USA > South Carolina > The Jews of South Carolina, from the earliest times to the present day > Part 4
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He indignantly denies that he owes more than 3,000 guineas in this province than is due to him at home, "as some people have through their correspondence insinuated to my friends and relatives." The advertisement ends with a humorous touch of scorn:
" Sealed with my seal, well known in most markets in Europe for these 25 years, as always prime indico, which to this time of life I have not yet forfeited; and it is to me really a diversion to see some people in this town pretend to be judges of the quality of indico, to one that has had the experience of upwards of thirty years in it; and I wish they
53
MOSES LINDO
may not, by which they have shipped on board the fleet, experience the presumption." ª
The importance of the indigo industry to the Province of South Carolina may be appreciated from the following his- torical facts: Indigo began to be cultivated in South Caro- lina in 1744 and was exported to England as early as 1747, where it attracted considerable attention. Great Britain was consuming annually 600,000 pounds weight of French indigo, paying for it 150,000 pounds sterling, and the sta- tistics showed an annual increase of consumption. In 1748 Parliament passed an Act, allowing a bounty of six pence per pound on indigo from the British Colonies. This stimu- lated the South Carolina production and in 1754 the export of indigo from Charles Town amounted to 216,924 pounds, . and shortly before the Revolution had risen to 1,176,660 pounds.1º
The man who had done more to encourage this important industry-after rice, the greatest source of revenue in those days to South Carolina-than anyone in the Province was Moses Lindo. This is clearly evident from the following:
" The services beretofore rendered to this province by Mr. Moses Lindo, in ascertaining the quality and establishing the reputation of our indico- manufacture, both at home and at the foreign markets, in April last induced many gentlemen of rank and fortune, merchants, planters and others, to give him the following testimonial of their opinion of his abilities, in writing, and of the necessity of having a public inspector, subscribed with their names, viz:
"' In order to bring our indico-produce into reputation at home as well as at foreign markets, it becomes necessary to have a proper person qualified to ascertain the value of our First Sort. We merchants, plant- ers, principal traders and others, do, therefore, hereby certify under our hands, that Mr. Moses Lindo, of Charles Town, merchant, is the only
' The South-Carolina Gazette, Feb. 27, 1762.
10 Year Book, City of Charleston, 1883, pp. 402-403.
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THE JEWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
person known to us, capable of rendering this province further service in that article, if he is willing to undertake ascertaining the same and to grant his certificate for the First Sort.' "
This testimonial was signed by the Hon. William Bull, Lieutenant-Governor, five members of his Majesty's Coun- cil, the Speaker and nineteen members of the late Commons House of Assembly, forty-one merchants and seven "con- siderable planters of, or dealers in indico." Because of the local interest attaching to the names appended to this testi- monial, the list is here quoted in full :
" #Hon William Bull, Esq, Lieutenant-Governor; the Hon Othniel Beale, Esq, *Henry Middleton, John Querard, *John Drayton and "Daniel Blake, Esqrs, members of his Majesty's Council.
" Benjamin Smith, Esq, Speaker, and "Thomas Middleton, "William Moultrie, "Peter Manigault, William Scott, *Thomas Bee, *William Blake, William Roper, *Robert Pringle, *Thomas Lynch, "Rawlins Lowndes, "Benjamin Dart, George Roupell, *John Ainslie, *Thomas Ferguson, "John Parker, James Parsons, *William Maxwell, *Doct. John Mur- ray and *Sir John Colleton, members of the late Commons House of Assembly.
" Messrs John Chapman, John Torrans, John Greg, John Poang, *John Smith, Thomas Liston, "Paul Douxsaint, #Miles Brewton, Henry Peron- neau, Thomas Corker, John Lloyd, Arthur Peronneau, William Ancrum, Lambert Lance, *Richard Downes, John Benfield, Henry Laurens, George Appleby, John Logan, Martin Campbell, John Neufville, Edward Neuf- ville, Thomas Ellis, John Scott, Thomas Farr, jun, James Poyas, Evan Jones, *John M.Queen, William Guerin, John Parnham, Robert Smyth, Peter Bacot, James Laurens, George Anerum, Thomas Shirley, George Inglis, Robert Rowand, John Nowell, Samuel Peronneau, Peter Mazyek and Thomas Moultrie, merchants.
" Andrew Johnston, John Moultrie, jun, William Gibbes, Job Milner, Alexander Fraser, John Mayrant, William Brandford, considerable planters of, or dealers in indico.
