pioneers of the old south-第27节

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the　Albemarle；　seized　by　a　storm；　was　wrecked。　The　two　other　ships；　with　a
Barbados　sloop；　sailed　on　anal　were　approaching　the　Bahamas　when　another
hurricane　destroyed　the　Port　Royal。　The　Carolina；　however；　pushed　on　with
the　sloop；　reached　Bermuda；　and　rested　there；　then；　together　with　a　small
ship　purchased　in　these　islands；　she　turned　west　by　south　and　came　in　March
of　1670　to　the　good　harbor　of　Port　Royal；　South　Carolina。

Southward　from　the　harbor　where　the　ships　rode；　stretched　old　Florida；　held
by　the　Spaniards。　There　was　the　Spanish　town；　St。　Augustine。　Thence　Spanish
ships　might　put　forth　and　descend　upon　the　English　newcomers。　The　colonists
after　debate　concluded　to　set　some　further　space　between　them　and　lands　of
Spain。　The　ships　put　again　to　sea；　beat　northward　a　few　leagues；　and　at
last　entered　a　harbor　into　which　emptied　two　rivers；　presently　to　be　called
the　Ashley　and　the　Cooper。　Up　the　Ashley　they　went　a　little　way；　anchored；
and　the　colonists　going　ashore　began　to　build　upon　the　west　bank　of　the
river　a　town　which　for　the　King　they　named　Charles　Town。　Ten　years　later
this　place　was　abandoned　in　favor　of　the　more　convenient　point　of　land
between　the　two　rivers。　Here　then　was　builded　the　second　and　more　enduring
Charles　TownCharleston；　as　we　call　it　now；　in　South　Carolina。

Colonists　came　fast　to　this　Carolina　lying　south。　Barbados　sent　many；
England；　Scotland；　and　Ireland　contributed　a　share；　there　came　Huguenots
from　France；　and　a　certain　number　of　Germans。　In　ten　years　after　the　first
settling　the　population　numbered　twelve　hundred；　and　this　presently　doubled
and　went　on　to　increase。　The　early　times　were　taken　up　with　the　wrestle
with　the　forest；　with　the　Indians；　with　Spanish　alarms；　with　incompetent
governors；　with　the　Lords　Proprietaries'　Fundamental　Constitutions；　and
with　the　restrictions　which　English　Navigation　Laws　imposed　upon　English
colonies。　What　grains　and　vegetables　and　tobacco　they　could　grow；　what
cattle　and　swine　they　could　breed　and　export；　preoccupied　the　minds　of
these　pioneer　farmers。　There　were　struggling　for　growth　a　rough　agriculture
and　a　hampered　trade　with　Barbados；　Virginia；　and　New　Englandtrade
likewise　with　the　buccaneers　who　swarmed　in　the　West　Indian　waters。

Five　hundred　good　reasons　allowed；　and　had　long　allowed；　free　bootery　to
flourish　in　American　seas。　Gross　governmental　faults；　Navigation　Acts；　and
a　hundred　petty　and　great　oppressions；　general　poverty；　adventurousness；
lawlessness；　and　sympathy　of　mishandled　folk　with　lawlessness；　all　combined
to　keep　Brother　of　the　Coast；　Buccaneer；　and　Filibuster　alive；　and　their
ships　upon　all　seas。　Many　were　no　worse　than　smugglers；　others　were　robbers
with　violence；　and　a　few　had　a　dash　of　the　fiend。　All　nations　had　sons　in
the　business。　England　to　the　south　in　America　had　just　the　ragged　coast
line；　with　its　off…lying　islands　and　islets；　liked　by　all　this　gentry；
whether　smuggler　or　pirate　outright。　Through　much　of　the　seventeenth
century　the　settlers　on　these　shores　never　violently　disapproved　of　the
pirate。　He　was　often　a　〃good　fellow。〃　He　brought　in　needed　articles　without
dues；　and　had　Spanish　gold　in　his　pouch。　He　was　shrugged　over　and　traded　with。

He　came　ashore　to　Charles　Town；　and　they　traded　with　him　there。　At　one　time
Charles　Town　got　the　name　of　〃Rogue's　Harbor。〃　But　that　was　not　forever；
nor　indeed；　as　years　are　counted；　for　long。　Better　and　better　emigrants
arrived；　to　add　to　the　good　already　there。　The　better　type　prevailed；　and
gave　its　tone　to　the　place。　There　set　in；　on　the　Ashley　and　Cooper　rivers；
a　fair　urban　life　that　yet　persists。

South　Carolina　was　trying　tobacco　and　wheat。　But　in　the　last　years　of　the
seventeenth　century　a　ship　touching　at　Charleston　left　there　a　bag　of
Madagascar　rice。　Planted；　it　gave　increase　that　was　planted　again。　Suddenly
it　was　found　that　this　was　the　crop　for　low…lying　Carolina。　Rice　became　her
staple；　as　was　tobacco　of　Virginia。

For　the　rice…fields　South　Carolina　soon　wanted　African　slaves；　and　they
were　consequently　brought　in　numbers；　in　English　ships。　There　began；　in
this　part　of　the　world；　even　more　than　in　Virginia；　the　system　of　large
plantations　and　the　accompanying　aristocratic　structure　of　society。　But　in
Virginia　the　planter　families　lived　broadcast　over　the　land；　each　upon　its
own　plantation。　In　South　Carolina；　to　escape　heat　and　sickness；　the
planters　of　rice　and　indigo　gave　over　to　employees　the　care　of　their　great
holdings　and　lived　themselves　in　pleasant　Charleston。　These　plantations；
with　their　great　gangs　of　slaves　under　overseers；　differed　at　many　points
from　the　more　kindly；　semi…patriarchal　life　of　the　Virginian　plantation。　To
South　Carolina　came　also　the　indentured　white　laborer；　but　the　black　was
imported　in　increasing　numbers。

