Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-06-17

great privileges granteu W tho 1A
Swiss immigrants. By special favor OF the
proprietors, the county Of Craven, the section
in which the Huguenots had settled, was en-.
titled to six representatives in the Colonial
Parliament. This sometimes this section was
allowed to enjoy, and at other times 1t was
not. This bad state of feeling, or perhaps we
had better say this species of persecution
thwarted the efforts of Thomas Smith to pro-
mote the interest of the colony and unnerved
his energies.
Smith was strictly charged to enforce, by
law, the collection of the unpaid quitrents and
to supervise the collector of these quitrents
This was an onerous task. The people had
previously determined not to pay these quit
rents, and every effort to collect them stirred
up the embers of opposition which the popu'
lar breeze soon kindled into flame. The
proprietors threatened to dispossess the land
holders in the event the q"itrents were not
paid. On the other hand, the people, led by
James Moore, bold spirit, de6antly replied
their title was worthless, since the deeds which
they had made out were only signed by a
part of the proprietors. So far did the oppo'
sition to paying the quitrents 60, that num-
Der of individuals, rather than be, as they
thought, trampled in the dust, left the colony,
and others made preparations to leave. The
Governor himself concluded that harmony
could not be established in the colony between
the proprietors and people, and amongst the
people themselves. In October, 1884, he
wrote to the proprietors that be had conclu-
ded, with Others, to leave Carolina and 60 to
some other section of the New World. Be-
fore he had time to hear from the proprietors,
he resigned his charge, and Joseph Blake was
selected to act as temporary Governor until
another would be commissioned by the pro-
prietors Thomas Smith did not, as he init
mated to the proprietors, leave the colony, but
remained and became the founder of an hon.
orable and useful family.
It was during the administration of Smith,
or possibly during that Of Ludwell, that the
mode of drawing jurors, so long practiced in
the State, was inaugurated. 1t has, without
sufficient evidence, been regarded as the
result of the profound meditations Of the i'm
mortal John Locke. Iti not to be found in
either the charter of King Charles, or in the
Fundamental Constitutions Of the proprietors.
The process was simply this: The names of
all the free men in the colony or precinct,
we're written on slips of paper Of the same
size and appearance, and placed in box pre-
pared for the purpose. From this box a
child which could not read, drew the requisite
number of persons. The idea seems to have
been suggested by the ancient statues and
paintings of the goddess of justice. Truth
was painted naked, and justice blind. 1t
matters not who originated the process Of
drawing jurors in South Carolina, it was an
honor to the originator and a blessing to those
who we're permitted to practice it.
1t has been customary to date the introduce
ton of rice into South Carolina, at the time
ofSmith's administration. The circumstances
of the introduction of this staple commodity
into the State may be briefly related thus A
ship, on her voyage from the island of NADIA
gascar, on the coast of Africa, to England,
touched near Charleston and anchored off
Sullivan's island. The captain of the vessel
invited Thomas Smith to visit him, which he
did. The captain gave Smith bag of rice
This seed he distributed amongst some friends,
Stephen Bull and Joseph Woodward being
of the number. Smith planted the portion
reserved by himself in his garden. 1t was
found that the soil about Charleston was
adapted to the culture of rice, and it ultimate
ly became an important article of food in the
colony and source of great wealth to the
planters. The period at which this took
place has, without sufficient reason, been re-
garded as the time that Smith was Governor.
In 1851, during the administration of Seth
Sothell, the Parliament granted Peter Jacob
Guerard what might, with propriety, be called
patent for "Pendulum Engine, which doth
much better, and in lesse time and labour,
huske rice, than any other heretofore hath
been in use within this Province" Statutes at
Large, No. 70. From the wording Of this
act, it is clear that rice was cultivated in the
colony prior to 1851, and that other "engines"
had been invented for husking it before the
one "brought to perfection" by Peter Jacob
Guerard. 1t may be that Thomas Smith in
troduced the cultivation of rice into South
Carolina, but if he did-and it is not certain
that he did-it was several years before he
was Governor. In fragment of an early
description of South Carolina, the following
language is found: "a brigantine from the
island of Madagascar, happened to put into
that colony they had little seed rice left,
not exceeding peck, or quarter of bushel,
which the captain offered and gave to gen.
tlemau by the name of Woodward from
part of this be had very good CROP"
This extract makes it difficult to say wheth.
er rice was first introduced by Joseph Wood
ward or Thomas Smith. Some years after the
first introduction, gentleman by the name
of Du Bois, treasurer of the East India Com
pany, sent bag of rice to South Carolina.
This gave rise, it is said, to the distinction
which was made in the kinds of rice. One
kind was called red rice, and the other white
rice.
tits probable that the bag of rice sent by
Du Bois arrived during Smiths administra-
ton, and as is reasonable to suppose, was
given to him since he was Governor; and
bonca aone vere led to contlude that the cul-