Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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??'inn (li Plnnnlino TT ?UUtii ?ttl?ll?tt UllU?l IUD A KUIKF KtiYlKW OF M tC ll A DY'S III I Xi THAI \t thu last meeting of the Anderson Literary Club the following paper was read by Cou. M. L. Bonham : ''South Carolina under the Proprio tary Government, 1070 1711)," is the ! title of the first volume, and as yet thc only one published, of the his tory which has been written hy Cen tral Edward McCrady, of Charleston. lt has been known for a longtime that he was engaged upon such a work, and thc knowledge has given satisfaction, because of his established reputation for erudition, great industry, fairness and accuracy. This confidence has teen wholly justified in the work now under consideration. Heginning with a review of thc Attempts which bad been made to colonize America, and with thc vari < us expeditions of exploration which bad been sent out from thc old world to the new, the author follows with a Miccinct, hut clear and comprehensive account of the conditions of politics and public affairs, of society, of laws and of religion in thc countries of Rur ope, and more especially ia Eng land, at the middle of thc seventeenth century, and traces thc influence of . hose conditions upon thc movements which culminated in thc colonization of America. The first visit of Span ish explorers to the soil of Carolina, the several excursions of thc French, the ill-fated attempt of Ribault to establish a colony at Port Royal, arc ail treated in logical and chronical or ?cr. And this brings the writer to thc time when Charles ll, recalled from his exile, moved mainly hy a desire in a measure, to repay thc devotion of some of those who had been loyal to him in his banishment, granted the tirst patent to the Province or Caroli na, to thc Lords Proprietors. This patent was dated March 21, 10(33, and was made to the Ear! of Clarendon, thc Duke of Albermarle, Lord Craven, Lord Berkeley, Lord Ashley, Sir <?corge Carterctand Sir John Collcton, all of which names arc perpetuated in the nomenclature of the physical and political sub-divisions of North and South Carolina io this day. i^otumg definite was ever done under this char ter toward tho settling of thc country, except that several exploring expedi tions were sent out, which added not very much to the scant kuowledge of this terra incognita. There seems to have been an apprehension that this charter infringed upon the rights of thc patentees under a grant made years before (in 1630) to Sir Robert Heath, to an extensive territory sup posed to bc lying wholly northward and westward of this Province, and yet sometimes called Carolina. But steps having been taken to quiet the title, by forfeiting the Charter of Sir Robert Heath, another charter was .issued in 1005 to the same Proprietors. "The territory embraced in this grant covered that now iuoluded in thc V'tates of South Carolina, North Caro lina, Tennessee, Ueorgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, "Texas, Indian Territory, New Mexico, Arizona and tho lower part of Cali fornia. Curiously enough, as Mc Crady points out, this territory is nearly thc same as that embraced in ihe late Southern Confederacy. Florida was not included iu thc .grant because that land was already in thc grasp of the Spaniards, who, hav ing their principal settlement at St. Augustine, afterward proved roost dangerous . neighbors to thc colonists n Carolina. The Lords Proprietors now set about o utilize thc great gift that had been adc to them. They said that they ''?ere excited with a laudable and pious zeal for thc propagation of the Christian faith," and the enlargement of the King's Empire and dominion, but all their subsequent course demon strates that, however strong the "pious zeal," and however ardent their loyalty and patriotism, they had an eye to thc main chance and the "American dollar." Thc historian details thc various fstile attempts made to effect settle ments at Cape Fear and Port Royal, and the efforts to procure settlers from Barbadocs and others of the West India Islands, and one is surprised to find how intimate a relation these Is lands bore to the early history of this colony. Then he gives a most inter esting account of the expedition, con sisting of three ships, which