Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-01-16
HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
From the First Settlement to the Close of
the Revolution.
From the Yorkville Enquirer Of 1875.
INSTALLMENT V.
The | ords Proprietors

| The Lords Proprietors.
| Precisely two hundred and five
years ago, South Carolina was first
permanently settled by Europeans.
For ages-how long no one can tell
it had been in the possession Of a
people whose origin is as mysteri-
Gus as their end was tragical. Car
olina then, was one unbroken forest
from the mountains to the seaboard.
The grandeur of the scene ravished
the sight of the colonists. The air
was loaded with the odors of un-
| cultivated flowers, and from every
tree proceeded charming notes made
by birds of the richest plumage. IL
| was in reality a New World to the
newly arrived immigrants. They
had never seen anything like 1t be-
fore, and the accounts which they
had heard concerning 1t, and which
they had regarded as extravagant,
fell far short of the reality. The
forest was full of wild animals or
different kinds many Of which have
long since disappeared from the state.
So numerous were the deer, that an
eyewitness said "the whole country
seems but one continuous park.
Hunters often killed, in a single year,
| two hundred. Bears were In great
numbers and the wolves made night
! hideous with their howlings These
are nearly all gone. They fled on
| the approach of civilization, and the
forest in which they found a home,
| melted before the axe Of the Euro
| pean. When imagination paints the
territory now Occupied by the state
of South Carolina, as it was two
| hundred years ago, and we take a
survey of it as it now is, feeling
of sadness creeps over the soul.
We almost wish we could turn the
| wheels Of time back two hundred
years that our senses might be raw
ished with the primitive grandeur OF
nature. This we cannot do. The
best that can be done at present, is
to gather up the fragments of the
history of these early times and
string them together as pearls.
1t was the intention Of the pro-
prietors to settle a colony at Port
Royal. They had attempted to
plant colonies at Cape Fear and
Albemarle, in the present state Of
North Carolina; and not being as
successful, at these points, as they
desired, they were anxious to make
an attempt in a more southern por-
ton of the territory granted them
by Charles the Second. To accom-
plish this desire, the proprietors
made ample arrangements. Three
vessels, and supplies for eighteen
months, were provided. William
Sayle was appointed governor; Jo-
seph West, commander-in-chief of
the fleet; Henry Bairne, commander
Of one of the vessels; and John Riv-
ers was placed in charge of the mill
itary stores. Sayle's commission
bears date of July 26, 1863. In jan
uary, 1870, the colonists set out for
their point of destination, and on the
18th of March, they effected a land
ing. Here they remained for only a
short time and went to a high point
on the west bank of the Ashley riv-
er. This they called Albemarle
Point. To Sayle was given, not only
commission but also instructions.
The intention of the proprietors
juts out prominently in the instruc-
tions given to Governor Sayle and
| the other officers. For this reason
! they should be generally known.
The proprietors were aware that 1t
| would be impossible to put the
Fundamental Constitutions" which
they called the grand model" into
execution on the first arrival Of immi-
grants. Hence, provision was made
for a temporary deviation from its
| requirements. 1t was, however, en-
joined upon Sayle that he "come" as
nigh the grand model as practicable.
Sayle was instructed to call the free
people of the colony together. so
soon as he arrived, and hold an cleo
ton for five individuals who together
with the five deputies appointed by
| the proprietors and the governor
| would constitute the council.
| Whether Sayle did this at Port
Royal, or whether he waited until
after the arrival at Ashley river, or
whether he did it at all, does not
appear from any record. We may
reasonably suppose that he carried
out his instructions and that the
election was held at Port Royal, and
| that it was in accordance with the
advice of this council that the settle
ment was made at Ashley river,
rather than at Port Royal. The five
members elected by the people were
| required to swear allegiance to the
King of England, and subscribe fl
deity and submission to the proprie-
tors and the form of the government
| by them established. 1T was, how
| ever, granted to any one who had
| conscientious scruples about swear
| ing according to the prescribed
form, ito subscribe to the same in a
| book provided for the purpose, and
| this subscribing shall be deemed the
same with swearing" 1t was en-
| joined upon the governor and the
council to select a proper location
for a fort and place upon 1t, when
erected, guns which would command
all the streets of the town. This
goes to indicate that no settlement
was. in fact, commenced at Port
| Royal From all the circumstances
with which these immigrants were
surrounded, we may conclude that
among the first things they would
undertake. would be the building of
fort. This they did the moment
they arrived at Ashley river. and it
was we'll that they did.
The instructions given to Joseph
West, the commander-in-chie of the
| fleet are more in detail, and even
more interesting than those given to
Governor Sayle. In fact, the du-
| ties of Admiral West resembled those