USA > South Carolina > A sketch of the history of South Carolina to the close of the proprietary government by the revolution of 1719. With an appendix containing many valuable records hitherto unpublished > Part 35
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I humbly pray Your Lordships favour to direct that the little
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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
S. P. O. Nº. CAROLINA, B T. VOL. 3, p. 177.
From Charles Town in South Carolina.
14 March, 1698-9. People.
The Number and quantity of the French Protestants, Refugees of the French Church of Charles Town, is 195
The quantity of the French Protestants of the French Church of Goes Creek, is 31
The quantity of the French Protestants of ye Eastern
branch of Cooper River, is . 101 The number and quantity of the French Protestants of the French Church of Santee River, is 111
Total of the French Protestants to this day in Carolina, 438
I may undertake myself to procure every year, at the end of the bridge of Charles Town, fifteen hundred barrels of good tar, at Ss. per barrel.
Fifty thousand weight of pine gum, at 10. pr. cwt., and a parcel of cyprus masts for the second and third rate of the English Man of War.
Per me PETER GIRARD.
S. P. O. PROPRIETIES. B. T., VOL. 3, c. 19.
Ed. Randolphe to the Earl of Bridgewater. 22 March, 1698-9.
Charles Town in South Carolina, March 224, 1698-9.
May it please Yor. LoP.,
About the 10th of January past, one Cutler came from London hither with his Wife, he gave out that he had a Commission from his Majesty to search for Mines in this Province, his Wife has brought over with her a stock and keeps a Miliner Shop in this
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Town, he expects one Green to follow him, equally concerned with him (as he says,) in the search for mines, but neither he nor Green have been formerly in this Province. I hear from an intimate freind of Cutler's, that his dependance is wholy upon one Edward Loughton, (whose wives Sister Cutler married in London,) And one David Maybanck (another relation by Marriage, ) to assist him, they have no knowledge of mines, further then what they have heard Indian Traders who live in the Savanore Town discourse, "that there are Mines about that place, as 'tis comonly said there are in other places in the Province ; that which is talked of is 30 or 40 miles down the Savanore River, taken up when the River is dry, good for little or nothing.
Loughton and Maybanks are both house Carpenters and have lived about 16 years in this Town, they were in London not long agoe, 'tis probable they might infuse notions of Mines into Cutler & Green. That they knew where there were mines, and easily to be found if they could get a Comission from His Majesty to search, and some persons of quality to countenance them and money to bear their charges ; They returned about 5 years after. Now whether they are joyned with Cutler and Green is best known to your Lordship.
Cutler talks of going to the Savanore Town, about 120 miles from hence, with Loughton & Maybanks, to speak with the Indian Traders, he premises great matters to those who inform him of Mines. He has lately discoursed that your Lordship, the Earl of Pembrook & Mr. Blathwayt, are principally concerned. That your Lordships have got them a Commission to pay their passage & travelling charges.
My Lord,
I did enquire of a Gent. living in this Country, what profit has arisen to his Majesty by the 4th part of the Gold & Silver Mines in this Province, or whether they have given encouragement to any persons to discover them and work them. I hear of none.
Some time after, upon a Report that I was going to England, he sent me a letter, a Copy whereof I humbly inclose to your Lordr., weh. I intended to shew to the Chancellor of the Excheqr. if I went home, or to transmit it to his LordsP. by the next shipp- ing. But since I find that your Lorr., the Earl of Pembroke, to whom I have the honour to be known, and M. Blathwayt, are all engaged in the same design to promote the lasting benefit of Ilis Majesty and his Kingdomes, I do therefore humbly inclose a Copy thereof to Mr. Blathwayt, in case any should miscarry, how far your LordP. now will please to communicate this to the Chan- cellor of the Excheqr., I humbly submit to your Lordship.
Mr. James Moore (who sent me ye letter, ) is a Gentleman of a good Estate in this Country, he is Seey. of the Province and a Deputy to S. John Colleton, one of the Lords Prop's. He told me when we first discourst about Mines, That if he were impowered
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by His Majesty and had good encouragement for himself and his friend, he would forthwith, upon receipt thereof, take with him 50 White men and 100 of the Chirakues Indians to be his Guard. That he had a Negro Smith. He desired me to be secured against the Lords Proprietors claime ; to have all matters so accomodated that they might not seize upon the produce of his own cost & labour bestowed upon his Majts. 4th Part, Whereas their Lord- ships have 2ths. to set men to work upon for themselves ; That he can employ his Estate & Slaves to greater proffit. As to his own share which may arise to him from the Mines, he wholly submits that to his Majesty and to your Lordships, considering he is at all the charge of the discovering and opening them.
