A letter from Mecklenburg in North Carolina, mentioning the disorders that prevail in that province, contains the following observation: “If any law may be said to be oppressive it is such as is intended to affect one particular county or set of people more than another, such as Lord Bute's Cyder Act which affected only the Southern parts of England, but never could operate to the prejudice of Scotland; and such is the act of North Carolina that has so much contributed to disturb its internal quiet, for building a house for the Governor. The enormous sum granted for that purpose, is to be raised by a poll tax in three years; but as the people in the lower counties are few in proportion to those in the back settlements, it more immediately affects the many, and operates to their prejudice; for, besides that not one man in twenty of the four most populous
counties will ever see this famous house when built, (as their connections and trade do, and ever will, more naturally centre in South Carolina) a man that is worth 10,000l pays no more than a poor back settler that has nothing but the labour of his hands to depend upon for his daily support, and who in fact must be still more grievously oppressed if he has a large family, which 'tis ten to one but he has, as the women in these parts are remarkably prolific.—Such uneasiness seldom arises without cause; and it is happy for North America, that the poor people have such quick sensation.”Another letter from the same quarter observes, “that the general dissatisfaction in Anson, Rowan, Mecklenburg and Dobbs counties, has been much heightened, by the course in which Mr. Cook has continued the boundary line between the two provinces, the people of those counties have always expected to fall in the fourth [South] province; as Pedee river to its source (being a good natural boundary) would have left to each about an equal quantity of back country—whereas now, the line of North Carolina joins Georgia not a great way above Ninety-six, and takes in the heads of all the rivers in South Carolina, so that Fort Prince George at Kehowee (which has cost the South province an immense sum, to preserve the trade with the Cherokee Indians, and protect the frontiers) is seventy or eighty miles within the North province. That those counties contain no less than thirty thousand inhabitants and the greatest quantity of good land in one body in all North America, as is evident from the amazing rapidity with which it has been settled. That the loss of this fine tract to this province, must be owing to the inattention of its agent at home to this grand point, who perhaps was even uninstructed, while the agent for North Carolina was assiduously labouring to get it included within the line of that province.” The judicious writer goes on with lamenting, that the gentlemen of this province, who travel much into other countries, have taken so little pains to acquire a useful knowledge of their own, as to be almost totally ignorant of its most important interests, and to have so long neglected a proper attention to its internal policy. To this inattention and neglect, he ascribes, (as the primary cause) all the late disturbances: And concludes, “These people deserve the more of your attention, as they will always be your best barrier against foreign or domestic enemies.”
John Stuart, Esq, superintendent, &c. we hear is gone to meet the Creek Indians at Augusta; where it is supposed the difference that happened at running the boundary line, may be accommodated.
Advices from the Cherokee country say, that a white man, a trader of Mr. Gowdey's, with a principal Cherokee, were killed by a party of the western Indians, between Jellico and Hywasse, the 14th ult. The trader's goods were carried away, but it is uncertain whether by the enemy or the drivers, who were Cherokees.