14

sufficient warrant. Given under my hand at CharlesTown, this seven and twentieth day of July, 1672. แ "JOHN YEAMANS.

"To JOHN CUlpepper,

"Surveyor-General."*

The neck of land formed by the confluence of Ashley and Cooper rivers, was called Oyster Point. Settlements were made on it as early as 1672. Some of the land had been taken up by Henry Hughes and John Coming of which they relinquished, as already stated, one half to be employed in and toward enlarging of a town, and commons of pasture, there intended to be erected. This proves the early design of building a town upon the present site. Mr. Coming's land was returned to him, but Mr. Hughes' was retained by the Grand Council, for that purpose. The settlement continuing to increase, in 1677, it was called Oyster-Point-Town. We have not seen any record of the time when the seat of government was removed to the present site of Charleston. It is probable it took place in 1680;† for in November of that year, the town was called, in some official papers, New Charles-Town; and in 1682, Charles-Town.‡

*It is asserted by Rousseau, that his uncle "superintended the building of Charles-Town, of which he had given the plan." He says, "Mon oncle Bernard étoit depuis quelques années passé dans la Caroline pour y faire bâtir la ville de Charlestown dont il avoit donné le plan. Il y mourut peu Aprés." Les Confessions de J. J. Rousseau, Tom ii. 80. This is a mistake. Rousseau was born in 1712, and speaks of residing with his uncle, in Switzerland, after he was twelve years of age, consequently, his uncle could not have come to Carolina before 1724. The map of Charles-Town prefixed to the 2d vol. of Ramsay's So. Ca. is from a survey taken in 1704. The model of the Town was sent out by the Lords Proprietors, in May, 1671; and we have seen a Warrant for laying out " one town lot at the Oyster Point, observing the rules established in reference to the building of a town there." This was dated April 21, 1677. We find by an Act of the General Assembly, "for repairing the old and building of new Fortifications," &c. passed in 1736, that Gabriel Bernard was then appointed Chief Engineer. Sec. 10," and be it further enacted, &c. that Mr. Gabriel Bernard shall and he is hereby appointed Chief Engineer, who shall constantly attend, direct and inspect the raising and repairing such Fortifications as the said Commissioners shall think fit, and shall be allowed at and after the rate of £700 per annum, nevertheless subjected to be displaced, and the said salary taken away, by vote or order of the General Assembly." This person, probably, was Rousseau's uncle.

+ Chalmers' Pol. Annals, 530, 541.

The Town was Incorporated in 1783, by the name of the City of Charles ton. Before that period it was called and written Charles-Town.

The Town was originally laid off no further to the west than Meeting-street; a line from the Bay, a little to the north of the present St. Philip's Church, formed its northern boundary, and somewhere about Water-street, was its southern extremity. The streets were not distinguished by names for several years. In a deed of sale, January 20, 1696–7, Queen-street is described as "a little street that leads from Cooper river to Ashley river." In other deeds of the same period, East-Baystreet is described "as a street running parallel with Cooper river," and Church-street, as "a street running parallel with Cooper river, from Ashley river to the French Church." In a deed, 30th July, 1698, some bounds are described as being on "Broad-street, alias Cooperstreet, that leadeth from Cooper river, by the Church and Market place, to Ashley river." From a deed of sale, dated August 17, 1699, it appears that, the lots upon which the City-Hall and Court-House now stand, were originally sites of the Market place, and some lands are defined as bounding upon "the great street [Meeting-street] that runs north and south through the Market place." This corroborates the opinion of Dr. Ramsay, that the ponds in Meeting-street, at the intersection of Broad-street, were artificial.* They were, probably, the remains of ditches and lines of defence, made for the security of the town against the French and Spaniards. The locality of a town lot was usually defined by its number in the model, and the street described as passing by the residence of some person of

note.

It appears by the following instructions from the Lords Proprietors, to the Governor, dated April 24, 1694, that they intended the wharves, at the ends of the streets, to be public landings for the general convenience of the inhabitants: "We understand that the ground wears away at Charles-Town for want of

Ramsay's So. Ca. ii. 72.

wharfing in; now we are content that every man that hath a lot on the sea, shall have liberty to wharf in the land before his lot, in the said town, and that he take the profit of it to himself; Provided, that the persons who have the benefit of this our concession do settle some way amongst them, for the wharfing and keeping in constant repair, the wharfs against the ends of the streets also; so that there may be a wharf for the other inhabitants to land their goods at without charge."