My Lord, As this is a matter of great import to the Crown if it succeed, so if it be not it will proove an utter ruin to Mr. Moor, if the Lords Proprietors know that he hath neglected their Lord- ships and made his proposalls in the first place to your Lordships, he will certainly be a double looser, for besides his great charge & travell to discover the Mines, The Lords Proprs. will, upon the first notice, turn him out of the Councill, and take from him his office of Secrets., and engage the Gov". and Councill against him, to the destruction of himself & numerous family, and at last force him to leave the Country, as has been formerly practised upon men of good Estates in this Province.
Your Lordshipp may please for your further satisfaction of Mr. Moor's quality to be informed of M. W. Thornburgh, now one of the Lords Proprietrs. and his Agent in London, (but of that ten- derly,) as to any share to myself, 'tis his kindness to mention it. I have been for many years alwayes ready to serve ye Crown, if your Lops. please to command, I will attend at Whitehall I am very sensible it will be necessary in many respects. In the mean- time, I humbly pray for the recovering of my health, that I may have leave to make my residence in Carolina in Winter time to avoid the extremity of cold in Virginia, Maryland, or those other Northern Plantations, and that I may have another Vessell that draws much less water then the Swift advice boat, lost by the carelessness of the Commander in Virginia last Winter, with liberty to have an able Coaster, well acquainted with the dan- gerous flats and sands upon all the shoars from this place to New England, where his Maj's. service will very often require me, the loss of that Vessell makes my passage tedious, dangerous and troublesome, I shall thereby be freed from the hurricanes in the extremity of hot weather in these parts of America. All weh. is humbly submitted by
ED. RANDOLPHI.
" Communicated by his Lar. to ye Board."
Recª. ye 15++. Read 19th June, 1699.
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S. P. O. PROPRIETIES, B. T., VOL. 3, c. 21.
[ Capt. Moore] to M. Tho. Cutler. 3 April, 1699.
Apr. 34, 1699.
Mr. CUTLER,
Sr.,-Itt is reported here (how truely I know not) that you are come hither by His Majts. Command, or encouragement to discover and look for Mines of Silver, &c., or to make essay of some already pretended to be discovered, and to give His Majesty a certain relation of the being such a thing, the place where, & its value.
I am exceeding'glad, Sr., to know His Majesty is pleased to take notice of and encourage such a worke, but fearing the unac- quaintance you have with our country, hath made itt too difficult (If not impossable) for you to make any certain discovery of any such thing, or that you may go home wth. some plausable account of such a thing, which, when itt comes to tryall, may be either false or of no value, And thereby his Majesty may be made unwilling to hearken to any other offers made of that nature, tho' certaine, I will give you an Acct, of what observations of that sort I have made in my travels among the Indians. In the year 1691 I made a journey into the Apalathian Mountains, in which journey I took up seaven picces of oar in seaven severall places, which oar I sent to England, by an ingenious freind of mine, to be tryed ; he had itt tryed, and gave me an acct. that two of the seaven pieces proved very rich and one indifferent, the other four of noe vallue. I numbered every peice of Oar, and directed my friend to keep a perticular acet. of the number of every peice of value, for by that I could have gone to the place directed I found the same in, which I doubt not butt he did, and had come hither with it himselfe, If Death had not prevented ; however, with a little more trouble and expence. of time, by the help of my Journale, I can goe to every Individuall place I found all the severall sorts in.
The War between the Crowns of England and France made me forbear to take any notice or make any discovery of this before this time, fearing least the report (which generally in such matters far exceeds the truth) of the richness of these mines, might have encouraged the French King from Europe, or by his American privatearing Subjects, to have invaded this, our little weak Collony, And so we, his Matirs. subjects, have been ruined and the Crowne have lost this Plantation, which I foresee will in time be the most usefull and profitable of any of the American Plantations to his Majesty. Now by the peace between the Emperour and Turk, and the recovery of the King of Spain, the peace between the Crownes of England and France seems better confirm'd and lasting, I hope the richness of these mines will encourage Ilis Majesty, before another War happens (which God avert), to
APPENDIX. 451
people this place so well, either with Souldiers or Planters, the last will be best and cheapest for His Majesty, That we shall have no occasion to fear the attempts of any Foreign power.
