The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-10

the Initiated. Iue peOplS nave the pO-
liteness of the old school, and if they
disagree in matters public or private
they wash their soiled garments, as it
were, in the back yard. Darien has no
boons, and seems satisfied with its
calm, dignified and comfortable exist
ence. No community in Georgia, how
ever. not even Savannah, the patriarch
of Georgia's cities, Is more replete with
historic material than this old Scotch
settlement.
Brawny men in kits once marched
along the bluff of Darien to the mar
tial music of the bagpipe, and in harsh
Gaelic told their tales of love, war and
woe. The descendants of those brave
Highlanders who settled on the banks
of the Altamaha, are to be found to-
day among the best of Americas citi-
zens.
The first public road built in the col
ony was that from Savannah to Darien
to give access by land to Oglethorpe's
town of Frederica. This highway is
what is known in Savannah as the
Ogeechee road, and began at Bull street
about where the Pulaski monument
stands. Gen. Oglethorpe, in one of his
letters, mentions that he had sent men
to run the traverse line from Savan-
nan to Fort Argyle to Darien, whence
to this place CFrederica), is only six
teen miles by water
Darien OK New Inverness, as the
town was called. Darien being the
general name of the settlement, was
founded by Highlanders, men who sung
Charley over the water" and who
were encouraged to cross the water to
where their patriotic song could do
no harm. They fought as valiantly
against the Spaniards as they did
against the enemies of the Stuarts,
and later on they or their descend
ants fought for American freedom.
New Inverness was named from the
town in Scotland where the emigrants
were collected. These Highlanders
were picked men and commanded by
| officers who were members of the
best families in the Highlands, but
whose political sympathies, like those
of their followers, had been with the
Pretender. They sailed from Scotland
in 1875, under the command of Capt.
! George Dunbar, and landed in the
colony early in January, 1886. The
| country about, New Inverness was
| called "Darien" in remembrance. of
the disastrous attempt, 3S years pre-
| vious, to found a Scotch settlement
/ on the Isthmus of Darien, then a
| part of Spain's territory in America
| This was one of the schemes known
as the South Sea Bubble Millions in
money and thousands of men where
lost in such chimerical enterprises, and
| the speculation of the times almost
bankrupted the people of Great Brit
ain.
Gen. Oglethorpe, in letter written
aboard ship 'in Tybee Creek" says
"Some of the Carolina people on their
| (the Highlanders)s first landing near
| Savannah, strove to discourage them
| by saying that the Spaniards would
shoot them, as they stood upon the
ground where we placed them, from
the houses in the fort. Why, said the
! Highlandmen, we will beat them out
| OF their fort, and shall have houses
ready built to live in They have
mounted battery of four pieces of
! cannon, built guard house, a store
| house, a chapel and several huts."
From this letter it appears that Mr..
Hugh Mackay was in command of the
Highlanders at Darien.
]
The settlers of Darien were early
called upon to defend the colony from
the attacks of the Spaniards, and. did
their full share Of fighting. at Bloody
Marsh and in the invasion of Florida.
| The losses of the Highlanders in the
| campaign against st. Augustine, 1t Is
| said seriously effected the prosperity
OF the settlement. They had no time
to cultivate the land. The Highland
ers liked to fight and Cen Oglethorpe
! INDUCED them in their liking. Doubt
| less nothing was thought of this, as
! in those days the English had much
the same opinion of Scotchmen that
Gen. Sheridan. only few years since,
had of Indians, that is, that a good
| Scotchman, especially If he was a
| Highlander, was dead Scotchman.
In closing decades of the seventeenth
| and first of the eighteenth century
the Scottish plaid and tartan were
outlawed 1t is different to-day; the
Highlander and his dress are honored
| throughout Christendom, and a
Scotchman is as loyal, If not more so,
| to the King than the Englishman him
self. He Is more British than the
Briton.
Darien, however, passed through the
troubles of colonial days and became
! the second city of Georgia, with a COM
merce rivaling that of Savannah, un-
| til the coming of the railroad. For
some reasons ITS merchants failed to
avail themselves of the new method
Of building up cities, and other cities
advanced rapidly in business and pop
ulation. Darien was satisfied to move
| slowly II is a fact. however. that the
little city Is much larger to-day than
! It was forty years ago. 1t has never
ceased to be the center of a large tim
| Der and lumber trade, and its mer-
chants are known the world over for
their honor and integrity. The Al
tamaha brings upon its golden bosom
the wealth OF the forests Of Georgia,
and Darien to-day represents more
than what is embraced within It's cor
! perate limits. 1t Is headquarters for
! the lumber business at st. Simon's
Island, Satilla river, Doboy and other
| places. It's merchants control vast
! tracts of forests and many saw mills
along rivers and railroads. These in
| vestments and industries. to a great
| extent, concentrate in Darien.
Among the industries of Darien
eighty years ago. was the manufacture
/ OF rum from sugar cane. The best
! New England rum" and pure "Jamai-
! ca rum" were the products OF McIn-
| tosh county sugar plantations. / heard
| o story while In Darien to the effect
| thst many years since cargo OF Da-
rien rum which had by some chance
got to Wilmington, N. c.. was seized
| by the customs officers for a violation
| of the revenue laws the officials in