The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-05-23
FREEDMENS BUREAU.
General Steedman Among the
Sea Islands.
Heartless Expressions by New Eng
land Spectators.
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The Landed Negroes Destitute
and Starving.
Arrival Of the Comm issi Oners at
Savannah.
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MEETING OF THE CITIZENS.
~~S~~--S~~-~-SA~S~>>~~--~~~
A Oolored Conference on the
Situation.
&c. &c. &c.
[EETING OF THE CITIZENS.
Our Sea Islands Correspondence.

Our Sea Islnnds Correspondence.
PoRr Royal, 8. c., May II, 1866.
Leaving battered old Sumter the left crossed the
Ashby river Sunday afternoon last In the steamship
st. Helena and passed through the sono river into the
strangely narrow and serpenne channels, which afford
to the Sea Islands their communication with the outer
world. Shiny allgators crawled along the bayous, and
regarded with the most supreme Indifference the half
pistol balls and then showered upon them
In the swampy brakes occasionally beard the noise
of the rattlesnake Indeed snakes OF all descriptions
abound the islands, and planter told that
his farm, which had been two years uncultivaed he
had turned up at least five thousand during the vo
months The natives, however give them the character
well as the alligators OF being harmless man. II
not moested, and accordingly leave them severely
alone.
The waters full Of strange productions the
land. One lady Of the party threw fish line in the
modest hope OF securing whiting and caught . nne
young shark, which was safely hauled on board. The
negroes themselves the strangest production Of all
In dress and appearance they carcature of the carl
caure negro Of George Chrstys troupe and their da
lect is unntelgble patois which traces OF the
French accent Of the original Huguenot settlers ap
parent
ISLANDS
are fifteen or twenty in number. and range In
extent from two thousand to one hun
dred thousand large proportion OF this
area, though IL includes OF the finest cot
ton growing land in the world. Is still undevelopcd
Some OF the old planters strangely ignorant Of
the value Of their possessions One heard Of
the main land who has recently sold for q dollar an
acre, to a Northern company, fifty thousand Of
magnificent timber land which he had held IDLE for
forty years. The company have constructed railway
to the river, erecting sawms and will net least
two million dollars ~ their bargain.
CONDITION AFFAIRS
Generals stcedman aud Fullerton in pursuing the in
vcstigaton, with the officers Of the Freedmens Bureau
which they conducting with much impartiaity,
industry and ability, have visited wadmalaw, Edsto,
Jchossie, Port Royal and Hilton Head islands They
have personally inspected the condition OF the freedmen
At each OF those points, and believe have found far
favorable state Of affairs than they had been led
expect They discovered abundant evidences the
past the freedmen had been grossly robbed and III treated
and that some men must have made large amount OF
money in this cruel and dishonest manner; but the
tracks have been pretty well covered up and under
tho present administration OF brevct Major General
Scott, Assistant Commissioner OF the Freedmen's
Bureau for the State, and his subordinates, Major
Cornelius and Licutenants Everson and Power,
matters progressing satisfactorily as could be
expected in a community recently a state approach pg
chaos General Scott in fact discharging his
onerous duties honestly and faithfully and has surnma
ry disposed Of every agent OF the Bureau against whom
any charge OF population or frand was established
GENERAL snKnxAs's ORDERS.
The exceptional condition Of the Sea Islands 10 attri
butabe 10 the orders which General Sherman issued
after his occupation Of Savannah in January, 1855
ting apart the Islands from Charleston south for thirty
miles back from the for the settlement OF negroes
made free BY acts Of war and by the emancipation pro-
clamaiion. This done for double purpose manly
TO get rid Of tho great incubus OF conrabsnds who
following his army and eating up his commissary but
part also to punish the people OF the State where
rebellion conceived and graded In pursuance Of
this order General o. o. Howard Commissioner Of the
Frcedmcns Bureau, directed that allomens should be
made In the Sea Iands all freedmen who applied for
them and Brgsdier General saxton entered upon this
duty From the beginning the terms OF General sher-
mans order disrcgardcd. sherman required that
there should be accurate measurement Of the alot
ment and an actual settlement Hundreds Of
orders were iFsued 10 negroes who never n
tended n settle aud never have settled on the
slandr but have passed their orders though
transferable To other persons The measurement OF tho
allotmsnis also properly carried out AZ
mentioned previous letter. OF the forty acres
were found to BE- only three and half and four
hundred and nfty in extent Thus early the his
scrp,ion pcrpetraied and continued down to
the end Of General saross Iao.e and memo sut admin.
straion A. 10 how far the subordinate agents Of the
Bureau implicated In those frauds there are no
means Of judging ~ General sarton resgnins charge
OF Affairs took with him every book and scrap ~ paper
relating 10 the business Of the Bureau.
sreADHrKNSo MATHIS
For time past the Bureau and military authori
ties here have been engaged In setting straight
and Enough South Carolina those rival powers pull
sether like bsky team yet dcsuitory accidental way
they have each done good deal of good thorough
Sestgation Of the land certificates Sherman
order has been ordered and large proportion Of these
cer'hcaies for above given have been decided
10 be valusess All the plautstIons which there
valid certificates have been returned their former
ownenI and those on which there are only few
have been returned subject To the certneasea There
will sl remain, far has been sscerained, about
two hundred certificates deemed valid eneumbcring
about twenty plantations on wadmalav Edlsto Johns
and James islands These twenty plantation ~i also
be restored in short time subject Of the land
certificates upon them bang respected of the original
settlers fss except these two hundred remain the
Islands; the have moved back Georgia Fhenoe
they came
srxsss ypryDxrs
Is estimated that there about ., 900 freed
thousand on Edisso, fifteen hundred wadmslaw two
thousand on Johns two thousand James four thou
sand on Port Royal Eve thousand - Helena and the
balance on the smaller Islands
ooSpfrps
n M, prosperou, The experiment o. making the negro
planter on bis own account has failed AZ slenailv %
hundred other experiments with the negro have faled
Those who had land orders last year and rosl.
ton 10 grow twenty thirty % cotton for tem.
selves have this year not cent 70 bless themselves WITH
and have been living on charity all the winter A
planter Edisto Island assured that every morning
from hundred 70 . hundred and hfty former Il
these cerncaisst ftiesn the negroes generally call
them, but darksy called them 'stifneussp l-come
W him begging for food work In the Art place they
raised miserable crops in the neri, tbsy vsrs robbed
by Northern specuiators working undes The shadow q
the Bursan. Of what little they td raisA We go css
farm tina, IL row cultivated by freedmen de0esiyss,
visAos, sssrApes sqpuyNon. IN fer sessusAi ~