I think the workeing of these Mines will be of a vast advantage to the Crowne of England, and the oeeasion of enriching and strengthning this His Majesties weak Plantation.
You may make use of this Information of mine as you think fitt or conveinent, either for eommunieating of itt to the King or the Lords Commissioners of Trade, or to sueh other persons of hon". and interest you think fitting to make the same known to his Majesty. And if his Majesty be pleased to take notice of itt, I desire that a man that perfeetly understands the separation of the silver from the Oar may be sent over to me as soon as possable ; if the thing prove nott good, aeeording to this my Information, I will pay the man's passage hither & home againe, and a reasona- ble Salery for the time he shall be out from home, But expeet then he shall be wholely att my command during that time.
If the thing prove good & well, I doubt nott butt his Majesty will bear all the charge, and consider me, as in such cases is usuall. And I shall deserve, and hop shall nott be the less re- warded, because I putt nott his Majesty to a penny charge unless a certaine profitt be the consequence of what I here propose. After I have satisfied his Majesty that what I now propose will be worth his notice, and he thinks fitt to concern himselfe in it, I will humbly propose to his Majesty, or such other persons as he shall think fit to entrust with the management of this matter, som ways and methods for the working of the same eheape and easy.
J. HORTON .- Witness to the preamble, & that He will justifie whatever is here inserted.
S. P. O. PROPRIETIES. B. T., VOL. 3, c. 20.
" Memorial from M. Tho. Cutler, who is lately returned from " Carolina, where he has been in order to discover Silver " Mines there.
"Recd. & Read June 19th, 1699." [Indorsed.]
To the Right Honble. the Lords Com's., for Trade and Planta- tions.
The Humble Memoriall of Tho. Cutler, Sheweth-
That I arrived with Mr. Good the 4th December last at Charles Town in Carolina ; that we applyed our selves to our Friends there, who had suffered great loss by the late Fire, and were busied in rebuilding their Houses. That during the winter I made it my care and business to get the best acet. and information
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I could possibly procure, in order to farther proceeding in the Spring, when I had the good fortune to be intimately acquainted with one Capt. Moore, a person of known experience, judgment, and great power among the Indians, whom I found to have a more perfect knowledge of the mines than the persons I relyed on, who has given me the accot. I have to offer to your Lordships. [Capt. Moore to Mr. Cutler. ] Tho' my other two Friends doe not doubt but they shall be able to make good their report, and in order thereto they have with Mr. Good procured an Indian Trader & an Indian Hunter to goe up the Country, and to set forward ye 20th of April on search thereof, from whom an accot. may be expected by the next Ship. But I being unwil- ling to loose any time in a matter that might further His Matys. service, and strengthen our own report, I thought it my duty to acquaint your Lordships with this worthy person, who is the best able of any one in the Country to make such discovery, & success- fully to carry it on for His Matys. service, who is willing on his own charge, to demonstrate the truth of what he asserts, and I humbly hope he may have encouragmt. from yor. Lordships for the prosecution of it, or he will run a very great risque to be prejudiced in his own affairs in that Country by this, his proposal, because of the considerable post he has in that place, and depen- dence on ye Lords Proprietors, who may not possibly think it their interest to encourage such discovery, but reather to obstruct it.
All which is most humbly submitted
to Yor. Lordship's consideration, by THO. CUTLER.
S. P. O. JOURNAL. B. T., VOL. 12, p. 191.
At a Meeting of His Majesty's Commiss". for Trade and Plantations.
Whitehall, Sepr. 27, 1699.
Present.
Sir Philip Meadows, Mr. Locke,
Mr. Pollexfen, Mr. Hill.
A Letter to the Secretary from Mr. John Smith, one of the proposers for the discovery of silver Mines in Carolina, desiring their Lordships approbation of a person to be sent thither upon the request of Captain Moor of that place, for the tryall of Oares, was sent into the Board and read. And the said Mr. Smith, together with Mr. Cutler, another of the said Proposers, at the saine time attending without, the Secretary was directed by the Board to acquaint them (and did it accordingly) that their Lord-
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ships do not concern themselves nor meddle in what Captain Moor desires of them, & what they the said Smith and Cutler think fit to do upon his request.
