SOUTH CAROLINA.

THE first attempt to make a settlement within the limits of South Carolina was made in 1562, by John Ribaud, a French Protestant. This was at

ARMS OF SOUTH CAROLINA. MOTTO; Animis opibusque parati. Ever ready with our lives and property.

the time of the civil wars in France, and Ribaud's design was to found a settlement in this distant region as a retreat from persecution. With two ships of war and a considerable body of forces, he sailed to America, made land in the thirtieth degree of latitude, but, not finding a harbor, sailed northerly until he discovered Edisto River. Near this he built a fort which he named Caroline, in which he left a garrison of twenty-six men, and then returned to France. During the following winter the garrison mutinied, assassinated their commander, and in the spring abandoned the settlement, and sailed for Europe. On their voyage, their provisions failing, they appeased their hunger with human flesh; at last they were taken up by an Engconducted to the queen, to relate their

In 1564, Laudoniere, another Frenchman, carried another colony and planted them on the same spot. But the Spaniards, jealous of this settlement, sent a large force under Melandez, with orders "to put all heretics to death" found in these regions. This order was, for the most part, strictly obeyed, as he succeeded in destroying the colony, putting to death in the most barbarous manner both old and young, a few only escaping to France. Melandez left a garrison of twelve hundred men to keep possession of the fort and country. In 1568, Gourges, a native of Gascony, in order to revenge the outrages of the Spaniards, equipped three ships, sailed to Carolina, and, with the assistance of the Indians, took the fort, razed it to the ground, and slew most of the Spaniards. He then returned to France, and both nations abandoned the country.

In 1663, the Earl of Clarendon, and seven others, obtained by grant from Charles II, of England, a patent of the lands in America lying between the

31st and 36th degrees of N. latitude. Two years after this grant was confirmed, and the limits extended from the twenty-ninth degree to thirty-six and a half, and between these parallels from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. The proprietors, in virtue of their powers, employed the celebrated John Locke to frame for them a constitution and body of laws. This constitution, consisting of one hundred articles, was aristocratical, and, though appearing well on paper, could never be successfully reduced to practice.

In 1664, the proprietors of Carolina sent Captain Sayle to explore the coast, who, on his return made a favorable report of the country. In 1670, Captain Sayle, with a small company, arrived at Port Royal and begun a settlement, but he soon fell a victim to disease. In 1671, the settlers removed to the banks of Ashley River, and begun what has been called old Charleston. In 1680, they began the present city of Charleston.

"At the coming of the European settlers," says Mr. Simms, in his history of the state, "South Carolina was occupied by no less than twenty-eight nations or tribes of Indians. The chief of these were the Chickasaw, the Cherokee, Catawba, Muscoghee and Choctow. The inferior were the Yemassee, Congaree, Santee, Wateree, Saluda, Chickaree and Serratee. These, with the exception of the Catawba, are either extinct or have emigrated to the south-west; of the Catawba but a miserable and profligate few remain." The Indian names, many of which have been preserved throughout the state, will show in most respects the regions they severally occupied; as the Congarees occupied the country which is watered by the river of that name, the Santees the Santee, the Saludas the Saluda, and many others.

In 1690, a number of French protestants, or Huguenots, driven from France by the revocation of the edict of Nantes, settled in the state, and were afterward followed by a number of Irish, Germans and Swiss. The proprietors having observed the good conduct of the French protestants, directed the governor to permit them to elect representatives, a privilege which they had never yet exercised. The English Episcopalians, considering the French as their hereditary enemies, who did not belong to their church, were unwilling that they should be associated with themselves in the enjoyment of the rights of freemen, opposed the concession with great clamor and zeal. They even went so far as to endeavor to put in force the laws of England against foreigners, insisting that they could not equally possess real estate in the colony, and that the marriages solemnized by French ministers werc void, and that the children could not inherit the property of their fathers.

By the display of such an illiberal and unchristian spirit, these strangers became alarmed and discouraged. But, being countenanced by the governor, they remained in the colony, and, for a time, withdrew their claim to the right of suffrage. This, however, did not put an end to the persecution. Such was the general turbulence and disorder, the people complaining of their rulers and quarreling among themselves, that, in 1695, John Archdale was sent over as governor of both Carolinas, with full power to redress all grievances. He succeeded in restoring order, and, in the course of a few years, the prejudices against the exiles became so softened that they were admitted by the general assembly to all the rights of citizens and freemen.

