Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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1PW0 DOLLARS PER ANNUM] " thu x>x?.xoa> o 3P LinmnTY xs stsiihaii viaiiiANoa." IPAYABLE IN ADVANCED BY DAVIS &, CREWS. ABBEVILLE, S. C? THURSDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 2G, 1857. VftT. TTIV wn -n mwanmi v? avxi. 0. xvoton AAXvoaaiiii, Delivered before the ~Stftte Agricultural ' . ' * -Society, in the State House, on Wednesday JSvening^Wovember 11, 1857. CONCLUDED. Boforc.jwo can carry out successfully this grout work of reformation, wo must prepare the njiml* of the people by a system of popular tf duration. But I in if met at Uie tlireflhliDldywitli the question, 11 is it ne^Wsary , tbat -tto farmers?that tlie Cillers of the 8<jjt?should know as mncli ns btlier people?" To prcVe flint it is uAccess sary to ?ti intelligent mind, would seem to - * it work* of supererrogution ; but there -. lire many persons in this State who do imt adiniu-lhc neccaifilyr^belreving that t'.o ihuch tampering with tlio musses, might 'cause ilium to rise in the mnji-sty of ir strength find btvnk over the old established land mark usages and oifa'tonis. I have no i jTeart of an educated people breaking over | '* ohl land marks," customs and usages, if these landmarks are-:in ncconbim-i' with tlieir advancement in civilization. But. if - they are not in accordance willi the wants nf tliA !.? .i-- ? , . ..rv ./ww|.iv iiiiu mi? inc ;i^', let tliem l>e uprupted and exploded, and in their fitead let such iippi-ovi'incnts be intro^ duced, as will tend -to develops the power and energies of ilio people. I maintain, that in proportion you elevate the-masses in tho' scale of education, in the,saine..ratio will the resources of ilie State bo developed. All will juhnit that it , suuuit De tlie first ami great concern of tlie State to place the* means of a good ami substantial education within tin; roach of ?U her people; but how few of our legislators and men of. learning have devoted tlifeir-labor and talents to the digesting of a pian suitable 10 liie condition and wants of the people. It is true, that there is an - Allstop, a Thorp well and a Memminger in our midst, who have investigated the subject with zeal and ability, hut their plans -iv 'S and schemes have tirpe and again been rejected by you? legislators, for the want of a thorough investigation. 1 trust, however, hat the day is now dawning upon us when the State will turn her attention with zeal and earnestness to the subject, laying aside all sectional /eelings or jealousies, and di 1 . geat such, a plan which will bring education & to every raarfs door. This is essentially an agricultural coun./ try, and the tillers of the soil are the Bonz i aiwi Jecljiu of our State. Upon their iv os* I ,perity depends all tlie substantial wealth of ' our State. . Depress them, mid you depress :the merchant, manufacturer, mechanic, I laj?yer, doctor, in a word, all branches of v . iatfu'stj^'- Income paralyzed. Panics may icoma,. ^anks'euspenil, merchants assistmanufacturers stop operations, and all .*>.trades and professions become depressed " . and to whom do they look for relief? To 7 ;; the banks? No! They are the very 1 %llliUM*nCVl.o '!' ? >.? ? ' . v?- XV IIIU JtllU cloc^r! Uiev/nrti Consumers, ami not pro. ducers. fo tTie " merchant, manufacturer, ? . . or mechanic ? They liave nothing within .y?- th?mselv<9i to afford -relief. No! They jaljxturri'Writh a confiding look to the tillers * the soil. It i* the products of tho soil 2' "" x" th^t:irione fan affor<l relief. It fills the coft . f?r%pf tho bank witli gold and silver; it tfjiWh'e Jiiechinary of the manufacturer and 'W^cbaiijc;; if. drives the sliip across the * . ,^iy'dtj<vp, and feeds the countless lines of ; railroads throughout the length and breadth ofpur;cpui|try^ Then it is your duty to ?fo'ti4&4h& talent that now li.-s dormant in wm ypUfsand hills, in your ri<*h vallies, and on i V ilfflr.niountian ton ! Seiul il... "Vs^,'into eveitjt nook nnd hamlet of the Suite, ajid U'aC]?,;thoinjho laws of nature?how i^e^tott^enn tieeome mollified and enriched ^la|fel^dicio.ti* application of flic mineral iin^vclgd^tble' kingdoms. Teach them the ^mbi|||^ pf natural philosophy mid me v>^Sp^|wB>tc?iain<l Wt the State .Collego furnish ^^P^W^'^^ftiioniil instruction in Agrienltural 'ji so nwwa'ry lo prepare our sons v 'for the practical avocations of life. . *A* ?n*ipltliliuiinl soim-o^of information : '^tly recnin.nen.l to our fanners '. Atbe <yi(!^niiiing of.tlie. agricultural survey of . Jjpon tlie knowledges of the *to constituent elements, depend* ^ Byy^':?b*8 of the farmer, and any iulormattwpjppfcp - that subject, is worth to the '^aia^^fcd milling iiiltrest of our State wi^d, "fY> a hundred limes, the amount '.