themselves; and we would advife our Author, in particular, to take it into serious confideration, whether the manner in which he writes hath not a tendency to exafperate rather than to convince those who differ from him; and whether, as we obferved refpecting Mr. Burgh, it can please any but the more violent and bigotted of those who agree with him in his general fentiments.

ART. XI. An hiftorical Account of the Rife and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia. 2 Vols. 8vo. Ics. Boards, Donaldfon. 1779.

IN the prefent fituation of affairs in the Western world, every publication which cafts any new light on its hiftory, or communicates any valuable information concerning its natural, political, or commercial ftate, is particularly interefting. It is the intention of this work to defcribe a part of that vaft continent, of which no regular account has hitherto been written. First attempts of this kind are unavoidably attended with difficulties. The best materials to which the hiftorian can have accefs, are often confufed and imperfect: many of the facts which the thread of his narrative obliges him to relate, are minute and uninterefting. The Author of this Hiftory is aware of thefe difficulties, and pleads them in excufe for the defects of his work. At the fame time he acknowledges, that with refpect to ftyle and compofition, he ought rather to fupplicate indulgence, than claim applaufe. He refts his chief merit on the diligence with which he has collected, and the care and fidelity with which he has employed, the original materials, which a refidence of feveral years at Charles Town enabled him to command.—And on this ground we think he has fome title to the public attention. Though the work is extremely deficient in the graces of hiftorical compofition, and though in the detail of facts it is often tedious, it will probably be preferved as a valuable collection of materials, from whence future writers of fuperior abilities may derive affiftance in forming a general Hiftory of the Colonies.

Among other curious particulars contained in this hiftorical Account of South Carolina, the following inftance of the power of fanaticifm is worthy of being preserved:

The family of Dutartres, confifting of four fons and four daughters, were defcendants of French refugees, who came into Carolina after the revocation of the edict of Nantz. They lived in Orange-quarter, and, though in low circumftances, always maintained an honeft character, and were esteemed by their neighbours perfons of blamelefs and irreproachable lives. But at this time a ftrolling Moravian preacher happening to come to that quarter where they lived, infinuated himself into

their family, and partly by converfation, and partly by the writings of Jacob Behmen, which he put into their hands, filled their heads with wild and fantaftic ideas. Unhappily for the poor family, thofe ftrange notions gained ground on them, infomuch that in one year they began to withdraw themselves from the ordinances of public worship, and all converfation with the world around them, and strongly to imagine they were the only family upon earth who had the knowledge of the true God, and whom he vouchfafed to inftruct, either by the immediate impulfes of his Spirit, or by figns and tokens from heaven. At length it came to open vifions and revelations. God raised up a prophet among them, like unto Mofes, to whom he taught them to hearken. This prophet was Peter Rombert, who had married the eldest daughter of the family when a widow. To this man the Author and Governor of the world deigned to reveal, in the plainest manner, that the wickedness of man was again fo great in the world, that as in the days of Noah he was determined to deftroy all men from off the face of it, except one family whom he would fave for raifing up a godly feed upon earth. This revelation Peter Rombert was fure of, and felt it as plain as the wind blowing on his body, and the reft of the family, with equal confidence and prefumption, firmly believed it.

A few days after this, God was pleased to reveal himself a fecond time to the prophet, faying, Put away the woman whom thou haft for thy wife, and when I have deftroyed this wicked generation, I will raife up her firft hufband from the dead, and they fhall be man and wife as before, and go thou and take to wife her youngest fifter, who is a virgin, fo fhall the chofen family be restored entire, and the holy feed preferved pure and undefiled in it. At first the father, when he heard of this revelation, was ftaggered at fo extraordinary a command from heaven; but the prophet affured him that God would give him a fign, which accordingly happened; upon which the old man took his youngest daughter by the hand, and gave her to the wife prophet immediately for his wife, who, without further ceremony, took the damfel and deflowered her. Thus, for fome time, they continued in acts of inceft and adultery, until that period which made the fatal difcovery, and introduced the Bloody fcene of blind fanaticifm and madness.

• Those deluded wretches were fo far poffeffed with the falfe conceit of their own righteoufnefs and holiness, and of the horrid wicked nefs of all others, that they refufed obedience to the civil magiftrate, and all laws and ordinances of men. Upon pretence that God commanded them to bear no arms, they not only refused to comply with the militia law, but also the law for repairing the highways. After long forbearance, Mr. Sim

mons,

mons, a worthy magiftrate, and the officer of the militia in that quarter, found it neceffary to iffue his warrants for levying the penalty of the laws upon them. But by this time Judith Dutartre, the wife the prophet obtained by revelation, proving with child, another warrant was iflued for bringing her before the juftice to be examined, and bound over to the general feffions, in confequence of a law of the province, framed for preventing baftardy. The conftable having received his warrants, and being jealous of meeting with no good ufage in the execution of his office, prevailed on two or three of his neighbours to go along with him. The family obferving the conftable coming, and being apprized of his errand, confulted their prophet, who foon told them that God commanded them to arm and defend themfelves against perfecution, and their fubftance against the robberies of ungodly men; affuring them at the fame time that no weapon formed against them fhould profper. Accordingly they did fo, and laying hold of their arms, fired on the conftable and his followers, and drove them out of their plantation. Such behaviour was not to be tolerated, and therefore Captain Simmons gathered a party of militia, and went to protect the conftable in the execution of his office. When the deluded family faw the juftice and his party approaching, they shut themfelves up in their houfe, and firing from it like furies, fhot Captain Simmons dead on the fpot, and wounded feveral of his party. The militia returned the fire, killed one woman within the houfe, and afterwards forcibly entering it, took the rest prifoners, fix in number, and brought them to Charlestown.

