of the Council) have lately told me the Deputies have talked of mak3 an Address to the Lords Prop's for relief, But 'tis apparent that all the time of this French War they never sent them one barrel of powder or a pound of lead to help them. They conclude they have no reason to depend upon them for assistance, & are resolved to forsake this Country betimes, if they find the French are settled at Meschasipi, or if upon the death of the King of Spain these Countries fall into the hands of the French, as inevitably they will (if not timely prevented), and return with their families to England or some other place where they may find safety & protection. It was one of the first questions asked me by several of the Chief men at my arrival, whether His Ma". had not sent over some soldiers to preserve them from the French, saying they might all live in this plentiful Country if His Ma". will please to allow them half pay for 2 or 3 years at furthest, that afterwards they will maintain themselves & families (if they have any) in making Pitch and Tar & planting of Indian Corn, His Majesty will thereby have so many men seasoned to the Country ready for service upon all occasions, five such men will do more service by sea or land than 20 new rais men from home, they may be brought hither in the Virginia outward bound Ships, 100 or 150 men in a year, till they are made up 1000, it will save the charge of transporting so many another time 2 or 3000 leagues at sea. I heard one of the Council (a great Indian Trader, & has been 600 miles up in the Country west from Charles Town) discourse that the only way to discover the Meschasipi is from this Province by land. He is willing to undertake it if His Ma". will please to pay the charge wch will not be above £400 or £500 at most; he intends to take with him 50 white men of this Province and 100 Indians, who live 2 days journey east from the Meschasipi, and questions not but in 5 or 6 months time after he has His May's commands & instructions to find out ye mouth of it and the true latitude thereof.

The great improvement made in this Province is wholly owing to the industry & labour of the Inhabitants. They have applied themselves to make such commodities as might increase the revenue of the Crown, as Cotton, Wool, Ginger, Indigo, &c. But finding them not to answer the end they are set upon making Pitch, Tar & Turpentine, and planting rice, & can send over great quantityes yearly, if they had encouragement from England to make it, having about 50,000 Slaves to be employed in that service, upon occasion, but they have lost most of their vessels, which were but small, last war by the French, & some lately by the

Spaniards, so that they are not able to send those Commodities to England for a market, neither are sailors here to be had to man their vessels.

I humbly propose that if His Ma". will for a time suspend the Duties upon Commodities, and that upon rice also, it will encourage the Planter to fall vigilantly upon making Pitch & Tar, &c., wch the Lords Prop". ought to make their principal care to obtain from His May. being the only way to draw people to settle in their Province, a place of greatest encouragement to ye English Navy in these parts of ye world. Charles Town Bay is the safest port for all Vessels coming thro' the gulf of Florida in distress, bound from the West Indies to the Northern Plantations ; if they miss this place they may perish at sea for want of relief, and having beat upon the coast of New England, New York, or Virginia by a North West Wind in the Winter, be forced to go to Barbadoes if they miss this Bay, where no wind will damage them and all things to be had necessary to refitt them. My Lords, I did formerly present Your Lordships with proposals for supplying England with Pitch & Tar, Masts & all of Naval Stores from New England. I observed when I were at York in Sept'. last, abundance of Tar brot. down Hudson's River to be sold at New York, as also Turpentine & Tar in great quantities from the Colony of Connecticut, I was told if they had encouragement they could load several Ships yearly for England. But since my arrival here I find I am come into the only place for such commodities upon the Continent of America; some persons have offered to deliver in Charlestown Bay upon their own account 1000 Barrels of Pitch and as much Tar, others greater quantities provided they were paid for it in Charles Town in Lyon Dollars passing here at 5o. p'. piece, Tar at 8'. p'. Barrel, and very good Pitch at 12". p'. Barrel, & much cheaper if it once became a Trade. The season for making those Commodities in this Province being 6 mo. longer than in Virginia and more Northern Plantations; a planter can make more tar in any one year here with 50 slaves than they can do with double the number in those places, their slaves here living at very easy rates and with few clothes.

The inclosed I received from M. Girard, a French Protestant living in Carolina. I find them very industrious & good husbands, but are discouraged because some of them having been many years Inhabitants in this Province, are denied the benefit of being Owners & Masters of Vessels, which other the Subjects of His Majesty's Plantations enjoy, besides many of them are made Denizons. If this Place were duly en

couraged, it would be the most useful to the Crown of all the Plantations

H

upon the continent of America. I herewith enclose to Your Lordships a Draft of the Town and Castle of St. Augustine, with a short description of it by a Gentleman who has been often there. It's done exactly true, more for service than for show. The Spaniards now, the French, if ever they get it, will prove dangerous neighbours to this Province, a thing not considered nor provided against by the Lords Proprietors. I am going from hence to Bermuda, with His May. Commissioners, to administer the Oath to the Gov'. of that Island, with a Commission for the Judge and other Officers of the Court of Admiralty erected there, from whence I believe it necessary to hasten to the Bahamas Islands, where a Brigantine belonging to New England was carried in as a wreck. The Master & Sailors being pursued by some persons who had commission from Gov'. Webb, believing they were chased by Spaniards, forsook their Vessel & went on shore among the Natives to save their lives. All which is humbly submitted by

Your Lordship's

Most humble Servant,

ED. RANDOLPH.

