The Island of Portsmouth. A Miscellany from the Thomas Henderson Letter Book, 1810-1811. North Carolina Historical Review. Newsome, Albert Ray,; 1894-1951 Creation of machine-readable version: Joyner Library, East Carolina University Center for Digital Projects
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 Library of Congress Subject Headings English North Carolina -- History -- Periodicals Mines and mineral resources -- North Carolina -- Chatham County Henderson, Thomas, 1787-1836 -- Correspondence Richards, William Augustus, d. 1798 Newton Academy (Asheville, N.C.) Liberty Hall Academy (Charlotte, N.C.) Beaufort (N.C.) -- History Portsmouth Island (N.C.) -- History creator Added TEI header 20060523 ed Joe barricella Revised TEI header
THE ISLAND OF PORTSMOUTH

By [ ]1

Portsmouth2 is an Island situated on the Sea Shore, twenty five miles from the Main land, twenty five miles in length, & varying in breadth from a mile & a half to a quarter, making a part of the chain of banks

1 The author is unknown. 2 The sand bank in Carteret County extending southward from Ocracoke Inlet. At present on the northern part of the island is the post-office of Portsmouth.

extending along our coast from Virginia Southerly as far as the River St. Marys; The soil is not used for agricultural purposes, more than in Gardens & the raising of a few sweet potatoes, for the growth of which article, it appears to be peculiarly well adapted; The banks are justly valued for their advantages in raising stock; Horses, Cattle Sheep Goats &c. are raised in considerable numbers without the least expense or trouble to the proprietors more than that of marking; The food in the Summer Season is mostly of a kind of Wyre grass & young Rushes that grow most luxuriently—In the winter the rushes retain in a Considerable degree their verdure & shelter from the inclemency of the weather a tender under growth, which together yield a subsistence for the stock.

Seven years ago an inhabitant of the Island of his own mark, Sheared 700 head of Sheep—had between two hundred & fifty, & three hundred head of cattle & near as many Horses—The flesh of the beef & mutton is acknowledged by Epicures, to be vastly superior in point of sweetness to that raised on the Main—It is believed the Island at present is over-stocked & much benefit would result from a dimination of one third the present number—

Frequent & severe gales of wind for the last five or six years, have at the various times, swept large numbers of them off the Island and destroyed very much the range; as long however as any vestage of the Island remains, the margin of marsh, about one fourth of the breadth, extending the whole length, will afford a considerable food.

CHATHAM COUNTY MINES AND QUARRIES

By M. McKenzie1

Chatham 18th July 1811

Messs. Printers

In the last number of the Star2 you express a desire of presenting to your readers a list of all the mines and Valuable quarries in the State, and request information on them Subjects,

You have already noticed a Bed of Coal on Deep river in this County. The Mine is in my neighborhood the Coal is very easily raised appears to be plenty and is Said to be of excellent quality. I have known three European Black Smiths who have worked it Vizt. an Englishman a Welchman & a Scotsman each of whom I have heard pronounce it as good Coal as they ever used in their respective native Countries, and each of them preferred using it to Charcoal.

1 Probably Murdock McKenzie who represented Moore County in the Senate, 1802, and was later for several years a justice of the peace in Chatham County. North Carolina Manual, 1913, 711; The North Carolina Register, 1823, 25; Chatham County Court Minutes, 1811-1816, 67, 87, 139. 2 “We are desirous of presenting to our readers a list of all the mines and valuable quarries in the State, and will thank our friends to favour us (free of Postage) with such information as will enable us to render it complete.” The Star, July 12, 1811.