and even children, had it all by heart. I could not help feeling I was in an impregnable fortress of public opinion for the Confederacy; but I always bid for great allowance to be made for the pangs it must cost to break the grand idea of "the United States," and to diminish the thirty-one stars and stripes which had so long proudly floated over the world, and astonished the quiet folks of the old portion of it.

My fellow-passenger on Mr. Porter's mail buggy, in the hot and weary two stages, was a Presbyterian minister, who had an uncle a bishop of the AngloAmerican church, and a brother a private in the army near Richmond. I found great respect was everywhere paid to all ministers of religion: the railroads passed them on with reduced fares; and Mr. Porter went so far as to say he took no fare at all from them, and tacitly offered to frank me.

Mr. Gregg, my "reverend" co-voyager, did me the honour to offer me his pulpit on the next Sunday.

CHAPTER III.

The Object gained.

On Friday the 13th of June I arrived at the place of refuge. Here was an English lady with her little maid, both from the peaceful vale of Taunton, "dwelling among her own people," the sable descendants of Canaan, as safely as if in their native land, protected by county police-yea, safer; for they slept with their doors and windows unbolted, and did not feel afraid.

The county is called Horry (after some colonial governor), in the north-east corner of the State of South Carolina, which is 500 by 450 miles. Conwayboro' is the county town, having the county courthouse and gaol, with its sheriff and mayor, &c.; the population about 350. There are two churches

one Presbyterian, one Methodist; the houses are never more than two stories high- most of them only one-all built of wood, with brick chimneys; raised on brick or wooden piers two feet or more high. Every negro hut is built in this way, keeping the floors very dry, and free from snakes, which rather abound at Conwayboro': from the earth under every house, saltpetre is obtainable. A contractor told me he found fifteen pounds under a negro's house built ten years; and a house of that sizesay thirty feet square-would yield one pound and a-half per annum. About three inches of earth is scraped up, and water percolated in casks, evaporation developing the saltpetre: by this means, and by sulphur from the north-west part of South Carolina, and charcoal which the endless woods supply, the army is provided with abundance of gunpowder. The houses are far apart, placed in their own gardens like the compounds of our Indian bungalows-with their negro huts nearly all surrounded by neat fences. Thus Conwayboro', though of small population, is of considerable extent, fields lying between some of the houses. The court-house and gaol are of brick, the former having the usual façade of Doric pillars. Evergreen oaks cast their welcome shade in all directions; fig-trees

and vines cool the houses; peach orchards yield their delicious fruit. The treatment for these peachtrees is very simple; viz., baring the roots in winter, and just before spring covering them with a coat of ashes and then with earth: with this they beat any wall-fruit I ever saw in England. The gardens produce abundance of tomatas, okras, egg-plants, &c. Tomatas in soup and stewed are the standard dish; and they are also eaten as salads.

Every house was full; many refugees from the coast about George-Town, fifty miles distant, having obtained lodgings. The house I came to is on a bluff, looking over a "branch" of the Wakamaw river: the negroes' huts formed quite a little hamlet of itself, the number of souls being forty; these buildings being ready, besides stabling, &c. for four horses, and about fifty acres of land, made it convenient for Mrs. W--'s purpose, whose plantation too was within a drive, about forty-two miles down the river, where 350 negroes used to be employed; but a fresh estate of 800 acres was just bought about 300 miles inland, to which 150 were removed by rail. Never did I see a happier set than these negroes. For six months had this lady been left with them alone. Her husband's regiment had been ordered to the Mississippi, about 1000 miles west.

In this army the officers are all elected; the men of each company choose the lieutenants and captains, and the captains choose the field-officers from themselves, the colonel appointing his adjutant. This gentleman had procured Enfield rifles from England for 120 men of his regiment, the 10th South Carolina, before the Queen's proclamation came out, and cloth for their clothing, but he himself served for several months as a private: he has since refused promotion beyond captain. All his ambition is with his company, which is said to be a pattern of discipline and dash-indeed the whole regiment commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Manigault is General Bragg's "pet regiment." The negro servants watched for tidings from their master by the triweekly mails as anxiously as their mistress. This gentleman, and some other masters, deemed it the best policy to be open with their negroes, and let them know the real cause of the war; and that probably the Abolitionists would try and induce them to desert. On the 30th December this Mr. W

appointed a special prayer and fast-day at his plantation church, and after service addressed the negroes, previous to his leaving for the House of Representatives, of which he was a member (elected for George Town).

Not only the women, but the men wept :