* Y*ffco,?t*te.pjim .expend. Neither the man^fjic^UirejPj U^nechanic, or the artisan can ; Jli#ir machinery ?r the tools with. They call in science to ^^^ggj^^^nH^eirUiburs, and hence we find di^mtiments of industry. Not ^ ',nfl ',a<Jto contend **WBBSKE ^0mUCQ% ?i> r8t,,,l'on? ?'(' customs jg*ja sagos, until we have nearly worn machine which the Almighty ^IWlt to our linnJs, without even un^^^^^^ng'itfl. first elementary principles. . "'^Sl*n ?U assistance that the contribute rt>wardi agricultural ^^afc?^Tl?rtr-I atn ((gain met with that prejudice 4$ -iVfrfflf -:. WtU> tome classes of our fanner*, "^gg ... 1xx>k farmers never succeed?tlieir '.s;r<.can never bear practical " y ' '"J perhaps i? true as applied in nor will I <Jenj that hook < '*4*^ larining unaccompanied with good practical cominom sense lias ever succeeded. But I deny the proposition, that book fanning has not been of iucalculablo benefit to the farmer, or that those fanciful theories, when exploded by practical test, havo not served as beacons to tho agriculturist. These theories may not have accomplished the desired end, at the time of tho experiment, for the want of a practical mind, to apply correct elementary principles, but they estnhlUhed a fact not known before in agriculture. Tlie failure awakened a spirit of inquiry, opened the way for another experiment, which tinder the guidance of a practical head succeeded. Knowledge in any of the avocations of life, is gained by experiments which havo time and again failed.? It is impossible for man to uiakc improvements of value, in the arts or business of ! life, unless lie is directed in his investigations bv the knowledge of others, or what is 1:1111 aown 111 uooks. Tho manulactur! er, the mechanic, tho artisan, all depend upon tho experiments of persons long since passed from the stage of action. To understand and perfect thetnselres in tlicir various piofessions, they call in science to their aid, and with it as their hand maid, they now propel the engine sixty miles per hour, when Fulton thought it might attain six. Your cotton is now ginned at tho rate of live and six bales per day, when it was thought one hundred pounds of lint might be. obtained. Science and mechanical ingenuity now aids you in cutting your wheat at the rate of twenty acres per day; when one-fourth of an acre was regarded as the work of tho sickel. It threshes four hundred bushels of wheat per day, when ten bushels was the task under the Oiu sj sicin. j (i <i Vi ordj scicncc ?rvs so simplified labor, that a laborer now performs the task of ten and twenty laborers in the same time. Yet with all this light, there are some men who seem to take a pride ill refusing to call to their aid science, or even to consult an agricultural journal. Tliey point to their fathers' success, and arc content to follow along in the same old beaten path?forgetting that the face of the soil and the wants of the ago have completely undergone a change since their ancestors first commenced cutting down the sturdy oak. Show mo a man who will not adopt the improvements of the age in agriculture, in implements, in seed, or in his stocks of horses, hogs, cows and sheep, and I will show you a man who will always be behiutj his neighbors. Then I sa}*, away with this idle declamation about "book farming." Take an agricultural journal, consult men of scientific and practical attainments, and go to making experiments oil a small sealu. Tf von or f?:i let your neighbors know it. Your success will be theirs and your prosperity will be your country's. When you havo done this you will havo done your duty to yourself and your country, and will bo worthy tho name of a patriot. Having prepared the minds of our people by a su stantial education, we now proceed to the question, what are tho best means of improving and increasing our agricultural resources ? 7 maintain this proposition, that no reform ran ever lake place in our agriculture until tho farmers of the country raise every article of food necessary for consumptiont and jnanufacture at home, the actual necessaries, such as farming implements, clothing and shoeing for the plantation. Thw never can bo done, as long as we devote flu. I..U? ~r - ..v.w nvnimviO inilUI VI UUT piftlllfl* lions to tlio almost exclusive production of our groat staple, cotton, to the neglect of other commodities which our soil is capa* Me of producing in great abundance. Our present system is, to cut down oar forest and run it in cotton as long as it will repny for the Inhor expended. Then cut down more forest, plant in cotton, plough it up hill and down hill, and when it fails to give a