Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-01-30

orders issued by that body, is in these
words: "All the inhabitants on the
other part of the river, called Oyster
Point, doe repaire to the plantation
there now in possession of Hugh Car.
terette Cooper, and being soc EN-.
bodyed, doe march forward to The
plantation now in possession Of Mr.
Thomas Norris, or Mr.. William Nor,
rill, which may be thought most safe
and useful for that design, under the
command Of Mr. Robert Donne, there
to remayne and exercise such order.
and rules as the Grand Council shall
think fit to be prosecuted for the
better safety Of that part Of this set.
tlement"
The town was, by order, or rather
by the consent Of the Grand Council
laid out by John Culpepper in 1872
The warrant issued by Governor Yea.
mans to Surveyor General Culpepper
bears date of July, 1872. The spot
attracted a considerable number OF
inhabitants; but owing to the hostile
disposition of the Indians and the
fear of the Spanish invasion, the set
tiers generally preferred that section
which was most densely populated.
In 1878 John Culpepper got into 6
difficulty with the authorities Of the
Ashley river colony and went to the
Albemarle colony. There, in 1877, he
got into a more serious difficulty
which has, with some good ground
been regarded as the beginning OF
forcible resistance to the British gov
ernment in America. This was about
one hundred years before the Ameri-
can Revolution, and more than fifty
years before Carolina was divided into
North and South Carolina. Culpep-
per's difficulty In Albemarle colony
was simply this: The British gov
ernment levied special tax of two
pence on every pound Of tobacco
sold in the colony, or not sent to
England. The object, evidently was
to give England a monopoly Of the
tobacco trade. At the time man
by the name of Miller filled the Offices
of governor, collector and secretary
of the colony. He proceeded to COL
iect the tax on tobacco, and made
himself both odious and oppressive to
the people. Culpepper resisted his
acts. The governor was seized, and
all the money found in his possession
was taken from him and appropri-
ated to the resistance of what the
people thought high handed measures
and to the defense of the colony. The
fact that Albemarle colony now
since it did not have to pay a ta1
en-tebacee. enjoyed great. aAazan.
tage over the colonies in Virginia
and Maryland, made the latter dis.
contented.
A plan was set on foot to subdue
Culpepper, and In order that he might
receive justice, he went to England
for the purpose of making an appeal
to the ruling sovereign for a repeal
Of the tax and to beg for mercy fol
having resisted royal authority. He
was arrested; but Shaftesbury man
aged to get the matter quashed, fear
ing lest 1t would ultimately come
before the House of Commons and
put an end to his ministry. Shaftes-
bury openly declared that the laws
of England did not extend to the re-
mote and insignificant province OF
Carolina, and that the difficulty was
only a petty feud amongst the people
of Albemarle and their rulers. 1t Is
hard to reconcile this declaration OF
Shaftesbury with the fact that Miller
had collected, by authority, fourteen
thousand dollars off the people Of AL
bemarle.
The Streets of Charleston.
So soon as he was out Of this diff
Guilty, Culpepper came to Caroline
and engaged in laying out the original
streets of what is now the city OF
Charleston. This was in 1880: but In
1879, the people generally had be-
come disposed to cross over the Ash.
ley river and settle on Oyster Point
The proprietors were duly informed
of this fact, and also Of the advan-
tage to be gained by making change
In the location of the colony. This
met the hearty appreciation Of the
proprietors. On the 18th Of May
1880, they wrote to the governor and
Grand Council in the following words:
I'VE again desire you take notice that
the Oyster Point is the place that we
do appoint for the Porte Towne wch
(which) you are to call Charles
Towne," &c. The same instructions,
in almost the Identical words, had
been sent to the governor and Grand
Council by the Richmond frigate, on
the 18th of December, 1879. We quote
those of May, 1880, to show that the
proprietors felt much interest in the
contemplated change Of location. No
doubt, before the last instructions ar
rived, the change had been affected.
All the public offices had been re-
moved to Oyster Point, and at that
point the Grand Council was sum-
moned to convene. The town, In
obedience to the instructions Of the
proprietors. was duly named Charles
Town. For the first two years it was,
in contradistinction from the place
that had been left, called New
Charles Town: but, gradually, Old
Charles Town was abandoned, and
until after the close Of the Revolu-
tionary war, the name Of Charles
Town was retained.
The streets were ordered to be
laid out east and west intersected by
others at right angles. This, no
doubt, was done at least as we'll as
the nature Of the location and the
circumstance of the case would ad-
NIT. The proprietors were particular
to enjoin it upon the governor and
Council to pay particular attention
to the regularity and straightness OF
the streets" The houses were
not built so as to correspond with
the surveyors lines. The Sec
ton of the city first laid out was
that which at present lies between