NOTES FROM THE SOUTH.
The Times publishes a letter from Mr. Kussell, ita special correspondent, who is at present in the southern states of America. Writing on the 3rd of April, he introduces us to
The Aristocracy of South Carolina. Nothing I could say can be worth one fact which haa forced itself upon my mind in reference to tho sentiments which prevail among the gentlemen of this state. Shades of George lIT., of North, of Johnson, of all who contended against the gieat rebellion which toie these colonies from England, can you hear the chorus which rings through the state of Marion, Sumter, and Pinckney, and not clap your ghostly hands in triumph ; that voice says, ' ' If we could only get one of the royal race of England to iulo over us, we should be content." That sentiment, vaiied in a hundred ways, has been lepeated to me ovor and over again. There isageneral admission that the means to such an end are wanting, and that the deshe cannot be gratified. But the admiration for monaichial institutions on tho English model, for privileged classes, and for a landed anstociacy and gentiy, is undisguised and apparently genuine. With the pride of having achieved their independence, is mingled in the South Carolinians' hearts a strange legiet at the result and consequences, and many are they who "would go back to-monow if we could." An intense affection for the Bntish connection, a love of British habits and customs, a respect for Butish sentiment, law, authority, order, civilisation, and literature, preeminently distinguish the inhabitants of this state , who, glorying in their descent from ancient families on the thiee islands, whose fortunes they still follow, and with whoso members they maintain not unfrequently familiar relations, regard with an aversion, of which it is impossible to give an idea to one who have not seen its manifestations, the people of new England and the population of the northern states, whom they legard as tainted beyond cure by the venom of " Puritanism " " The state of South Carolina was," I am told, " founded by gentlemen." It was not established by witch, burning Puritans, by ciuel persecuting fanatics, who implanted in the noith the standaid of Torquemada, and bieathed into the nostiils of their newly-born colonies all the ferocity, bloodthirstiness, and rabid intoleiance of the inquisition. It is absolutely astounding to a stranger who aims at the preservation of a decent neutrality to maik the violence of these opinions. "If that confounded ship had sunk with those pilgrim fathers on board," says one, "we never should have been driven to these extremities '" "We could have got on with tho fanatics if they had been either Chi is tians or gentlemen," says another; "for in the first case they would have acted with common charity, and in the second they would have fought when they insulted us ; but there are neither Christians nor gentlemen among them '" "Anything on the earth '" exclaims a third, " any form of government, any tyranny or depotism you will; but" — and heie is an appeal moie terrible than the adjuration of all the gods — "nothing on earth shall ever induce lib to submit to any union with the brutal, bigoted blackguards of the New England states, who neither comprehend nor regard the feelings of gentlemen ' Man, woman, and child, we'll die first." Imagine these and an infinite variety of similar sentiments utteied by courtly, well eduoated men, who set great store on a nice observance of the usages of society, and who are only moved to extreme bitterness and anger when they speak of the noith, and you will fail to conceive the intensity of the dislike of the South Carolinians for the fiee states. The contests of Cavalier and "Round-head, of "Vendean and republican, even of Orangeman and Croppy, have been elegant joustmgs, regulated by the finest rules of chivalry, compaied with those which noith and south will carry on if their deeds support their words. There is nothing in all the daik caves of human passion so cruel and deadly as the hatred the South Carolinians piofess for the Yankees. That hatred has been swelling for years till it is the very life blood of* the state. It has set South Caiolma to woik steadily to oiganue her lesources for the struggle which she intended to piovoke if it did not come in the course of time. lam quite satisfied that theie has been a deep rooted design, conceived in some men's minds thirty years ago, and extended giadually year aftei year to otheis, to break away from the union at the very first oppoitunity .A South Carolinian objected to lose his mdentity in any description which included him and a " Yankee clockmaker" in the same category. The union was against him , he remembeied that he came from a lace of English gentlemen who had been persecuted by the representatives — for he will not call them the ancestois — of the pinitans of New England, and he thought that they weie animated by the same hostility to himself. lie was proud of old names, and he felt pleasuie in tracing his connection with old families in the old country His plantations were held by old charters, or had been in the hands of his fatheis foi seveial generations ; and he delighted toiemember that, when the Stuarts were banished from then