" (Note-The gentlemen with the mark * prefixed to their names are likewise considerable planters of indico.)
" In consequence of the above testimonial and an application to the Governor, his Excellency, on Tuesday last, was pleased to order the following commission to be issued, viz :
55
MOSES LINDO
" SOUTH CAROLINA:
"' By his Excellency THOMAS BOONE, Esquire, Captain General, and Governor in Chief, in and over the said Province.
"'TO MOSES LINDO, GENTLEMAN:
"' WHEREAS, several of the most considerable inhabitants of the said province, as well planters as merchants, have by a writing signed by them, certified, that, in order to bring the indico produce into reputa- tion at home and at foreign markets, it is become necessary to have a proper person qualified to ascertain the First Sort; and that the said Moses Lindo is the only person known to them capable of rendering the province further service in that article, if he is willing to undertake ascertaining the same, and grant his certificate of its being the First Sort. And, whereas, the said Moses Lindo, in order to give such his certificates the more weight and authority in Great-Britain, has made application to me, that he may be appointed Surveyor and Inspector- General of Indico in the province aforesaid. I. therefore, in considera- tion of the premises, and being convinced of the fitness and ability of the said Moses Lindo for discharging the said office, do hereby nominate, constitute and appoint you the said Moses Lindo to be Surveyor and Inspector-General of the Indico made in the said province, for the ends and purposes above mentioned.
"' This commission to continue during pleasure.
"' Given under my Hand and Seal at Charles Town, this 21st day of September, Anno Dom. 1762, and in the second year of his Majesty's reign.
"'THOMAS BOONE. "'By his Excellency's command.
"' GEORGE JOHNSTON for "' JOHN MURRAY, Dep Sec.' " 11
The next notice in the Gazette is an announcement of Moses Lindo officially as Surveyor and Inspector-General of Indico. It is as follows:
"MOSES LINDO.
" Surveyor and Inspector-General of INDICO made in South Carolina, " GIVES THE FOLLOWING NOTICES:
" That as there is at present no obligation on any merchants or planters to submit their Indico to his inspection, or on him to take that trouble for
11 The South-Carolina Gazette, Sept. 25, 1762.
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THE JEWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
nothing, he will be ready and willing, after the 16th instant, to inspect any parcel for either, ascertain the FIRST SORT, and give his certificate therefor for the small consideration of ONE per cent on the value of the Indico so certified.
" That he will make no distinction of persons in inspecting and giving certificates, in regard to the quantity, but will with equal readiness serve a planter who brings only 50 Ib to market, as him who may bring thou- sands.
" That where any differences arise, on allowances to be made for bad mixtures, the accidental dampness, or designed wetness of Indico to dis- guise the quality, he will expect TWO per cent for his decision and ascer- taining the value; i.e., ONE per cent from the seller, and as much from the buyer.
" That all orders gentlemen intend to favour him with, to purchase Indico on their accounts for exportation, must be delivered to him, or left at Messrs Inglis, Lloyd & Hall's, on or before the 16th instant; after which he will receive no more till those then in his hands are compleated.
" And, that no planter or other person may complain that he means to injure them (which is far from his intention) he declares, that be will not buy any parcel, till they have tried the market eight or ten days; when he will purchase, on orders upon some of the principal houses in town, at three months' credit.
"N. B .- He begs pardon for having omitted among the subscribers to the testimonial or certificate, in consequence of which he obtained his commission from the Governor, to give the printer the following gentle- men's names :"
A few days later Moses Lindo announces :
" That he has opened an office on Mr. Beresford's wharf, where con- stant attendance will be given every day in the week. (Saturdays, Sun- days and holidays observed at other offices, excepted,) from 8 o'clock in the morning till 1 in the afternoon, in order to survey, inspect and grant certificates for all parcels of indico that shall be brought to him for that purpose, of the FIRST SORT.
" That he will not give his certificate for any indico, unless the planter produces a proper certificate of its being the growth of his plantation.
" That for declaring the first sort, and granting his certificate thereof, he expects to be paid at the rate of twenty shillings currency, for every
17 The South-Carolina Gazette, Oet. 9, 1762.
57
MOSES LINDO
hundred pounds weight of indico mentioned in such certificates, and the like sum for settling any difference between buyer and seller, on every hundred pounds weight.
" That if any planter, in eight days after obtaining his certificate for the first sort, desires him to procure a purchaser for the same, he in that case expects to be paid 5 per cent commission, if such indico is not in any merchant or factor's hands; but if in a merchant or factor's hands, then only 20s. per cent.
