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THE NEW SOUTH. |
J H. SEARS, Editor and Proprietor, i
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PORT ROYAL, SATURDAY, MAY 6, 18G3
fort Royal?its Development.
Lessons and their Teachings.
It is not an uncommon thing to see
freedmen, when unemployed, poring over
tooks in out-of-the-way places; or, perhaps,
rather ostentatiously displaying
them from side-pockets, when ci gaged
at work, having them ready for instant
use during moments of leisure. This ^
means something. Small as the beginning
may be, that man, that woman, or
even that child, anxiously studying out
and combining the elements of laugaage,
is iuflaenced by a sentiment which is to
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Dj productive or certain results. iu u
few years Tue New South may be,
read daily by these apt scholars. They
will have minds of their own?will
do head-work on their individual responsibility.
With the acquisition of know-;
ledge will come all those wants which a
rapidly improving race will develope.
The lesson is taught us that we must prepare
for an entirely new order of things
and lay our plans accordingly.
Out on the bosom of our harbor can be
seen at almost any moment, great ships
of war lying easily at anchor, and noble
steamers in abumhince, some going, some
Coming and some moored at the wharf,
giving evidence that we are contiguous to
a remarkably fine port. We hear none
aver there is difficulty in approaching our
shore?in fact, we know there is none.
We know, indeed, that the largest craft
floating at the piers of New York or
Brooklyn can float equally well iu the
. noble harbor ol Fort Royal if the commercial
inducements are such as to make
this the preferred poiut of destination.
The thought has struck us that there has ;
been, ^nd is now, an alphabet for us out i
on the ba}\ to which we should give earn-:
est attention. The hand of war has
opened elementary hooks for our study,'
as well as for the receutly emancipated I
race about us?anil this is one of them.
For some good reason it has l?een reserved
for this generation to unfold the
i^lvantages which must result from the j
occupation of Port Royal. Beside this;
deep aud broad channel, bending in!
among the fertile islands of the coast,
there must inevitably be established a focus
of trade, which, in all humau probability
will be metropolitan for at least1
hal( a dozen of the Southern States aud ,
fbe jifobable termination of the southern i
routethe rail road from the Pacific ;
* ?a city into whose lap will be poured the j
weaj:lx of aiiold millions, r?nd winch
,atoiift can be the successful commeicml,
rival of its great J? ortb.?ru c&temporririts.
Astute jn.cn begin to s*-e this and the 1
question is eagerly asked " where is the
. spot? Will it he HiJtou Head, (Port
KoyaJ, n? we term it) Beaufort, .St. Hele" '
fin, or some other Locality ? " We answer, i
it vUJ ho t % ictly where, io connection )
with fair building {{round combined with j
a healthy atmosphere, thi least expectli- j
tuie of means will be required to form a
{ail-road connection with the main laud
and thereby open up vapid and easy conijnupiratrou
with tb^ hro.nl and ferti'e
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fields of the Southern interior. And all,
other places around, Charleston and Savannah
alike, will become subsidiary to j
the lucky spot.
Suppose a company were to build a rail
road front Hilton Head directly west to
Hardeeville, crossing Skull Creek by a
bridge having a draw admitting the passage
of vessels engaged in coast trade,
can the other conditions relative to building
ground and health be fulfilled ? We
confidently assert they can, and a very
little examination of the site a:ul such
statistics as we have of the place will
prove it. All we ask is, that when the
future city is really laid out, the compre-,
hensive and far-seeing policy of William
Penn in relation to Philadelphia will be
observed, in order that a proper sanitary
condition can always be maintained?
wide streets, reservations fqr public
buildings and parks, lots not too meagre
in size, and alleys and side-walks not too ,
narrow. These characteristics, in connection
with a.i aenrate and caretully exam-1
ined town plat?having a water front of
at least four miles and a depth certainly j
half that distance?should be adopted.,
Then, with a good municipal government,
Hilton Head, under civil authority and
having its title to property emanating
from Governm- nt. cannot fail to be the
Chicago of the South, in the rapidity of
its career towards the family of cities.