At the Court of general feffions, held in September 1724, three of them were brought to trial, found guilty and condemned. Alas! miferable creatures, what amazing infatuation poffeffed them! They pretended they had the Spirit of God leading them to all truth, they knew it and felt it but this spirit, inftead of influencing them to obedience, purity, and peace, commanded them to commit rebellion, inceft, and murder. What is ftill more aftonishing, the principal perfons among them, I mean the prophet, the father of the family, and Michael Boneau, never were convinced of their delufion, but perfifted in it until their laft breath. During their trial they appeared altogether unconcerned and fecure, affirming that God was on their fide, and therefore they feared not what man could do unto them. They freely told the inceftuous ftory in open court in all its circumstances and aggravations, with a good countenance, and very readily confeffed the facts refpecting their rebellion and murder, with which they flood charged, but pled their authority from God in vindication of themfelves, and infifted they had done nothing in either cafe but by his express command.

• As

As it is commonly the duty of clergymen to vifit perfons under fentence of death, both to convince them of their error and danger, and prepare them for death by bringing them to a penitent difpofition; Alexander Garden, the epifcopal minister of Charlestown, to whom we are indebted for this account, attended thofe condemned perfons with great diligence and concern. What they had affirmed in the court of justice, they repeated and confeffed to him in like manner in the prison. When he began to reafon with them, and to explain the heinous nature of their crimes, they treated him with difdain. Their motto was, Anfwer him not a word; who is he that fhould prefume to teach them, who had the Spirit of God speaking inwardly to their fouls. In all they had done, they faid they had obeyed the voice of God, and were now about to fuffer martyrdom for his religion. But God had affured them, that he would either work a deliverance for them, or raise them up 'from the dead on the third day. Thefe things the three men continued confidently to believe, and notwithstanding all the means used to convince them of their mistake, perfifted in the fame belief until the moment they expired. At their execution they told the spectators with feeming triumph, they should foon fee them again, for they were certain they fhould rife from the dead on the third day.

With respect to the other three, the daughter Judith being with child, was not tried, and the two fons, David and John Dutartre, about eighteen and twenty years of age, having been alfo tried and condemned, continued fullen and referved, in hopes of feeing those that were executed rife from the dead; but being difappointed, they became, or at leaft feemed to become, fenfible of their error, and were both pardoned. Yet not long afterwards one of them relapfed into the fame fnare, and murdered an innocent perfon, without either provocation or previous quarrel, and for no other reafon, as he contefed, but that God had commanded him fo to do. Being a fecond time brought to trial, he was found guilty of murder and condemned. Mr. Garden attended him again under the fecond fentence, and acknowledged, with great appearance of fuccefs. No man could appear more deeply fenfible of his error and delufion, or could die a more fincere and hearty penitent on account of his horrid crimes. With great attention he liftened to Mr. Garden, while he explained to him the terms of pardon and falvation propofed in the Gofpel, and feemed to die in the humble hopes of mercy, through the all-fufficient merits of a Redeemer.'

Thus ended that tragical feene of fanaticifm, in which feven perfons loft their lives, one was killed, two were murdered, and four executed for the murders. A fignal and me

lancholy

lancholy inftance of the weakness and frailty of human nature, and to what giddy heights of extravagance and madness, an inflamed imagination will carry unfortunate mortals."

To this we fhall fubjoin the following entertaining relation of a congrefs between Governor Glen and the Creek Indians in 1752.

About the year 1752 the flames of war broke out among fome Indian nations, which threatened to involve the province of Carolina in the calamity. The Creeks having quarrelled with their neighbours for permitting fome Indians to pafs through their country to wage war against them, by way of revenge had killed fome Cherokees nigh the gates of Charlestown. A British trader to the Chickefaw nation had likewise been fcalped by a party of warriors belonging to the fame nation. Governor Glen, in order to demand fatisfaction for thefe outrages, fent a meffenger to the Creeks, réquefting a conference at Charlestown with their leading men. The Creeks returned for anfwer, that they were willing to meet him, but as the path had not been open and safe for fome time, they could not enter the settlement without a guard to escort them. Upon which the Governor fent fifty horsemen, who met them at the confines of their territories, and convoyed Malatchee, with above an hundred of his warriors, to Charlestown.

As they arrived on Sunday, the Governor did not fummon his council until the day following, to hold a congrefs with them. At this meeting a number of gentlemen were prefent, whom curiofity had drawn together to fee the warriors and hear their speeches. When they entered the council-chamber the Governor arofe and took them by the hand, fignifying that he was glad to fee them, and then addreffed them to the following effect: " Being tied together by the most folemn treaties, I call you by the beloved names of friends and brothers. In the name of the great King George, I have fent for you, on bufinefs of the greatest confequence to your nation. I would have received you yesterday on your arrival, but it was a beloved day, dedicated to repofe and the concerns of a future life, I am forry to hear that you have taken up the hatchet, which I flattered myfelf had been for ever buried. It is my defire to have the chain brightened and renewed, not only between you and the English, but also between you and other Indian nations. You are all our friends, and I could with that all Indians in friendship with us were alfo friends one with another. You have complained to me of the Cherokees permitting the northern Indians to come through their country to war against you, and fupplying them with provifions and ammunition for that purpose. The Cherokees, on the other hand, allege, that it is not in their power to prevent them, and declare, that while