_A Description of Charleston, and of some places in the adjacent parts
of Carolina and Georgia._
Charleston is situated at the conflux of the rivers Ashley and Cooper.
The ground that it occupies is about a mile in length. From the middle
of the principal street the two rivers might be clearly seen, were it
not for a public edifice, built upon the banks of the Cooper, which
intercepts the view. The most populous and commercial part of the town
is situated along the Ashley. Several ill-constructed _quays_ project
into the river, to facilitate the trading-vessels taking in their
cargoes. These quays are formed of the trunks of palm-trees, fixed
together, and laid out in squares, one above another. The _streets_ of
Charleston are wide, but not paved; consequently, every time the foot
slips, from a kind of brick pavement before the doors, it is immersed,
nearly ancle deep, in sand. The rapid and almost incessant motion of
carriages grinds this moving sand, and pulverizes it in such a manner,
that the most gentle wind fills the shops with it, and renders it very
disagreeable to foot-passengers. The principal streets extend east and
west between the two rivers, and others intersect these nearly at right
angles.
From its exposure to the ocean, this place is subject to storms and
inundations, which affect the security of its harbour. The town also has
suffered much by fires. The last, in 1796, destroyed upwards of five
hundred houses, and occasioned damage to the amount of L.300,000
sterling.
The _houses_, in the streets near the water-side, are, for the most
part, lofty, and built close together. The bricks are of a peculiar
nature, being porous, and capable of resisting weather better than the
firm, close, and red bricks of the northern states. They are of a dark
brown colour, which gives to the buildings a gloomy appearance. The
roofs are tiled or slated. In this part of the town the principal
shopkeepers and merchants have their stores and warehouses. Houses here
bear a very high rent: those in Broad and Church-streets, which are
valuable for shops, let for more than L.300 per annum; and those along
the bay, with warehouses, let for L.700 and upwards, according to the
size and situation of the buildings. The houses in Meeting-street and
the back part of the town, are in general lofty and extensive, and are
separated from each other by small gardens or yards, in which are the
kitchens and out-offices. Almost every house is furnished with balconies
and verandas, some of which occupy the whole side of the building, from
top to bottom, having a gallery for each floor. The houses are sometimes
shaded with Venetian blinds, and afford to the inhabitants a cool and
pleasant retreat, from the scorching rays of the sun. Most of the modern
houses are constructed with taste and elegance; but the chief design
seems to be, to render them as cool as possible. The town is also
crowded with wooden buildings, of an inferior description.
Three of the _public buildings_ in Charleston, and the episcopal church
of St. Michael, are situated at the corners, formed by the intersection
of Broad and Meeting-streets. St. Michael's is a large and substantial
edifice, with a lofty steeple and spire. The Branch Bank of the United
States occupies one of the corners: this is a substantial, and, compared
with others in the town, is a handsome building; but, from an
injudicious intermixture of brick, stone, and marble, it has a very
motley appearance. Another corner of the street is occupied by the gaol
and armory: the fourth corner has a large and substantial brick
building, cased with plaster. The ground-floor of this building is
appropriated to the courts of law: in the first story are most of the
public offices; and the upper story contains the public library and the
museum.
A kind of tree, called the "pride of India," (_melia azedarach_,) is
planted, in rows, along the foot-paths and the streets of Charleston. It
does not grow very high; but its umbrageous leaves and branches afford,
to the inhabitants, an excellent shelter from the sun. It has the
advantage also of not engendering insects; for, in consequence of its
poisonous qualities, no insect can live upon it. When in blossom, the
large clusters of its flowers resemble those of the lilac; these are
succeeded by bunches of yellow berries, each about the size of a small
cherry. It is a deciduous tree; but the berries remain during the
winter, and drop off in the following spring.
The health of the _inhabitants_ is very much injured, in consequence of
their general neglect of cleanliness. The drains that are formed for
carrying off the filth and putrid matter, which collect from all parts
of the town, are too small for the purpose. This circumstance, added to
the effluvia of the numerous swamps and stagnant pools in the
neighbourhood, are known to be extremely injurious. Another neglect of
health and comfort arises from a filthy practice, which prevails, of
dragging dying horses, or the carcasses of dead ones, to a field in the
outskirts of the town, near the high road, and there leaving them, to be
devoured by troops of ravenous dogs and vultures. The latter, in
appearance, are not much unlike turkeys, and thence have obtained the
name of turkey buzzards; but, from their carnivorous habits, they have a
most offensive smell. These birds hover over Charleston in great
numbers; and are useful in destroying putrid substances, which lie in
different parts of the city.
At Charleston there is a garden dignified by the name of _Vauxhall_. It
is situated in Broad-street, at a short distance from the theatre; but
it possesses no decoration worthy of notice. It cannot even be compared
with the common tea-gardens in the vicinity of London. On one side of it
are warm and cold baths, for the accommodation of the inhabitants.
During summer, vocal and instrumental concerts are performed here, and
some of the singers from the theatre are engaged for the season. The
situation and climate of Charleston are, however, by no means adapted
for entertainments of this description.
There are, in this town, four or five _hotels_ and coffee-houses; but,
except the Planters' Hotel, in Meeting-street, not one of them is
superior to an English public-house.
