University of Virginia Library

NEW ENGLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND VIRGINIA.

Comparisons between portions of the North and the South
can be made to any extent. A few are added, with such suggestions
as seem proper.

Table XIV. is a comparison between the States of Rhode
Island and Connecticut, and an equal extent of cultivated lands
in certain counties of South Carolina. The table includes the
city of Charleston. The comparison extends to the value of
lands, population, value of agricultural and manufactured products,
commerce, and education. The value of lands in the
South Carolina counties is the fictitious one of De Bow's Compendium,
and not the real one of the State valuation.

The portions compared in Table XIV. are of equal age as well
as extent. The free portion has eleven times the white population;
nearly four times the total population of white and slave.
Its lands are worth six times as much, and twice as much after

TABLE XIV.
A Statement of the Acres of Land in Farms, Cash Value thereof, Value per acre, White and Slave Population, with the
Value of the Slaves and their Value per acre, Value of Agricultural and Manufacturing Products, Amount of Tonnage
owned, and built in 1855, and the number of Students in Colleges, &c., and Scholars in Public Schools, in the States of
Rhode Island and Connecticut, and an equal area in South Carolina.

                     

States.	Acres of Improved Land in 1850.	Acres of Unimproved Land in 1850.	Cash Value of Farms in 1850.	Cash Value of Farms per acre, 1850.	White Population in 1850.	Slaves in 1850.	Value of Slaves per acre, at $400 each.	Value of Slaves at $400 each.	Value of Agricultural Products in 1850, according to De Bow.	Value of Manufactures in 1850.	Tonnage owned June 30, 1855.	Tonnage built during the year ending June 30, 1855.	Students in Colleges, Academies, and Private Schools, 1850.	Scholars in Public Schools, 1850.
Connecticut	1,768,178	615,701	$74,618,963	$31.34	363,099				$8,636,789	$45,302,354	137,170	14,067	7,734	71,269
Rhode Island	356,487	197,451	17,568,003	31.55	143,875				1,633,974	22,119,753	51,038	7,862	1,884	23,130
Total	2,124,665	813,151	$92,186,966	$31.37	506,974				$10,270,763	$67,422,107	188,808	21,929	9,618	94,399
Counties in South Carolina of area equal to Rhode Island & Connecticut.
Charleston	183,236	636,495	$5,903,220	$7.20	25,208	54,775	$26.85	$21,910,000	$896,904	$2,767,760	56,419	61	3.082	1,196
Georgetown	49,609	318,514	5,704,920	15.49	2,193	18,253	19.83	7,301,200	1,104,685	68,519	4,516		281	170
Williamsburg	70,360	432,440	861,538	1.71	3,902	8,508	6.11	3,403,200	223,740	12,825			none.	378
Horry	33,664	472,971	385,840	.76	5,522	2,075	1.63	830,000	160,640	154,684			none.	488
Marion	124,306	652,342	2,680,544	3.45	9,781	7,520	3.87	3,008,000	377,826	40,624			50	350
Total	461,175	2,512,762	$15,536,062	$5.19	46,606	91,131	$12.17	$36,452,400	$2,763,795	$3,044,412	60,935	61	3,413	2,582

adding to the value of the lands the whole value of the slaves in
this most intensely slave portion of the Union, at the rate of $400
for each slave. The value of the agricultural products of Connecticut
and Rhode Island is four times as great as that of those
of this portion of Carolina, although the latter has the monopoly
almost of the rice-producing region. Of the value of the
Carolina products, one-third is cotton; and here is the place to
say, that it is owing to the invention of a Massachusetts man
that the South is able to raise its cotton at all at this time. If
the South had been obliged to clean cotton by hand, at the rate
of a pound a day for each slave, as before the invention of
Whitney, the whole cotton-producing region would have been
bankrupt. The treatment which the Northern inventor received
at the hands of those Southrons, whose fortunes he had made,
is a sad portion of history. Before his patent was obtained, a
mob of the chivalry (who despise so heartily and magnificently
a money-making, peddling Yankee) broke open the building in
which his machine was placed, carried off the machine, and
made others from it; and, before he could go through the formalities
of getting his patent, several machines were in successful
operation on the plantations of different gentlemen. In the
Georgia courts, Whitney's rights were decided against, on the
ground mainly that, as "the introduction of the gin would open
up boundless resources of wealth to the planters, it was too
great a power to allow any one man a monopoly of the right to
furnish the machines." South Carolina agreed to pay $50,000
for the invention, paid $20,000 down, then repudiated the contract,
sued Whitney and his partner for the money paid, and
cast the latter into prison. Afterwards, this action was reversed
and the contract fulfilled. The action of Tennessee was similar
to that of South Carolina, without the repentance. North
Carolina did better, and was faithful to its contract. After
years of litigation, Whitney got a decision in his favor in the
United States Court; but meantime his patent was nearly out,
and his application for a renewal was denied by the votes of
those whose fortunes he had made. In Georgia, in the courts,