support, leave it, like Shakspeare's Seventh Age of Man?"without eyes, with out nose, without teeth," with bald p?te and furrowed cheek, and like old age turned out to grass; then sell the carcass for what you can realize, and migrate to the Southwest in quest of another victim. This ruinous system has entailed upon us an exhausted soil, and a dependence upon Kentucky and Tennessee for our miilf# and hogs, and upon the Northern States fur all our necessaries, from the clothing nnd shoeing of our negroes, down to our wheel-barrows, corn-brooms and axe handles. Some may say this picture is overdrawn, but in answer, I would ask every candied man to look around in bis own neighborhood, and see if there are not some farmers pursuing this very policy. The evidence is all over the State, and it is useless for us to clos? our eyes to the fact though painful the sight may be. rPrv * at ?- -- * iu liuiicuir umw tjvus, ana siop lutte blood stickers from preying upon oar very vitals, I would have you reduce the number of ucrcs you plant in cotton one-fourth, prepare your land thoroughly, make all the manure you can from your woods, marshes, Iota and stables, and apply it to your corn and cotton. Add to your present wheat crop the quantity of land you have taken from your cotton, and plant more barley and rye, until your small grain crop equals that of your cotton. Plant the same quan. tity of corn that you do of cotton, and my word for it, from nctual experience, you j will make as much, if not more cotton, j than you did under the old system. Your j harns and cribs will be better filled with ' corn, wheat, barely and oats. You then j can raise all your hacon, keep your stocks j of horses, hog*, cattle and sheep in a thriv- | ing condition, and in five years out of six | you will always have an abundance to sup- j ; j p!y home w-ints and the wants of your i neighbors, and a surplus to ship to Ooluna- ! I bia or Charleston to supply the suspended ! i names wiin gold and silver. j i I would not li.ivo voti infer from my ! urging the necessity of reducing the mini- ! ber of acrej planted in collon, tliat I am in < favor of diminishing the production of cot- < ton, as was recommended by Gov. Ilam- i mond in 1843. And especially upon the 1 ground he then urged, that the production ; of the raw material had now exceeded the 1 demand, and had fallen so low in price, that > j wo cou.a not compete with the South wes- i tern Stales in its production. By no means. I We know too we!! that power and influence \ jt exercises over the civilized world. And we well know that instead of cotton falling < lower since 1843, it has advanced steadily i to the high prico of sixteen cents, in the s face of large crops, and one of the most i expensive wars that has ever bm-n underta- i ken by the great powers of Europe. Tlio fact is conclusively shown from carefully 1 prepared statistics, that the demand for the i I raw material, is now greater than the pro- I ; duction, and is likely to continue so for : i vcars to rotno?AM ' - - - ? ? India, to the bow in tlie midst of the finan- ! cial crisis, which threatens to sweep down i in its current all the agricultural, tnanufac- \ taring, and mechanical interests of the I CGuutrv. Although 9.tq i>ow nt. tlio i i j o ~~ | mencemcnt of another expensive war be- ; I tween England and her East India posses- ( sions?alhough wo are in the midst of anot her financial crisis, yet the Southern planter is better prepared to meet the present crisis \ than they are in any other portion of this con i federacy. We have not been speculating j and stock-jobbing in wild schemes of inter- j nal improvements and North-western lands. ^ We have been tilling tha soil and tho re- ^ suits of our labors are well filled t barns and plenty of cotton to pay all j | our debts and a surplus to loan to our ( neighbors or assist in developing the re- . sources of our State. I Had it not been for some of our banks > j in sending their funds to the North and en- t teiing into the gambling speculation held ) out there in stocks, and Southern merchants | paper?iu sending their funds to tho Wes f tern States to be made use of by specula- ( tors and their agents, we would not have ^ i - __.i?