The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-25 00:00:00

A SLAVR'S 'FLORY.

The following is from the correspondence of the New
York Times, dated Hilton Head, South Carolina, 24th
December :

" In a late visit I made toDr. Elliott's plantation, onHil-
ton Head, I found a group of six straight-haired, bright-
looking mulatto children, seated around the doorstep of one
of the negro cabins, eating ravenously the boiled sweet po-
tatoes which a decrepit old man was distributing among
them with appareLtly great solicitude;

"The little ones were neatly dressed, which is an excep-
tion to the rule, and they were otherwise more attractive
than any I had yet seen. I inquired into their history,
which at once affords an illustration of a slaveholder's
morality and his brother's honesty. Oh, no, sah I Dese
are massa's children,' said the old man, in reply to my
question as to whether he was their grandfather. Dere
mudder name Rose ; he lib wid her as he wife, and when
he die, some time ago, he make her and de children free.'
Then he told me that Rose had gone over to General
V iele's camp to do washing for the officers ; and that she
had come with herself and family to the Yankees to escape
being sold into slavery by her master's relations. I could
not fully understand all that the old man said, but I heard
enough to determine me to learn Rose's story from herself,
if possible. Yesterday, therefore, I was at General Viele's
quarters, and made inquiries after Rose. She was not
there, but I was introduced to a young man named Israel,
who gave me an intelligible history of Rose and her chil-
dren. He said that he and Rose belonged to the same mas-
ter. His name was James Garrard, and his plantation
was four and a half miles from Blufftop. It was well
stocked with cattle, and some 'fifty head of niggers.' Mr.
Garrard, about 11 years since, wanted to marry a fine lady,
but she ' kicked him' (Israel's word for rejected), and in
spite, he took Rose to live with him. He bought Rose in
Savannah, expressly for the purpose. I went with him for
her in de buggy,' said Israel, and 'fore ho pay for she, he
bring her home and try if she good cook and make pastry. Ho
find she good, stirrin' woman, and he keep her.' He added,
that Garrard had seven children by her—two boys and five
girls—the eldest of which, a girl about ten years of ago, was
then living at Savannah. Over a year ago Garrard died,
leaving a will which called for the sale of his entire real
estate—slaves, cattle, and other property, excepting Rose
and his own children, who were manumitted. Out of the
proceeds of the sale of the property a home was to be pur-
chased for Rose and her young family, and the balance of
the funds was to be placed at interest, of which she was to
receive 1,000 dols. a year for the support of herself and
children, and the remainder was bequeathed to his brother-
in-law, Elliot Garrard, of Savannah.

" This disposition of the property did not suit Elliot
Garrard's views, and he has interposed obstacles to carry-
ing out the provisions of the will. Rose, meantime, has
been living on the plantation, where matters have re-
mained comparatively the same as when James Garrard
died. After our forces had taken Hilton Head, and when
the people of Savannah were in a big scare,' Elliot Gar-
rard went to Rose and wanted her to retreat into the
country, somewhere in Barnwell district, but she dreaded
he might sell her, and refused to go. Next day she aban-
doned her home, took her family with her, and scught
Yankee protection. lam told by those who know Rose,
that she is a fine-looking, intelligent woman. She is very
black, but her figure is perfect, and in her neat mourning
dress and bonnet, unless her face is seen, she might be mis-
taken for es haughty a dame as South Carolina can pro-
duce. Her chief attraction, however, is her conversation,
which is marked by intelligence respecting the objects of
the war, and many other subjects connected with it. She
speaks understandingly of her own affairs, the injustice of
the executors of the will, and her intention of going North,
where her children may have a chance in life, as soon as
she can get her other child from Savannah.
"In speaking to Israel yesterday, I am afraid I made
him uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Said I:
"' Do you like stopping here better than on the planta-
tion P'
" ' Oh, yea, Sir,' ho said, promptly.

" What will you do when the soldiers leave here ?'
"At this question, th© look of surprise which passed
over Israel's face was irresistibly droll. He finally re-
plied :
" I'd go wi"em ;'
" ' But suppose they won't let you ?' I said.
" ' Den I jump into de boat 1 '

" ' Ah I' I answered, 'they might put you out again l'
" It was evident that no such contingency had presented
itself to his mind before. He simply ejaculated, with great
emphasis, as if overwhelmed with astonishment and fear at
the bare idea :
" ' Goodness gracious :'

" I asked him what he was afraid of, and he replied, If
Massa Elliot Garrard catch me, might as well be dead ; he
kill me certain.' I re-assured him of his safety before we
parted."

