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office of governor because he needed a place, as the poor descendant of a worthy father. Such a man was deservedly removed soon, to stop the voice of public clamour; and Richard Everard was appointod in his place. Governor Barrington, on becoming a private citizen, was obliged to flee, to avoid the persecutions of his numerous creditors, and he left the province.

Thus we see, again and again, from New-Hampshire to Carolina, the perpetual evils that resulted from governors, who were appointed by, and accountable to a foreign master; independent of the people, and regardless of the people's rights. We shall have occasion to observe in the sequel, why these things were permitted, and what special good resulted from these partial evils, and how they were overruled for the benefit of the common cause.

In 1711, the Colonies of Virginia and Carolina, made an attempt to run out and settle their boundary line; but such were the delays and difficulties in adjusting this business, that in 1728, they had made no progress, and the parties could not be agreed upon one starting point. The affair now having become serious from its importance, as well as from its long delay, the parties finally agreed upon a point at Currituc Inlet, thirty-six degrees thirty-one minutes north, and proceeded to run out the line to the satisfaction of the parties.

Thus, at the commencement of the administration of Governor Everard, was that bone of contention removed that lay between Virginia and Carolina, and although many settlers were in possession of Carolina lands under Virginia grants; yet all was amicably adjusted, and the parties remained quiet. Although this controversy was so happily closed under this administration, it carried not the same harmony into all its parts. The Governor was generally imprudent; he neither rewarded the innocent and virtuous, nor punished the guilty and the corrupt; and under such a character he lost the confidence of the people, as well as of his council. When the assembly remonstrated against a corrupt judge, the governor disregarded their remonstrance; when his council dissented in opinion, the governor railed and became boisterous; the council took advantage of his want of dignity, as well as temper, and railed in their turn, and thus they appealed to the proprietors with mutual criminations, to the disorder and confusion of the government, and the grief of all good men.

ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR JOHNSTON.

In the two governments of Carolina, (North and South,) have existed the same evils, and the people now began to trace them to their true cause; viz. a foreign governor, who was neither elected by, nor amicable to the people. The proprietors had hitherto appointed the governors, and the crown now exercised the same power, and the same evil consequences had followed, and continued to follow, as we have witnessed in the colonies of the north, when under crown governors. Avarice and dominion were the characteristic features of their administrations, and the people mourned. Tired of these rods of the proprietors, the people in South-Carolina proceeded to depose their proprietary governor, and elect one from the body of the people; but in North-Carolina the people bore the scourge with sullen contempt, until it became by right of purchase vested in the crown; excepting the right of one eighth, which Lord Carteret received to himself and his heirs, upon certain conditions of quit-rent therein specified; the remaining seven eighths being conveyed by the proprietors to King George II. in 1729, for seventeen thousand five hundred pounds sterling, reserving to Lord Carteret his one eighth upon the northern border, and adjoining the Virginia line. A difficulty was involved in the location of this right, because the original grant or charter, embraced eight degrees and a half of latitude, viz. from the 29th to the 37 deg. 30 min. of north latitude, which would give to Lord Carteret for his one eighth part, seventy two miles in width, which was actually set off to him; but was in fact, eight or nine miles too much; because St. Augustine stands in 29 deg. 27 min. and East Florida was never claimed as a part of Carolina; therefore the proprietors had no claim to any part of the 29th degree, any further than as being their southern boundary, which actually gave them 7 deg. and 30 min. instead of 8 deg. 30 min. as was supposed.

At this time his majesty thought fit, for some consideration hard to be conjectured, upon the removal of Governor Everard, to reappoint Governor Barrington, whose vile and corrupt administration has been noticed. The council, as well as the governor, were in the hands of the crown, and at this time consisted of seven, three of whom formed a quorum with the governor. Governor Barrington re-entered upon the administration of North-Carolina, February 1731. His first task opened with an enquiry into the causes of the controversy between the late Governor Everard and his council. When the governor called upon the old council, or any part of them as witnesses, the new council objected, because they were not disinterested; but parties. When he called upon the judges and assistant judges, which the late governor had appointed, their powers and jurisdiction as judges, were questioned; because, as was alleged, the whole judicial power, was vested by the crown, in the supreme or chief judge, and thus the parties were at issue, in attempting to beal an old quarrel.

The assembly next proceeded to acts of legislation, and presented a bill, "for ascertaining the fees of pub

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ic officers, and making tobacco a tender, at ten shillings the hundred, in payment of quit-rents." The governor refused to pass this bill, and prorogued the assembly, to meet on the 2d of November; but the governor then being absent, he again prorogued the assembly to the first Tuesday of April, 1732.

The next subject that engrossed the attention of the people, was an impeachment that was laid before the governor and council, against the judge of admiralty, Edmund Porter. The crimes of which this offender was accused, were numerous, and of the blackest die; and after a full hearing, he was convicted of "sundry notorious crimes;" whereupon he was suspended from his office as judge, and from the council board.

Governor Barrington next became entangled with a complaint brought before him when at Wilmington, by the master of a vessel, against a merchant of that place, for refusing to fulfil his contract. The governor laid the complaint before his council, of which the merchant was a member, and who denied the jurisdiction of the court in such cases; but in the course of enquiry, the fraudulent designs of the merchant were very conspicuous, and although the court could not try and determine the cause; the merchant could become, and did become the avowed enemy of the governor ever after, and treated the imprudences of the governor with great severity. The next irregularity of the governor, was to order his servant to burn a poor man's hut or cabbin, which he had inadvertently erected upon one of his waste fields; which wanton act exposed him to the reproach and contempt of the populace, as a barbarous unfeeling tyrant, and rendered the remainder of his administration, in connection with his other imprudences, so tempestuous that he could not long resist the storm; but retired from the government, and sailed for England April, 1734; where he was murdered soon after, and robbed of a large sum of money at the same time, in St. James' Park.

The departure of this scourge of the people opened the way for a minister of justice, and of peace, under the wise and prudent administration of Governor Johnston, who entered upon the duties of his office, November 1734.

The first objects of importance that claimed the attention of Governor Johnston, were the provision of schools for the instruction of youth, and the support of public worship: these he recommended to the assembly, most pressingly, and urged at the same time, an amendment of the laws, alleging that the neglect of these three important objects, had been, and would continue to be the cause of all the troubles of Carolina. Impressed with the truth, and importance of the recommendation, the assembly made provision for the support of a particular church, to the neglect and prejudice of all others, which again soured the public mind; they also granted money to support a seminary, without making provision for common schools; but the seminary was no further encouraged, and lay dormant, whilst the strife of party promoted the religious establishment which the assembly had fostered. They next attempted to amend their laws; but at the same time, paid no regard to their depreciated paper money, unless it was to ruin it by increasing its quantity by new emissions, to supply the place of its depreciation, which they did in 1729, by an increased emission of forty thousand pounds, and in 1734, by another emission of ten thousand pounds. Although these bills had not depreciated below three and a half for one, in 1730, yet in consequence of the emissions of '29 and '34, the bills were down to seven and a half for one, in the year 1739. This was not peculiar to Carolina; we have seen that it had been, and continued to be common to all the colonies, and had for its basis necessity and corruption. The scarcity of a circulating medium is

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