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��A REMARKABLE CHURCH HISTORY.
��A BEMABKABLE CHUBCH H1ST0BY.
��BY E. C. KINNEAR.
��Few, if any, of our American churches have so remarkable a history as that at- tached to St Michaels (Episcopal) Church, Charleston, S. C. It was built in 1760, at a time when building materials were exceedingly low, bricks being pur- chased at three dollars per thousand, and lime at six cents per bushel. Conse- quently, the entire cost of that imposing and magnificent structure was only $32,- 775.87. The chime, consisting of eight bells, was the first ever heard in Amer- ica. They were imported together with the clock in 1764. The bells cost in Eng- gland £581 14s Id. The clock, which is still running aud the time-piece of the city, cost £194. The organ, which is regarded as the finest-toned in the coun- try, was built by Schnetzler, and greatly admired in London. It was imported in 1768, at a cost of £528 sterling. • At the commencement of the late war, it was taken down and saved. After the war, the vestry had it put in complete order, retaining, of course, all the old pipes, &c. In 1782, when the British evacuated Charleston, Major Traille of the Royal Artillery took down the chime of bells, and carried them to England as a trophy of war. They were sold to a Mr. Ryhin- eau, a Christian gentleman, who at once sent them back to Charleston as a pres- ent to the Church — (they were absent about one year) — when they assumed their former position, and for more than three quarters of a century, they dis- coursed sweet music, and announced the the hour of worship to generations of church-goers. In 1861, the commence- ment of the late war, the Vestry, being fearful that the steeple would be de- stroyed and the bells lost or melted for cannon, had seven of them taken down (leaving the largest) and sent to Colum- bia for safe-keeping. They were stored at a building in the State-House yard. They would have been much safer in the steeple of the church, for God in his
��great mercy, protected the venerable structure, which passed through the fiery ordeal without a scar. Although Gen. Gilmore's compliments to the city were daily proclaimed by the mouth of the "Swamp Angel" near Morris Island, the venerabie church seemed to be under God's special care. The building in which the seven bells were stored in Columbia was destroyed with the burn- ing of that city, when Gen. Sherman made his famous "March to the Sea," and when our army evacuated that city, the bells were found by one of the Ves- try men, broken in pieces and worthless save for old metal. The pieces were gath- ered together and with the one remain- ing bell were shipped to Liverpool, Eng- land. A Mr. Priolean, who felt a deep in- terest, made diligent search and, strange to say, his efforts were crowned with wonderful success, for he found the very house that cast the bells in 1764, a hun- dred years previously. The same moulds were found in which they were originally cast — and the books contained a record of the metals used, also the quantity of each, so they were enabled to recast the bells, which was done, and the entire chime shipped the third time from Eng- land, each time to take its positionin the steeple of St. Michael's Church. Says one of the Vestry-men, "there can be de- tected not the slightest variation in tone or sound," and they discourse the same sweet music they did fifty years ago. The owners of the vessel in which the bells were taken to Liverpool and returned, very generously refused to ac- cept pay, and made no charge whatever. Would that our government could have shared the same spirit, and allowed the chime to arrive duty free; but before possession was given, the Vestry was re- quired to pay a duty of twenty-two hun- dred dollars ($2200) to the government. The cost of recasting, together with the duty, was a heavy burden upon the
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