left Eng land in 1060, and tho survivors of the passengers of which, after "moving accidents by flood and field," after shipwreck and incredible suffering and hardships, at last landed upon thc ? oast of Carolina in 107 and in time came to settle at Old Town on the Ashley River, and subsequently moved to Oyster Point, the present site of the city of Charleston. And thus was thc first permanent settlement made in South Carolina. It is of / eonrse impossible hero to follow tho author as he follows tho fortunes of these adventurers in the wilderness. It is a moving story. Hardly ono of vis can conceive the dire want and suf ferings endured by these people, so Tlnnnnintrnw H mrnimTnr.Tit ri?lJll?l?lJ UUVUlUUiUUl, ------- j ISTOKY OF SOUTH CAROLINA DUR- | ' PERIOD. many thousands of miles away from civilization. I'ntil wc have read this history of their struggles with pov erty, their deprivations, hardships and thc deadly and daily danger in which they lived from the savage Indians by whom they were surrounded, we can not justly estimate thc courage, thc hardihood and thc fortitude of these sctt'ers in the trackless forest. Mr. McCrady does them full justice in his graphic portrayal of their history. He devotes much time and spare throughout his book to thc purpose of making clear how little tho Lords Proprietors comprehended the nature of thc errand upon which they had sent these people to this new country. They were tilled with ideas and dreams j of the founding of empires and thc amassing of untold wealth. Their im aginations overleaped all obstacles, ?md they lost sight of thc labor and time and money which were, necessary to accomplish thc gigantic aims they had in view. They have founded an empire, the grandest in thc world, and the richest. Hut centurie? of time, the sacrifice of thousands of lives and thc labor of millions of men have been necessary to achieve the result. To show how little they understood tho nature of thc business upon which they had embarked, it is sufficient to say, that before a bingle emigrant had been sent out. before any settlements had been made, or even an expedition had been prepared, they had engaged the philosopher. John Locke, to draft for them for the government of the colony, a code of laws, which were known us thc "fundamental constitu tion," which provided a system of government more elaborate and cotn nln* ?J,.... 1.1 |>9V(< 1... n . > ..,.;,,.,) ?.? p.v... ...... I . ?I? < u l U IIUIV. HUI .i/x. vis tho government of an old, long set tled, populous and wealthy country. Provision was made in Locke ?Consti tution for a Landed Aristocracy, to consist of Landgraves, Caciques and Barons, each with his enormous allot meut of lands and his feudal powers. These "fundamental constitutions,' amended from time to time, the Lords Proprietors, throughout the whole period of their government cf the colony, sought with all their might and main to foroe on the people, who, with all their might and main, resisted thc efforts, and upon havicg a voice in making the laws under which they lived. The pertinacity of the Pro prietors in this particular was one of the very prime factors of the discon tent which ultimately led to the over throw of their power. Naturally ail tho men who came to position and prominence and wielded an influence in thc affairs of the colony receive careful consideration at the hands of the historian. His treat ment of them, their ac ti o nr.. and con duot, his comprehension of their sur rouodioga, their environments and of their motives, their lives and their characters show him to be a keen ob server, a olose reasoner and a fair and just critic. I was particularly im pressed with this in reading what be says of Chief Justice Trott, who, by the way, reminds one of what was said of Lord Bacon, "the wisest, brightest and meanest of mankind." Trott seems to have been a scholar, an emi nent lawyer, a subtle theologian, a politician and schemer, and an all round old rascal. And yet he did a great work for the colony. With infi nite pains, labor and research, he compiled and codified such of the Statute aud Common Law of England as was suited to the colony, and codi fied the Statute Law of the colony itself, and so well was his work done, that much waa and may nre!! bc for given to him for his short comings in I other respects, which may