The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-04-13
SPECIAL Correspondence OF THE DISPATCH.
LETTER FROM CHARLESTON
CHARLEsros, April 9th, 1854.

streets, and also from attending any of the
many places of worship, (the bells of which
are now in good old English fashion, ringing
as they do in Halifax and Quebec, the chimes.
in musical harmony we deem the time an.
propriate for announcing the safe arrival on
yesterday, of large portion of the Virginia
delegation. We travelled on Friday and Sa-
turday ia company with delegations from
Richmond, Petersburg, Lynchburg Frede-
ricksburg, Charlottesville and Albemarle.-
Among other delegates of distinction and
talent, were Gen. WM. +. GORDON and Lieut.
MATTHEW f. MAuRY. 1t was our good for
tune to form the acquaintance of the last
named gentleman, whose familiarity with all
that relates to Southern commerce and South.
ern trade, will make his presence at the Con.
venYon Of infinite service to that BODY His
CONVERSATION issingularly brilliant, and his
views upon all subjects original and striking.
Our acquaintance cohA1saed the high opinion
we had entertained of his great scientific and
literary attainments.
The excessive and monotonous sterility of
North Carolina, did not appear to interfere
with the attendance of delegates from that
State to the Convention. There were acces-
sions of honest looking RIP VAN WINKLEs
to our numbers, at every dilapidated looking
hamlet at which the train stopped for a few
moments. Every pyramid of tar barrels
seemed to send its representative in quiet
looking gentleman of bilious complexion. clad
in garments-substantial, but of an ancient
and obsolete cut.
Every mile of our journey from WELDON
to WILMINGTON, spoke eloquently of the
pitchy products of North Carolina Our me-
mory OF the dog cared geography Of our early
boyhood, was refreshed from the occular as
well as olfactory evidences, everywhere
furnished, of "tar, pitch and turpentine' be-
ing the principal products of the State. The
perfume of the pine spread over its entire
breadth. Everything was redolent of tar,
and the fragrance of the fresh turpentine did
not remind us of the sweet odors of "Araby
the blest'
Endless forests of pines, each tree stripped
in part of its bark, furnished evidence Of the
extent of the tar business.
The depots were everywhere filed with
barrels of tar, ready for transportation to the
markets of the North and South, and as the
shadows of night closed upon us, in the
midst of these vast forests of inf1ammable
lightwOod, the iron horse rushed with us
through acres of burning trees, which light
ed up the wild and gloomy scenes, like huge
illumination.
The road from Wilmington to Charleston
is, as all your readers know, a new one and
the bridge across the PEDEE is yet unfinish-
ed Hence when we reached that stream,
about O'Clock at night, there was an EN-.
barkatiOn of all the passengers, the mail and
the baggage, in two lar &c old fashioned ferry
boats, called flats.
The scene reminded lis of those which
doubtless again and again occurred upon the
banks of this very river, in revolutionary
times, when MARION and SUMTER, the
SWAMP Fox and the HAWK, of Carolina par
tisan warfare, at the dead hour of night, cross
ed the PEDEE, to surprise body of Tories
or defeat detachment of TARLToN's troops.
In these rude boats, wild and striking group
of passengers met our eye, az we waited for
more than an hour for the transfer of :he
baggage from the cars to the boat A score
OF negroes, chatting and grinning, illumina-
ted the scene with torches of blazing light
wood, whilst as many brawny porters bore
the numerous mail bags and trunks down a
steep declivity to the boats. At short dis
tance from us, other fires were burning, and
many wOrkmen were engaged constructing
the long and handsome bridge which will
soon span the PEDEE. Night and day this
work goes on, and nothing surprised US more
than the din of stone masons and other work
men in such wild looking place, during the
small hours.
The sun on Friday went down upon the
bleak, sterile hills of North Carolina, and the
first sight which greeted us in the morning
was the rich luxuriant, far-advanced foliage
of the bright Palmetto State. We had fallen
asleep amid the long buds Of April, and
awoke amid the flowers, long grass and deep
green foliage of advanced spring. The pine
had disappeared, and its place was supplied
by the thick, tangled growth of South
Carolina swamp-redolent with the fragrance
of a thousand Southern flowers
For the first time, that beautiful and well
known tree, The PALMETTO, was pointed out
to me; name intimately associated with the
chivalry and high character of the South
Occasionally, a 'negrO-quarter," containing
fifty or sixty nuts, with large amply piaz.
zaad mansion, deeply embowered in live
oaks and magnolias, told of the proximity OF
one of those vast cotton estates of which we
le id so much.
More than once we passed through fields
temporarily covered with water, for the pur-
pose of promoting the growth of that lover
of fmoisture-RIcE. But we were particular.
ly struck with the broad and impenetrable
South Carolina swamps, of which so much
has been written by GILMORE SIMMs in the
"PARTIZAN," and in "MELLICHAMPE," and
with the vast and varied vegetation of their
jungles and swamps.
The trip from Richmond to Charleston is
now performed in about day and half, and
having left Richmond at half f-past six on the
morning of Friday, we reached Charleston at
three O'Clock, on Saturday.
We found host of gentlemen at the de-
pot waiting to receive the delegates and pro-
vide them with suitable aecom< pdations.
Carriages were waiting for the delegates, and
servants and wagons for their trunks, The
true, genuine, refined, well bred hospitality
of the noble State, was apparent in every
thing connected with the reception of the
delegates.
g Tie hospitalities Of the city" here were
something more than recommending visiter
to good hotel, and then leaving him to shift
for himself Every gentleman in Charleston
seems 10 think it his duty to put his house at
the disposal of the members of the Conven-
ton. They press their hospitalities upon you
in way that leaves no doubt OF the entire
sincerity of their kindness
There are,I learn, a number OF delegates
already here. Private houses and hotels are
full of the delegates from all of the Southern