422 INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNMENT AND LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 



Port Royal, with its magnificent harbor, had also been pointed out by 

 the French expedition under Ribault, and this led to its selection as a 

 landing place by the English colony mentioned above. In 16G3, Charles 

 II. of England granted a charter to certain English noblemen, known in 

 the history of the Province as "The Lords Proprietors," conveying to 

 them all the lands l3'ing between the thirty-first and thirty -sixth degrees 

 of north latitude, comprising all of the present States of North Carolina, 

 South Carolina and Georgia. This grant was enlarged two years later 

 so as to include all between twenty-nine degrees and thirty -six degrees 

 and forty seconds, north latitude, and from these two points on the At- 

 lantic coast westward to the Pacific ocean. The Bahama islands were 

 subsequently added to the grant. The colony which landed at Port 

 Royal in 1670 was sent out by the Lords Proprietors, and. was commanded 

 by Col. Wm. Sayle. Port Royal proved to be too near to the Spanish 

 settlements in Florida, and to the Indian tribes allied with the Spaniards, 

 for the peace or safety of the colony, and within a year Col. Sayle deter- 

 mined to remove further up the coast. Leaving between themselves and 

 their enemies the several rivers, bays and estuaries which indent the 

 coast of Carolina between Port Royal and Charleston, the colonists se- 

 lected a spot on the west bank of the Ashley river, about three miles 

 above the present city, and called it, in honor of the King, Charles Town. 

 This situation, however, was soon found to be inconvenient for shipping ; 

 and by degrees, the inhabitants of Charles Town began to move lower 

 down the river, and to establish themselves nearer the sea. The point 

 formed by the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper rivers, and known 

 as Oyster Point, w^as low and marshy, and cut up by numerous creeks ; 

 but there was sufficient high ground on the Cooper river side to afford 

 room for a settlement, and by 1677 there were enough houses built upon 

 it to need some designation, and the new settlement was called Oyster 

 Point Town. In 1680, so large a majority of the people had removed to 

 this spot, that the seat of government was formally transferred to it, and 

 its name was changed to New Charles Town. Two years later, the old 

 settlement was virtually abandoned, and the new one became the only 

 Charles Town. It w^as at that time declared a port of entry, and in 1685 

 a collector was appointed. It was not, however, until 1783 that the city 



de.struction of the French colony, and was adopted by the Englisli settlers. This is 

 the view held by Simin*, in his '' History of South Carolina." Speaking of the fort 

 which Laudonniere called "La Caroline," in honor of the reiirning monarch, he says 

 (page 28) : " The name thus conferred extended over the whole country a full century 

 before it was occupied by the English. It remained unchanged, and was adopted by 

 them, as it really served to distinguish their obligations to Charles II. of England, under 

 whose auspices and charter the first permanent Eurojiean colony was settled in 

 Carolina." 