charitably ' be ascribed, in part, to the influence of the times in which he lived. A prominent feature of the book, and it was to be so expected from so zealous a churchman as is its author, is that which deals with religion and the various Churches in the colony. By thc terms of tho ehartcr freedom of worship was established. By the terms of the "fundamental constitu tions" the Church of England was established in thc Province. Out of this legal establishing of the Church of England, and the attempts to logia late, both by the Proprietors and the colonists, in matters of religion, vari ous and vexing questions arose, and hardships were imposed upon the Congregationalists, the Huguenots, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, and a small body of the Quakers, all of which denominations existed in the colony. It is true that the Province was divided into parishes, each of which in time had its Church and its rector who were maintained at thc public cTpcnse. yet in thc main it seems thc other bodies wcro permitted i to follow their own consciences in the manner and form of their worship, and to maintain their own Churches : Notwithstanding that at one time, it was a prerequisite to thc enjoyment of the elco toral franchise that an elec tor should have "conformed" in some degree to thc worship of the Church of England. This was ar. echo of the war ?>f "Conformists" und "non Con formists in KiiglautT Th? author takes occasion in this hunk to do again what he has well i dom; in another and separate publica- ! lion ; namely, to refute tho slander i promulgated by Mc M aster and other partisan historians to thc effect that the matter of education, andmore par ticularly the means of public educa tion, have always been neglected in South Carolina. McCrady shows by thc authorities cited by him that thc charge is utterly false, and that the converso is true. As soon as the in crease of population and the birth and growth of children in thc colony made it necessary that schools should be es tablished, they were provided for, and supported, in part at least, out of the public funds. As 1 carly as 1710 an Act was passed for thc establishment of a public school, and before this time the mat ter had received attention. Naturally these schools were first confined to the town of Charleston, where for a long time all the interests of thc colonists were centered, and where most of them lived. But as thc country surround ing became settled and families grew up, with children to bc educated, thc facilities for giving them at least the rudiments of education-were provided. Indeed, it is not a matter of doubt that public schools were established in South Carolina, as soon as there were children to bc taught in them, and they were generously supported. No more thrilling story is told in the histories of any of the nations of the earth than that he tells of the un ceasing warfare which thc settlers waged with thc tribes of savage In dians,hy whom they were surrounded, and their no less savage allies, the Spaniards, in Florida. It were idle to attempt to reviow the story, except in all its details. Thc harrowing scenes of murder, arson, pillage and rapine make thc blood run cold at the bare recital. Yet another very interesting part of thc book is that which deals with the pirates who infested the islands of th? Wost Indies, and tho shores of the main land, and preyed upon thc com mercc of tho colonies, and robbed, and murdered and laid tribute upon the people. So bold and"' cruel were they that thc reader rejoiced when h> reads that Col. Wm. Rhett has at tacked, captured and killed the fam o is pirate, Thatch, io his place cf re treat in Capo Fear; that Governor Johnson has himself lead his naval forces against the pirates who threaten Charles Town itself, and bas destroyed their ships, slain and captured man> of them, including their infamou? leader, Richard Worley; and final)\ that Stede Bonnett, the most noted, the most dreaded, and the bloodiest o> all these bold buccannecrs, has been captured and tried before that eccen tric Judge, Chief Justice Trott, con vioted and sentenced to death. Out takes a grim satisfaction in noting with what apt qaotatioa of Scripture, oi law, and of the classics, old Trott layi the law to him; and that in spite ol all the influences thatoould be brought