The New York herald., 1862-03-22
fHE ABOLITION MISSIONARIES At BEAUFORT
Our Hilton Head Correspondence.


nea Caased BY their Aduent-Thsir Ooiees-fAey Com
ns-nce Their Wore-7ey Occupy Ae Best Houses in Beau
fort, and Itesd Opeaing Isd,utriaI Schoo-They
also Intend Trying Meir Hands at Cotton and Vegetable
OAta1e-inetr Prospects of Saocess-5rotsery Lore
Among Each Other DOtsbfal-'Jeatousy, Thcp Green
Eyed Ao,ster''-A Runspus Among TIE Psniooats-A
Negro Sho-Fort Palaki Isolated-The Union Blockade
Eectire-A Fight Bstoeea Our Batteries and The Rebel
Giaocats-Depart,re of The Dissatisfied Plgrinss-The
N1c Gorerxmrt Docks--Additionsto TO the United States
Library, de-
The military gcivi political, philanthropic and abo
tion circles hereabous deeply agtated last week
by tho announcement Of the arriv al Of forty or fifty
missionaries from far Boston, and from the
wicked city of New York. The excitement became moro
general and, il possible, moro intense, when IL was
given out BY those who pretended to be well in
formed on the subject that portion Of this band
Of missionaries was composed OF the genter SEX and
that tho whole troupe then upon the steamship Al
anc, at anchor in tho harbor and about precipate
themselves upon the abodss of the wicked in and about
the Department Of South Carolina The truth of some
of the rumors established by the testimony
Of various witnesses who had fortunately boarded the
Atlantic al carly hour, and had seen and conversed
with tho novel importation from the North. II any
doubted them, their doubts removed by tho
appearance shore of several light haired long whsker
ed, speclaccd indvid a.s with umbrellas in hand
and a mysteriorsly cov1rod package, suggestive of
tracts in the other followed by several ladies' prim and
antquated and Of general Bostonan STYLE such
observed in William Lloyd Garrson's soirees at wen-
dell Phillips reunions. These began to perambulate
the island, and attracted very general attention Tho
fact Of the arrival OF the missionaries being usve
ly settled conjecture at rife to what they
do here Some assorted that they had come to
hold women's rights convention Hilton Head,
y and with perfect safety, and TO la.
Dor in neld where their doctrines would
bs received and accepted by the lords of
ton who, being away from their better halves could
investigate the subject uninuencsd by fears favors
Others and as was soon apparent the better informed
suggested that they missionaries to the contrabands
this quarer-a large and seems influential class
Of people, whose domorazed and barbarous state had
lately become known TO the phanthropss of Boston and
New York and whose welfare their hearts. It
became generally known that there sixty Of
these missionaries the Atlantic, twelve fifteen of
whom ladies' and the remainder gentlemen Of large
expectations and liberal ideas. Among them men Of
all trades and professions and well calculated for any
thing except successful pursuit of agriculture and
trabands The ladies from Boston and New York
and propose to conduct industrial school, and teach
the young contrabands ideas now to shoot and their
fingers the art Of plain sewing The entire institution
gotten up by and is under the direction Of Mr. Ed
ward L. Pierce the government agent This much Of
their plans.
The day after the Atlantic's arrival the mis-
sionares, with that fine appreciation Of the
forts Of this life which has always charac-
terizod them, transferred themselves, bag and
baggage to the village of Beaufort--known to them
by reputation the Newport of the Southland then
with forehousht selected the finest mansions in
the village and sraghtway settled down TO their task.
The landing of the Pilgrims Plymouth Rock could
not have oscasoned more surprise and astonishment
the innocent natives Of that region than did the advent
of missionary friends TO the soldiers and conrabands
In Beaufort Several affecting occurred, but
describe but Mrs French, leading lady whose
gard and vsneraon for the had been great
ly intensified by the s?cecs Of Rev. Mr. French and
Mr. Pierce at post prandai meetings on the Atlantic
coming out and by the resolutions passed az the same
in which 1t was resolved that the negroes should be ad
dressed bro,hsrs sd sisters and considered that
abolition and loving ideas which were advanced always
after %hsarty dinner was fu.X prepared 70 meet tho
contrabanas in :sssr spirit BY the time tho mission
Arriving at Beaufort the party stepped ashove aud
ss @
feQah, who was startled not little by the peculiar
style Of the salute and the words Of the resolutions
Your longer q slave; you free-free am.
You my equal, and you are my seterl' This with
ter charming interview Of this friendly character with
the negro woman whose eyes protruded from mingled
fear and pleasure Mrs. French moved with the mis-
sionaries TO green fields and pastures That
Of the incidents that marked the arrival Of the
sonaries in the field Of their abors. There others
equally disgusting and novel; If would but write them
The above will sufce, however, shows the drift of
the missionary movement The truth Of the matter s,
that nearly all Of the missionaries are rabid
the Garrison school, and the ieaders-Mr Pierce and
the Rev Mr. Frencharsa trihe ahead OF their fellows
their fanaticsm.
they the equals Of the whites in every respet that
they be compelled to labor for another that they
entitled to all the rights and privileges Of the whites
and in Short brothers and sisters in the fami
ly, and entitled to the same treatment. They told
that they must defend themselves against any attempt
out they had their meetings whenever they could and
passed series after series OF resolutions, all recognizing
the freedom Of the slave and the abolition OF slavery
Their speeches and remarks of the most ultra |
character, such as you would expect ia abolition
meeting from theorists but Gre we have those theories
about TO be reduced 70 practice Tho having
selected the best houses IN Beaufort and had them nicely
furnished from the furniture collected from tho
unoccupied houses in the village, living in gay
and festive style, amply supplied with help from their
brothers and sisters and are prepared to summer in
delightful way.
am not able to give the precise time Of the opening
OF the industrial school, as have not been taken
the confdence,of tho missionaries. When it is opened
shall visit it, and give the results Of the experiment
one the interesting parts Of the grand plan to
by the missionaries is that which relates
The % & o
iho"iS"H sSs - ie - s-.ooN paA~
tons superinendents TO direct the labos Of their
brothers and sisters cotton CULTURE and raising cereals
and vegetables for theft S&h support and for the Imys
use The idea IL singuariy brilliant. And as nearly all
the have had less experience In
selling tape and calico dealing out groceries epson
salts and likeoccupations which al them admirably
for the kindred work OF experimenting large cotton
plantation with fifty or hundred negroes not shadow
OF doubt in the mind OF any reasonable
Of their full and complete If comprehensive
knowsdgsand wide and varied experience in this
branch " agriculture insure success, why should
they attain 9 Mr.. Pierce, the government agent
who selected these happily prepared for their
peculiar work, has also ripe experience which can only
be obtained in Boston thereabouts. Besides, he
dostands the nature capabilities and habits Of the
absnds most thoroughly, as he wrote an article for
the AlLtnfic Monthly on that very subject And
then too, my memory serves me right he had charge
for nearly weeks Of quito gang Of contrabands in
Hampton near Fortress Monroe, while the "darks" were
engaged In throwing up that famous line OF earhworks
in the middle Of the village which shed usrs tho
engineering skill OF General Butler, and which IL spirit