Shelter'd from the wintry wind, The country in our neighbourhood consisted of lofty forests of pine, oak, and hickory. Well might I have exclaimed in the words of my poetical friend: "Around an endless wild of forests lies, And pines on pines forever meet the eyes!" The land, as I have before suggested, was perfectly level. Not the smallest acclivity was visible, and therefore no valley rejoiced the sight with its verdure. The staple commodity of the State is rice, but cotton is now eagerly cultivated where the soil is adapted to the purpose. The culture of indigo is nearly relinquished.* It attains more perfection in the East-Indies, which can amply supply the markets of Europe. It is to the crop of cotton that the Planter looks for the augmentation of his wealth. Of cotton there are two kinds; the sea-island and inland. [* Swift and far-reaching changes brought in by Whitney's gin machine. Cf. Schoepf, Reise durch einige der mittlern und südlichen vereinigten nordamerikanischen Staaten. Erlangen. 1788, II, 287, 288.—“ Nächst dem schon berührten Indigo, ist der Reis die vorzüglichste Stapelwaare von Südkarolina. Auf Reis, Indigo, und in den hintern Gegenden auf Toback, haben die Einwohner von Karolina bisher ihre hauptsächlichste Aufmerksamkeit verwendet" (1784).] The first is the most valuable. The ground is hoed for planting the latter part of March; but as frosts are not infrequent the beginning of April, it is judicious not to plant before that time. Cotton is of a very tender nature. A frost, or even a chilling wind, has power to destroy the rising plant, and compel the Planter to begin anew his toil. The winds in autumn are so tempestuous that they tear up the largest trees by the roots. Homer, some thousand years ago, witnessed a similar scene: "Leaves, arms and trees aloft in air are blown, "The broad oaks crackle, and the sylvans groan; This way and that, the rattling thicket bends, "And the whole forest in one crash descends." Of the feathered race, the mocking-bird first claims my notice. It is perfectly domestic, and sings frequently for hours on the roof of a log-house. It is held sacred by the natives. Even children respect the bird whose imitative powers are so delightful.* I heard the mocking-bird for the first time. on the first day of March. It was warbling, close to my window, from a tree called by some the Pride of India, and by others the Poison-berry Tree. Its song was faint, re [* Cf. Castiglioni, Viaggio negli Stati Uniti, 1785, 1786, 1787, Milan. 1790. I, 357.-" The mocking-bird is bought at extravagant prices by the English. At Boston the price is often three to four guineas."] sembling that of birds hailing the rising sun; but it became stronger as the spring advanced. The premices of this mocking songster could not but delight me; and I adressed the bird in an irregular Ode, which Mrs. Drayton did me the honour to approve. ODE TO THE MOCKING-BIRD. SWEET bird, whose imitative strain, Of all thy race can counterfeit the note, And with a burthen'd heart complain, Or to the song of joy attune the throat; To thee I touch the string, While at my casement, from the neighb'ring tree, Thou hail'st the coming spring, And plaintive pour'st thy voice, or mock'st with merry glee. Thou bringest to my mind The characters we find Amid the motley scenes of human life; How very few appear The garb of truth to wear, But with a borrow'd voice, conceal a heart of strife. Sure then, with wisdom fraught, Thou art by nature taught Dissembled joy in others to describe; And when the mournful heart Assumes a sprightly part, To note the cheat, and with thy mocking chide. But when, with midnight song, Thou sing'st the woods among, And softer feelings in the heart awake;* Sure then thy rolling note Does sympathy denote, And shews thou can'st of others' grief partake. Pour out thy lengthen'd strain † With woe and grief complain, And blend thy sorrows in the mournful lay; I love in silent woe to pass the day. The humming bird was often caught in the bells of flowers. It is remarkable for its variegated plumage of scarlet, green, and gold. The whip-poor-will is heard after the last frost, when, towards night, it fills the woods with its melancholy cry of Whip poor Will! Whip poor Will! I remember to have seen mention made of this bird in a Latin poem, written by an early Colonist. Hic Avis repetens, Whip! Whip! Will, voce jocosa, Quæ tota verno tempore nocte canit. The note of the red-bird is imitated with nice precision by the mocking-bird; but there Pietas et Gratulatio, p. 89,—a slightly different philosophy: that of the ode is dubious. The importance of this bird, in the pages of the early traveller, is suggested by the frequent mention in Davis's book.] is a bird called the loggerhead that will not bear passively its taunts. His cry resembles Clink, clink, clank; which, should the mocking-bird presume to imitate it, he flies and attacks the mimic for his insolence. But this only incurs a repetition of the offence; so true is it that among birds as well as men, anger serves only to sharpen the edge of ridicule. It is observable, that the loggerhead is known to suck the eggs of the mocking-bird and devour the young ones in the nest. Eagles were often seen on the plantation. The rencounter between one of them and a fish-hawk is curious. When the fish-hawk has seized his prey, his object is to get above the eagle; but when unable to succeed, the king of birds darts on him fiercely, at whose approach the hawk, with a horrid cry, lets fall the fish, which the eagle catches in his beak before it descends to the ground. The woods abound with deer, the hunting of which forms the chief diversion of the Planters. I never failed to accompany my neighbours in their parties, but I cannot say that I derived much pleasure from standing several hours behind a tree. This mode of hunting is, perhaps, not generally known. On riding to a convenient spot in the woods, the hunters dismount, take their stands at certain distances, hitch their horses to a tree, and prepare their guns, while a -- |