306 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



years, it was abandoned, and this part of the country was for a long time neglected. The first 

 permanent settlements were made by the fugitives and seceders from Virginia, who, between 

 1640 and 1G50, fled beyond the limits of that State to avoid religious persecution. A patent 

 for the territory had been previously granted by Charles the First, but no effectual use had 

 been made of it. After the above settlement, the patent was transferred (1663) to Lord 

 Clarendon and some others, and a government was organized. The constitution, subsequently 

 formed for the colony, is a remarkable document in American history, for it was the work of 

 the celebrated John Locke. The chief magistrate was called the Palatine, and there was a 

 hereditary nobility, with the titles of Landgrave and Cazique. The legislature was called a 

 parliament. This constitution was found upon trial to be ill adapted to the character of the 

 people, and it was abolished in 1693. A government similar to those of the other American 

 colonies, succeeded it. This colony had been connected with that of South Carolina, till 

 1729, when they were separated, and the government of both was assumed by the King. 

 This continued till the breaking out of the Revolution. The present constitution was estab- 

 lished in 1776, but was revised and modified in 1835. 



CHAPTER XXL SOUTH CAROLINA. 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Boundaries and Extent. This State is bounded N. by North Carolina; E. by the 

 ocean ; S. and W. by Georgia. It extends from 32° to 35° 8' N. lat. and from 78° 24' to 

 83° 30' W. long., being 270 miles long and 125 broad, and containing 33,000 square miles. 



2. Rivers. The Great Pedee rises in North Carolina, where it is called the Yadkin, and 

 flows to the sea through the eastern part of this State ; it has a sloop navigation of 130 miles. 

 The Santee is formed by the union of the Wateree and Congaree, which rise also in North 

 Carolina. It is navigable about the same distance as the preceding. The Edisto has a 

 boat navigation for 100 miles, and the Savannah washes the whole southwestern limit of the 

 State. All the rivers of South Carolina flow through a level country, and their waters are gen- 

 erally sluggish and shallow. 



3. Islands. The southern part of the coast is skirted by a range of islands, separated from 

 the main land by narrow channels, which afford a steamboat navigation. These islands, like 

 the neighboring continent, are low and flat, but are covered with forests of live oak, pine, and 

 palmettoes. Before the cultivation of cotton, many of them were the haunts of alligators, and 

 their thick woods and rank weeds rendered them impenetrable to man. At present, they are 

 under cultivation, and well inhabited ; and as the voyager glides by their shores in a steamboat, 

 he is enchanted with the prospect of their iively verdure, interspersed with thick clumps of 

 palmettoes, and flowering groves of orange trees. The live oak, which is so called on account 

 of its being an evergreen, is a noble tree, with a trunk sometimes 12 feet girth ; its long bran- 

 ches are spread horizontally, and festoons of moss hang from them almost sweeping the ground. 

 The laurel is here seen covered with large, white blossoms, shaped like a lily, and a foot in 

 circumference. The long sandy beaches, which border these islands toward the sea, are cov- 

 ered with thousands of water fowl. 



4. Harbors. Like those of North Carolina, the harbors of this State are generally bad. 

 That of Charleston is obstructed at the entrance by a dangerous sand-bar ; that of Georgetown 

 will only admit small craft. The harbor of Beaufort, or Port Royal, is the best in the State, 

 but is little frequented. 



5. Shores. The whole seacoast is low and level, with long sandy beaches, and without any 

 prominent headlands. 



6. Climate. The climate is hot, moist, and unhealthy. In summer the heat of the day 

 contmues with little abatement through the night, and a comfortable sleep is a blessing not 

 always to be enjoyed. Fevers, generated by the influence of a hot air upon a moist soil, are 

 common. The summer continues from 7 to 8 months, or from March to November. In 

 winter, there are often frosts which kill the tender plants, and the orange trees ; but they sel- 

 dom continue longer than three or four days, or penetrate the earth deeper than two inches 

 In the lower parts of the State there is seldom any snow. In the northwestern part, the land 

 is mountainous, and the climate generally salubrious, with a drier air, and a colder winter. 



7. Soil. In this particular, this State resembles North Carolina. The western part has a 



