Spaniards, so that they are not able to send those Commodities to England for a market, neither are sailors here to be had to man their vessels.

I humbly propose that if His Ma". will for a time suspend the Duties upon Commodities, and that upon rice also, it will encourage the Planter to fall vigilantly upon making Pitch & Tar, &c., wch the Lords Prop". ought to make their principal care to obtain from His Ma". being the only way to draw people to settle in their Province, a place of greatest encouragement to ye English Navy in these parts of ye world. Charles Town Bay is the safest port for all Vessels coming thro' the gulf of Florida in distress, bound from the West Indies to the Northern Plantations; if they miss this place they may perish at sea for want of relief, and having beat upon the coast of New England, New York, or Virginia by a North West Wind in the Winter, be forced to go to Barbadoes if they miss this Bay, where no wind will damage them and all things to be had necessary to refitt them. My Lords, I did formerly present Your Lordships with proposals for supplying England with Pitch & Tar, Masts & all of Naval Stores from New England. I observed when I were at York in Sept'. last, abundance of Tar bro'. down Hudson's River to be sold at New York, as also Turpentine & Tar in great quantities from the Colony of Connecticut, I was told if they had encouragement they could load several Ships yearly for England. But since my arrival here I find I am come into the only place for such commodities upon the Continent of America; some persons have offered to deliver in Charlestown Bay upon their own account 1000 Barrels of Pitch and as much Tar, others greater quantities provided they were paid for it in Charles Town in Lyon Dollars passing here at 5o. p'. piece, Tar at 8o. p'. Barrel, and very good Pitch at 12". p'. Barrel, & much cheaper if it once became a Trade. The season for making those Commodities in this Province being 6 mo. longer than in Virginia and more Northern Plantations; a planter can make more tar in any one year here with 50 slaves than they can do with double the number in those places, their slaves here living at very easy rates and with few clothes.

The inclosed I received from M. Girard, a French Protestant living in Carolina. I find them very industrious & good husbands, but are discouraged because some of them having been many years Inhabitants in this Province, are denied the benefit of being Owners & Masters of Vessels, which other the Subjects of His Majesty's Plantations enjoy, besides many of them are made Denizons. If this Place were duly encouraged, it would be the most useful to the Crown of all the Plantations

H

upon the continent of America. a Draft of the Town and Castle of St. Augustine, with a short description of it by a Gentleman who has been often there. It's done exactly true, more for service than for show. The Spaniards now, the French, if ever they get it, will prove dangerous neighbours to this Province, a thing not considered nor provided against by the Lords Proprietors. I am going from hence to Bermuda, with His Ma". Commissioners, to administer the Oath to the Gov'. of that Island, with a Commission for the Judge and other Officers of the Court of Admiralty erected there, from whence I believe it necessary to hasten to the Bahamas Islands, where a Brigantine belonging to New England was carried in as a wreck. The Master & Sailors being pursued by some persons who had commission from Gov. Webb, believing they were chased by Spaniards, forsook their Vessel & went on shore among the Natives to save their lives. All which is humbly submitted by

I herewith enclose to Your Lordships

Your Lordship's

Most humble Servant,

ED. RANDOLPH.

The want of a small Vessel to support the loss of the Frigate, which was appointed by the Lords Commiss". of the Admiralty to transplant me from one Plantation to another, makes me stay a great while at one place for a passage to another, which is uncertain, difficult & dangerous. I have by the extreme of cold last Winter in Maryland and Pennsylvania, & by my tedious passage in the Winter time from New York to this place, got a great numbness in my right leg & foot. I am in hopes this warm climate will restore me to my health. I have formerly wrote to your Board & the Commiss". of H. M. Customs, the necessity of having a Vessel to transport me from one Plantation to another.

I humbly pray Your Lordships favour to direct that the little residence I am to make in these parts of the World, may be in this Province, & that a Vessel well manned may be sent me hither, which may answer all occasion, my intentions being not to lye idle, for when the Hurricane times come in these parts of the World, I can go securely to Virginia, Maryland & Pensylvania & New England, without fear of being driven. from those Plantations by North West Winds, & when they come I can pass from one Plantation to another without difficulty

[William James Rivers], A Sketch of the History of South Carolina (Charleston. 1856), 443-447.

35. A South Carolina Settlement (1742)

BY ELIZA LUCAS

Eliza Lucas was an English girl, upon whom was thrown the burden of carrying on a large estate in South Carolina. She later became the wife of Charles Pinckney, chief justice of South Carolina. - Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 335-356; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 102. — For previous Carolina history, see Contemporaries, I, ch. xii.

I

May 22 1742.