S. P. O. PROPRIETIES. VOL. 3, B. T., p. 193. W. Thornburgh to W. Popple.
21 July, 1699.
Sr.
I have herewith sent you a sample of our Carolina rice that the Rt. Hon. the Lords Commissrs. of Trade & Plantations may see what a staple the Province of Carolina may be capable of furnishing Europe withall. The Grocers do assure me its better than any Foreign Rice by at least 89. the hundred weight, & wee can have it brought home for less than 4s. pr. tonn, wch. is not dear.
As for Pitch & Tar, please to acquaint their Lordships that Capt. Man, whom we expect daily from Carolina, brings a con- siderable quantity by contract, made before he went hence. After his arrival their Lordships shall have a sample of that, & have a more particular account of the quantity may be yearly sent home, & at what rates from,
Sir, Your most humble Servt., W". THORNBURGH.
Skinner's Hall, July 21st, 1699.
To Wm. POPPLE, EsQ.
To his Excellency John Granville, Esq., Palatine, and to the rest of the true and absolute Lords and Proprietors of the Province of Carolina.
The Representation and Address of several of the Members of this present Assembly return'd for Colleton County, and other the Inhabitants of this Province, whose names are hereunto subscribed.
May it please Your Lordships :
Altho the miserable Estate of this Colony, will be sufficiently known to Your Lordships, from the relation of John Ash, Esq., who is fully instructed by us to remonstrate our Grievances to Your Lordships ; yet we think our selves exceedingly bound & obliged to lay before you what we think does concern Your Lord- ships Honours, and the People's rights and privileges; For if the Question were about matters of small moment, we should be
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ashamed to be importunate, and unwilling to give the least trouble to Your Lordships ; but considering that the very Foundation of our lawful rights, hath of late been struck at by Persons, who have more regard to their private Interest than the publick good, we humbly conceive, that it cannot stand with the Duty we owe to our selves as Englishmen, or to our Posterity, to sit down con- tented with less than that which every Liege and Freeborn Sub- ject of the Crown of England may, and of right ought to have. And, therefore, lest our silence should be prejudicial to so import- ant a cause, we humbly crave Your Lordships leave, faithfully and impartially to represent to you the great and notorious viola- tions & infringements of our Laws and Liberties, under which we suffer.
We shall go no further back, but date the unhappy cause & grounds of our Complaints from & immediately after the death of the late Governor Blake; For the choice and election of a Governor to succeed him being intrusted with Your Lordships, Deputys here, that Person amongst your said Deputys, who made the strongest Party in the Counsel, did carry the Government by perverting the design & breaking thro' the rules and Instructions agreed to by Your Lordships for such election. And this mani- festly appeared in the unjust election of the late Governor Moore, in prejudice of Landgrave Morton's title, who (after he was elected by a majority of the Council then present) was objected against by the said Moore, and excluded only because he had accepted of a commission from the King : And as the said Moore acquired & obtained the Government of this Province by fraud, flattery & trifling exceptions as aforesaid ; so has he endeavoured ever since to manage all things by base & indirect methods, & crafty pro- jects, which made his Government miserably unfortunate to us all. The great personal debts & necessities which the said late Govr. Moore had to struggle with, may well be thought to have put him upon, & prompted him to designs to enrich himself at the publick peace & welfare : And because these his designs cou'd not possi- bly be effected by himself alone, he knew very well that to engage the Council to his interest, & to have an Assembly chosen to his liking, would be the way effectually to compleat & accomplish his ends & purposes : Thereupon 'tis manifest, there being vacancies in the Council for Persons fit & worthy to represent Your Lord- ships, & Your Lordships, pleasure not being then signified & known therein, those very Vacancies were supplied by such Persons whom he beforehand knew, & was well satisfied & assur'd would be for his use & purposes ; and it's as well known, that the Debates and Consultations of the Council have all along been carried on, and managed to the ends aforesaid.
And pursuant to his said design, he did by indirect Practises endeavour that such an Assembly might be chosen as would be agreeable in their temper and disposition with his designs & reso-
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lutions : This was to be brought about, tho' the very foundations of our English rights and liberties were undermin'd & utterly subverted in the attempt.
