12 SEVENTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 



working negroes in the parish at high and remuner- 

 ative wages. This enterprise reHeved the planters 

 of a burden which oppressed them, and left them 

 partially untrammelled to prepare for the new staple 

 which had been for some time exciting their hopes. 



As far back as 1 790 attempts had been made to 

 plant cotton as a market crop in different localities 

 of the Southern country. Even at an earlier period, 

 among the exports from Charleston to Great Britain 

 in 1 748, we find seven bags of cotton wool valued at 

 £1 IIS. 6d. per bag. In 1754 some cotton was 

 again exported from South Carolina. In 1770 

 there were shipped to Liverpool three bags from 

 New York, four bags from Virginia and Maryland, 

 and three barrels from North Carolina. In 1 794 an 

 American vessel that carried eight bags to Liverpool 

 was seized, on the ground that so much cotton could 

 not be the product of the United States. 



In 1785, fourteen bags; in 1786, six bags; in 

 1787, one hundred and nine bags; in 1788, three 

 hundred and eighty-nine bags ; in 1 789, eight hun- 

 dred and forty-two bags ; in 1 790, eighty-one 

 baes. The bae of cotton first sold in South 

 Carolina was purchased in 1784 by John Teas- 

 dale, from Bryan Cape, then a factor in Charles- 

 ton. The export of cotton slowly but steadily 

 increased until 1 794, when a powerful impetus was 

 given to the cotton culture by the invention of the 

 saw gin by Eli Whitney of Massachusetts. 



