14 
lions are pretty, commonly an avenue of ancient, well preserved 
live oaks, leads up to the mansion-house, at the entrance of 
which a grated gate is placed. Maize and cotton are planted 
here, and in some places also rice, which is .the staple of the 
lower part of South Carolina. The rice fields must stand several 
months of the year under water. On this account they are 
situated in swampy districts, .and surrounded by ditches of water. 
But in consequence of this, these places are so unhealthy, that 
hardly a white planter can remain during the summer on his 
plantation; he is obliged to resort to Charleston, or the northern 
states. The climate of Charleston is such, that whoever is there 
in the beginning of the hot season, dares not to sleep a single 
night during the continuance of it, upon a plantation, without 
exposing his life to imminent danger. The blacks are the only 
human beings on whom this deadly climate has no bad effect, * 
and they are, therefore, indispensable for the cultivation of this 
district. The vegetation was again extremely beautiful, noble 
live oaks, laurel trees, magnolias, cabbage and macaw trees. The 
road ran upon, light bridges over small rivers, on the banks of 
which negroes were busied in angling. We saw the family of a 
planter in an elegant boat, manned by six black oarsmen, rowing 
to their plantation. In a large inn, which was itself the mansion- 
house of a plantation, we found a particularly good dinner. In 
the evening we crossed the Edisto river in a narrow ferry-boat, 
for the arrival of which we were obliged to delay a long time. 
The soil was mostly very sandy, partly also marshy, and the 
jolting log causeways made us tired of our lives. On this side 
of the river we arrived at the village of Edisto. We travelled 
through the whole night, and I suffered much from the cold in 
my airy seat. Otherwise, it was a clear moonlight, and if it had 
been a little warmer would deserve the appellation of a fine 
night. We changed our stage during the night, but gained 
nothing. 
The succeeding morning exhibited all the ponds of water 
covered with a crust of ice. We passed the Salkechee and 
Cambahee rivers upon bridges, and noticed nothing worthy of 
observation. The vegetation was less beautiful than on the pre¬ 
ceding day; the plantations were also less considerable. At a 
new plantation, at which we arrived about break of day, I spoke 
to the overseer of the negroes. The man’s employment I recog¬ 
nised from his whip, and from the use he made of it, in rousing 
up the negroes to make a fire. He told us that in the district, 
where the plantation was situated, and where maize and cotton 
were planted, but a little time before there was nothing but 
forest; his employer had commenced in 1816 , with two negroes, 
and now he possessed one hundred and four, who were kept at 