Although the proprietors had stipulated that liberty of conscience should be enjoyed, yet one of them, Lord Grandville, a bigoted churchman, and James Moore, the governor, determined to effect, if possible, the establishment of the Episcopal form of worship in the colony. Although a majority of the people were dissenters, yet, by the arts and intrigue of the venal governor, a majority of the assembly were induced to pass a law establishing

the Episcopal religion, and excluding dissenters from a seat in the assembly. By the influence of Lord Granville this law was confirmed by the proprietors.

The dissenters now saw themselves deprived of those privileges for which they had left their native country, and encountered so many hardships and privations in the wilderness. Some began to make preparations to leave the colony and settle in Pennsylvania; others proposed that a remonstrance against the law should be presented to the house of lords. This latter measure was adopted. The lords expressed by a vote their disapprobation of the law, and, upon their solicitation, Queen Anne declared it void. Lord Granville soon after died, and the colony enjoyed a season of comparative quiet.

In 1702, war having taken place between England and Spain, Governor Moore, of Carolina, proposed an expedition against the Spaniards at St. Augustine. A large majority of the assembly were in favor of it, and they voted two thousand pounds sterling for the service. Six hundred Indians were engaged, and six hundred militia were raised, and embarked at Port Royal, with the governor at their head. The governor, with the main body, proceeded by sea to block up the harbor. Colonel Daniel, with a party, went by the inland passage, and succeeded in plundering the town before the arrival of the governor. The Spaniards retired to their castle with the most valuable effects, and Governor Moore, having in vain attempted to dislodge them, was obliged to retreat by land to Carolina. This expedition entailed a debt of six thousand pounds on the colony. Bills of credit were issued, for the payment of which a duty was laid on skins, liquors and furs. This was the first paper money issued in Carolina.

In 1703, the Apalachian Indians, by their connection with the Spaniards, becoming hostile, Governor Moore marched into the heart of their settlements and burnt their towns between the Altamaha and Savannah Rivers. He captured several hundred of the enemy, reduced the remainder to submission, and sold many prisoners for slaves.

In 1706, the Spaniards from Florida invaded Carolina. A fleet appeared before Charleston, but the whole colony had made such preparation for defense that the enemy were obliged to retire without doing much injury. One of their ships, having ninety men on board, was captured by the Caro

linians.

The Yamasees, a powerful tribe inhabiting the southern border of South Carolina, instigated, it is believed, by the Spaniards, formed a general conspiracy of all the neighboring tribes to destroy the English settlements. Not less than six or seven thousand warriors of the Congarees, Catawbas, Cherokees, Yamasees, and other tribes, were engaged in the plot. On the 15th of April, 1715, at daybreak, the massacre began at Pocotaglio and the neighboring plantations. About ninety persons were killed. A captain of the militia escaping to Port Royal alarmed the town, and a vessel happening to to be in the harbor the inhabitants fled on board, and by sailing to Charleston escaped the massacre.

Charleston at this time could muster but twelve hundred men fit to bear arms, but Governor Craven took vigorous measures, laying an embargo, proclaiming martial law, and being authorized by the assembly to impress men, stores and ammunition, he marched against the savages, and found their main body at their great camp, called Sattcatchers. A severe and bloody battle was now fought from behind trees and bushes, the Indians alternately retreating and returning with double fury to the charge. The governor, un

dismayed, pressed closely upon them with his provincials, and drove them beyond Savannah River. The Yamasees, after their expulsion, went directly to the Spanish territories in Florida, where they were hospitably received.

In this war four hundred whites were killed, property to a great amount destroyed, and a large debt contracted. The proprietors, though earnestly solicited, refused to grant any relief or pay any portion of the debt. The assembly determined to remunerate the colony by disposing of land from which the Indians were driven. The terms were so favorable that five hundred Irishmen came over and planted themselves on the frontiers. The proprietors refusing to sanction the proceedings of the assembly deprived these emigrants of their lands. By this and other oppressive acts of the proprietors the people were much exasperated, and longed for a change of rulers.

In 1719, Gov. Johnston having dissolved the assembly, the members immediately met as a convention, and elected Col. James Moore their governor. Assisted by the council and supported by the people, he administered the affairs of the colony in the name of the king. In 1720 the Carolina agent procured a hearing from the lords of the regency and council in England, who gave it as their opinion that the proprietors of that province had forfeited their charter. În conformity to this decision they appointed Gen. Francis Nicholson provisional governor of the province, with a commission from the king. Several years afterward seven of the proprietors sold to the king their claim to the soil and rents, and assigned to him their right of jurisdiction. The government now being administered by executive officers appointed by the crown, and by assemblies chosen by the people and under their control, the colony became prosperous. Many emigrants now came from the northern colonies, and often large bodies of Protestants arrived from Europe; in one year (1752) the number who came exceeded sixteen hun

dred.