The want of a small Vessel to support the loss of the Frigate, which was appointed by the Lords Commiss". of the Admiralty to transplant me from one Plantation to another, makes me stay a great while at one place for a passage to another, which is uncertain, difficult & dangerous.

I have by the extreme of cold last Winter in Maryland and Pennsylvania, & by my tedious passage in the Winter time from New York to this place, got a great numbness in my right leg & foot. I am in hopes this warm climate will restore me to my health. I have formerly wrote to your Board & the Commiss". of H. M. Customs, the necessity of having a Vessel to transport me from one Plantation to another.

I humbly pray Your Lordships favour to direct that the little residence I am to make in these parts of the World, may be in this Province, & that a Vessel well manned may be sent me hither, which may answer all occasion, my intentions being not to lye idle, for when the Hurricane times come in these parts of the World, I can go securely to Virginia, Maryland & Pensylvania & New England, without fear of being driven. from those Plantations by North West Winds, & when they come I can pass from one Plantation to another without difficulty

[William James Rivers], A Sketch of the History of South Carolina (Charleston, 1856), 443-447

35. A South Carolina Settlement (1742)

BY ELIZA LUCAS

Eliza Lucas was an English girl, upon whom was thrown the burden of carrying on a large estate in South Carolina. She later became the wife of Charles Pinckney, chief justice of South Carolina. — Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 335-356; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 102.- - For previous Carolina history, see Contemporaries, I, ch. xii.

I

May 22 1742.

AM now set down my dear Brother to obey your Commands and give you a short description of the part of the World I now inhabit-S Carolina then is an Extensive Country near the Sea. Most of the settled part of it is upon a flatt. the Soil near Charles Town sandy but further distant. clay and swamp lands. It abounds with fine navigable rivers and great quan[ti]ties of fine timber - The Country at a great distance that is to say about a hundred and fifty mile from Cr Town very hilly The soil in general very fertile and there are few European or American fruits or grain but what grow here the Country abounds with wild fowl Venison and fish Beef Veal and Mutton are here in much greater perfection than in the Islands tho' not equal to that of England-Fruit extreamly good and in profusion, and the oranges exceed any I ever tasted in the West Indies or from Spain or Portugal. The people in general hospitable and honest and the better sort add to these a polite gentile behaviour. The poorer sort are the most indolent people in the world, or they would never be wretched in so plentiful a country as this. The winters here are fine and pleasant but 4 months in the year are extreamly disagreeable excessive hott much thunder and lightening and musketoes and sand flies in abundance C's Town the Metropolis, is a neat pretty place the inhabitants polite and live a very gentile manner the streets and houses regularly built. the ladies and gentlemen gay in their dress. upon the whole you will find as many agreeable people of both sexes for the size of the place as almost any where St Phillip's Church in C Town is a very Elegant one and much frequented. there are sever! more places of publick Worship in the town and the generality of people of a religious turn of mind.

I began in haste and have observed no method or I should have told you before I came to Summer, that we have a most charming Spring in this Country especially for those who travel through the Country for the

Scent of the young Myrtle and yellow Jessamine with which the woods. abound is delightful. The staple commodity here is rice and the only thing they export to Europe. Beef, Pork and Lumber they send to the West Indies.

Sept 8 1742.

Wrote to Miss Mary Fayweather in Boston. The same time wrote my Father a full and long acc! of 5 thousand Spainyards landing at S' Symons. We were greatly alarmed in Carolina; 80 prisoners now in C Town, they had a large fleet, but were scattered by bad weather. Our little fleet from Carolina, commanded by Cap! Hardy could not get to y Gen assistance, the Enemy were sailed to St Marks. "Tis said Capt. Hardy instead of cruising off St Augustine barr where it was probable he would find them returned with all the men to C Town, wch has greatly disgusted the Gov! and Council as well as the rest of the Inhabitance. There is sent now 3 Men of Warr and 4 provincial vessels under the command of Capt. Frankland. Sent my father his kettle Drums, informed him of M' Smith seling the rum he sent us, and giving away the preserved sorrel, tho' he assured us it was by mistake put on board a vessel going to Barbadoes and carried there. Sad wretch. Sent for Cowcumber seed - Polly gone to school at Mrs Hicks's at 140 pound per annum.

Eliza Lucas, Journal and Letters (edited by Mrs. H. P. Holbrook, Wormsloe, 1850), 17-20 passim.

36. Routine in Maryland (1754)

BY GOVERNOR HORATIO SHARPE

Sharpe was governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768; his efficiency is well shown by the extract below. — Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, III, 553-562, V, 270-272; J. T. Scharf, Maryland, I, 442 ff.; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 101.- For earlier Maryland history, see Contemporaries, I, ch. xi.

IN

N obedience to your Ldps Instructions I have transmitted Copies of all the Laws made at a Session of Assembly begun & held at Annapolis in this Province the 2d of Oct 1753 & have fulfilled your Lordsp's pleasure by inclosing therewith a few Observations for the more easy reference to any thing new or of an extraordinary nature by