-t . - ? - ? uucii icuuccu w our present dependent po- sition upon the North. Some of our banks, by diverting llieir funds from the legitimate j objects for which they were created, have j been a curse to the State, instead of a bless ing. The very time that they are needed to assist the merchant and planter, is the very time they deny all assistance, atul shut their doors in the face of the distress they have been the prime cause of producing in our country. These fungi upon our prosperity should be exterminated root and branch. I hope our Legislature will take such decided steps as will bring them back to the sound principles of banking upon gold and silver and not upon exchange, and confino their operations within the limits of South Carolina. To recur to the question of over-production, then wo sny that the civilized world must have clothing. England must have cotton?her gold must come for it, or her mItllAno l-? " v> unii-icu muururg would rise lip ( and give the death blow to her lauded mis- t tucraey. She has no plantations to rely f upon. No Egypt, Surat or India can com- i pete with us. It is then idlo nonsense to ( talk About over-production in the face of i the present crops, and what will L<? the de- t m.-md for the next twelve months. I would < have you, if possible, to make more cotton ; < but at the same time I would hiive you < raise an abundant supply of every article of grain and every tpecies of stock re < quired for the consumptions of the planta- j tion. 1 In order to carry on tho work of iin < provemcnt upon your farms, I would have ' you adopt the only system by which you i can keep your fertile lands 111 good heart, c reclaim your exhausted soil, and that is the j ?1? r ' ruiunuit gygiC7/t> UKl yOUT IHriTIS De (JlVlliCd ] into Ibree grand divisions, if practicable, < and plant one-third in cotton, one-third in | oorn and peas, and sow down one-third in \ wheat, barley and oats. Follow cotton i with corn, and corn with your small grain < crops. If you hare land to spare, let your 1 stubble land lie in fallow the fourth y? ar. 1 In this way, ore-third of your land will be i rested every third year in winter crops, I which matures early in the spring, and t gives away to a fine coat of weeds and i grass. Pursuing this system of manuring \ and rotation for a series of six years, you 1 will have more surplus capital at the end of 1 that time, than you will have at the end of 1 ten years under the present system. One 1 farm will have improved to productiveness i of soil ten per cent, per annuw, while the < other farm will have become exhauMe^ in i the same ratio. In faet, no roan ought to i plant one foot of land mora than he can I thoroughly prepare; for I am satisfied that aires of land, well manured and tbor oughly prepared, will yield more cotton or < corn than ten acres under the present sys- < tern. Our motto should he, not how many < acres wo can plant to the hand, but how ) many pounds or bushels wo can make per I acre. | In vain shall the true friends of agricul- i Lure calculate on arresting iho tide of emi- i gration that is constantly carrying oft' < numbers of our most useful citizens from i llie homes of their birth and the tombs of t their ancestors, seeking homes in the enchanting South west, and draining the ' State of the source of her true wealth, iho 1 slaves, until a reform has taken place in a our economy ami mode of culture. It ' cannot bo expected that our children will he I contented to sit down and cultivate our ex- 1 liausted fields, when they hear such glowing 1 iccouiils of the fertile lands of the South- r west. If wo cxpcct to see them settle uround us as farmers, manufacturers, or I mechanics, we must point tlicm to our ? Fertile lands, to our great water powers, and lo our inexaustible mineral resources? When that is done, then we will see them settling down in their native Slate, around the graves of their sires, determining to stand l>y their Slate through weal or woe, ar perishing beneath the folds of the Palmetto Tree. In connection with the improvement of four farms, I would have you adorn your ' ionics with a neat flower-garden, orchard, md vineyard. A rose bush here and there, c villi ever greens to fill up the intermediate paces, and an orchard with well selected Vi.;? n..-i ~ 1 -? ? 1 ohm <? >uicj4iru ui ii lew cuoicc vines, >v i 11 give a cheering and comfortable pros ">cct to tlie humblest cottage. These cost jut little, in comparison with the pleasure n a stroll aiming flowers, or the luxury to >e derived from eating good fruit, or the jontcnlment of mind that is enjoyed under >ur own vine and tig tree. It will enlarge . ind expand the minds of our children, vhen in their gambols around our roses, or hrough the orchard or vineyard. These hings around our homes, speak to the icart, enlist the best sentiments of our nn- . ure, and enable us t-? realize that happiness vhieh home alone can give. The associa- . ions that spring up around home, as the drill-place, as the scene of life's holiest (motions, rises in after life, when we are far . iway from the scenes of childhood, and (ling back to fading memory some of its , reshest and purest leaves. Nature speaks o the heart in the lovely vale, in the sandlills, on the mountain top, in language subime and beautiful. Then follows tho eximpte sc" before you by the great Architect >f the universe. Do for yourselves and . rour children what nature has done for you ? beautify and adorn vour homes. " * m ? While we are upon the subject of the % improvement of our lands, I would invite c our attention to tlie reclaiming of some ? c >f our richcst alluvial lands, whiclwnow lie j n a slate of nature. 