Charleston contains a handsome and commodious _market-place_, which
extends from Meeting-street to the water-side, and is as well supplied
with _provisions_ as the country will permit. Compared, however, with
the markets in the towns of the northern states, the supply is very
inferior, both in quality and quantity. The beef, mutton, veal, and
pork, of South Carolina, are seldom in perfection; and the hot weather
renders it impossible to keep meat many hours after it is killed. Though
the rivers abound in a great variety of fish, yet very few are brought
to market. Oysters, however, are abundant, and are cried about the
streets by negroes. They are generally shelled, put into small pails,
which the negroes carry on their heads, and are sold, by measure, at the
rate of about eight-pence per quart. Vegetables have been cultivated, of
late years, with great success; and, of these, there is generally a
tolerable supply in the market.
In winter, the markets of Charleston are well supplied with fish, which
are brought from the northern parts of the United States, in vessels so
constructed as to keep them in a continual supply of water, and alive.
The ships, engaged in this traffic, load, in return, with rice and
cotton.
At Charleston, wood is extravagantly dear: it costs from forty to fifty
shillings a _cord_, notwithstanding forests of almost boundless extent,
commence at six miles, and even at a less distance, from the town. Hence
a great portion of the inhabitants burn coals that are brought from
England.
The pestilential marshes around Charleston yield a great abundance of
rice. It is true that no European frame could support the labour of its
cultivation; but Africa can produce slaves, and, amid contagion and
suffering, both of oppressors and oppressed, Charleston has become a
wealthy city.
* * * * *
The road from Charleston towards North Carolina, extends, for some
distance, through the districts adjacent to the sea-coast; and much of
the country is clad with bright evergreens, whence, in many places, it
appears like the shrubbery of a park. In this part of America the trees
are covered with a curious kind of vegetable drapery, which hangs from
them in long curling tendrils, of gray or pale green colour. It bears a
small blue flower, which is succeeded by a plumed seed, that adheres to
the bark of the trees. Though the bark of the oak seems to afford the
most favourite soil, it suspends itself to trees of every description;
and, as it has no tenacity, but hangs like loose drapery, it probably
does them no injury.
In the interior of the country the road traverses a desolate tract of
swamps and sandy pine-forests, and afterwards a series of granite rocks.
The capital of North Carolina is _Raleigh_, a clean little country town.
At one end of the only street stands the governor's brick house; and, at
the other, the senate or court-house, surrounded by a grass-plot, neatly
laid out. The houses are, in general, small, and built of wood; but some
of them have foundations of granite, which is the only kind of stone in
the country. The total want of limestone, and the scarcity of
brick-earth, render it here extremely difficult and expensive to give to
buildings any degree of stability.
Although Raleigh is considered the capital of North Carolina, _Newbern_
is the largest town in the state. So long ago as the year 1790, it
contained four hundred houses; but these were chiefly built of wood. In
September, 1791, about one-third of this town was consumed by fire; but,
since that period, more of the houses have been built of brick than
before. Newbern is situated on a flat, sandy point of land, near the
junction of the two rivers Neus and Trent, and about thirty miles from
the sea. It carries on a trade with the West Indies and the interior of
Carolina, chiefly in tar, pitch, turpentine, lumber, and corn.
* * * * *
About a hundred miles south-west of Charleston is the town of
_Savannah_, situated upon an open, sandy plain, which forms a bluff or
cliff, about fifty feet above the level of the river of the same name.
It is laid out, in the form of a parallelogram, about a mile and a
quarter long, and half a mile wide. The streets are broad, and open into
spacious squares, each of which has in the middle a pump, surrounded by
trees. There are neither foot-paths nor pavement in this place; and,
consequently, every one walking in the streets, sinks, at each step, up
to the ancles in sand; and, in windy weather, the eyes, mouth, and
nostrils, are filled with sand.
The houses in Savannah are, for the most part, built of wood, and stand
at a little distance from each other. In two or three of the streets,
however, they are close together, and many of them are built with brick:
these contain the shops and stores. The principal street is that called
the Bay; and in this there are several good houses, of brick and wood.
It extends nearly three quarters of a mile in length; and opposite to it
is a beautiful walk, planted with a double row of trees. Similar trees
are planted in other parts of the town. This agreeable promenade is near
the margin of the height, upon which the town stands; and the merchants'
stores, warehouses, and wharfs, for the landing, housing, and shipping
of goods, are immediately below. From the height there is a fine view of
the Savannah river, as far as the sea; and, in a contrary direction, to
the distance of several miles above the town.
About the centre of the walk, and just on the verge of the cliff, stands
the Exchange, a large brick building, which contains some public
offices; and an assembly-room, where a concert and ball are held every
fortnight, during the winter.
The situation of Savannah, and the plan upon which it is laid out, if
the town contained better houses, would render it far more agreeable, as
a place of residence, than Charleston. Its greater elevation must also
be more conducive to the health of the inhabitants, than the low and
flat site of the other city. Both, however, are in the neighbourhood of
swamps, marshes, and thick woods, which engender diseases, injurious to
the constitution of white people. On the swamps, around Savannah, great
quantities of rice are grown.
Twelfth Day's Instruction.