" That he will not sort, garble, and seal the first, second and third Sorts of indico of the present crop for exportation, but for the follow- ing gentlemen, who favoured him with their orders for that purpose before the 16th instant, or by orders obtained from them; for which his charge will be 3 per cent, casks and all other expences included.
" That all his fees must be paid him before the delivery of his certifi- cates.
" That he will not accept, or undertake to execute any orders from Europe or from any of his correspondents elsewhere, to purchase indico .for them this crop. And,
" That if any unfair dealings should be discovered, by fraudulent mixtures, after he has given his certificate for any parcels of indico, he is determined to expose such intended imposition.
" That after the first day of February next, he will not act in this or any other capacity, in purchasing or declaring the qualities of indico, until some regulation is made by Act of Parliament to encourage the planting and manufacturing that valuable dye." * * 13
The following will give an idea of the prices received for South Carolina indigo of the first sort:
" MOSES LINDO, Inspector and Surveyor-General of South Carolina INDICO. Having granted certificates for the FIRST SORT, sold at the prices opposite to the names of the respective makers (which he declares to be equal in quality to the best French that has been taken during the last or present war) viz:
3. d.
" His Honor the Lieut. Governor's, sold at 27 6 per lb
George Saxby, Esq 40 per lb John Moultrie, jun, Esq 40 per 1b Sir John Colleton, Bart 30 per 1b
13 The South-Carolina Gazette, Oct. 23, 1762.
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THE JEWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
8. d.
Mr. Edmund Bellinger 30 per 15
Alexander Frasor, Esq 26 and 40 per 1b
Mr. Charles Elliott
23
per 1b
David Deas, Esq
27 6 per 1b
Mr. George Marshal
24
per İb
John Pamor, Esq
27
per İb
George Seaman, Esq
26
per Ib
Mrs. Mary M. Daniel
23 per Ib
Mr. William Campbell
21 per 1b
Mr. William Pearson
25
per lo
Mr. Philip Porcher
27 6 per Ib
Mr. James Laroach
22 6 per lb
Mr. James Commander
25
per Ib
Mr. William Johnson
27 6 per 1b
" Part of which is now on board the Boscawen, capt. David Jenkins, commander, bound for London.
"IN THIS PUBLIC MANNER
" Requests, that the commissioners of his Majesty's customs in London, will desire 15 or 16 gentlemen, merchants, salters and brokers, conversant in this trade, to inspect the said indico when landed, and declare their sentiments thereon in all the public papers.
" And, whereas, several other parcels of indico have been shipped on board the said frigate, by divers persons, in like packages, which have not been inspected or surveyed by him, he has, therefore, thought proper to give a certificate for every cask that has undergone his inspection, and been sealed by him, specifying in the margin the kind, weight and tare, and registered the same in his office; which certificates Mr. William Richardson, broker in London (one of the best judges of indico now left in England) will take care to cancel after inspection. This precau- tion is so essentially necessary for the interest of a colony where any manufactures are produced, that in England the law has made it felony punishable with death, to counterfeit, imitate or alter any public inspec- tor's mark." 14
In his next notice Mr. Lindo refers to his last big ship- ment :
" The South-Carolina Gazette, Jan. 15, 1763.
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MOSES LINDO
" When the last 55 hogsheads arrive in England, I flatter myself the world will be satisfied of my integrity of heart and the uprightness of my intentions; as well as be convinced, that I have devoted myself to the service of my native country, and equally so to this province; for, if the indico that has undergoue my inspection, and obtained my certifi- cates, shall be proved equal in quality to the best French (which I am confident it will) in that case £12,000 sterling per annum bounty will be saved to the Government; and the planter here always sure of getting 25s currency a pound for the First Sort, and in proportion for the Second and Third, which will be sufficient to encourage them to go on in the planting and manufacturing that valuable dye." *
It would thus seem as if Moses Lindo had been meeting with considerable criticism and opposition. He ends his long letter :
"Your publishing this letter may prevent some evil-minded persons continuing to insinuate, that, sensible of my superior knowledge and ex- perience in all dyes and drugs to any in Europe of America, I only take the advantage of exposing the ignorance of some pretenders to the like, which is not my intention. I must, however, say that no person whatever, that has not been ten or twelve years constantly employed as a broker of indico, can be a competent judge of that article, or the true value of each quality; therefore, an error in judgment after that time must be deemed a crime, not an oversight." 13
In his next notice he announces, among other things, that he will not purchase any indigo himself, in less than three or four days after it has been surveyed; when, if no better price can be obtained for it than his valuation, he will re- ceive it at that, and pay for the same as he has hitherto done.16
On September 2, 1763, he writes the following letter to Mr. Emanuel Mendez da Costa, the librarian of the Royal Society of London. This letter was communicated to the
15 The South-Carolina Gazette, March 26, 1763.
1" Ibid., Oct. 22, 1763.
