The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-25
LETTER FROM THE COAST
[FRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
JOHNS ISLAND, s. c., September H. loo''
To tie Editor of The Chorleston Daily Necs:
Harf bark hear
The strain of strdtting Chanucleer
nr,- Oaoh 40

| Harf bark! hear
The strain of stratting Chanticeer
Cry Cock-a-doodle-do.
Come, you parchment-faced pieca OF Once lur-
niture, you who think this world fiat stale anu un
profitable, dare you to hold to the opinion curing
this day, while I take you in charge. INTO 'ni'
gaily painted. trim little craft, quick, pelore lne
| sandy -moustached master casts off the hne. eP
| sail and away in jiffy. How she rounds 10 anu
rlshes noseessy at the ripping water TINS siori-
Gus autumn morning. Down the marsny cieeA'
and the wind fattens the sail as she SWINGS eraoe-
| fully to the right into the Stono. Inc river
| waves keep time with the wind waves OF the tai'
| evergreen marsh grass. This line OF green OK
| tends all along the river On the right beyond IL
| is the town, neat enough at this short distance,
| the houses looking sauciy from behind tall pine
trees. stranger might take these ror grave
| stones. They are pillars OF burnt houses. nele
is narrow inlet. Just the thing to run your DAT
teau up in to get at the water hens this Iai
This Flagstaff is on Folly Island, and ols-
tance of two miles away. We are pass
ing Coles Island with its lengthy, narrow
row of trees and no inhabitants. Here ls sman
pine tree run away from the rest aud trying 70
hide in the marsh by the little creek 1t ls stunt
ed, having got begged and stuck IN tho marsh
| mud. No beach on Coles Island such as we are
looking for. Kiawah River to the right, ana tnis
broad, level turn of the Stono here on the oppo-
site side is the inlet Folly directly in our face,
low, sandy, a-washed; passing it hiawah islaho
to the right, with just the log wharf to suit.
Let us kill this poisonous reptile, coleo 50
cozily yet dangerously near the end OF the pier.
1t might fall in the surf and find Watery grave
and We choose to save it from that fate
This walk on the hard, smooth, sea-macadamlzed
beach, the whte-capped waves rising on your left'
and bold promontory of fine sand on your rign''
while the fresh salt breeze braces the whole peng
into bouyancy and life, is worth treatise upon
treatise on health, and bottles upon bottles OF
elixir. Had you pair of high-stepping trotters,
snorting at the waves and half shyly dashing over
the sand, your happiness would be complete.
Mount this sand hill-the bunch Of grass
ty your hand will assist you-and see
what is behind and beyond You stand
on the very brink of ravine full OF Wild
tropical shrubbery and dwarf trees. 1t ID PIC
ture such as YOU have seen located in the wilds OF
Africa. Yonder dead tree trunk reminds you OF
habtation for snakes, and you would scarcely go
closer for fear Of some IN onster anaconda dangnnS
from its limbs. OF all things, no one Wouid nave
supposed such wildness of scenery to exist here,
in miniature to be sure but still with the grandeur
of luxuriant, thrifty nature undisturbed for ages.
Back to the beach again, for these dark brown
Jagged pieces OF iron we're put there by civiliza-
ton, and are in strange contrast with the grass,
and leaves and flowers. Shells Of the ocean are
more in keeping with your feelings, and gather
ing them pretty indscriminatey at first, more
careful selection is soon made necessary for want
of storage.
Now the hamper An Englishmans hamper
must have veal, pork and pigeon pies in it, and
brown sherry and port; also fat boy to go to
sleep when you want him to hand the plates. Our
hamper had-no matter. DELMoNIoo did not
charge for the contents. But DELMoNIoo could
not have furnished it better, nor SoYER's sauce
favored it one bit the more to our taste.
Down with the helm the breeze is freshen
ing from hawey to a steady blow, keep
ing her sails well filed, and comfortably
leaning on one side with just enough spray
dashing over the sides to excite our lady-company,
she is gleefully cutting the waters and boldly
pushing for her dock. One more ten minutes
while we make this curve-up the creek now ina
whisk-here stands Cuffy in the door grinning, his
hand shading his merry eyes. He takes two
shawls and a sun umorelly, unused during the trip
and trots on ahead, whiic We, seeing the duttering
table cloth through che open doors, quicken our
steps to s. what the cook has for dinner. And
where are the fish? Sure enough, Of all things We
never got fish.
There are items enough daily OF local interest to
set up in respectable style, first-class penny-a-
liner Did think YOU could be interested, stories OF
beatings, desertions and neglect, could be re-
counted by the do2en--to say nothing Of under
handed horse dealings, unpaid and uncollectable
debts for boats, lumber and provisions. The
number Of complaints increases as the autumn
progresses, and people seem to sharpen up their
appetites for law uuits. The trouble is, these
blacks have no one to relate their grievances to OF
to adjust their difficulties. Too busy with
their crops now to go to town to besiego the
Office Of the Commissioner, ana too poor to
seek legal redress, they are looking the whites
hero for relief. For their own better government
they have established committees among them
selves, composed Of one man from each planta-
ton. Three Of these committeeman chosen are
tosettle any difficulty occurring on any place.
Minor affairs they are very we'll able and raady to
smooth over, but when cases OF greater impor-
tance come Up these committeeman find vast
troubles. The complainants can't be brought to
conform with their decisions when against them,
and will neither listen to their advice nor pay any
respect to their position. Threatening vengeance
at times, they refuse to obey tho SUNNI ons to ap-
pear before them, saying they are not put here by
the Government and know no more about law than
any other nigger.' Strong language at such
stormy times is the order of the day, and confu-
sion rules supreme. The perplexed judges leave
the scene of trouble, and, after the loss OF half
days work, are ready to resign their commissions
Seeing the other day letter directed to the Gov
ernor Of the Sea Islands awoke tho idea of what a
blessed thing Provost Court would be with some
such practical Governor at its head who knows
them well and could straighten their difficulties.
But it must be free of cost to them at present,
carried on BY the Bureau or the military
What glorious opening for some needy
limbs Of the law whenever money gets plen-
ty with Sambo But ye Gods have patience,
and We lawyers prepare for lengthy tales.
Taking notes is out Of the question, at least until
the story is told once. and you know where the
point belongs. The cause CT complaint is never
over one or two months old, while the opening
scenes date invariably from the very beginning OF
the rebellion. Sambo went to the gunboats, and
Caesar stayed with Massa, and by most wonder
full tenacity of memory the slightest and remotest
Incidents of q period of four and five eventful
years are recounted without the omission OF a
fact until finally, when you are giving the telator
up as hopelessly lost and irrerievably tangled up
in the meshes of his own historic web, he go-
riousy energies, TO your infinite relief, and states
the first fact bearing on the grievance. If ever
YOU are foolhardy enough to interrupt, for any
purpose whatever, Cuhee will certainly make YOU
repent it. Questioning won't stop him, he will
dive at things foreign to the subject with peril
nscitv the most commendable, until you, learning
by slow degrees, but learning surely, are ready to
let the stream of his narrative run on to the happy