In Mr. Herbemont’s garden, we saw some very interesting plants and trees; magnolias, gardenias, pomegranate and other fruit trees, which he had grafted in a very singular manner one upon another; date palm trees and fig trees, raised from kernels, and a great number of evergreen laurel trees.
A mile from the city, on the left bank of the Congaree river is a canal three miles in length, to avoid some rapids, which are in the river. This canal has four locks, and the difference of the level of the water above and below them, is thirty-six feet. Two are built of granite, which is obtained close to the canal. Several blocks have been blown up, to make way for the canal. The other two are of brick, and the mason work appeared to me to have been well executed. They were just building a wooden bridge over the Congaree, in order to lead to Augusta; the bridge was to be supported by eight piers of stone. They are made of granite without any lime or cement.[I.36] The exterior stones were chiseled and connected with cramp-irons. The undertaking was contracted for at seventy thousand dollars.
Not far from the bridge are several cotton plantations belonging to the wealthy family of Taylor. On one of these fields the harvest was just making by fifty-eight negroes of both sexes. They take the cotton by hand from the capsules, look at it, that no withered leaves may be attached to it, and throw it into bags, which are hanging before them; afterwards they shake the cotton from the bags into baskets which are prepared for that purpose. These negroes made a very disagreeable impression upon me, especially when some of the women asked Mr. Herbemont for some chewing tobacco. I saw here some fine oak and pine trees, the latter are very abundant in all the woods we lately passed through. They have extremely long leaves; the young shoots particularly have a fine appearance. The leaves are more than a foot in length, and the shoot looks like the bunch of horse-hairs on the caps of the Prussian grenadiers. On the trees hangs a long moss-like plant called Spanish beard. They pick up this plant, put it into water, to rot the grayish bark, and employ the black fibres which then make their appearance, like horse-hair, for making mattresses, which are even exported to Europe. Finally, we saw several aromatic and medicinal herbs, for instance, the monarda punctata, the juice of which, mixed with that of an onion, is said to be very efficacious in gravel complaints.
The Lunatic Asylum of Columbia is situated in an open place out of the city. It consists of a principal building adorned with a portico of six columns. In this building are lodgings for the inspectors, offices, and rooms for persons of moderate fortune. Two wings are connected with the principal building, and form obtuse angles with it, each of them is three stories high, in which the lunatics are placed. By degrees, as the income of the establishment increases, other wings will be built, and the whole will form an octagon. There is on the principal building a spire, from which is a very extensive view, though you see nothing else but woods. The distempered in mind will find here many conveniences when the buildings are completed: namely, good rooms, gardens, and walking places on balconies, inclosed with high walls.
A Catholic chapel in Gothic style has been built in Columbia by subscription, but the amount collected, being not sufficient, a lottery has been opened to obtain the deficiency! Next to the chapel is a theatre, which likewise is unfinished by the undertaker, on account of insufficiency of funds.
At Professor Henry’s, a very agreeable society assembled at dinner. At that party I observed a singular manner which is practised; the ladies sit down by themselves at one of the corners of the table. But I broke the old custom, and glided between them: and no one’s appetite was injured thereby.
I spent one evening at a ball given by Mr. Taylor, a rich proprietor, at one of his plantations. I found there a numerous and splendid society. But the music was of a singular kind; for the blacks, who two days ago played very well at the governor’s, were now drunk, and could not make their appearance. This was the reason that the whole music consisted of two violins and a tamborine. This tamborine was struck with a terrible energy. The two others scraped the violin, in the truest signification of the word; one of them cried out the figures, imitating with his body all the motions of the dance. The whole of it amused me much; for the rest, I was astonished at the great plainness of the house. Besides the first room, there were three rooms open, which had white walls, and were without window-curtains.
[I.1] For the benefit of my readers who are not military, I subjoin the names of offices in our navy, and their correspondence in rank with army offices:—
| Admiral | is equal to | General. | |
| Vice-admiral | ” | ” | Lieutenant-general. |
| Rear-admiral | ” | ” | Major-general. |
| Captain | ” | ” | Colonel. |
| Captain-lieutenant | ” | ” | Lieutenant-colonel. |
| Lieutenant of the first class | ” | ” | Captain. |
| Lieutenant of the second class | ” | ” | First lieutenant. |
[I.2] A Netherland merchant ship, employed to carry troops to the East Indies, whose wretched condition was not discovered until she was in the main ocean, and was obliged to make for Plymouth for repairs.