"A person," says the Sport, "who looks at the
world in somewhat gloomy colours, having recently com-
plained in Al- Tuber's presence how hard it was that people
must grow old, Hard as it is,' replied the veteran com-
poser, it seems to be the only means yet discovered of en-
joyinglong life.'"

ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.—The proceedings of
the Charing-cross Railway Company and St. Thomas's
Hospital have recently attracted considerable attention. It
appears th- t the amount awarded by Mr. Stewart, of Liver
pool-4;296,000—was paid to the Accountant. General at
the Bank of England on Monday last, a c nsiderable por-
tion of the money having been lent, as it is said, for that
purpose by the Bank of England on some security furnished
by the South-Eastern Railway Company. Under ordinary
circumstances a deposit so made would entitle the railway
company to take possession of the whole hospital at once,
and to turn out its occupants, but by a clause in the Char.
ing-cross Railway Act, inserted in the House of Lords, 12
months' delay is interposed to enable the governors of the
hospital to make the necessary arrangements for the benefit
of the sick poor. The railway company allege that the 12
months have expired. This point, however, is referred to
Vice .Chancellor Wood, who has stopped the railway com-
pany at present by injunction. It is clear the governors of
the hospital could not sot about buying land and building a
new hospital until they were sure of having the means de-
rived from the sale of the old one, but the money having
now been deposited, the railway company ought to receive
all reasonable facilities for completing their works. This
would probably shut up the great north wing of the hos-
pital, but it would still leave a large proportion for the pre-
sent untouched, until proper arrangements could be made.
It seems that nothing has 3et been determined as to site.
A suggestion of the area of the Surrey-gardens is said,
' however, to have met with favour.

EMBEZZLEMENT OF FIFTEEN HUNDRED POUNDS
ON A LEEDS FIRM.—On Thursday night, Mr. English,
chief constable, apprehended at the Wellington Inn, Wel-
lington-street, Leeds, Mr. Thomas Wilcox, commission
agent,, a middle-aged married man, residing in Handsworth-
street, Birmingham, on a charge of embezzling various
sums of money, amounting in the aggregate to upwards of
£1,500, the property of Messrs. Bateson and Jordan, cloth
merchants, Park Cross-street, Leeds. The defalcations are
said to extend over a period of four years, and to have been
chiefly caused by losses on the turf. The defendant, it is
alleged, has been enabled to carry on these proceedings un-
discovered by forwarding inaccurate statements of the
transactions between various tradesmen in Birmingham
and the firm he represented. He was, in accordance with
the practice of the firm, in the habit of allowing discount
for prompt payments, but in his correspondence with the
Messrs. Bateson, it is said he represented that in several
transactions a credit of six months had been taken, and in
this manner was enabled to withhold cash payments, keep-
ing up his accounts by the proceeds for other goods sold
for immediate cash. Mr. Jordan, one of the firm, at the
time-Wilcox was apprehended, was in Birmingham taking
legal proceedings for the apprehension of the defendant,
and a telegraphic message was sent informing him of the
capture in Leeds. Wilcox will be removed to Bir-
mingham to appear before the magistrates, the offence
having been committed there, and being consequently not
within the jurisdiction of the Leeds bench.
A DANUBE STEADIER.--The hubbub of the merry-
makers follows us to the Szechneyi, and is kept up till late
into the night. The Moldavians are naturally a gay, care-
less, pleasure seeking sociable race, and the European com-
mission just now among them sends a whole host of agree-
able travellers up and down the waters about here. So we
hear them whispering, and chatting, and flirting, and
humming love songs about the cabins, and in the nooks and
corners of the ship, or roystering jollily in drinking bouts
upon deck, and clinking their glasses together, and smok-
ing, and telling the most wonderful stories ever heard, till
the early summer daylight comes round again, and they
fall asleep in their smart clothes and lackered boots—a
gipsy company, in all sorts of impossible places, and in the
drollest attitudes. These Danube steamers are amazingly
entertaining in a general way. There is usually a great
deal of good and curious company on board. The Rouman
and Hungarian peasants, who join us at the village sta-
tions, mostly wear the national costume, and now and then
there is a patriotic Boyard or magnate does the same. Tho
ladies dress for these steamers as smartly as for pleasure
parties on shore. The captain assembles a chosen half-
dozen immediately round him, and so we go, a bright..
coloured mass of gossiping, flirting, loud laughing, junk2t-
ing humanity, all jumbled into close acquaintanceship 1(31:
a week together or more, if we have the good fortune_ to
be delayed by fogs or sand-banks.—. Dickens's the rear
Round.