AM now set down my dear Brother to obey your Commands and give you a short description of the part of the World I now inhabit S Carolina then is an Extensive Country near the Sea. Most of the settled part of it is upon a flatt. the Soil near Charles Town sandy but further distant. clay and swamp lands. It abounds with fine navigable rivers and great quan[ti]ties of fine timber-The Country at a great distance that is to say about a hundred and fifty mile from C Town very hilly The soil in general very fertile and there are few European or American fruits or grain but what grow here the Country abounds with wild fowl Venison and fish Beef Veal and Mutton are here in much greater perfection than in the Islands tho' not equal to that of England - Fruit extreamly good and in profusion, and the oranges exceed any I ever tasted in the West Indies or from Spain or Portugal. The people in general hospitable and honest and the better sort add to these a polite gentile behaviour. The poorer sort are the most indolent people in the world, or they would never be wretched in so plentiful a country as this. The winters here are fine and pleasant but 4 months in the year are extreamly disagreeable excessive hott much thunder and lightening and musketoes and sand flies in abundance C Town the Metropolis, is a neat pretty place the inhabitants polite and live a very gentile manner the streets and houses regularly built. the ladies and gentlemen gay in their dress. upon the whole you will find as many agreeable people of both sexes for the size of the place as almost any where S Phillip's Church in C Town is a very Elegant one and much frequented. there are sever! more places of publick Worship in the town and the generality of people of a religious turn of mind.

I began in haste and have observed no method or I should have told you before I came to Summer, that we have a most charming Spring in this Country especially for those who travel through the Country for the

Scent of the young Myrtle and yellow Jessamine with which the woods abound is delightful. The staple commodity here is rice and the only thing they export to Europe. Beef, Pork and Lumber they send to the West Indies. . .

Sept 8 1742.

Wrote to Miss Mary Fayweather in Boston. The same time wrote my Father a full and long acc of 5 thousand Spainyards landing at S' Symons. We were greatly alarmed in Carolina; 80 prisoners now in Cr Town, they had a large fleet, but were scattered by bad weather. Our little fleet from Carolina, commanded by Cap! Hardy could not get to y Gen assistance, the Enemy were sailed to St Marks. 'Tis said Capt. Hardy instead of cruising off St Augustine barr where it was probable he would find them returned with all the men to C Town, wch has greatly disgusted the Gov! and Council as well as the rest of the Inhabitance. There is sent now 3 Men of Warr and 4 provincial vessels under the command of Capt. Frankland. Sent my father his kettle Drums, informed him of M! Smith seling the rum he sent us, and giving away the preserved sorrel, tho' he assured us it was by mistake put on board a vessel going to Barbadoes and carried there. Sad wretch. Sent for Cowcumber seed - Polly gone to school at M Hicks's at 140 pound

per annum.

Eliza Lucas, Journal and Letters (edited by Mrs. H. P. Holbrook, Wormsloe, 1850), 17-20 passim.

36. Routine in Maryland (1754)

BY GOVERNOR HORATIO SHARPE

Sharpe was governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768; his efficiency is well shown by the extract below. - Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, III, 553-562, V, 270-272; J. T. Scharf, Maryland, I, 442 ff.; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 101. For earlier Maryland history, see Contemporaries, I, ch. xi.

IN

N obedience to your Ldps Instructions I have transmitted Copies of all the Laws made at a Session of Assembly begun & held at Annapolis in this Province the 2d of Oct 1753 & have fulfilled your Lordsp's pleasure by inclosing therewith a few Observations for the more easy reference to any thing new or of an extraordinary nature by

any of them enacted. Such a Bill as your Lordship was pleased to recommend in your Instructions for the Naturalization of German Protestants importing themselves into this Province was brought into the Lower House of Assembly in the Oct' Session but did not pass through, however these people suffer no great Inconveniences from the want of such a Law, as there is an Act of Parliament in force in England naturalizing all such Foreigners after a few years Residence in any of His Majesty's Plantations. Advising with your Lordship's Agent & Judge of the Land Office about having parcells of Land surveyed in the sev ́eral Counties & erected into Mannours I was informed that there is not remaining a Tract of Land (unless one in the Lower part of the Eastern Shore that I have a prospect of Discovering & the Barrens) extensive enough to answer that purpose in any part of the province, except in Frederick County near the Frontiers, & there are two mannours surveyed & reserved in that County already; if I should by any enquiries get knowledge of Vacancy which will answer that End, or Land contiguous fit to be added to the Mannours already laid out & erected, I will punctually obey your Lordships Instructions. Your Ldp's Expectations of having what Land remains vacant in the more populous parts of the Country sold off at more advanced prices, cannot I am afraid, be answered as much as I wish; The Method always followed here of locating Land Warrants by selecting the most rich & fertil Land without regarding any regularity of its Area, or making one of its Courses coincide with the Boundary of the adjacent prior patented Tract, has left the Land hitherto remaining Vacant & uncultivated, in such irregular small & incommodious parcells that it is thought scarcely worth any ones While but those on whose possessions it joins, to take it up even at the common Rate. I observed in a Letter to your Ldp's Secretary soon after my Arrival that in some of the Counties there is supposed to be a considerable number of Acres, for which your Ldp receives no Rent. . . .

I have herewith sent for your Ldp's information & satisfaction an exact State of the worth of the respective Ecclesiastical Benefices in the province at this time; your Ldp will see that the Divisions already made have reduced most of them to a very moderate Value. The misinformation that had been given me made me represent untruly the Income of some of those that are now vacant, which Error your Ldp will be hereby enabled to rectify. . . . Your Ldp's distinguishing marks of Favour to M' Bacon & M Malcolm were delivered them the same Day who expressed a dutiful sense of & thankfulness for the honour your Ldp had