Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-08-26
Misturp IT $. Carulima.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
OF THE
Early Settlement of South Carolina.
BY REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
The administration of Nathaniel johnson
extended from 1902 to 1909. 1t was period
of trouble and vexation. Governor johnson
was, in some respects, strong man; and in
others he was weak man. An old writer
speaks of him as having transmitted the civil
differences in the colony into religious con-
troversy." Governor Johnsons strong point
was his skill in military affairs, and his weak
point was his hatred to all dissenters. lie was
evidently the tool of Lord Granville. The
laws establishing the Church of England in
the colony, will stand'es blot on the name
of Granville, johnson and Trott. The thing
itself was notso odious as the manner in which
it was brought about and the intrigues by
which it proposed to perpetuate it.
The proprietora, beyond all doubt, contem'
plated, from the beginning, the establishing
of the Church of England in the colony; but
at the same time, the greatest liberties were
granted by the charter to all denominations
of Christians. None except Papists were ex-
cluded. This is not the place to criticise this
restriction but we may be permitted to re-
mark, in passing, that no colony in America
enjoyed greater peace and prosperity than the
Catholic colony Of Lord Baltimore, in Mary
land.
1t was only by taking advantage Of the
people, that the objectional laws were passed.
So soon as the people became aware Of what
the Governor and his Council were determined
on doing, and the parliament assembled in
full numbers, all the church laws from 1897
we're repealed. This was done before the ac-
ton of the Queen was known.
Another law was enacted which, to all in
tents and purposes, established the Church of
England as the Church Of the colony. The
Objectionable features of the previous enact
ments we're, however, left out, and religious
liberty was granted to all sects. This law
continued in force until after the Revolution
of ITS.
The disputes of the inhabitants amongst
themselves, and the invasion of the French
and Spanards, accompanied with the ravages
of the yellow fever in 1905, had involved the
colony in debt and materially impeded its
progress. During the administration of john
son, but few immigrants were received into
the colony, whilst some few persons emigrated.
The population of the State in the latter
part of 1908, was $3.50. Of this number,
1850 we're free white men, and 900 free white
women. In the colony there we're l2O white
servants, one half Of whom we're males and
the other half females The excess of the
male population over the female, is accounted
for by the fact that many single men came
over from various portions of Europe. In the
colony there were 1900 negro slaves, 1900 of
whom we're male There were also 1900 ne
gro children in the colony. These also were
slaves. Besides the whites and negroes above
enumerated, there were, at the time mention
ed, 14O0 Indian slaves in the colony. Ofthe
$3.50 inhabitants, 1850 we're free, and the re-
mainder, $500, were either slaves or in a
state of servitude. Near one-third of the
whole population was in Charles Town.
The negros slaves were Africans, stolen from
their native land by the nations of Europe
and brought to America. For number of
years, the traffic in negroes was carried on be-
tween the islands of Barbados and Jamaica
and South Carolina. The first negro slaves
that were ever brought into the State we're
brought from Barbados, by Joseph Yeamans,
shortly after the colony was planted. The
first negro slaves that were ever brought into
the English colonies in America, were brought
in the month Of August, 1620-two hundred
and 6fty-fve years ago. These were brought
by the Dutch. The Indian slaves were cap
tives reduced to bondage, or captives sold by
their enemies.
The colony was weakened by the yellow
fever and other causes, during the five years
preceding 1908, about Two hundred adults t;
whilst the children had increased five hundred
during the same period. In those FIVE years,
five hundred negroes had been imported into
the State.
The military strength of the province was
nine hundred and fifty white men. These
were organized into two regiments, consisting
of eight companies in each regiment The
French, on Santee, had one company offorty-
FIVE men, and patrol of ten men: The Gov:
ernor's body-guard consisted Of forty men.
By an act of the Assembly, each captain was
required to arm, with gun or lance, and drill
an able-bodied negro slave for every white
man in his company. This would make the
military force of the State about two thousand.
The commerce of the colony was Carried on
with the English colonies in the North, with
the islands South, and with England. The
principle exports were rice, pitch, tar, SKINS
of various kinds, barrel slaves and white oak
timber. Some silk was also exported. In
dian slaves were sent to Boston, Rhode Island,
Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia, and
Sold To Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua, and
the Bahama Islands, slaves, hoops, shingles,
beef, pork, rice, tallow, butter, peas and leath-
er were sent and exchanged for molasses, su-
gar cotton, salt, negro slaves and various
other articles of use or ornament. Among
the exports of the colony were candles, made
of myrtle berries, and large amount of the
imports consisted in wines, braudies and rum.
The commerce of the colony would have
been much greater, had it not been on account
of the heavy duties which were imposed on
all goods, either exported or imported. These
duties had been greatly increased by the re-
cent wars BY the expedition against st.
! Augustine, and the more recent invasion of