Put Northern enterprise and money
will be needed to do this, it will be said. j
Of course, no one expects the inhabitants i
of the South to engage in a project of ihis
kind primarily, else Norfolk or Chariest an
or Savannah would have been different
from what they are now, or Port Royal not
remained for two or three centuries without
development. Northern men are here
now, and more will come; and, under,
the new crder of things, the whole country
round about will soon be fail of them.
Plantations will be cut up and instead
thereof we will have farms. Slaves will
be known no more, but Instead, these
primer men and their children, now learning
their lessons, will be on hand as comparitively
intelligent laborers, mechanics,
merchants, citizens. And perhaps the
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pour wuue people ui u.e oouui may see;
that they have a lesion to learn also, in
adapting themselves to the improved state
of the times, and worn! ?r why they haveso
long roinained in iguorancc of what
was for their best interests. As to the
lordlings, let them go?an age of utility, j
not of idleness, is dawning.
Hilton* Head.?Probably an order will
soon be issued by the authorities at Washington
from which we can learn what is
to be done witti this place. It is beconi !
ing too important a point t.> b neglected
and no doubt soma of the must substantial
fortifications on the Atlantic
coast will be built around the waters ot'
Port Royal Entrance. We may expect in
a few years to see nu immense fort right |
nere on too very spot now occupied oy j
rows of shingle palaces; another at
Bay Point and still another, hnilt on a
similar foundation to 4'Sumter," on the'
shoal which is bnoyed ont, half way between
here and Land's End.
Promotion.?Dr. John F. Hnber, Asst. |
Surgeon-U. S. Vols., h is been promoted |
to be a Surgeon of U. S. Vols., with the
rank of jUjor. He Is to remain in charge i
of the Hospital hero and will probably;
have thG satisfaction of completing the
improvements which he, more than anyj
other person, has Wen so snrce5s!nl in,
inaugurating. j:
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The Fkkedmen's Home.?Following
Gen. Sherman's triumphant march
through Georgia, were thousands of negroes?men,
women and children, seeking
freedom and a new home. And they
are still coming in crowds till it has become
difficult to find places for them to
lay their heads under proper shelter.?
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Soon after the rush commeuceu u
number of philanthropic gentlemen and
ladies at this post determined to make
an effort for their relief until such time
as they could he scattered among the
Sea Islands in accordance with Gen.
Sherman's orders. It was found that the
most of them were disposed to help
themselves if they could be shown the
way to do so. Many of the young men
had joined the colored regiments which
were beiug organized here by Bng.-Gen.
M. S. Littleticld. That gentleman went
among the new recruits?the most .of
whom had received thetr bounty money,
and received in ashort time above SlO,000
for the purpose of orectiug buildings
where the freed people could be temporarily
provided for. The 103d Regt. U. S.
C. T. contributed nearly So,000, and detachments
of the 2lst, 331 and 34th,
several thousands more.
Tart of these buildings are nearly
completed. The main one is 100 feet
front and 20 feet wide with two wings
each 70 feet bug all one story high.
They are located just outside the in1
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trencumenis on me ground kuuwii uv
the old 10th Corps as " Viele's Cam|?.,,
Through the efforts of Mrs. G. Pillsbnrv
and others, the Now England Freedmen's
Association havs agreed to famish
them throughout. Part of the furniture is
already here and ia a very short time the
house will he in readiness to dispense its
bounties. Miss Lillie is to be the
matron in charge of organizing this much
needed house of refuge.
Thk Oxe-Per-Cjext Tax.?Many persons
here want to know what is being done
without the one-per-eent tax charged to
merchants here on all invoices of goods
brought into this port. We can tell them
a little about it.
Tii?a on/*i t\ne tt'iik 1?AC A KAL?A
1 ?u i111 v.- u tui iuw, iiiwr uuri
tgcs and nil the appnrtenances complete
have s&eady been purchased from this
fund at an expense of $13.(HO.
The plank w.i!k which now ends at the
Port Royal House, is to be extended
around the side of the square, passing
our office, the Post-Office, Adams Express
office and Staff Stables, across the
railroad to the Commissary buildings ;
thence along these buildings and Terrace
Row to the guard house adjoining the
Fo:a;e Sheds, and thence along Merchants'
Row to join the walk already
built. Comment ing again where the
present plank walk on the row ends it!
will be run to the Catho i Church,
thence across to the street between the
Provost Guard Hons,' aud the Engineer's j
buildings?to join the walk along the i
beach. The beach walk is to he extended I
to the hospital, passing the New Hotel.