I. We therefore in the first place humbly represent to Your Lordships, and we do assert and maintain, that it is one of the fundamental rights & unquestionable Privileges belonging to. English-men, that all Elections of their Representatives to serve in Parliament onght to be free & indifferent, without any prayer or commandment to the contrary ; and that no Alien born out of the Allegiance of the Crown of England, unless he be otherwise especially qualifyed, ought to elect for, or be elected to serve as a Member of Assembly ; all which notwithstanding at the election of Members of Assembly to serve for Berkley County made in the month of November, 1701, there were several great abuses made & committed against the ancient usages & customs of this Pro- vince, & contrary to Law, particularly an Act entitled, An Act for regulating Elections, &c., & to the great dissatisfaction & manifest prejudice of the several Inhabitants of this Province, candidates & others. For so it was, may it please Your Lordships, that at the said Election, much threat'nings, many intreaties & other unjustifiable actions were made use of, &illegal and unquali- fy'd votes given in to the Sheriff, & by him receiv'd & returned ; par- ticularly the votes of very many unqualify'd Aliens were taken & enter'd, the votes of several Members of the Council were fil'd & receiv'd, a great number of Servants & poor & indigent persons voted promiscuously with their Masters & Creditors, as also several free Negroes were receiv'd, & taken for as good Electors as the best Freeholders in the Province. So that we leave it with Your Lordships to judge, whether admitting Aliens, Strangers, Servants, Negroes, &c., as good and qualified Voters, can be thought any ways agreeable to King Charles' Patent to Your Lordships, or the English Constitution of Government.
II. We represent to Your Lordships, that when at the Meeting of the Assembly, divers Candidates, by Petition by them exhibited, pray'd to be heard against the return of the Sheriff for Berkly County, of the Election aforesaid, & insisted upon their right, & that the Sheriff's return was false and illegal ; and the said Assen- bly the better and more impartially to inquire into the ill practises at the said Election, did first of all resolve to begin upon Privi- leges & Elections, that the late Governor Moore, to prevent such inquiry, did several times prorogue the said Assembly.
III. That when the said Assembly were at last suffer'd to sit, the Inquiry and Examination into the Sheriff's return of the last Election was obstructed, & industriously prevented, by setting on foot an ill laid design of raising Forces to attaque St. Augustine.
IV. That notwithstanding Your Lordship's repeated commands to your Deputies to procure a good regulation of the Indian Trade, on which our friendly correspondence with all our Neigh-
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bouring Indians, & the peace & safety of this Colony chiefly depends, yet the said late Govr. Moore has been, by his Artifices, the chief (if not the only) occasion of obstructing the same, designing nothing less than ingrossing the same for himself & accomplices ; having already almost utterly ruin'd the Trade for Skins & Furs (whereby we held our chief correspondence with England) & turned it into a Trade of Indian catching or Slave- making, whereby the Indians to the South & West of us are already involved in blood & confusion ; a Trade so odious and abominable, that every other Colony in America (altho, they have equal temptation) abhor to follow.
V. That the said late Gov. Moore did grant Commissions to Anthony Dodsworth, Robert Mackoone & others, to set upon, assault, kill, destroy, & take captive as many Indians as they possible could, the profit and produce of which Indian Slaves were turn'd to his private use ; whereas such Undertakings, unjust and barbarous in themselves, will in all probability draw upon us an Indian War, with all the dreadful consequences of it.
VI. We represent to Your Lordships, that the late unfortunate, ill contriv'd, & worse managed expedition against St. Augustine was principally set on foot by the said late Governor & his Adhe- rents ; & that if any Person in the said late Assembly undertook to speak against it, & to show how unfit & unable we were at that time for such an attempt, he was presently look'd upon by them as an Enemy & Traitor to his Country, & reviled & affronted in the said Assembly, altho' the true design of the said Expedition was no other than catching and making Slaves of Indians for private advantage, and impoverishing the Country. And this will plainly appear, when Your Lordships know that Your Country is brought more in debt at this time, & upon this occasion, than ever since it's first Settlement, if we put all the debts we have owed together. And that the Expedition was to enrich themselves will appear particularly, because whatsoever Booty, as rich Silks, great quantity of Church plate, with a great many other costly Churchi Ornaments & utensils taken by our Soldiers at St. Augus- tinc, are now detain'd in the possession of the said late Governor & his Officers, contrary to an Act of Assembly made, for an equal division of the same among the Soldiers.
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