During the revolutionary struggle South Carolina performed her share in the contest, and encountered many and great sacrifices arising from her exposed situation. A military force for the defense of the colony against the British was organized at a very early period of the war. In 1776 an attack was made on Fort Moultrie, at the entrance of Charleston harbor, in which the invaders were defeated; but in 1780 the city itself was captured, after a siege of six weeks by the enemy, who held possession until 1782. For three years this state was the seat of war. Many bloody struggles took place, and its territory was occupied by the enemy the greater part of the years 1780 and 1781.

The constitution of the United States was adopted by this state in convention, in May, 1788, by a vote of 149 to 73. The first state constitution, being the earliest in the Union, was formed in 1775, the present one in 1790. "South Carolina has taken an active part in the affairs of the national government, and has furnished some of the most distinguished statesmen, being generally ably represented in the national councils. She has gone further than any other state in the assertion and vindication of the rights of the sovereign states as opposed to the powers of the federal government." In 1827 the legislature passed resolutions against the protective tariff of the United States as unconstitutional, and in 1830 an ordinance was enacted to declare null and void an act of congress imposing duties, etc. In 1833 counter proclamations of President Jackson and Governor Hayne, on the subject of nullification, were issued.

South Carolina is bounded north by North Carolina, east by the Atlantic

Ocean, and on the south-west and west by Georgia. Its average length is about 200 miles, its breadth about 160, containing an area of about 30,000 square miles. It lies between 32° and 35° 10′ N. lat., and between 78° 35′ and 83° 30′ W. long. The state presents a great variety of soil and surface. Along the seaboard, and from thirty to sixty miles into the interior, the face of the country is flat and unpromising, covered with extensive tracts of pine barren, swamp and savannah, comprising the most fertile and the most sterile extremes of soil. This is called the low country, and during the summer and autumn is very unhealthy. This section includes the sea islands, which are celebrated for the growth of the finest kinds of cotton, to which they impart their name, and the tide lands, which are equally celebrated for their valuable crops of rice, of which South Carolina exports more than all the other states of the Union together.

Near the center of the state lies an arid and sterile region some fifty or sixty miles in width, and reaching nearly through the state-a succession of sand hills, containing, at intervals, spots of great fertility. Beyond this, by an abrupt acclivity, commences the upper country, which consists of an excellent table land, the soil of which is highly productive and under good cultivation. Still beyond the surface becomes mountainous, occasionally exhibiting elevations of considerable hight. Table Mountain, the most lofty, is about 4,000 feet above the sea level. The state is divided into twenty-nine districts. In 1790 the total population was 249,073, slaves 107,094; in 1840, 594,398, slaves 317,038; in 1850, 668,507, slaves 384,984. In the low country the blacks outnumber the whites in the proportion of more than three to one; in the central the whites are rather the most numerous, and in the upper country the difference between the two races is nearly reversed from that which exists in the lowland districts.

CHARLESTON, the commercial emporium of South Carolina, and the largest city on the Atlantic coast south of Baltimore, is situated on a tongue of land between Ashley and Cooper Rivers, which unite at this point and flow into the Atlantic. It is 118 miles N. E. from Savannah, and 540 S. W. from Washington. Population in 1790, 16,359; in 1840, 29,261; in 1850, 42,985, of whom 14,792 were slaves; this is exclusive of St. Phillip's parish, or the neck, which, however, is virtually a part of Charleston, and has about 16,000 inhabitants. The harbor which is formed by the confluence of Ashley and Cooper Rivers is about two miles wide, and extends upward of six miles to the ocean. The passage to the city is well defended by several fortifications; on one side is Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan's Island, on the other is Fort Johnson, on James Island. In front of the city is Castle Pinckney, and in the sea, close upon the channel, Fort Sumpter.

Charleston is considered as more healthy than any other part of the low country in the southern states, and is much resorted to by the planters during the sickly months. The city is regularly built, and extends about two miles in length and one and a half in breadth. The streets are for the most part parallel with each other from the Cooper to the Ashley River, and are crossed by others nearly at right angles. Many of the houses are of brick, some of which are of superior elegance; others are of wood, neatly painted white, having piazzas, beautifully ornamented with vines, etc. Almost every spot in the vicinity capable of improvement is occupied by plantations in a high state of cultivation.

The growth of Charleston has been less rapid than most of the cities of the United States. Its first settlement was in 1671. In its original condition it