to bear on the Chief Justice, he leavei thc pirate to meet his well de ser vee doom. The militia was an imtw>rt*5% f?ctn: in thc affairs of the eolony. Thi counties and parishes were divide? into Militia Beats, each of whicl Boats was commanded by some promi nent and influential citizen, residen therein, who was given the rank o Colonel. Thc author humorous!, suggests that this gave rise to th practice of calling every man of promi nencc in a community by the title o "Colonel; ' a custom which prevail to this day in South Carolina. The growth of commerce, the trad in naval stores., rice, indigo, lamber etc., the manners, habits of life, dresi hoses, house: and pleasures o', th pcoplo are all discussed and described Finally, the acthor sets forth wit! detail tho censes which led to th overthrow of the Proprietary Govern ment. TLe conflict of authority be tween the Proprietors and the Coloni al Assembly, involving the vital right and interests of tho colonists, ha* been growing in bitterness and im portance for years. The peoplo ala complained, and it seems with goo cause, that the Proprietors were neg ligent of, and indifferent to, the wei fare of the colonies. That they if nored their requests for assistance i their times of trouble and peril. Th incursions of tho Spaniards froi Florida, tho constantly recurring wai with the Indians, and the repeated at tacks of tho pirates made demands fe defense upca the limited resources c the colonists which their po ve ri; their scarcity of numbers, and a lao of arms, munitions and ships of wi made it hard for them to meet. Bi the Proprietors refused, or at leal neglected, to oome to their aid i these emergencies. So that to rait thc funds necessary to bear the OJ pense of procuring warlike and natl outfits, and to employ aid from friem ly Indians and neighboring colonist the colonists were obliged to resort ( the expedient of bills of credit, that to say, paper money. The constat recurrence of this necessity at lengt piled uiva large debt, whioh came to I a grievous burden to the people. Th thc Proprietors declined to assume i to pay. Tliey manifested no concern j ilf f li os? uiiairs of tue colonists, huton tiie other hand were continually cry ing out against thc extravagance and the heavy expenses of thecolony. At the same time they were clamorous in their demands for rents and the pur chase money of lands. Added to these causes of discontent was this, the Proprietors, having the power of appointment of all of the executive, judicial and administrative officers of the colony, were not always wise or careful in thc selection of men to till these places. Their appoiotees were sometimes incompetent, sometimes corrupt, aud oftentimes harsh and ty rannical, but the Proprietors did not listen kindly to the repeated com plaints of the people against the offi cers. The people of Carolina saw that Virginia and the New England colo nies, which were under the immediate control of the British Government, were defended from their foes, pro tected in the rights, and were peace ful and prosperous. Hence the Caro linians continually importuned thc British Government to take them un der its wing. That government, knowing the resources of the colony, was nothing loth to do this, and for years awaited a good opportunity and a fair excuse to grant the petition. These the Proprietors, in their blind ness and obstinacy, finally gave. In a last effort to impose upon the eolony the obnoxious fundamental constitu tions they set aside certain Acts of the Assembly, among them being an Act regulating tho conduct of elec tions. This gave great offense to the colonists and raised a strong protest. About the same time they flagrantly violated an agreement which they had made regulating the disposition of the lands which had been abandoned by the Yerumassec Indians when they fled to St. Augustine after their last foray against the colony. The Proprietary Governor, Robert Johnson, who was personally popular j with tho people, sought to carry out I the unpopular instructions of the Pro I prietors. He dissolved tho Assembly, and ordered another election uoderthe regulations sent from the Lords Pro prietors. This was tho last straw that broke the earners baekof the patience and forbearance of the people. They openly rebelled. They elected an As sembly of their