4 
pleasant, the night, however, was extremely cold: I suffered con¬ 
siderably, as I sat upon the coach-box, where I always took my 
seat, for the advantage of free air and prospect. 
We travelled during the forenoon of the 12th of December, 
constantly through a forest. The number of live oaks increased, 
and they were really beautiful. The solitary fan-like macaw trees, 
which we took notice of, were small. The yuccas multiplied every 
moment. The last place before reaching Charleston, was Dorches¬ 
ter. We then passed by an old church, nearly in ruins, called 
St. Andrews, which has survived since the time of the English 
government. It stands in the midst of a venerable church-yard, 
under lofty live oaks and hickories, with palmettoes and macaw 
trees growing between the graves. The whole had a picturesque 
aspect. The plantations succeeded each other more frequently, 
presented a more agreeable appearance, and every thing showed 
marks of the proximity of a large city. At length, in the after¬ 
noon, we left the continued forest, and entered upon an open 
swampy district. Charleston extended before us. The city, 
distinguished as a seaport, lies upon a tongue of land, formed by 
the rivers Ashley and Cooper: we crossed the Ashley to reach the 
city. A causeway, constructed of fascines, passes through the 
swamp to the ferry. The river is three-quarters of a mile broad; 
we crossed it in an eight-horse team-boat. A wooden bridge, 
which formerly crossed the river here, was destroyed by a severe 
storm, and never again rebuilt. Upon the right bank, in the vi¬ 
cinity of Charleston, an entirely novel spectacle expanded itself 
to my view. The houses of the suburb, were, for the most part, 
surrounded by gardens, in which orange trees, with most splen¬ 
did ripe fruit, monthly roses in full bloom, and a variety of other 
flourishing plants displayed themselves. The greater part of the 
habitations have piazzas and spacious balconies. Upon the walls 
and columns run creeping vines, we took notice of a great num¬ 
ber of passion flowers. I felt delighted with this southern climate. 
Charleston has a population of forty thousand inhabitants, about 
twenty-five thousand of these are free. The city is regularly 
built, the streets cross each other at right angles. The smallest 
streets are paved, all have brick side-walks. The paving-stone 
is imported from the northern states, on this account it is an ex¬ 
pensive article, and the paving of the streets can only be gradually 
effected. In the suburb we passed through a street which was 
a log causeway. The principal part of the houses are, it is true, 
built of wood, and all are, as I am told, covered with shingles, 
on account of the frequent prevalence of severe tempests; the 
more recent are, however, of brick, and in very good taste. I 
took up my abode in Jones’s Hotel, a well supported and finely 
situated house, whose host was a mulatto. I had the pleasure 
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