The following are extracts from the "Rules and Instructions for granting of lands," from the Lords Proprietors to the Governor and Council, dated February 6, 1692.

“I. In the first. place you are to make choice of in all navigable rivers, in each county, to be set out a piece of land of 500 acres, whereon to build the port town for that river; in the choice of which you are to have regard to the following particulars, viz: That it be as far up as the bigest, ship that can come over the bar of the said river, can safely and conveniently sail. The land you make choice of to be so high above high water mark, that there may be convenient cellars made under ground; that there be plenty of wholesome water easy to be come at; that it be (if possible) far from marshes, swamps, or standing water."

"XV. You are not to pass grants to any man whatsoever above 30 miles south of Stono river, nor above 50 miles north of Ashley and Cooper rivers, upon any pretence whatsoever, unless you have especial orders for the same, under the hands and seals of the Palatine, and two or more of us the Lords Proprietors."

Having met with notices of the arrival of persons, whose names are still continued among us, we have placed them here, merely as a matter of record. Paul Grimball was in the Province early in 1691. The following persons arrived from England, in the "ship Loyal Jamaica, commonly called the privateer

vessel," in April, 1692: John Watkins, Richard Newton, Roger Goss, Adam Richardson, Edmund Medlicotte, William Balloh, Christopher Linkely, Thomas Pinckney, Captain George Reiner, Joshua Wilkes, Robert Fenwicke, James Gilchrist, Francis Blanchard, Roger Clare, William Crosslye, Daniel Rawlinson, Robert Matthews, Ralph Wilson, William Walesley, Richard Abram and John Palmer. Benjamin Waring, Isaac Mazyck and John Postell, arrived in 1693. Benjamin Marion, Daniel Huger and family, in 1694, William Fuller and family, Gabriel Manigault and Thomas Farr, in 1695.

The dangers to which the first settlers were exposed, may be seen by the following extracts from the Journals of the Grand Council:

"Since the present necessities of this country are so great, that the usual and formal proceedings against offenders for small misdemeanors, seem to be burdensome and grievous to the people; and the Grand Jury having earnestly this day requested that the same may be eased and redressed: It is, therefore, considered and resolved by the Grand Council, for the speedy and more easy administration of justice in these cases, that any two members of the Grand Council, whereof one to be of the Lords Proprietors Deputies, calling to their assistance two or more freeholders, shall and may hear and finally determine and judge, any offences for killing hogs, petty larceny, and other small misdemeanors, and to issue out summary processes relating to the same, under the hands of such two counsellors; so as that neither life, limb, nor freehold be thereupon taken away; but if any offence happen before them, wherein life, limb, or freehold may be concerned, they are then to return the same into the Grand Council." June 5, 1673.

For as much as in the infancy of this settlement, the attendance of juries for the trial of actions between party and party, seems to be very burdensome to the

people, as well impeding the progress of their husbandry as occasioning other great losses by Indians and Vermin during absence, which have moved them to desire an easier and speedier administration of justice: It is, therefore, ordered and resolved, by the Grand Council, that any person hereafter having cause of complaint, do bring a petition to the Secretary's office, whereon the Secretary is to endorse a summons requiring both the parties to such complaint, to appear with their evidences before the Grand Council at their next sitting after, to make appear the merit of the cause, where if both parties submit to be tried by the court, a final judgement shall thereupon be given. This to continue till further orders." March 7, 1674.

The Province, originally, included North and SouthCarolina, under the general name of Carolina. The division into North and South-Carolina, was not made until 1732; but for many years before, they were so distinguished in official acts of the Lords Proprietors. At an early period, the sea coast was laid out into four counties, and named after the Lords Proprietors. Their limits were thus defined: "That the bounds of Albermarle County be from the great river called Albermarle river on Roancke river to Virginia. That the bounds of Craven County be from Sewee, 23 miles to the north-east along the shore, and from thence 35 miles in a north-west line into the land. That the bounds of Berkley County, be Sewee on the northeast, and so along the sea to Stono river to the southwest, and 35 miles back into the land from the sea. And that the bounds of Colleton County be Stono river on the north-east, and Combahee on the southwest, and 35 miles into the land in a strait line from the sea. And, where the rivers nominated from the N. E. and S. W. bounds of any Counties, do not extend full 35 miles from the sea in a strait line, the bounds of the said Counties are to be strait lines run from the heads of the said rivers until it meets with the north