own, refused to recog i uixo the authority of Governor John ! son, and elected Col. James Moore j their Governor. Feeling ran very high. Kach party called on its friend?; Governor .Jonnsou caiied nut thc mi litia, and for a time war wa? immi nent. Hut the party of tho people was too strong for that of tho Gover nor; they toole possession of the pub lic buildings, convened their Assem bly and proceeded to declare the colo ny free from the rule of tho Lords Proprietors. Governor Johnson made strong efforts to hold ou to the reins of government, and for a long time this conflict of authority raged. Fi nally the British Government stepped in, declared the charter forfeited, and took the colony under its immediate protection and government. And thu?, in 1719, the Proprietary Gov ernment io South Carolina came to au end. And at this period olooes the } first volume of McCrady's History. Let us hope that thc seeond volume will not be long delayed. Hut I am admonished that I am go ing beyond the limits of the "brief re view" to which the committee re stricted rae. It i? not possible, in a sketch like this,to do more than bring to thc attention of thc members of tho Club the salient features of this ad mirable work. It must be read in de tail to be understood and appreciated. General McCrady has rendered meri torious services to his native State as statesman, as soldier, and as a Christ ian citizen; but he has accomplished no work in her behalf of more endur ing benefit than the writing of this histor;. In language as chaste and style as ornate and graceful as that of Lord Macauley he has written the story of the birth of Carolina. It is greatly to be hoped that he will not iay down thc pen until he has finished the labor of writiog her whole history, a part of which he helped to make. It seems to me a reproach to the Leg islature of the State that it refused to appropriate the small sum of money asked for the purpose of putting this v durne in tho colleges, schools and li V _| . _ Cl. _ ? _ A? __1_ irrai'lUEJ Ul tut! Oli?tc. .r?.w a mina rt i-iuu v.e are crying out against the unfair ness and injustice of the writers of partisau histories, it seems a strange inconsistency to refuse so small a re quest in aid of the publication of a truthful, able and accurate history. I hope that the people of the State will encourage the author to contiue his labors by buying the present volume of his book. - Chicago now has a public billiard risrlnr ff*? vanmon nlnvarn DEAN'S PATENT FLOUR EVERY BARREL GUARANTEED. Oar MUI writes ns (bat we, upon their re sponsibility, "may ?Darantee every Barrel of Dean A RatiiflVa Fancy Patent, D-un A RatiiflVa Patent, Dean's Patent, Dean A Ratline's Choice Family, and Dean A RathfiVa Standard, and thar, they mean every word they say." Tola ia a eilt edg** ffcprantee, end we stand ready to make it Rood for them If yon can get a guaranteed ffiour ac the same price as a wild-cat article, why not buy the one that is guaranteed ? We want to say that we ha- ? the Cheapest line of Shoes in town-all new styles, Dress Goods of all kinds, and Light and Heavy Groceries, Tw ault a poor mia's pocket book. A ii wo ask is a triai. BEAN & R&TLIFFE. Parties owing ns for GUANO will please come forward at once and close tire lr accounts hy Note, as we require this to be done by May 1st. D. & R. PLASTICO COMBINES J? CLEANLINESS AND DURABILITY ??J AND TT WILL NOT RUB OFF." !. \CKl.n IN 5 I H. PAC KAGKS. "I AMVnMO CAN BRUSH IT ON NO ONE CAN RUB IT OFF! Pl?stico is a pure, permanent and porous wall coating, andi docs not rt quire taking off to renew ai do all kabomiaes. It b a dry powder, ready foe toe by adding water (thc latest make b ?oed in cold water) and can beeasUW j brushed on by any one. Made in white and twelve fashionable tints, ot jS For full particulars and sample card ask J* J* H?LL-OER DRUG CO. CUBA MUST BE FREE! If you* want to enlist at onoe and at a good salary apply to IX O. BBOWH <3c BRO., And they will assist yon, IF you don't want to enlist, but want to bur your Gooda for the least money apply to D. C Brown A Bro. We will sell 200 Barrels Straight Flour at. $4 75 250 Barrels Best Family Flour at."... 4 25 50 B?rrelo Good Family Flour nt. ..... 