1 allude to our river n wamps of tlio low countrj*. The river ^ iwamps commence, generally, at the foot of ^ he falls of our large rivers and continue ^ dmost unbroken to tlie Atlantic, and are y ubject to inundations of the rivers and the ( xcessivo rains from the surrounding hills. ^ L'hey embrace an area estimated at not less ban six hundred thousand acres, and are ralucd now only for the precarious pnstur- , ige they Hfford. Some of our planters, with an energy ^ vorthy of better success, have attempted to j :ultivate portions of them ; but in consequence of the frequent overflowing of the t ivors, have been compelled to abandon n hem. This partial cultivation, however, ^ established the fact, that they are rich allu- { rial depositee, and all that ia wanting is ^ tome artificial means lo keep out the river Q water, and sluices to let out the water from t he hill-sides and branches. These lauds, if ? eclainrtd, would give employment to sixty ^ housand more laborers, and would he one 0 )f the great means of arresting the tide of ^ . migration that drains our State of her j iitizens and wealth. e .The Legislature of our State has taken j >no step forward on the subject of reclaim- jj ng some of our inland swamps. Tliis, j towevcr, applies exclusively to the low ^ rountry, and is? left to individual enterprise. e This may answer the purposes for which t( .he friends of the measure contemplated in imnll inland swamps, and would perhaps, v inswer very well for the larger ones. But gl [ apprehend that in most cases, the ownire of these Urge swamps are situated like g lie owners of our river swamps, have not |, .lie means ot reclaiming tliem. I know ^ hat there are many of our large swamp j >wnera, who would be willing to expend lax>r and capital' in trying to reolaitn their a' ich swamp land, but are deterred from the e mdertaking, for the want of the co-opera- 0 ion of their neighbors above and below 0 ,hem. There aro some wealthy planters on ^ ,he Pedee, Wateree and Edisto,* who after ^ the expenditure of much labor and capital, ^ ia*e succeeded in a great measure in em. e tanking those rirets, and have fine large j bodies of rich lands in cultivation, yietdiog t; Sfteen hundred pounds of cotton j er acre, ?nd forty btnhel*. Jeofw. These nolfld i examples of individual effort demonstrate . labor and capital necessary torj^iia tberb, g Col. William?, Mr. Ifalo, and Mmta* innnot l>e borne by many of our swamp )wiicm. The work would require neientific engineering to ascertain what should bo the proper courso of the rirer through a large jody of low ground?to ascertain tho pro)cr height to make the various embanknontu ntwl r..n ? 41 - v.... |>.w|,vl i.m iu jjn o ma canmis and ditches. This would bo a work 'f great magnitude, and would require uorc labor and capital lhau the owners of lie land possess. Tlie question then arises?can these lands to reclaimed ? if reclaimed, will they ever ?ay the expense incurred, and by whom hould the work be undertaken ? These ire giave questions, and require the investigation of our most practical and scientific, nen. What, I ask, has not been accomtlishcd in other States and nations, by the lid of science and steam ? We are now luring holes through mountains that imlede our progress, and drying up rivers to ret the golden sand that lie iu their beds. iVith the examples set before us, and with he aid of science, why may we not underake a work fraught with such incalculable enefit to the people of our State. It will lave to be done sooner or later, or we will lave to witness the gradual decline of the rue wealth of our State. If we desiro to ee the wealth of our State developed, we nust reclaim these rich lauds and give emiloyment to the thousands and tens of tliouands of negroes that are annually leaving ?ur borders. I unhesitatingly answer that theso lands an be reclaimed, and will repay in the fuuro wealth and nrnanei-iiv r?f !?? A vt ?uv UilKV, iVIl imcs tli>- amount expended, and should be ludertaken by the Stale, in co operation vith the owners of the lands. This plan fill startle some of our economists who iow have one eve on the State Capitol and lie other on the Blue ftidgj Tunnel. I am >ell aware that the idea of the State