[Extract]

My Dear Son  I wrote to you the 4th. Inst. p L Despenser & 8th p Capt. Mattocs to which please to referー

On the 11th all the deputies from the Several parishes & districts in this province except a very few who were unable to attend, met in General provincial Congress at Pike's long Room where C[harles] Pinckney was called to the Chair & Election adjusted ー thence we adjourned to the Assembly's Room in the State House & there have we Sat every day, Sunday not excepted, from Morning to Night; my Dining hour was from 6 to 9 o'Clock & once after Midnight, during Eight days we performed a multitude of Speechifying & Some business with all the Solemnity & formality of a Constitutional parliament ー As the Copy of our whole proceedings cannot be procured in time for this conveyance I will recount as well as memory enables me the principal articlesー

The Journal of the Continental Congress at Philadelphia being read as a Report from our Carolina Delegates, the conclusion of the 4th Clause of the Association which excepts Rice from the intended Non exportation after the 10th September was arrested, great offence was taken much altercation ensued ー My Neighbour it Seems had originally opposed that exemption in Congress & his acquiescence gained by expostulation ー he finding the measure was disgustful & that hard constructions were passed, attempted to exonerate himself & made Such a defence of his own conduct as fell little Short of an impeachment of that of his Colleagues who are much displeased with him, he confessed that he had acted against his judgement & as there was but one other Side which he could take ー his Interest ー he made upon the whole but an uncouth figure. ー Evil Spirits had Stirred up the Jealousy of the Indigo Planter who compiained that partiality had been Shewn to the Rice Maker, the alarm Spread through the Several Classes of Tobacco Planter, Lumber Cutter, Tar Maker ー in short every Planter & Herdsman considered his Constituent as injured in the Supposed indulgence to Rice, a general Murmur ensued, the Rice Maker dreaded a disunion & however he was persuaded that an exportation of Rice would be of public benefit, might aid & could not possibly injure other planters, yet many indeed most of them expressed a willingness to forego the Seeming advantage or to make Some compensation to their Brethren the Supposed Sufferers ー Mr [Thomas] Lynch honestly assumed the blame if any for the obnoxious Act, he was joined by the Rutledges (Mr [Henry] Middleton was not present) ー these three desired the merits might be tried & refused the thanks of the people before their conduct should be fully canvassed; they defended their cause with equal Skill & candour nor were they unassisted & after near three days contest the exemption was confirmed by a Vote of 87 to 75 ー² Mr [Christopher] Gadsden was upon the question in opposition to his Colleagues, I humbly think he was wrong on both Sides & his behaviour underwent much censure ー it Seems to have confirmed a Serious Seperation between him & the two Brothers ー in the course of his debate he made & repeated certain declarations which whatever might have been his private Sentiments, discretion Should have locked up in his own breast ー in full Congress in the hearing of a Crowd of Spectators he insisted that from the beginning his opinion was to prohibit the Merchants from paying their debts to Great Britain by any Remittances in Bills of Exchange, Gold & Silver or other Merchandize ー & that if his advice had been followed General [Thomas] Gage & his Soldiers would have been Sent back to England immediately upon their landing at Boston ー I heard the first Scheme with abhorrence & did not fail to declare my Sentiments accordingly & for the latter I know how easy it was for that Gentleman to March through the Cherokee Mountains kill every Indian & return unscalped to Charles Town without moving one Step from his Fire Side ー Shipping of a veteran British General & three Thousand regular Troops with less trouble than he could Ship a Cargo ー of Rice was an interprizing Reverie fit only to be laughed at.

After that great affair of the Rice was decided on or rather as a means to get well over it, a plan was proposed for making compensation to the Indigo Planter & others who by the Association ate to be restrained from exportation, calculated as it appeared to me merely to Sooth the Complanants, I was of the Committee who formed the Scheme & uniformly opposed it in Commee & Congress ー called it a play thing, a Rattle, declared that it was neither Just nor Wise nor Adequate to the purpose intended ー but it passed . . .