Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-06-24
.isturp vt $. Garulima.
Written for the Yorkvile Enquirer.
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
OF THE
EarIy Settlement of South Carolina.
BY REV, ROBERT LATHAM.

CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
It is difficult to tell whether Thos. Smiths
career, as Governor of South Carolina, was q
success or a failure. In fact, it was neither.
Although welded to the people by all the
ties of long residence, and respected by them
universally for great moral integrity, he did
did not succeed so we'll as some of the Cover
nors who had preceded him but on the other
hand, he did little if any injury. Smith
either felt his incompetency for the task, or
was unwilling to subject himself to the great
Inconvenience and countless annoyances to
which rigid and faithful discharge of his
duty as Governor would have subjected him.
Shortly after entering upon the duties of his
Office, be wrote to the prsprietors that in no
way could a friendly state Of feeling be es-
tablished between the people and the proprie-
tors, and between the people themselves, but
by the proprietors sending over one of their
own number To act as Governor The pro-
prietors regarded this suggestion as worthy of
consideration, the more so since Sir Nathaniel
johnson was of similar opinion with Smith.
The proprietors called meeting, and after
due deliberation of all the proprietors, it was
determined to send Lord Ashley, the grand
son of the Earl of Shaftesbury. This young
nobleman was thought by the propretors to
be eminently qualified, but such was the con-
dition of his fathers estate that he regarded it
as incumbent upon him not to undertake the
work. In the next choice, John Archdale
was selected.
TIE commission of Archdale bears date
July 18th, 1884. This was prior to Smiths
letter, in which he declared his intention to
quit the colony. 1t was late in the year
l694-perhaps the last Of October or first of
November-thatSmith, unceremoniously, and
it would seem somewhat irregularly, ceased to
act as Governor. Archdale did not arrive in
the province until the 18th of August, 1896.
During the interval between the resignation
and abandonment of the government by Smith
and the arrival of Archdale, Joseph Blake
acted as Governor of South Carolina.
Blake came into the colony in 1853. He
was the brother of Robert Blake, the celebra-
ted English admiral. He came from Bridge
water in Somersetshire, England. His father
had at one period of his life been a merchant,
who having amassed a fortune, retired from
business and settled in Bridgewater. In his
day we may safely say that no individual ex-
ercised greater influence over the colonists,
morally, than Joseph Blake. He was a man
of some property, all Of which he sold, and
brought the proceeds and invested it in Caro-
lima. His daughter, Elizabeth, had married
Joseph Morton. The Blakes, both in Ameri-
ca and in England, were Dissenters and
staunch Republicans. Sosoon as Joseph Blake
joined the colony in South Carolina, the moral
aspect of things began to change for the bet
ter. The irreligious and profane were, by his
presence, checked and the pious encouraged.
The government of Joseph Blake was only
a temporary arrangement to meet the exi-
gencies of the case. He continued in Office
only from October or November of 1894, to
August of 1895, and never received com.
mission, as Governor, from the proprietors.
It was understood by both Blake and the
people, that 80 soon as successor to Smith
arrived, he would retire from Office. This
being the case, his administration of the pub.
lie affairs of the colony was conducted with
caution.
A law was passed by the Assembly "for the
raising of public store of powder for the
defense of the province" In this same act it
was provided that about twenty large guns be
mounted on carriages, made of good sound
sedar planke and timber" and be so arranged
as to be always in readiness for the defense Of
Charles Town.
Another law was passed for regulating pub
lie houses. By this act the owners of "tav-