35. A South Carolina Settlement (1742)BY ELIZA LUCAS
Eliza Lucas was an English girl, upon whom was thrown the burden of carrying on a large estate in South Carolina. She later became the wife of Charles Pinckney, chief justice of South Carolina. — Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 335-356; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 102. — For previous Carolina history, see Contemporaries, I, ch. xii.
May 22d. 1742.
I AM now set down my dear Brother to obey your Commands and give you a short description of the part of the World I now inhabit — So Carolina then is an Extensive Country near the Sea. Most of the settled part of it is upon a flatt. the Soil near Charles Town sandy but further distant, clay and swamp lands. It abounds with fine navigable rivers and great quan[ti]ties of fine timber — The Country at a great distance that is to say about a hundred and fifty mile from Crs Town very hilly The soil in general very fertile and there are few European or American fruits or grain but what grow here the Country abounds with wild fowl Venison and fish Beef Veal and Mutton are here in much greater perfection than in the Islands tho' not equal to that of England — Fruit extreamly good and in profusion, and the oranges exceed any I ever tasted in the West Indies or from Spain or Portugal. The people in general hospitable and honest and the better sort add to these a polite gentile behaviour. The poorer sort are the most indolent people in the world, or they would never be wretched in so plentiful a country as this. The winters here are fine and pleasant but 4 months in the year are extreamly disagreeable excessive hott much thunder and lightening and musketoes and sand flies in abundance Crs Town the Metropolis, is a neat pretty place the inhabitants polite and live a very gentile manner the streets and houses regularly built, the ladies and gentlemen gay in their dress, upon the whole you will find as many agreeable people of both sexes for the size of the place as almost any where St Phillip's Church in Crs. Town is a very Elegant one and much frequented, there are sever! more places of publick Worship in the town and the generality of people of a religious turn of mind.
I began in haste and have observed no method or I should have told you before I came to Summer, that we have a most charming Spring in this Country especially for those who travel through the Country for the