cmlarking in any more works of internal imro vein cuts with a debt of five millions pon her shoulders, is not entertained in arious sections of our State. And I am eady to join any one in opposing the State i? engaging in any enterprise that is not alculated to develop? her resources, and ncrease the prosperity of her people. But -itli all this debt I am willing to undertake tiy work of improvement iiiat will tend to evelope the agricultural, manufacturing nd mechanical resources of our State. If lio people of any section of this State have aluable mineral resources, or fine water towers, undeveloped for the want of access 11J communication with our markets, or icii Hilda to reclaim, and arc not able to ler.'orm the work within themselves?I hold L to be the duty of the State, and it is tioncy well expended, for lier to aid her icoplc in any great work calculated to deelope the resources of the country. The itatc has now invested in raihoads over ?ne million of dollara, exclusive of the Blue lidge appropriation. This money has now ccomplislicd the objects for which it was nvested in the middle and up country. It ias assisted in building railroads, which lave done, and will do, more towards deeloping the resources of the country where hey have been located, than all other cf rts heretofore made by the Slate. Let lie Stale continue to assist those roads now nder contract, and at the same time let the unds invested in those roads that have een completed, bo gradually withdrawn ud applied to tho reclaiming the river and nlnnd swamps. To convince any unprejudiced mind that lie work is eminently practicable, let me for moment refer you to tho operations of lint country whose fame for thrift and pleny is "world wide." I allude to tho little ;ingdom of Holland. The general surface f the country is exceedingly flat, and in raveling through it, says a recent traveler, one finds himself from ten to twenty feet ielow the surface of the surrounding water, n fino rich plodder lands reclaimed by the iovernment.* The recovery of these ploder lands is the moat important branch of ngineering, insomuch that a Government loard has been established for centuries. ne uuues 01 which Are confined to the hyrnulic works of the kingdom. Of these lodder lands, the Government has reclaim d 173,000 acres, at a cost varying from en to thirty dollars per acre. It raujt be tome in mind that these plodder lands re re once lakes of water and all below the urface of the sea. To illuxtrato what can be done by enery, industry nnd perseverance, look at the ut great Herculean task this people under* ' sok when they embanked, ditched and rained Harlem Lake. This lake waa thirst hreo miles in circumference. Its averge depth was thirteen feet below the lowst tide of the sen, and contained an area f 44,000 acres. It was enclosed with an ' mbankment seventeen feat high?the wast pumped out, whiuh of itielf consumed Idrty-nfne months, ditched and made perjctly dry in tweWe'yeaw. Tht?Mtne trailer mji that in tba month of October, 855, when lie fieited the soene of operaiopa, not only; waa Uie 'work of draining omplete, but tvbat badbeen ao abortly fefoit the bed fif a (aba,waathfD a region t exceeding fertile I*d<U. Numerous naatjr oonatrneted eotiagta jrere teen in every (fratftlMr ?n* pCcnflfed by abotjt a,000 fariffiSr: . ~1$Zh <*? * ?. This example of the draining of Harlem Lake is not introduced tliat wc should un- I dertake such a Herculean task. Fortunate- i ly for our country, wo have no such Kites | to reclaim?our lands are all above the sur- i rounding water. But is introduced toshow i what can be accomplished by patient ilidtis- i try, guided by enlightened judgment, and < nided by a liberal government. If it pays i the little kingdom of Holland with an area one fourth the size of South Carolina, to | expend millions in reclaiming 173,000 acres < of her land, what would it not pay to our < State, in her future wealth and prosperity, , to expend a million or so of dollars in re- i claiming 000,000 acres of her richest land. I repeat the work can and must be done.? The State has the ability and means to perform the work, and all that is wanted is for our practical and scieintific men to take hold of thesubject. Let our legislators turn their serious attention for once to thi* imnnr?nn? I subject, and in tlieir economy, industry and perseverance imitate lite little kingdom of Holland. Let there be established a Bo rd of Internal Improvements, with ample powers to organize a corps of engineers, whose duty it shall be to survey our river and inland swamps. Let our Legislature set aside a small appropriation annually, to be expended in this work. Let the engineers make a careful survey of