Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-04-09
Mutes pf Travelim Gmrupe.
OBSERVATIONS ON IRELAND.
BY REV. r. LATHAM.

BY REV. r. LATHAM.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.]
The last sketch closed, if my memory
serves me correctly, with brief notice of
the town of Lisburn, on the river Lagan.
I shall begin this sketch with description
of the old town of Carrickfergus.
It was from the region of country around
Carrickfergus, that a majority of the first
settlers of Lancaster county, S. g., emigrated.
Among these was the father and mother
of Andrew Jackson, the seventh President
of the United States. Such being the case,
ought to feel, and I have no doubt do feel,
an interest in Carrickfergus. York county
ought to feel an interest in Andrew Jack
son. 1t has been strenuously contended
that President Jackson was native of
North Carolina, and not of South Carolina.
The facts in the case, as / learned them
when boy from an individual who knew
them, are about as follows: The home of
the parents of President Jackson was, be-
yond all controversy, in South Carolina.
On the night before the future President was
born, his mother went to the house of a
friend to spend the night. During the night
Andrew Jackson was born. The friend in
whose house he was born, lived in North
Carolina. Andrew Jackson always claimed
that he was South Carolinian.
It, however, does not make any great diff
ference where "Old Hickory" was born, but
it does make some difference where he was
educated. 1t makes material difference
on any man where he was educated, and es-
pecially how he was educated. Such being
the case, York county ought to feel proud of
Andrew Jackson, for part of his education
was received in York county. The school
house stood on the east side of Big Allison
Creek, on the plantation now owned by Mr..
Alexander A. Barron. Among the school
fellows of Andrew Jackson were William
Smith. afterward Judge Smith, and William
G.. Davis, afterward Rev. William G. Davis.
On the same day, tradition relates, Andrew
Jackson gave both William Smith and Will
liam C. Davis sound thrashing. Both Da-
Wis and Smith were men of might in their
day. w. G. Davis, notwithstanding all his
wild theological speculations, was a man of
prodigious intellectual powers, and Judge
Smith was a man of eminence and the faith
er of the doctrine of Estates Rights" not
in the extreme to which it was afterward
carried, but in its proper sense. The thrash
ing Of two such boys in the same day had,
no doubt, something to do in shaping the
course of Andrew Jackson's conduct during
life. Jackson and Smith were near the same
age, but Davis must have been several years
their senior. One thing is certain, they did
not "hack" Jackson, and he never was
hacked. But I did not begin to write BIZ
ography of either President Jackson, Judge
William Smith, or Rev. William G.. Davis.
What has been said was suggested by the
old town Carrickfergus, from the neighbor-
hood of which the parents of jackson came
to South Carolina.
Carrickfergus is distant, in a northeastern
direction from Belfast, about ten miles.
Here | may remark that an Irish mile is, If
my memory serves me correctly, two thou
sand and twenty-five yards, or two hundred
and siXty-five yards longer than our mile.
Carrickfergus is on the west bank of the
Lough of Belfast. On the opposite bank,
and about seven miles distant,i is the town of
Bangor, made illustrious on account Of the
ministerial labors of that great and good
man, Rev. Robert Blair
From Belfast, Carrickfergus may be reach
ed either by water or by land. Steamboats,
are constantly plying between Belfast, Ban
gor and Carrckfergus. During certain sea-
sons of the year, pleasure boats leave, per-
haps, every hour. The ride is delightful.
Each boat has on board band Of music.
Sometimes the Lough seems to be literally
covered with these pleasure boats. The
pa ssengcrs are generally young people, who
are anxious to find some place to breathe out
the "tender tale" The Lough of Belfast
certainly is admirably adapted for this, fully
as we'll, one would think, as the ''milk-white
thorn" of which Burns speaks.
Late in the afternoon of one OF lreland'S
long summer days-about eighteen hours
the care-worn sons and daughters of toll get
on one Of these pleasure boats; and for an
hour bid an adieu to 1.-The cares that infest
the day" The only thing which is at all
likely to interfere with these pleasure boats
and interrupt the enjoyment of those on
board, is a fog. There is very little danger
of being visited with that horrible malady
sea-sickness. The shore is in sight nearly, or
quite, all the distance, and the banks of the
Lough are ornamented with beautiful resi-
dences.
The atmosphere is ightful-bracingly
cold-even in July. All this is delightful,
but almost in a moment, without any warn
ing whatever, dense fog will descend upon
the Lough and shut out the light Of day.
1t is darkness like that which spread over
the realm of Pharoah-a darkness that alb
solutely can be felt. The fog horns now
begin to sound, and in the language of
an old poet, every one "holds the mouth to
to keep silence" The feeling is awful. 1t
is indescrbable. The boats move slowly,
or do not move at all. The band stops
playing, and anxiety is depicted in every
face. sometimes the fog lasts for hours, but
often only for a very short time. "a wee
blast of wind" said an Irishman, liver
sends it ava" This is true but the wind
must be from the north and not from the
south.
Carrickfergus may be reached from Bel
fast by railroad. The track of this road runs
Just by the side of the Lough for the entire
distance. In fact, the bed of the road at
some points, near Belfast, is where the sea
once was. This road might very we'll be
fast to Carrickfergus, thence to Larne, and
at Larne it turns landward to Ballymena,
a distance of about twenty-five miles.
From Belfast to Carricktergus by railroad,
the scenery is varied. On the right, large
pateaus of land, which are covered once in
every twenty-four hours by the tide, are
seen. Thousands Of hungry sea-gulls are
seen flying about in all directions, and occa-
sionaly an old boat lying in the mud.
Those portions of land which are covered
by the rising tide, to me present pecu-
larly desolate appearance. On the left,
which is west of the railroad, the scenery is
The country is in fair state
of cultivation and the inhabitants seem to
be in thriving condition. On the rail-
road, as we Americans say, there are sew
eral 'depot-towns," and two-White House
and White Abbey y-of considerable size and
The population of White Abb
hey is something more than twelve hundred,
and that of White House, little less.
Carrickfergus, the population of which,
Townland, at present, isabout ora
little more than, ten thousand, is one of the