The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-27
THE NAME CAROLINA
Mr.. DAWES TAKES ISSUE WITH BISHOP
FITZGERALD.
As to the Origin Of it, An English not Span
ish Charles. Mr.. Monte Writes Of the
Arder of the Churches.
To the Editor:

To the Editor:
In your issue of the Goth instant
Bishop Fitzgerald in his lecture, "a
Glance Before, Around and Ahead" is
reported as saying:
In 1884 was made the visit of tie
first white man to North Carolina. The
name Carolina is masculine i'll its G2ri.
walton. in honor of Charles the Ninth.
This jars on us somewhat; the name
and the land are beautiful enough for
feminine nomenclature. Think of it,
Carolina, Il bearded Spaniard rather
than beautiful woman! This is one of
the surprises of history to some persons.
In the interest of what | believe to be
! correct history, | make bold to say
and hope the Bishop will excuse the
liberty l take-that the statements as to
Carolina and Charles IX. are erroneous.
In the Patent of Charles l., of Eng
land to Sir Robert Heath, Both, October,
1929, after specifying the metes and
bounds of the Province of Carolina, oc-
ours the following:
"Know that we. of our free grace,
certain knowledge and meere motion,
doe thinke fit to erect the sayd Region
and Isles into Province and by the
fulneS of our power and Kingly Au-
thority. for us, our heires and successors,
we doe erect and incorporate them into
Il province, and name the same Carolina,
or the province of Carolina, and the
aforesaid Isles, the Carolanus Isles, and
soc we will that in all times hereafter
they shall be named" See the Colonial
Records of n. c., Vol. 1, page Z.
Carolina was so-caled in the Kings
own honour, Carolus being the Latin
form of Charles. The name Carolina,
with the description and bounds of the
province were afterwards confined and
extended in the charters of 1868, and
1868 of Charles ii. to the Lords Pro
prietors of Carolina.
This is the first and, so far as this
writer knows, the only official and au-
thentic record of the origin Of the name
Carolina as applied to this State. 1t
is held by some that the name originated
with the French. and was given i'll honor
of their king, Charles TX, and this is no
doubt true, so far as it concerned their
little colonies AT Port Royal in what
was afterwards South Carolina, and in
Florida: but the name applied in those
instances only to the particular locality
or fort-"Arx Carolina had no
reference to the vast region afterwards
erected into the Province of Carolina.
This subject has been ably treated by
Prof. Kemp =. Battle in an interesting
article. A quaint letter, of date May
DIST, 172S, printed in the Colonial
Records, vol ,, page 763, states that
the name. on the other hand, was in
honor 0f Charles IN
But Charles TX was surely not "a
bearded Spaniard." as the Bishop would
seem to imply, and the name of our
State is at least free from that associa-
ton or faint. He was King of France,
son of Henri III of that kingdom, as it
then was, and Catherine de Medici, and
his name and that Of his detestable
mother are rendered forever infamous
by the hideous atrocity of the "massa-
ere of st. Bartholomew" August Oath,
1872, which was in great measure their
work. Let no such foul blot be in any
way associated with the fair name of
our State
GRAHAM Dawes,
President Roanoke Colony Memorial
Associa ton
Newborn, n. c.
THE ADVENT OF DENOMINA-
TIONS.
To the Editor: We are under great
obligations to the learned Bishop Fitz-
gerald and also to the scholarly DR. HUFF
r., tI,o 1;o,hf fbav baUo ,oeIoa+oJ