The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-06-25
[FRox OUR TRAVELLING coRREsrospENr.l

BARNWEIL, June II.
Barnwell is situated ten miles south o
Blackville, its nearest railroad depot. Of late
considerable effort ha' been made to induce
the South Carolina Railroad to build branch
connecting the two places. This branch road
was chartered previous to the war, and nearly
all the grading done; the original stockhold
ers have offered to give it, In It's present state
to the South Carolina Railroad Company, pro
vlded this company agrees to complete 1t at an
early day. The town stands at the head waters
of Saltkahatchle River, on a low sandy ridge,
overtopped on three sides by tolerably high
hills. It is small place, having been in a
great measure destroyed by Sherman, and II
has never been rebuilt. The removal of the
courthouse to Blackville has had damaging
effect on business. The situation Is not good
one for commercial purposes, but as long as
the town remained the county seat 1t was ne
cessarily the business centre. With The re-
moval of the courthouse most of It's coAcomi-
tant trade has flowed into other channels.
Much jealousy is manifested against Blackyille
in consequence OF this loss.
The principal merchants are A. P. Manville,
8. N. BellInger, A. 8. Hull, Ingram d Schuck,
John j. Bronson and j. G. Buckingham. A
peculiar feature is q large sun-dia, standing
In the centre of what was once the courthouse
square. 1t ls rather surprising circumstance
to find village sun. dial in place OF the village
clock, In these days of telegraphs, railroads
and steamboats,. THIS dial was erectea some
twenty years ago, by former resident, as
gift to the town. While the thermometer is
np near fever heat elsewhere, the Barnwell-
iansAcompose themselves beneath their vines
and3fg trees, and enjoy the most refreshing
breezes, both day and night. This is probably
due, In great measure, to the location of the
town In hollow, at the head Of river COM
ing directly up from the ocean.
Rain Is very much needed In most sections
OF the country; gardens md corn and pota-
toes are being literally parcSei. Cotton has
not yet commenced to show III effects, but 1t
will not escape injury If the dry spell con-
tinues much longer. About the 18th OF May
q small portion of the country was visited by
a very severe hail storm. It utterly destroy
ed the crops In every field that it passed over.
raw several fields wherein the replantlng,
necessItated by this storm, had just come up.
Fortunately the greatest area Of the hall was
only about mile wide and few long. Cot
ton In some parts Is poor, but IN all fertile
districts very fine. Blossoms are abundant.
Corn is not generally as far advanced as 1T
should be. The fruit crop is failure. have
seen but one or TWO orchards that are even
tolerably we'll filed with iruit. In many
cases, too, the fruit is defective.
I have not been able to learn definitely
what position the negroes have taken with re-
gard to the coming Presidential election; the
whites are unit for Greeley. In tact, the
negroes appear to be losing some OF their for
mer interest In politics. Radical mass
meeting Is said to have been called for last
Saturday, to take place at the plantation OF
DR.. Rice, near Bamberg. AS no negroes went,
1t was failure. Cnffee finds the thing don't
pay 80 we'll after all.
There is belt of country around the Town
of Barnwell, from ten to fifteen miles broad, oil
q white sandy soil. go poor that nothing but
the pine and the scrub oak will grow upon 1t.
Here we find the native ''squatter" In all the
glory of q prlmeval state. This interesting in
diyidual sets himself down, not like the patrl-
arShB of old, by the side Of purl!ng streams,
and In the midst of green pastures, but upon
tire top Of anybody's white sand hill where
nothing can grow, and where In summer the
SUMS rays are almost sufficiently concentrated
space, builds lapslded log hut. plants Q few
seed Of cotton and corn, and calmly watches
the struggling plants slowly perish IN the
broiling heat. If stranger passes he thrusts
his jaundiced face and matted head through
the door or window, and stares IN open
mouthed astonishment. Coming 10 house
that presented O little better appearance than
the others, ventured to interview the occu-
pant. He had evidently passed fifty years.
Growing eloquent upon the merits Of my jour-
nal, I paused to take breath. The mans lace
assumed something very like a foolish grin.
/ saw that he was abont to speak, and sought
my notebook, but let II go quickly enough,
when he said: ''ro tell you de trute, aint
pot larnin nuff fur read um." I inwardly re-
solved never again to interviewa 'squatter."
SPRITE,