witnesses, judges, and juries gave way, in spite of law and
evidence, before the rapacity of the planters. "In one instance,"
says Whitney, "I had great difficulty in proving
that the machine had been used in Georgia, although at the
same moment there were three separate sets of this machinery
in motion within fifty yards of the building in which the court
sat, and all so near that the rattling of the wheels was distinctly
heard on the steps of the court-house."

To return to table XIV. In manufactures, the North has
more than twenty times; in tonnage owned in 1855, three
times; and in tonnage built in the same year, three hundred
and fifty times as much as the South. The "tonnage built"
in 1855, in South Carolina, consisted of one schooner of sixty-one
tons burden. This is since the sitting of several Southern
conventions, in which they resolved to have an extensive commerce
of their own, not only with Europe, but with Brazil and
Central America. As to education, the New England figures
are twenty times as large as those of Carolina.

Table XV. is a comparison between Massachusetts and an
equal extent of territory in Virginia. The portion of Virginia
taken is the southeastern, from the Atlantic to the mountains.
It includes Norfolk, the commercial capital of Virginia, and the
land taken is naturally as good as that of other parts of the
State, and much better than the lands in Massachusetts. The
age of the two sections is about the same. As compared with
Virginia, the white population in Massachusetts is ten times as
great, and five times as great as its total white and slave. Her
lands are worth nearly six times as much per acre, and almost
twice as much as the lands and slaves of the Virginia counties
added together, although they constitute the most dense slave
section of the State (the slaves being worth twice as much as
the lands and buildings). The agricultural products of Massachusetts,
at De Bow's prices, are nearly double those of the
Virginia counties, while her manufacturing products are more
than forty times as great, and eight times as much in a single year
as the whole value of this great portion of Virginia, including

TABLE XV.
A Statement of the Number of Acres in Farms, Value of Farms, Value of the same per acre, White and Slave Population,
Value of Slaves, Value of Agricultural and Manufacturing Products, Tonnage owned, and built in 1855, Pupils in Colleges,
&c., and Number of Scholars in the Public Schools, in the State of Massachusetts, and an equal area in Virginia.

                                 

Counties in Virginia of area equal to the State of Massachusetts	Acres of Improved Land in 1850.	Acres of Unimproved Land in 1850.	Cash value of Farms in 1850.	Cash Value of Farms per acre in 1850.	White Population in 1850.	Slaves in 1850.	Value of Slaves per Acre at $400 per Slave.	Value of Slaves at $400 per Slave.	Value of Agricultural Products in 1850, according to De Bow.	Value of Manufactures, 1850.	Tonnage Owned June 30, 1855.	Amount of Tonnage Built in 1855.	Pupils in Colleges, Academies, and Private Schools, 1850.	Scholars in the Public Schools in 1850.
Patrick	38,192	184,034	$734,771	$3.31	7,187	2,324	$4.18	$929,600	$246,326	$140,172			none.	826
Henry	61,539	96,409	820,070	5.19	5,324	3,340	8.45	1,336,000	258,525	99,956			none.	1,391
Pittsylvania	210,580	300,295	2,850,908	5.58	15,263	12,798	10.02	5,119,200	925,141	878,660			142	667
Halifax	242,758	202,291	3,420,990	7.68	10,976	14,452	12.98	5,780,800	1,128,810	287,666			none.	288
Mecklenburg	215,646	179,183	2,535,628	5.12	7,256	12,462	10.07	4,984,800	831,248	226,654			239	574
Brunswick	177,196	117,702	1,097,948	3.68	4,885	8,456	11.46	3,382,400	524,157	44,941			86	186
Greenville	74,906	82,066	427,173	2.72	1,731	3,785	9.64	1,514,000	198,836	17,641			30	95
Sussex	91,408	98,677	600,096	3.15	3,086	5,992	12.60	2,396,800	328,892	80,133			14	235
Southampton	159,668	176,023	1,068,103	3.28	5,940	5,755	7.06	2,302,000	456,902	36,600			68	288
Nansemond	62,308	117,968	1,717,090	9.52	5,424	4,715	10.46	1,886,000	355,055	168,751			174	298
Norfolk	89,014	75,866	1,252,031	10.89	20,329	10,400	36.21	4,160,000	297,209	1,412,594	35,051	2,171	363	1,926
Princess Anne	50,064	63,175	1,110,673	8.67	4,280	3,130	11.05	1,252,000	257,835	33,337			none.	819
Isle of Wight	65,925	92,901	982,939	6.18	4,710	3,395	8.55	1,358,000	257,046	58,432			56	149
Surry	44,298	65,466	562,052	5.12	2,215	2,479	8.95	991,600	158,347	19,348			30	150
Total	1,533,502	1,852,056	$19,080,472	$5.64	98,606	93,483	$11.04	$37,393,200	$6,224,329	$3,504,885	35,051	2,171	1,202	7,892
Massachusetts	2,133,436	1,222,576	$109,076,347	$32.50	985,450				$11,003,887	$151,342,478	970,727	79,620	14,479	176,475