the swamps, and report, whether the work is practicable or not, and ; if practicable, what will it cost per acre, nnd their plans of operation. If they report the work impracticable, I will then be satis-fied that we have done our duty to our country, and to posterity, but not until then. There are other sources of wealth, which have been heretofore too much neglected, and which, if developed by our capitalists and enterprising men, would pay a handsome profit?benefit the farmer, and greatly increase the internal resources of our < State. I allude to the manufacturing nnd mechanical departments cf industry. I know that there are some political econo- ; mists in the State, who deprecato the idea j of the people of our State engaging to any 1 exieri in manufactories?thinking it would < have a tendency to demoralize our p< ople, < and corrupt our negro population. These i economists would have us to continue for 1 all ages to come "hewers of wood and draw- ] era of water" to other nation?, because we < are agriculturists. Let me ask, do wo not i want clothing for ourselves and negroes ?? i Do we not want leather and shoes, carriages, < wagons nnd carts?do we not want good i farming implements to plant our crops!? | gather and prepare them for market?can- j not th esc actual necessaries he manufactured ( in our midst! I answer, they can, hut unfortunately for our people, they prefer pat- > ronizing their worst enemies to those of our 1 friends, the manufacturer and mechanic at * home. If we had not the power and means I within ourselves to manufacture these arti- 1 cles at home, then go and l>uy from the I Philistines. But thanks he to a bountiful I Providence, wo have the means strewn all ] around us, and all that is wauled is for the < hone and sinew of our country, to hack and | encourage the manufacturer and mechanic. < and we can and will throw off this depend- l enceu pon other States. ; Look at tlio unparalleled success of Vir- s ginia and our sitter State, Georgia, in these 1 various branches of home industry. By di- < versity of lahorand capital, their agriculture ' flourishes, their manufacture* clothe their I own people and send a surj'lus abroad, and < their mechanics and foundrymen supply tliu ' people with every machine and implement t they desire. Their people have not l.een ? contaminated, nor their negroes corrupted. ( But on the contrary, if there is any truth in i the last census, they have improved vastly ? in wcnlth, and a visit to these States will i show to the unprejudiced mind that they aro not corrupted in morals or religion by t any of the ismt of the North?that their I ucg?ue? nru mr ueuur on Hi pOllllOI COtnjOrlf I morals and religion, than the trAite tlavet c of iho North, and in point of education, 1 they have no superior*. Then let our cap- j italists and enterprising men seek out our e fine water powers, ercct manufactures nod r mechanical work shops, and give employ- h tnent to thousands of our poor wlto need a encouragment, Let them developeour rich * mines of iron and lime, which is now need- n ed by the farmer and mechanic, and above v all, let us patronize our own manufacturers y and mechanics, and in this way the people g of our State will flourish, and become inde- n pendent of the North in all the departments * of industry. ii The next and last subject to which T shall | invite your attention; is the management ti snd treatment of oor slaves. The great a itaple produced at the Soqth, and upon which we rely for our wealth, power and c greatness, is Cotton. Take away the cotton * of the United States, and what woold be- n .1 J??? _ come cm ma millions 01 inoorers of england [ and tbO Northern States f Anarchy wilb r all its train of evils would rulethe Lour t with madncM." In a won), "Cotton it t King," and that country which can produce i the greatest quantity, and at the cheapest rate rate will rule the world. It is to this staple we owe onr present elevated position 1 in the eyes of Europe, and it is this that ' will enable the Booth to oontrol the aggressions of the North upon oar rights and institutions. For its prod net Jon we are de- ' pin dent upon the descendant* of tbe sable 4 ftprcf Africa, i Aii nil-wise Providence Im9 seen proper In his justice and mercy, to place them hero in our midst for our social and political l>enefit, and for their improvement in mora!* mid religion. From a handful imported iwo hundred yenrs ago, they have increased under our benign system of treatment, to aver four millions. Thc-y have grown up, itround and with us; they have increased with our strength and is a part, of our domestic system. It forms the very basis of our wealth ; no other form of labor can be substituted in itsntexd.and produce thesamu quantity of cotton, rice sugar and tobacco that is now produced in the Slave Stale?. Neither the European or Asiatic could labor upon our plantations. They would peri.