POPULATION. 370 



cofcnized. Hence they have spread over irreguhir areas, maintaining in 

 them their preponderance even to the northern boundaries of the State. 

 The areas thus successively occupied by them are those where cotton cul- 

 ture has been the leading pursuit. They are characterized by a light soil, 

 of easy culture, yielding a crop readily and directly convertible into cash, 

 requiring no fore-cast as to drainage and fallows, and no complex combi- 

 nations of the areas to be directed to tillage and pasturage, to grain and 

 cattle. Their minimum percentage to the other population is found in 

 Horry county, upon the southeastern seaboard of the State and diagonally 

 across the State from this locality, among the mountains in the northwest. 

 While three or four lines, where the white population predominates, cross 

 the entire State in a north and south direction. 



The rate of increase of the negro population from 1790 to 1860 was 

 much slower in those counties in which they were originally the 

 most numerous — in Beaufort, Charleston, Georgetown and Colleton. 

 Here their numbers were barely doubled during this period, while they 

 were being quadrupled in the State at large. They seemed to have reached 

 their maximum then, and were on the decline. This was most marked in 

 the case of Charleston county. Here, in 1790, they numbered 34,846, in 

 1830 they were 65,534, and then steadily declined to 40,822 in 1860. 



Since 1860 the increase has been pretty uniform. Charleston has re- 

 gained her losses, and reached and passed her maximum of 1830, num- 

 bering now 71,808, but the other counties which were earliest most 

 thickly peopled with this race still lag behind, and Beaufort, Colleton 

 and Georgetown continue to show considerable losses, while the increase 

 of the upper country has been large. This is the more notable, as this 

 region where these losses have accrued is the very one thought best 

 adapted to the African, being low, wet and warm. 



The geographical indefiniteness of the census of 1870 docs not allow 

 the movements of the colored population during the last decade to be 

 traced with precision. The following table gives the nearest approximation 

 that could be obtained to the facts in this regard. 



PERCENTAGE OF COLORED IN TOT.VL POPULATION'. 



1870. IBSO Increase Decrease. 



Alpine Region 23 27 3 * 



Piedmont Region 49 56 7 * 



Sand and Red Hills 61 56 * 5 



Upper Bine Belt m 59 * 7 



Lower Pine Belt 67 70 3 



Coast Region ....••. 90 84 * 6 



