Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-02-13
HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
From the First Settlement to the Close or
the Revolution.
BY REV. ROBERT LATHAM. ID. ID.

I Whilst he was governor Of the colony,
in May 1891, an act was passed and
ratified in open Parliament for the
better encouragement Of the set
tlement Of South Carolina" In this
act 1t was declared, "for the sake Of
the Protestant religion and for the ad-
vancement Of the interest Of the lords
proprietors, and for the preservation
of justice and equity, that all and every
French Protestant or person born In
Switzerland, at present in South Car
olina, or who shall be in 1t in the year
1892, shall be adjudged free born to
all intents and purposes as II born In
the province" The English portion Of
the inhabitants complained loudly on
account Of these and other equally
great privileges granted to the French
and Swiss immigrants. BY special
favor Of the proprietors, the county Of
Craven, the section in which the HUI
guenots had settled, was entitled to six
representatives in the Colonial Parlia-
ment. Thus, 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
unaerved his energies.
Smith was strictly charged to en-
force, by law, the collection Of the un-
paid quitrents and to supervise the
collector of these quitrents. This was
an onerous task. The people had pre-
viously determined not to pay these
quitrents, and every effort to collect
them stirred up the embers of opposi-
tion which the popular breeze soon
tors threatened to dispossess the land
holders In the event the quitrents were
not paid. On the other hand, the
people. led by James Moore, a bold
spirit, defiantly 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
opposition to paying the quitrents go,
that a number Of individuals, rather
than be, as they thought, trampled In
the dust, left the colony, and others
made preparations to leave. The gov
ernor himself concluded that harmony
could not be established in the colony
between the proprietors and people,
and amongst the people themselves.
In October, 1894, he wrote to the pro-
prietors that he had concluded, with
others to leave Carolina and go to
some other section Of the New World.
Before 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 proprie-
tors. Thomas Smith did not as he in
timated to the proprietors leave the
colony but remained and became the
founder of an honorable and useful
family.
Origin of Jury Drawing.
It was during the administration OF
Smith, or possibly during that Of Lud-
we'll, that the mode Of drawing jurors,
so long practiced in the state, was in
augurated. 1t has without sufficient
evidence been regarded as the result
Of the profound meditations Of the i'm
mortal John Locke. 1t is not to be
found in either the charter Of King
Charles, or in the Fundamental Con-
stitutions Of the proprietors. The pro-
cess was simply this: The names Of
all the free men in the colony or pre-
cinct, were written on slips Of paper
Of the same size and appearance, and
placed in a box prepared for the pur-
pose. From this box child which
could not. read, drew the required
number Of persons. The idea seemed
to have been suggested by the ancient
statues and painting Of the goddess of
justice. Truth was painted naked, and
justice blind. 1t matters not who orig
mated the process Of drawing jurors
in South Carolina, 1t was an honor to
the originator and a blessing to those
who were permitted to practice it.
introduction Of Rice.
1t has been customary to date the
introduction Of rice into South Caro-
lima at the time Of Smiths adminfstra-
ton. The circumstances Of the intro
duction of this staple commodity into
the state may be briefly related thus.
A ship, on her voyage from the island
of Madagascar, on the coast Of Africa
to England, touched near Charleston
a-d anchored off Sulivans island. The
captain of the vessel invited Thomas
Smith to visit him, which he did. The
captain gave Smith a 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 1t
ultimately became an important article
of food in the colony and source of
great wealth to the planters. The per-
iod at which this took place has, with
out sufficient reason been regarded as
the time that Smith was governor.
In 1881 during the administration OF
Seth Sothell, the parliament granted
Peter Jacob Guerard what might, with
propriety, be called a patent for a
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. 72. From the
wording of this act, 1t is clear that rice
was cultivated in the colony prior to
1891, and that other engines" had been
invented for husking 1t before the one
brought to perfection by Peter Jacob
Guerard 1t may be that Thomas
Smith introduced the cultivation of
rice into South Carolina, but II he did
and 1t is not certain that he did-it
was several years before he was gov
ernor. In fragment of an early de-
scription Of South Carolina, the fol-
lowing language is found: "a brigantine
from the island of Madagascar, hap
pened to put into that colony; they