-h by the thousand, and our lands would become a howling wilderness1. History tells us that the only governmor.t under which the negro has cv^-r made any improvement in mind, morals and religion, m!u iis? onsy government under which he has ltd a contented and happy life,is under tho government and dominion of tho white races. But tliere .-ire soine sickly sentimentalists nt the North, who are not only *' rejudging the justice of Heaven," but would fain re create t!ie universe, in order to give tho negro a Utopian happiness, which they deny to their white slaves and free negroes, who are now going about their streets begging for bread and clothing! We say to the North, "pluck the beam out of thine own eye," and provide for your own slave*. Wo who have been raised up with tho institution from our childhood, nr? its best judges, and upon our shoulders rests the responsibility. We" aro satisfied that it is here by Divino appointment, and palsied be that arm that dare attempt to alter the relation, of master and slave. With these facts, then, before us, it bocomes each and everjf one of us, to inquire what arc the best means of incrersing and improving tho condition of our slaves. My answer is, to pay more attention to the hygenic operations of our plantations. Select liealthy locations for your negro houses* with plenty of pure water convenient. Tear Jown, as soon as possible, your log cabins tnd in their stead erect framed building^ two feet, at least, above the ground, and liav? them well ventilated. White-wash ivery spring with lime, and have a cleaning r * ;ip once a week during the summer and fall months. Above all, have them well clotb:d ond fed, and you will have willing; minds ind strong muscles to exccute the heaviest ask. This will be worth inore to you than ill the calomel and quinine in the apothecary's store. After you have provided for the comfort ?nd health of your negroes; your next and lighest duty is to provide for their moral nd religious instruction. They are, it i9 true, your inferiors in mind and character, md are dependent upon you for all the comforts and happiness they enjoy. But they liavo a soul to be saved or lost, and it is your duty, as I know it will he your pleasure, to have "Christ and Him crucified" pienched unto them. If you have not :hurchcs convenient, erect on your plantaion h chapel, and if you are not able, get pur neighbors to uuite with you in erecting \ house, where you and your neighbors, with your servant*, can worship tlio sam? 3od. Do not, I beseech you, send off your i?*groes to worship as they do at the North. ?y themselves. I have known great mis? rliief to have grown out of such meetings.? We have enemies in our midst in "sheep's slothing," mid it behooves us to be on our ;iiard. Wlu'ii we have done this, I believe jrixl's blessings will rest upon us and the nstituti -n. Wc will flourish like our own jreen bay tree and bid defiance to the liowlngs of our enemies at the North. In conclusion, gentlemen, allow mo to ender you my most profound acknowledge nent for ilie honor you have conferred on me. The work you have undertaken is worthy of :very patriot and true lover of his State.? To improve the agricultural resources of 'our State, to develope the hidden resouroa of your mineral wealth, and la An<vnin?< ? nanufactures, and the mechanic arU isyoir ligh calling. This require* labor, persevernce and energy. It ia not an affair of a reek, month or year, bnt it is for life. You nay encounter difQculiiv*, thrown in your ray by caption* and disaffected persons? ou may fail for a time (o awaken the ener* ;ies of our people to ibis great work-?yoq nay f?il to get that co-operation tftod support rhich is necessary for your great underlain ng, bat nil should bi yonr notto 1 Energy, peraevereiice and inlqatrj # lave overcome mountains of difficulties,and uccess will crown j our efforts. Let each apd every one of ok tesdlve to -> > . v ommence a better system of economy and gricuhnre?encourage home industry, manufactures and the mechanio arts, and wo nay yet live to aee the day when opr Pal* aetto State will have thrown off her Nor* nern Doming?, and taken her position tide \j side with her sitter States in agriculture, nanufactures and tho mechanic arts. A short time ago a man beearaejo cem? rieteljr M wrapt in thought," thills was ied up, lalielled, and Kent off on the first 1 trsin of Ideas." The Arabella** ?JMd proverb on #hat i oalled the ?*?." they say, * fling bio in (t?in?4a| fce wfll <9^1 vf wUb uHwU*"