400 70 Barrels Low Grade Flour at.. 3 50 We handle HAY, CORN, OATcl, BRAN, and all Heavy Groceries, and are selling them below all competition. OB S BOES and DRY GOODS we are headquarters. Come and see us. D. C. BROWN & BRO, Nest la Peet Offico. DURING THE SPRING MONTHS While business b supposed to be doll, wo have decided to offer GREAT IN DUCEMENTS in our large and well selected S wet of. DRY GOODS, NOTIONS, EATS and SHOES. We have r?verai thoaaand dollars worth of these Goods that we are going to sell for less than same Goods can be bought for elsewhere. No wind-work about this. Come see for yourself. We carry a Splendid Stock of Heavy Groceries, And make Specialties of Fine Flour, Molasses, Coffee, Tobacco and Sogar. If you will honor us with a visit when yon want to buy your next bill, we will appreciate it and maka it mighty i h ter ea Un g tor you. Come see for yourself. Toura for Trame, BROWNLEE & VA^DtVEH?. AN OPEN LETTER To MOTHERS. WE ARE ASSERTING IN THE COURTS'OUR BIGHT TO THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE WORD ..CASTORIA," AND ?.PITCHER'S CASTORIA," AS OUR TRADEMARK. /, DR. SAMUEL PITCHER, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, was the originator of "CASTO RI A," the same thai has borne and does now bear ?.rf ss** * on ev^y the fae-simile signature of C^a/^gfA&^J&ii wrapper. This is the original "CASTOR I A" which has been used k the homes of the Mothers of America for over thirty years. LOOK CAREFULLY at the wrapper and see that it ? the kind you have always bought ?str on the and has the signature of wSr^7>^^ wrap, per. No one has authority from me to use my name except The Centaur Company, of which Chas. H. Fletcher is President March 24,1898 /7 ?*} j Do Not Be Deoived. Do not endanger the life of your child by accepting a cheap substitute which some druggist may offer you (because he makes a few more pennies on it), the in gredients of which even he does not know, "The Kind You Have Always Bought" BEARS THE SIGNATURE OF Insist on Having The End That Never Fatted You. THC cert AONMNTi TY HURRAY .TftSKT, ?KT? YOUR O ITV. . RAGS, RAGS, RAGS ! [ am again buying Bags-Save them np and bring them and von? Mides ! [f*you need o. good STEEL BANGE OB STOVE VT bottom prices, either for Cash or ou time for a good Note don't, feil to ta ny line. I will swap you a New Gtuve for your old'one or for Cattle, asd 'ive you the market price for your Cattle. Now is the time to get you a god Stove before cotton-planting time. Tinware, Crockery, Glass, Lamp Goods, &?., A. SPfiCIAIiTY. Thanking you uii for psst favcrf, and soliciting a cc s ti nu s s es of gsaio^j Respectfully, JOHN rn irnpmfla _"_.? ? 'III' t . ?/ Hindun ? CARDEN SEEDS. [f yon want to have a good Barden plant good Seeds. WE ABE SELLING D M. FERRY & CO S. SEED!! Everybody koowa they are the best. Buist'a Seedling Irish Potatoes, Yellow and White Onion Setts, Moliif ?lying Onions for planting. See us before you buy your ?^lonx?, Coffee* Sugar, JWColasses, Tobacco, }r anything in the Grocery line. OUR PRICES ARE RIGHT. Yours for business, OSBORNE & BOLT. THE OLD, RELIABLE Furniture Store -OF Still in th.? I^ead ? They have the Largest Stock, Best Quality, and _ Certainly the Lowest ?rriees \ OTHERS try to gc* lhere, bot they miss it every tine. New, beautiful and select Stock of Farnitore, ?fcc, arriving every d?{ ind at PRICES NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE. Here you have the Largest Stock ; therefore, you ?sn get :uit wbat vant. Here you have the Best Grade of Furniture ; therefore, you ?so IJ joods that will last Here you have the very LOWEST PRICES ; therefore, you save; jig money. SOT Come along, and we will do you as we have been doiog for tb? ?fi 'orty years-sell yon the very beat Furniture for the very lowest price?, j .A? The largest Stock in Sooth Carolina and the Lowest Price io tj southern States. New Lot Baby Carriages Jost Heeeived. G. F. TOLLY &> SON Depot Street, Anderson, & C. _J TH88 iS ESQ FAKE ! That Jewelry Palace -OF WILL. R. HUBBARD'S, MCXr TO F. sad M. BANK, Has tho Largest, Prettiest and Hnss* lot of . _ XMAS ?ND WEDDING PRESENT KN THK CITY. t. Competition don't ?nt ?ny ice with rae when it comes to prices. * * >uy goods to keep. I want the people to have them. Gold and ? Watches, Sterling and Plated Silverware, Jewelry, Clock?, Lamps. ty Spectacles, Novelties of all kinda. Rogers* Tripple Plate Table Knives ti >orSet. A world beater. _ WILL R. HUBBARD