The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1847-05-05

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blood of her slaughtered citizens. The
Edct of Nantes gave to the Pro,estan,s of
France distinct and separate existence as
political body, setting them in array
against government which recognized no
such thing as religious liberty, and hell to
one principle alone of poicy-"Onc God.
one King, one Faith" During the reign
OF the Great Henry. the Huguenots exer-
cised their rights and liberty Of conscience
was secured his death was the death of or
der, Of peace and of freedom.
From this time, the Hugucnots, alarmed
at the intrigues of the court, and the meas
ures taken for their overthrow, were in
arms; and when,
"Thc living cloud of war;
burst upon them from the north of France.
their rights, their existence as a people. were
swept away. For the next half century.
persecution followed persecution, until final
ly, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
by depriving the Huguenots of all securities
of life, and liberty-by annihiIating their
existence as subjects, compelled the cmigra-
ton ofthis people. Thousands of industri-
Gus citizens left forever their native France,
to seek in foreign lands the liberty denied
them IN their own. AS their predecessors
the Pilgrims, babe their native land good
night and lay down to res, on the shores of
New England, so did the Hugueno,s, dri-
ven across the western ocean by prosecuting
fanaticlsrn, ut length find resting place on
the shore Of Carolina. The hand Of wei
come was held out to them-hcy were
hailed as brothers. And noble sons of Ca
rolina have they proved themselves -
l5raving the perils of savage warfare, they
plunged into the wilderness pioneers of
the South, they strengthened the infant CO.
lony OF Carolina by their religion and by
But to us, the settlement of the Hucue
nots though not followed by consequences of
such import. as those succeeding the land
ing of the Pilgrims, was attended with the
most important results The addition of
large bodies Of men, vrrtuous, industrious,
Injured to peril and war, but, above all, mar
ttyrs OF religious liberty, would be welcomed
by any people; and peculiarly fortunate
was it for a small colony, pressed on every
side by savage enemy, and but poorly
assisted by the mother coun,rv.-Their
sIngularity, elastic and cheerful temper of
mind enabled them to endure the hardships
necessarily attended on settlement in the
country, new, surrounded by enemies, and
exposed to an almost tropical sun. The
same spirit, which made them prefer exile
TO slavery, sustained them in the long nd
arduous struggle of this Revolution
Shoulder to shoulder with their brethren in
the field, they met the invading foe, and the
"plains OF Carolina" became the altar on
which they sacrificed their blood in de-
tpnCp
=" black and smoking ruins" of desolat,on
covered the land, the same firmness which
upheld their fathers in the old world sus-
tanned their descendants in the new. The
names Of Horny, of Huger, and of Marion
are coupled with those Of Iaurens, of Rut-
ledge, OF Pinckncy, and Of Sumter names
dear 10 every American, the watch-worls Of
liberty. Sustained by the example of these
South Carolina proved the noble daring and
heroic courage of her adopted people
Thousands of their descendants at this time
hail America as the land of their birth
the land of their lort:-lathers' adopton-thc
asylum of their ancestors-land Of civil and
religious liberty. May its standard, reared
on the solid foundatio Of virtue, ever wave
over millions Of the sons of freemep, until
time shall be no more
AS we review these scenes, we cannot
refrain from asking, what had the Hugue-
nots done, that they should thus be.
"At the mercy Of u mystery oftyranny 2"
what were their crimes that they should be
deprived Of all civil existence; that thew
should be hunted down like wild beasts
that their blood should stream under the
sword2 They worshipped God according
to the dictates of their conscience. This
was their crime-this their abom;nation.
This doomed them 10 the sword, to the stake,
and to exile. That they were peaceable
people: orderly, industrious. and we'll dis.
posed, Is acknowledge by the Romish hns,o-
rians. They were aroused to revolt, when
the iron yoke ofoppresson became too gre
vlous 10 be borne-when bgotry sen, orth
the destroying angel; when life and liberty
were crushed by oppression Their emf
grafton furnished many nations with num-
bers rf useful subjects, and France now
deeplores the unjust policy which banished
her citizens, depopulated one.fourth of her