From　the　first　in　the　Carolinas　there　had　been　promised　fair　freedom　for
the　unorthodox。　The　charters　provided；　says　an　early　Governor；　〃an　overplus
power　to　grant　liberty　of　conscience；　although　at　home　was　a　hot
persecuting　time。〃　Huguenots；　Independents；　Quakers；　dissenters　of　many
kinds；　found　on　the　whole　refuge　and　harbor。　In　every　colony　soon　began　the
struggle　by　the　dominant　color　and　caste　toward　political　liberty。　King；
Company；　Lords　Proprietaries；　might　strive　to　rule　from　over　the　seas。　But
the　new　land　fast　bred　a　practical　rough　freedom。　The　English　settlers　came
out　from　a　land　where　political　change　was　in　the　air。　The　stream　was　set
toward　the　crumbling　of　feudalism；　the　rise　of　democracy。　In　the　New　World；
circumstances　favoring；　the　stream　became　a　tidal　river。　Governors；
councils；　assemblies；　might　use　a　misleading　phraseology　of　a　quaint
servility　toward　the　constituted　powers　in　England。　Tory　parties　might　at
times　seem　to　color　the　land　their　own　hue。　But　there　always　ran；　though
often　roughly　and　with　turbulence；　a　set　of　the　stream　against　autocracy。

In　Carolina；　South　and　North；　by　the　Ashley　and　Cooper　rivers；　and　in　that
region　called　Albemarle；　just　back　of　Virginia；　there　arose　and　went　on；
through　the　remainder　of　the　seventeenth　century　and　in　the　eighteenth；
struggles　with　the　Lords　Proprietaries　and　the　Governors　that　these　named；
and　behind　this　a　more　covert　struggle　with　the　Crown。　The　details
differed；　but　the　issues　Mvolved　were　much　the　same　in　North　and　South
Carolina。　The　struggle　lasted　for　the　threescore　and　odd　years　of　the
proprietary　government　and　renewed　itself　upon　occasion　after　1729　when　the
Carolinas　became　royal　colonies。　Later；　it　was　swept；　a　strong　affluent；
into　the　great　general　stream　of　colonial　revolt；　culminating　in　the
Revolution。

Into　North　Carolina；　beside　the　border　population　entering　through　Virginia
and　containing　much　of　a　backwoods　and　derelict　nature；　came　many
Huguenots；　the　best　of　folk；　and　industrious　Swiss；　and　Germans　from　the
Rhine。　Then　the　Scotch　began　to　come　in　numbers；　and　families　of　Scotch
descent　from　the　north　of　Ireland。　The　tone　of　society　consequently　changed
from　that　of　the　early　days。　The　ruffian　and　the　shiftless　sank　to　the
bottom。　There　grew　up　in　North　Carolina　a　people；　agricultural　but　without
great　plantations；　hardworking　and　freedom…loving。

South　Carolina；　on　the　other　hand；　had　great　plantations；　a　town　society；
suave　and　polished；　a　learned　clergy；　an　aristocratic　cast　to　life。　For
long；　both　North　and　South　clung　to　the　sea…line　and　to　the　lower　stretches
of　rivers　where　the　ships　could　come　in。　Only　by　degrees　did　English
colonial　life　push　back　into　the　forests　away　from　the　sea；　to　the　hills；
and　finally　across　the　mountains。



CHAPTER　XV。　ALEXANDER　SPOTSWOOD

In　the　spring　of　1689；　Virginians　flocked　to　Jamestown　to　hear　William　and
Mary　proclaimed　Lord　and　Lady　of　Virginia。　The　next　year　there　entered；　as
LieutenantGovernor；　Francis　Nicholson；　an　odd　character　in　whom　an
immediate　violence　of　temper　went　with　a　statesmanlike　conception　of　things
to　be。　Two　years　he　governed　here；　then　was　transferred　to　Maryland；　and
then　in　seven　years　came　back　to　the　James。　He　had　not　been　liked　there；
but　while　he　was　gone　Virginia　had　endured　in　his　stead　Sir　Edmund　Andros。
That　had　been　swapping　the　witch　for　the　devil。　Virginia　in　1698　seems　to
have　welcomed　the　returning　Nicholson。

Jamestown　had　been　hastily　rebuilt；　after　Bacon's　burning；　and　then　by
accident　burned　again。　The　word　malaria　was　not　in　use；　but　all　knew　that
there　had　always　been　sickness　on　that　low　spit　running　out　from　the
marshes。　The　place　might　well　seem　haunted；　so　many　had　suffered　there　and
died　there。　Poetical　imagination　might　have　evoked　a　piece　of　sad
pageantrystarving　times；　massacres；　quarrels；　executions；　cruel　and
unusual　punishments；　gliding　Indians。　A　practical　question；　however；　faced
the　inhabitants；　and　all　were　willing　to　make　elsewhere　a　new　capital　city。

Seven　miles　back　from　the　James；　about　halfway　over　to　the　blue　York；　stood
that　cluster　of　houses　called　Middle　Plantation；　where　Bacon's　men　had
taken　his　Oath。　There　was　planned　and　builded　Williamsburg；　which　was　to　be
for　nearly　a　hundred　years　the　capital　of　Virginia。　It　was　named　for　King
William；　and　there　was　in　the　minds　of　some　loyal　colonist