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THE JEWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Society on November 10, 1763, and is incorporated in the Philosophical Transactions for 1763.17
" In August 1757, I observed the mocking bird fond of a berry, which grows on a weed called Pouek, represented to me as of a poisonous quality; the juice of this berry being a blooming crimson. I was several times inclined to try, if I could extract a die from it; yet the very thoughts of its quality prevented me from proceeding, till observing these birds to void their excrement of the same colour as the berry, on the Chinese rails in my garden, convinced me it was not of the quality represented. I therefore made a tryal in the following manner.
" 1st I ordered one of my negroes to gather me a pint of those berries, from which I extracted almost three quarters of a pint of juice, and boiled it with a pint of Bristol water, one quarter of an hour.
" 2dly. I then took two pieces of flannel and numbered them 1 and 2, boiled them in a separate tin pot with alum a quarter of an hour, and rinced them in cold water.
"3dly. I then dipped the piece of flannel No. 1 into the pot, where the juice was, and left it to simmer five minutes, then took it out, and rinced it in cold water; when, to my surprize, I found a superior crimson dye fixed on the flannel than the juice of the berry.
" Athly. I then dipped the piece of flannel No. 2 in the same juice, and being desirons to clean my hands from the stain, which No. 1 had caused, I ordered some lime water to be brought me, such as we use to settle our indico, and found the colour of the stain change to a bright yellow, This unexpected change urged me to throw a wine glass-full of lime water into the pot, where the piece of fiannel No. 2 was simmering; on which all the juice, as well as the flannel, became of a bright yellow, by which I find alum fixed the crimson, and lime the yellow.
" 5thly. Having then put a quart of fresh juice in 2 pint decanters, in one of which I put a small quantity of powdered alum, I laid them up; about six weeks after, I then examined them, and found the juice in the decanter, which had no alum, was turned black, and the other retained its colour." 13
17 ' An Account of a new Die from the Berries of a Weed in South Caro- lina: In a letter from Mr. Moses Lindo, dated at Charles Town, Septem- ber 2, 1763, to Mr. Emanuel Mendez da Costa, Librarian of the Royal Society. Philosophical Transactions, Vol. 53, pp. 238-239.
13 Dr. Kayserling, in Frankel-Graetz's Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judenthums, Vol. 8, p. 165, refers to Lindo as a
61
MOSES LINDO
We continue to meet with Moses Lindo in the Gazettes for some years longer. Several of the advertisements are of no particular interest, others are extremely interesting. For the sake of completeness, we note here all the refer- ences to him in chronological order. He advertises on October 8, 1764. In his advertisement of May 4, 1765, he refers to "the iniquitous practices which have been com- mitted with Carolina Indico," and which he declares he will never countenance.
In June, 1765, there is an interesting reference to him in a contemporary diary.19 Here is the entry :
" Monday, 3. Dined this day with Mr. Thomas Liston, a reputable mercht born here: is a man of great openess & politeness, of generous sentiments & very genteel behaviour: passed the afternoon very agreably in his sumer house with him & Mr. Lindo, a noted Jew, inspector of Indigo here."
The next item is very amusing. It occurs in the Gazette of July 28, 1766. Moses Lindo, in his investigation into the properties of "roots and weeds, " makes a valuable medical discovery, and, while not. as far as we know, a member of the medical profession, he is public-spirited enough not to
rich farmer who owned many negroes. There is nothing to show that Lindo planted at all. From what we know of his life. this is most un- likely. The Columbia records show two grants of land to him but in the upper part of the Stare, remote from Charleston. The records likewise show that he purchased a negro man on two occasions. These were prob- ably merely his personal servants. The Jewish Encyclopedia likewise represents Lindo as a wealthy planter and slave-owner." If we are to believe Lindo himself, he was not wealthy and as we have just stated, he was not a planter. In his paper, read before the American Jewish His- torical Society, Mr. Hühner tells us that Moses Lindo " was in the army and held an important post"! (See The American Hebrew, Dec. 29, 1899.)
" Journal of a voyage to Charlestown in So. Carolina by Pelatiah Web- ster in 1765. (Charleston, S. C., 189S.)
