Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-04-18
The Abolition Missionaries at Beaufort,
south garOIina.

-e-
The following racy letter, by the New York
Heu4Ins Hilton Head correspondent, will richly
repay perussI. 1t is dated Hilton Head, South
Carolina, March -, and appears in the Herald
Of the -2fult.;
"The military, civil, political, philanthropic
and abolition circles h5reabOuts were deeply
agitated last week by the announcement of the
arriva of forty or fifty missionaries from as tar
east as Boston, and from the wicked city OF New
York. The excitement became more general,
and, if possible, more intense, when it was given
out by those who pretended to be well informed
on the subject, that a portion Of this baud of
missionaries was composed of the gentler sex,
aud that the whole troupe was then upon the
steamship Atlantic, at anchor III the HaTbOT, and
about to precipitate themselves upon the ab0des
of the wicked ia and about the Department Of
South Carolina. Thu truth of some OF the ru-
mors was soon established by the testimony of
various witnesses, who had fortunately boarded
the Atlantic at an early hour, and had seen and
couversed with the novel importation from the
North. If any doubted them, their doubts were
soon removed by the appearance on shore of
several hght-haiTed, lOng-whiskorsd, specialized
individuals, with umbrellas in one hand and a
mysteIiOusly covered package, suggestive Of
tracts, in the other, followed by several ladies,
pTim and a~ntqusted, audOf a general BUstOuIau
style, such as are observed in William Lloyd
GARRISON 3 SOlLtHS OF at W blAcll L ullLIjo l-
unions. These began 70 perambUlate the island,
and attracted very general attention.
The fact of the arrival Of the missionaries be
ing conclUsively settled, conjecture was at once
ME rs to what they were TO 10 here. some as
serted that they had come t&hoid a womau's
rights convention on Hilton Head, whore they
could express their opinions freely and with per
feet safety, and to labor IN a field where their
doctrines would be received and accepted by the
lords of creation, who, being away from their
better halves, could Investigate the subject unin-
luencet by fears or lavOTs. Others, and, as It
was soon apparent, tie better informed, suggest
ed that they were missionaries to the contra
bands in this quarteT-a large, and, as it seems,
influential class Of people, whose demOrad2ed
and JarbarOus state had lately become known
TO the philanthropists of Boston and New York,
and whose welfare was near their hearts. 1t soon
became generally known that there WeTs sixty
of these missionaries on the Atlantic, twelve or
fifteen Of whom were ladies, and the remainder
gentlemen Of large expectations and liberal
ideas. Among th6m are men of all trades and
professions, and well calculated for anything eN-
cept a successful pursuit of agriculture and CON
trshands. The ladies are from Boston and New
York, and propose to conduct an industrial
school, and teach tho young conuabands' ideas
how to shoot, and their fingers the art Of plain
sewing. The entire institution was gotten up
by, and is under the direction of Mr.. Edward L
Pierce, the government agent. This much OF
their plans.
The day after the AtIantic's arrival, the mis-
s!0uaries, with that fine appreciation of the
comforts Of this life which has always charac-
,srized them, transferred themselves, bag and
baggage, TO the village Of BeaUfOrt-kn0Wn to
them by reputation as the Newport Of the South
and then, with q rare f0TethOught, selected The
E...V rarwrfnuasr Ah. vs1IrA. -nI ur-mr-ha-.-
settled down TO their task.
The landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
Rock could not have occasioned more surprise
and establishment to the innocent natives Of that
region than did the advent of our missionary
friends 10 the soldiers and c0utTabands in Beau
fort. Several affecting scenes occurred, but /
can describe but one. Mrs. French, d leading
lady, whose regard and venerati9n for the con-
tlabandg bad been greatly intensified by the
speeches of Rev. Dir. French anu Dir. Pierce, Ut
post praHdlaL meetings on the Atlantic coming
out, and by the resolutions passed at the same,
in which it was resolved that the negroes should
be addressed as brothers and sisters, and con-
sidered in that light-Mrs. French, becoming
thoroughly imbuei with the aboliton -nl low
ing ideas which we're glYance4 always after a
hearty dinner, was fully prepared to meet the
cOntTaDands 10 a sisJerly spirit by the time the
missionaries were ready to land.
Arriving at Beaufort, the party stepped ashore,
and soon came across the peculiar Institution In
full feather. Mrs. French rushed towards -ul
embraced a cU.9.ta iemaio, SuO was started not
q little by the peculiar style OF the salute, and,
ia the words of the resolutions, exclaimed
" You are my sister (CIOseT embrace You
are NO longer q slave; ron are free-res as
sA. You are lazy equal AMI yOu ale my sister
this, with other sweet converse, did she her
time beguiie, and after d charming interview Of
this friendly character with tine negro woman,
whose eyes protuded from mingled fear and
Measure, Mrs. French moved on with the mis-
s~ionariss to green fields and pastures new. That
was eue OF the incidents that marked tue arrival
of the missionaries in the field Of their lab0rs.
There arr others equally disgusting and novel, ii
/ would but WRIT Them The above will suffice,
however. as it shows the drift of the missionary
movement. The truth Of the matter Is, that
nearly all Of the missionaries are rabid abOlI-
tiouists Of the Garrison school, and The leaders,
Mr. Pierce and the Rev. Mr.. French. are Q !rie
ahead OF .heil fellows la ti.aI iauatuism.