Ami then ft broad road is to bo opened
to Mitchelville between the Port It oval!
House and the Post Commandant's Quar-'
tor*. The Restaurant now in the way is |
to be removed?a road graded above'
high water ma:k and a substantial bridge '
built over " Deep Water Creek."
A drain of brick and cement is now being
built from the old swamp in rear ol
Merchant's Row to the creek. (We hope
this will not operate as a similar enteiprise
did at Ju< ksonville n few years ago.)
All this work is being done from the
fund raised by the one-per-eent tax.
Presentation.?Capt. Charles C. Kii
ver, 144th X. Y. Volunteers, and for some
time past Acting Assistant Adjutant General
of the Hilton Head District, was the
happy recipient of an elegant gold watch
on Monday last. The donors were his
clerks, and the gift was a testimonial of
their appreciation of the urbanity and
courtesy manifested by this worthy officer
in his business relations, and of tiie estimation
in which they regard him, not
only us a friend hut as a gentleman. We
congratulate the Captain upon his excellent
relations, and hope his souvenir may
always keep the best ot time.
Tub Suffering Confederates.?On a
recent visit to Charleston we were particularly
struck with the nppearauce of
want and woe depicted in the countenan1
ces of many of the inhabitants. We saw
j not only poor whites and negroes but
| many, evidently cf gentle blood?men,
' women and children, aw i.iing their turn
to get the small measure of rice which
| was being dealt out to those who had but
; little other means of support.
We have heard that the case is even
worse in Savannah, win re tLc market is
not nearly as well supplied as at Charleston,
and where prices are higher, especia'ly
for market truck," which seems to
be abundant in the latter place.
It has been repeatedly intimated to us
hof tViA ivr/ivifii/inc Aii/1 fill
tuut vuv t?uu \'??h i uv-uun r?vj
generously contributed by New York,
Boston and other Northern Cities for tho
relief of Savannah were not being distributed
imparti.i.ly, but that the long
time Union men anil women as well as
the blaeks are frequently turned away by
the committee having this matter in
charge, and preferencis given to those
whose heart-l'elt loyalty 111 y well be
doubted.
j Of whom this committee is composed
! we do not know b it understand that it
: is made up partly of the ottioors of the
eitv government of Savannah. We presume
it was .-elected by the gentleineu
' who had charge of the delivery of tho
<
; cargoes.
j We learn, also, that e tch member of the
' (vuchitlec rewires hro dollars a day, inr!ri<Hini
Suri'laii*?frnni whnrri \vr> rlik nut
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' know, tor their humane efforts in distrib!
nti.ig to their owa starving citizens the
generous bountiis of the North.
We shouhl Ji.;e to know the truth of
these rumors iu order to aid, in our humble
way, the correction of any abuses of
this kind, if they exist.
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The Houi k>' AIakui.?Last week two
of the crew ?f the steamship Aratjo and
an employee in the (Quartermaster's dt>
partment here, were convicted of selling
whiskey to soldiers and sailors at this
p ?>t. The Aragos men had their heads
clean shaved and were fined twenty-five
dollars each. The (Q M's man had one
nail ins neiwl shaved and was lined fifty
dollars. The three were I hen paraded
thr >ngh the town to the tune of The
Rogue's Mirch, between tiles of soldiers
with tixed bayonets and reversed arms.
On the back of each were gie.it placards
on which was conspiciousiy printed tlio
nature of tin ir offences? 4<i Sold Whiskey
to Soldiers;" 441 Sold Whiskey to Sailors."
A motley crew of boys, negroes
aud others accompanied them. They
will not ho very likely to forget Port
Royal till their hair gets long again.
Where is the Ice promised long ago
by somebody? Unless it comes quickly
we shall have to ariaiuge with thedavunuub
Ice dealers to keep us alive, tor Ire
is an indispcnsible necessity in tl.is c!i titt.e.