The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-02-17
OUR STATE.
Correspondence of the Daily Evening Bulletin.
North Carolina. ~

t.s- North CaroHnas sft u-4s
PAsoUoTANK Co., N. c., Jan. 16, 1862
Mr. BULLETIN In nv last / stated that
I was at Elizabeth City, in Pasquotank
county. It is an old town, but now in ruins
Fe great part of it was burned in 1862
The citizens fired their own dwellings,, and
everything perished in the flames To day
it isl broken down, ,lispirited place. 1t is
beautifully located on the Pasquotank river,
an arm OF the Albeinarle sound, 100 miles
north of Cape lookout It possesses n fine
harbor, and is surrounded by as beautiful
country as the sun shines upon. But the
hand is held in large bodies, and by long,
continuous bad farming, is sadly impaired
and impoverished On the west side of the
Little River, about ten miles from here, is a
plantation of 1900 acres, on which were
worked 200 slaves before the war.
The County of Curfituck, next to tie AZ
lantic, south of Virginia, has population
of about 5000. Next adjoining is Camden
county, with population of about 5000, of
which. in 1860, nearly 700 whites over 30
years of age, could not read nor write. Adj
joining Camden is1Pasquotank, with pop
ulation of between Z and $1,000 Next is
Perquimans, with about 6,000 of a popula-
ton; and next is Chowan, with popula-
tion OF about 5000. These counties, with
Gates, which has population of about
1000, lie on the north side of Albemarlc
Sound, and soutlitof Virginia, and east rf
Chowan river A description of one is
description of the whole. There is not
newspaper printed in this territory. 1t is
said one seventh of the white population,
over 90 years of age, cannot read nor write.
But although they are poor, and live with
out knowledge of the art of cooking we
possess in Pennsylvania, we are their ever
welcome guests, and even among this class.
/ refinement of manners and gcntlcness
charactcriZing the true gentleman and lady,
is everywhere observable, superior to our
northern population. Hospitality is pre-
eminent, and have not heard IA tletracting
expression against the North since l left
Baltimore.
The mighty forests, which will describe
when I am more familiar, the broad farms
and grand plantations are offered TO north
ern men at extremely low prices, if they will
only agree to come here with their industry,
! machinery and intelligence, and as genial
planter said to me the other day, "be GER
! tain and bring your school marin along, for
we must educate our children; that is the
first thing to be done" -' =.
Bancroft says: If there are any who
doubt mans capacity for self-government let
them study the early history of North Caro-
lima" ''' i'i
The Quakers fleeing from religious perse-
cution settled on the banks of the Chowan
in 1862, or 20 years before Penn settled on
the banks of the Delaware These early
settlers knew the value of liberty and yield
ed to no unjust laws, nor bowed their knees
to no earthly monarch. Carolina first re.
sisted the despotism of the Mother Country
If recollect Alright, the first ship load oi
| stamp paper. in the sloop-of-war "Dili-
gence," arrived in Cape Fear river in 1865
but the people (who were not Quakers here)
would not allow the paper TO be unloaded
and threatened to burn up the Governors
palace, with the Governor, Stamp Master
and all participants if it were attempted
The Governor, whose name was Tryon, be-
came so odious that the county named aitel
him was divided. and called Lincoln and
Rutherford, and thename Tryon expurged.
Here. too, tile use of liquor was prescribed
no one using it could become a member o
the association of". Regulars"
On the 10TH May, I'll, the Regulators
who had separately informed the govern
ment that their oppression must cease, met
the Royal forces in open battle on the bank:
Of Alauance. and here was shed the first
blood for our independence.
The Provincial Congress of this State wa.
fully imbued with love of justice, and or
the 25th of August, 1774, boldly asserted
that the people had the right to assemble
and demonstrate against grievances of any
kind. They elected delegates to the Cont
mental Congress, and clearly defined thei
position; and on the Goth of May, 1775
promulgated the famous " Mecklenbure
Declaration Of Independence" On the 27tl
of February, 1776, on the banks of Soutl
river they met the British lions and defeated
them. Up TO this period their record wa
clear, and for long period after the Ole
North State was great in the council anc
mighty in the field, and during the late re
belilon, $4,000 OF those worthy sons stooC
steadtast to the loyalty of the government o
their fathers. Much CT her misfortnnes arr
due to the shareholders who resided in til,
Free States, but who secured immense terri
tories here, sent down-despotic overseers tt
tyranize overa helpless race, and degenerate
a noble and patriotic people, and sink til,
country into the depths of crime and barba
rism. ut was the northern aristocrat, and tin
yankee taskmaster said planter to me tha
made desolation here" and even during th
rebellion, prominent officers, among them
Gen. B. F. Butler, was guilty of outrages ant
crime that must darken the pages of history
There are no means to refute this, even i
Congressional Committees can white-wasl
it over for as true loyalty and patriotism a
ever adorned the pages of history, stanc
here to-day, the living monument Of thi
assertion. Shame be on Massachusetts fo
sending this man to the Senate, if she q,
not vindicatc his acts or purge herself of hi
wrongs. 4..l.
A few miles from here the English frs
landed on this continent, in July Is, 1884
two small ships, commanded by Captain
Amidas and Barlow, sent out by Sir Waite
Raleigh, were welcomed by the tawny son
of the land, and fed by the amiable Graz
ganimo, the father of Virginia, tile king @
the Pasquotanks. 1t is said that Gabota,
I"Venetian adventurer," discovered Roanok
in 1897. 80 - -,s''''
Virginia Dare, the daughter of Eleano
Dare, the first born Of English parents o
this Continent, saw this beautiful land nea
here. Madagascar Rice was first plante
here, which has since become one Of til
great staples of our land. The natives Gu
tivated corn, tobacco, grapes and plum
To-day, | saw the scuPperaong," from
single root, spreading over nearly a quartz
of an acre of ground. sending down its twin
like rootlets, several feet in length, from. il
stems, reaching for the ground; Muscatir
and the Catawba grapes are natives of tn
State, Persimmons and plums are ever,
where abundant, the former are now in fiji
eating order, being too astringcnt befol
they are frosted, but now rich and palatabl