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THE JEWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
desire to retain the boon for himself, so he writes this letter to the Gazette:
" MR. TIMOTHY :
" HAVING lately made a valuable discovery, the CURE of that grievous and common disease among the Negroes, called the YAWS." * * * "I beg leave to make use of the channel of your paper to make the Recipe public for the good of mankind, without the least view to my private advantage; and to request that such gentlemen whose negroes have been, or may be cured, will make the same publickly known, so as to be com- municated to his Majesty's other American dominions. I am yours, &c. " MOSES LINDO,
" Inspector-General of Indico."
The recipe is interesting, as a fair sample of the thera- peutics of the eighteenth century :
" RECIPE TO CURE THE YAWS, &c.
" To a pound of Poke root, add three ounces of Tobacco, and an ounce of Roman Vitriol, boil the same in five quarts of water, till reduced to a gallon, and strain it. With this, wash the infected part three times a day. A pint is sufficient for ten or twelve days.
" At the same time use a diet drink. made of Two pounds of Lignum Vitæ shavings, four onnees of the bark of Sassafras root, four ounces of Anniseeds, and half a pound of brown sugar, boiled in four gallons of water till reduced to three. The patient to take a pint a day, mixed with three pints of water for twenty-one days."
Moses Lindo advertises again on November 10, 1766, and on January 19. 1767, he writes a long letter to Mr. Timothy on the present status of Carolina indigo abroad:
" I have lately observed with concern, in an account of a public sale of 12 casks of French, and 23 of Carolina Indico on the 25th of August last" * * 'that all the French sold at 4s 5d to 5s 5d per lb, while only one cask of the Carolina allowed to be fully as good as the best French, obtained no more than 3s Sd, and all the rest sold amazingly low."
He attributes the difference to a combination at home among the importers of foreign indigo, to discourage its cultivation in his Majesty's Colonies. He "publickly
63
MOSES LINDO
avers" that the Carolina indigo, which he distinguishes as first sort, properly prepared by the dyer, will yield a superior dye to the very best French. He ought to know more certainly than the generality of people by reason of his long experience and expert knowledge.
Lindo was a man of resources and a true protectionist. He suggests, that as there exists a prejudice of 25 per cent against Carolina indigo brought about by the combination, that the British Parliament, instead of continuing the pres- ent bounty, should lay Is. a pound duty on all the French, exported from Britain and which would save no less than $12,000 per annum to the Government, and at the same time give sufficient encouragement to cultivate 1,500,000 pounds in his Majesty's Colonies. for the use of British manufactories. As Inspector-General of Indico in this Province (though without a salary) he thinks it his duty "to rescue that valuable branch of our staples from the malign influence of designing men" as far as it lies in his power.
In the Gazette of October 10, 1771, Moses Lindo has a lengthy communication in defence of the custom of packing Carolina indigo in the Spanish shape. "Judges," he says, "never buy from outward appearance; they will examine its inward Quality. Therefore, there can be no Fraud in the Imitation." He quotes in defence of his contention the custom of mercers who, in order to get off their fine silks, are often obliged to call them French, though wholly wove in Spitalfields. He makes several observations on Carolina, Florida, and Guatemala indigo and ends by the statement that he has the interest of this country "as disinterestedly as much at heart" as any native, and is resolved to spend the remainder of his days here, where merit will meet with its reward, without partiality, from the highest to the low- est of its inhabitants.
In the Gazette of July 23, 1772, he advertises that it
64
THE JEWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
would afford him great satisfaction, if three or four per- sons, well experienced in the indigo business, would under- take the sorting and garbling of indigo for exportation, by which means that valuable produce might recover its repu- tation both at home and at foreign markets. His own ser- vices are only at the disposal of his regular patrons, whose names are appended.
On August 6, 1772, there is an announcement that "Moses Lindo, Esq., has resigned the place of Inspector- General of Indico for this Province."
On August 20, 1772, Lindo publishes a letter to Henry Laurens, Esq., containing his reasons for refusing to act any longer as Inspector-General of Indico. He would not seal certain classes of indigo "and bring disgrace on the Seal with a Crown over G. R." . He would still continue, however, to serve his friends, if his knowledge could be of any use to them. .
On November 12, 1772, he advertises again vindicating the action he has taken.
The next item is a most interesting one and deserves to be investigated further, if only as a matter of curiosity, by some English-Jewish antiquarian. It occurs in the Gazette of March 15, 1773:
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