Butler, the liagiographer, was born in North- amptonshire and was resident priest at Norwich from 1754-56. Dr. Husenbeth resided for some years at Cossey, where ho is buried (see Husenbeth, Fred- brick Ch.\rles). Father Ignatius Spencer, the Pas- sionist, son of Earl Spencer, and formerly Rector of Brington, was recei\-ed into the Catholic Church at Northampton, and Faber, the Oratorian, Iield the Anglican living of Elton, Huntingdonshire, before his conyersion.

The Catholic Directory (London); Riddell. General Statistics, MS.; Bede, Hist. Eccl.; Historia Eliensis; Watebton, Pietas Mariana.

John Freeland.

North Carolina, one of the original thirteen States of the United States, is situated between 33° 53' and 36° 33' N. lat., and 75° 25' and 84° 30' W. long. It is bounded on the north by Virginia, east and south-east by the .-Atlantic Ocean, south by South Carolina and Georgia, and west and north-west by Tennessee. Its ex- treme length from east to west is 503 miles, with an ex- treme breadth of 187 miles, and an average breadth of about 100 miles. Its area is 52,250 si|uare miles, of which 3670 is wa- ter. Originally it included the pres- .. ^ ent State of Tcn-

Seal of North Cahou.na nessee, ceded to the

United States in 1790. In 1784-5 the people of that section made an unsuccessful effort to set up an in- dependent state named Franklin, w'ith John Seyier as governor. It is divided into ninety-eight counties and has (1910) ten Congressional districts, with a population of 2,206,287. The capital is Raleigh, situ- ated nearly in the geographical centre of the state; the principal cities are Wilmington, Charlotte, Ashe- ville, Greensboro, and Winston.

Physical Characteristics. — North Carolina has a remarkable variety of topography, soil, climate, and production and falls naturally into three divisions. The eastern or Tidewater section begins at the ocean and extends north- west wardly to the foot of the hills; the land is level, with sluggish streams and many marshes and swamps, including part of the great Dis- mal Swamp. It is the home of the long leaf pine, with its products of pitch, tar, and turpentine, long a source of wealth. The principal productions are cotton, com, and rice; while "truck gardening" has recently grown into an important industry, "rhe fisheries are also valuable. The central or Piedmont section, com- prising nearly half the state and extending westward

to the eastern foot of the Blue Ridge, is more or less liilly, but the ricli intervening valleys produce prac- tically all the general crops, including cotton and to- bacco, with fruits of all kinds. The soil, though not naturally rich, is c.-ipable of a high degree of cultiva- tion. The westward section, which runs to the Ten- nes.see line, is mostly mountainous, with rich valleys and sheltered coves. Its principal productions are those of the central section, modified .somewhat by its greater elevation. It contains some lofty peaks, Mount Mitchell being the highest peak ea.st of the Rocky Mountains. The st:ite is well waliTcd, liaving numerous rivers, which, though not generally naviga- ble, in their rapid descent furnish enormous water- power, much of which has been recently developed. They may be divided into three classes, those flowing indirectly into the Mississippi, those flowing into the Great Pedee and the Santee, and those flowing into the Atlantic. The coast line, nearly four hundred miles long, includes Capes Fear, Lookout, and Hat- teras; and, at varying distances from the ocean, run a series of sounds, chief of which are Currituck, Albe- marle, and Pamlico. There are good harbours at Edenton. New Bern, \\ asliington, Beaufort, and Wil- mington, including Soutlijiort. The climate is gener- ally equable, and North Carolina produces nearly all the crops grown in the rnitcd States with the excep- tion of sub-tropical cane and fruits. Four of the wine grapes, the Catawba, Isabella, Lincoln, and Scuppcr- nong, originated here. It has al.so large areas of valu- able timber of great variety. With a few rare excep- tions all the known minerals are found in the state. In 1905, taking the fourteen leading industries, includ- ing about 90 per cent of the total, there were 3272 manufacturing cstahrLshinents, with a capital of $141,ti:!0,0, producing yearly products of the value of .$M2,.")liO,770. The principal manufactured prod- uct was cotton, in which North Carolina ranked third among all the States, and tobacco, in which she ranked second.

Railroads and Banks. — There are in operation within the State 4387 miles of railroads, besides 911 miles of sidings, with a total valuation of $86,347,553, but capitalized for a much larger amount. The state has 321 banks organized under the state law; with an aggregate capital stock of $7,692,767; and 69 national banks with a capital of $6,760,000. The entire recognized state debt is $6,880,950, the greater part of which could be paid by the sale of certain railroad stock held by the state.

History. — North Carolina was originally inhabited by various tribes of Indians, the three principal ones being the Tuscaroras in the east, the Catawbas in the centre, and the Cherokees in the west. A small body of Cherokees is still located in the mountain section. In 1584 Queen Elizabeth granted to Sir Walter Raleigh the right to discover and hold any lands not inhabited by Christian j)eople. This charter consti- tutes the first step in the work of English colonization in America. Five voyages were made under it, but without succe.ss in establishing a permanent settle- ment. In 1663 Charles II granted to Sir George Carteret and seven others a stretch of land on the Atlantic coast, lying between Virginia and Florida, and running west to the South Seas. The grantees were created "absolute lords proprietors" of the province of Carolina, with full powers to make and execute such laws as they deemed proper. This grant was enlargcfl in 1665 both as to territory and juris- diction, and in 1669 the lords proprietors promul- gated the "Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina", framed by John Locke, the philosopher, but they proved too theoretical for practical operation. The lords proprietors made every effort to colonize their province, which already contained one or two small settlements and for which they appointed governors at various times, frequently with local councils.