its commercial capital. Tonnage owned, Massachusetts twenty-eight
parts, Virginia one part; tonnage built in 1855, Massachusetts
thirty-seven parts, Virginia one part. Education,
scholars, Massachusetts twenty-one parts, Virginia one part.

TABLE XVI.
Population, Crops, and other Statistics of Plymouth and Norfolk Counties,
in Massachusetts, and James City and Westmoreland Counties, in Virginia,
for the year 1850.

                                                                                         

Population, Crops, &c.	Plymouth County, Mass.	James City County, Va.	Norfolk County, Mass.	Westmoreland County, Va.
Whites	55,241	1,489	78,643	3,376
Free Colored	456	663	249	1,147
Slaves		1,868		3,557
Total	55,697	4,020	78,892	8,080
Dwellings	9,506	396	12,545	869
Whites between the ages of 5 and 20	17,342	540	23,460	1,330
Pupils in public & private schools	11,249	315	18,252	367
Natives unable to read and write, over 20 years of age	50	52	64	398
Number of Farms	2,447	129	2,637	443
Acres of Improved Land	101,135	21,251	107,884	68,627
Acres of Unimproved Land	114,254	44,132	67,444	6,450
Value of Farms	$6,048,442	$561,931	$13,748,505	$1,132,197
Value of Farms per acre	$28.08	$8.59	$78.41	$8.70
Number of Horses and Mules	2,458	534	3,311	1,101
" " Neat Cattle	11,855	2,365	12,656	6,225
" " Sheep	5,384	1,217	580	3,676
" " Swine	4,574	4,009	8,209	8,237
Wheat, bushels	251	25,476	356	82,774
Rye, "	17,143		17,423	502
Oats, "	26,809	22,040	14,939	7,897
Indian Corn, bushels	105,243	102,430	112.132	269,115
Irish Potatoes, "	208,402	2,789	253,158	4,970
Sweet Potatoes, "		5,730		6,176
Peas and Beans, "	871	300	3,952	1,350
Barley, "	3,267		5,462
Buckwheat, "	239		454
Butter, pounds	374,816	17,785	347,089	28,437
Cheese, "	130,478		90,160
Hay, tons	28,532	8	41,588	32
Hops, pounds	12		81	129
Clover Seed, bushels	152
Other Grass Seed, bushels
Tobacco, pounds				1,346
Cotton, bales				7
Wool, pounds	16,643	2,197	879	8,603
Beeswax and Honey, pounds	3,352		1,047	3,700
Value of Animals slaughtered	$176,102	$14,339	$289,809	$41,740
Value of Produce of Market Gard's	$13,502	$365	$136,796	$26
" " Orchard Products	$19,205		$55,458	$512
Wine, gallons	21		91	2
Manufacturing Capital	$2,397,305	none.	$5,433,300	$3,330
Number of Hands	8,024	none.	15,628	19
Annual Product	$6,713,906	none.	$13,323,595	$16,300
Value of Domestic Manufactures.	$953	$544	$25,702	$7,843

Table XVI. is a comparison between the counties of Norfolk
and Plymouth in Massachusetts, and the counties of Westmoreland
and James City in Virginia, as to population, education,
agriculture, etc.

James City Co. is the county in which are situated Jamestown,
the Plymouth of Virginia, and William and Mary's
College, the rival in age of Harvard University. Jamestown
now contains two houses, and of William and Mary's College
it is said that it seldom has more than forty students (the
Census Compendium gives it thirty-five in 1850). Westmoreland
Co. is the native county of Washington. Of the Massachusetts
counties, Norfolk is the county of the Adamses, and
Plymouth that of the Pilgrim settlement.