LIFE OF WILSON. xciii 



collected one hundred and twenty-five subscribers since leaving 

 home." 



Savannah, March 5, 1809. 

 " Dear Sir, 



" I have now reached the ne plus ultra of my peregrina- 

 tions, and shall return home by the first opportunity. Whether 

 this shall be by land or water, depends on circumstances; if 

 the former, I shall go by Augusta, where I am told twelve or 

 fifteen subscribers may be procured. These, however, would 

 be insufficient to tempt me that way, for I doubt whether my 

 funds would be sufficient to carry me through. 



" The innkeepers in the southern states are like the vultures 

 that hover about their cities; and treat their guests as the others 

 do their carrion: are as glad to see them, and pick them as 

 bare. The last letter I wrote you was on my arrival in 

 Charleston. I found greater difficulties to surmount there than 

 I had thought of. I solicited several people for a list of names, 

 but that abject and disgraceful listlessness, and want of energy, 

 which have unnerved the whites of all descriptions in these 

 states, put me off from time to time, till at last I was obliged 

 to walk the streets, and pick out those houses which, from 

 their appearance, indicated wealth and taste in the occupants, 

 and introduce myself. Neither M., Dr. R., nor any other 

 that I applied to, gave me the least assistance, though they pro- 

 mised, and knew I was a stranger. I was going on in this 

 way, when the keeper of the library, a Scotsman, a good man, 

 whose name had been mentioned to me, made me out a list 

 from the directory; and among these I spent ten days. The 

 extreme servility, and superabundance of negroes, have ruined 

 the energy and activity of the white population. M. appears 

 to be fast sinking into the same insipidity of character, with a 

 pretty good sprinkling of rapacity. In Charleston, however, 

 I met with some excellent exceptions, among the first ranks of 

 society; and the work excited universal admiration. Dr. D. 

 introduced it very handsomely into the Courier. On hearing 

 of general Wilkinson's arrival, I waited on him. He received 



