[... continued]

                      15

 From the "City Gazette," of Saturday, May 13th 1826.

         From the Southern Intelligencer.

              THE FRENCH REFUGEES.

                    NO. III.

   In the year 1700 Mr. John Lawson visited the French settlement on Santee
river, on a tour which he made through the interior of this State and North
Carolina.  In 1709, he published an account of his travels under the title of "A
Journal of a thousand miles, travelled through several nations rf the Indians,
&c."  This book is now a very scarce one.  Judge James, in the introduction to
his Life of Marion, states that only two copies are known to be in the state. 
As this circumstance will be deemed a sufficient apology for using its contents
freely, I have extracted so much of it relates to the French settled on the
Santee, to form the present number.  A notice of them at that early period,
however brief and cursory, will not be uninteresting to their posterity.
   "The first place we designed for," (says Mr. Lawson) "was Santee river, on
which there is a colony of French Protestants, allowed and encouraged by the
lords proprietors." -p. 7.
   Having given a minute account of his voyage from Charleston through the
inland passage to Santee, which occupied a week, he adds.  "as we rowed up the
river, we found the land towards the mouth and for about sixteen miles up it,
scarce any thing but swamp and percoarson, affording vast cyprus trees, of which
the French make canoes, that will carry 50 or 60 barrels.  After the tree is
moulded and dug, they saw them in two pieces, and so put a plank between, and a
small keel, to preserve them from the oyster banks, which are innumerable in the
creeks and bays betwixt the French settlement and Charlestown.  They carry two
masts and Bermuda sails, which makes them very handy and fit for their purpose;
for although their river fetches its first rise from the mountains, and
continues a current some hundreds of miles ere it disgorges itself, having no
sound, bay, or sand banks betwixt the mouth thereof and the ocean,
notwithstanding all this, with the vast stream it affords at all seasons, and
the repeated freshes it so often alarms the inhabitants with, by laying under
water great part of their 

                      16

country, yet the mouth is barred, affording not, above four or five foot water
at the entrance." -p.9
   This is a pretty accurate description of the large cypress canoes which are
in such general use at the present day - and it is probable that the French at
Santee were the first people in the state who built them.
   "There being a strong current in Santee river, caused us to make a small way
with our oars.  With hard rowing, we got that night to Mons. Eugee's [Huger]
house which stands about fifteen miles up the river, being the first Christian
dwelling we met withal in that settlement, and were very courteously received by
him and his wife."
   "Many of the French follow a trade with the Indians, living very conveniently
for that interest.  There is about seventy families seated on this river, who
live as decently and happily, as any planters in these southward parts of
America.  The French being a temperate industrious people, some of them bringing
very little of effects, yet by their endeavours and mutual assistance amongst
themselves, (which is highly to be commended) have outstripped our English, who
brought with them larger fortunes, though as it seems less endeavour to manage
their talent to the best advantage."
   "We lay all that night at Mons. Eugee's, and the next morning set out
farther, to go the remainder of our voyage by land" - "At noon we came up with
several French plantations, meeting with several creeks by the way, the French
were very officious in assisting with their small dories to pass over these
waters, (whom we met coming from their church) being all of them clean and
decent in their apparel; their houses and plantations suitable in neatness and
contrivance.  They are all of the same opinion with the Church of Geneva, there
being no difference amongst them concerning the punctilios of their Christian
faith; which union hath propagated a happy and delightful concord in all other
matters, throughout the whole neighbourhood; living amongst themselves as one
tribe or kindred, every one making it his business to be assistant to the wants
of his countryman, preserving his estate and reputation with the same exactness
and concern as he does his own; all seeming to share in the misfortunes, and
rejoice at the advance, and rise, of their brethren."
   "Towards the afternoon we came to Mons. L'Jandro, 

                      17

[Gendron] where we got our dinner; there coming some French ladies whilst we
were there, who were lately come from England, and Mons. L'Grand, a worthy
Norman, who hath been a great sufferer in his estate by the persecution in
France, against those of the Protestant religion.  This gentleman very kindly
invited us to make our stay with him all night, but we being intended farther
that day, took our leaves, returning acknowledgements of their favours."
   "About four in the afternoon, we passed over a large cyprus run in a small
canoe.  The French doctor sent his negro to guide us over the head of a large
swamp, so we got that night to Mons. Galliar's [Gaillard] the elder, who lives
in a very curious contrived house, built of brick and stone, which is gotten
near that place.  Near here comes in the road from Charlestown, and the rest of
the English settlement, it being a very good way by land, and not above 36
miles, although more than 100 by water; and I think the most difficult way I
ever saw, occasioned by reason of the multitude of creeks lying along the main,
keeping their course through the marshes, turning and winding like a labyrinth,
having the tide of ebb and flood twenty times in less than three leagues going."
   He then describes a freshet in the Santee, representing the adjacent "woods
to seem like some great lake, except here and there a knowl of high land, which
appeared above water."
   "We intended for Mons. Galliar's jun. but was lost, none of us knowing the
way at that time, although the Indian was born in that country, it having
received so strange a metamorphosis."
   "When we got to the house we found our comrades" [who had been accidentally
separated from them] "and several of the French inhabitants with them, who
treated us very courteously, wondering at our undertaking such a voyage, through
a country inhabited by none by savages, and them of so different nations and
tongues."
   "After we had refreshed ourselves, we parted from a very kind, loving, and
affable people, who wished us a safe and prosperous voyage." -pp. 12 to 15.

                                A Descendant of the Refugees.

-------
[to be continued ...]

Spelling and capitalization all sic, forgiving any transcription errors.  The
brackets [] shown in the body of the text are as shown in the document.

Transcribed by Steven James Coker, another descendant of the Refugees, by use of
a copy made of an original. Said original is in the holdings of the Caroliniana
Library in Columbia, South Carolina, 

Catalog number: 
s.c. 
p975.793
R19l
1868

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