thi one and their country, the buigesses of South Carolina had solemnly elected the wandering Chailes king of then state, and had 'offered him an asylum and a kingdom. South Carolina contains 34,000 squaie miles, and a population of 720,000 inhabitants, of whom 385,000 aie black slaves. The planteis are wellbred, courteous, and hospitable. A genuine anstocraey, they have time to cultivate their mrads, to apply themselves to politics and the guidance of public affairs They travel and lead, love field spoits, lacmg, shooting, hunting and fishing, are bold horsemen, and good shots. But, after all, their state is a modem Spaita — an aristocracy resting on a helotiy, and with nothing else to rest upon Although they piofess (and I believe indeed, sinceiely) to hold opinions in opposition to the opening of the slave tiade, it is neveitheles true that the clause in the constitution of the confederate states which prohibited the importation of negroes was especially and energetically resisted by them, because, they say, it seemed to be an admission that slavery was in itself an evil and a wrong. Their whole system lests on slavery, and as such they defend it They entertain very exaggerated ideas of the military stiength of their little community, although one may do full justice to its military spirit. Out of their whole population they cannot reckon more than 60,000 adult men by any arithmetic, and as there are nearly 30,000 plantations which must be, according to law, supei intended by white men, a considerable number of these adults cannot be spared fiom the state for service in the open field. The planters boast that they can raise their crops without any inconvenience by the labour of their negroes, and they seem confident that the negroes will work without superintendence. But the experiment is rather dangerous, and it will only be tried in the last extremity. Mr. Russell next passes to Savannah, in Georgia, where he visited Foit Pulaski, which defends the mouth of the Savannah river and the approaches to the city. It was left to take care of itself, and the Geoigians quietly stepped into it, and have been busied in completing its defences, "so that it is now capable of stopping a fleet very effectually." He was accompanied by, among others, Commodore Tatnall, whose name will be familiar to English ears in connection with the attack on the Peiho forts, where the gallant American showed the world that " blood was thicker than water." This veteran has seen forty nine years' service. "He has no fortune whatever. His fleet consists of two small river or coasting steamers, without guns ; and as he said, in talking over the resources of the south, 'My bones will be bleached many a long year beforo the confederate states can hope to have a navy.'"
The Religion of Chance. — Favourable Chance, I fancy, is the god of all men who follow their own devices, instead of obeying a law they believe in. Let even a polished man of these days_ get into a pobition he is ashamed to avow, and his mind will be bent on all the possible issues that may deliver him from the calculable results of that position. Let him live outside his income, or shirk the resolute honest work that bungs wages, and he will presently find himself dreaming of a possible benefactor, a possible simpleton who may be cajoled into using his interest, a possible state of mind in some possible peisou not yet forthcoming. Let him neglect the responsibilities of his office, and he will inevitably anchor himself on the chance that the thing left undone may turn out not to be of the supposed importance. Let him betiay his friend's confidence, and he will adore that same cunning complexity called Chance, which gives him the hope that his friend will never know , let him forsake a decent craft, that he may puisue the gentilities of a profession to ■which natuie never called him, and his lehgion will infalbbly be the worship of blessed Chance, which he will believe in as the mighty creator of success. The evil principle deprecated in that religion is the oideriy sequence by which the seed brings forth a ciop after its kind. — Silas Mamtr.
Holloway's Pills. — Depression of spirits, debility. — Some defect in digestion is generally the cause of mental depiession ; on rectifying the disordeied »tornach, the long list of gloomy thoughts retire, and aie succeeded by more hopeful and happier feelings. Holloway's Pills have been lenowned far and wide for effecting this desirable change. They remove all obstructions, legulate all secretions, and correct depiaved humouis, by punfymg the blood and invigorating the stomach. Their medicinal virtues reach, relieve, and stimulate every organ and gland in the body, whereby the ontiie system is relieved. No medicine ever befoie discoveied acts so directly and beneficially upon the blood and en dilation as Holloway's celebrated Pills, which combmo the raro merits of efficiency and harcules q es.s. .
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Bibliographic details
Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1435, 13 September 1861, Page 4
Word Count
1,727NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1435, 13 September 1861, Page 4
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