habitants of Charles-Town. It had not been finished,' and had been materially injured by Storms. The old wooden Church was fast falling into ruin, and had become dangerous to the worshippers. The Assembly, therefore, Dec. 9, 1720, passed an Act for completing the Parish Church of St. Philip's.*

The people having abandoned the Proprietary government, and placed themselves under the protection of the King, Francis Nicholson was appointed Provisional Governor, Sept. 26, 1720, until a final arrangement could be made with the Lords Proprietors. The Governor arrived in Charles-Town, May 21, 1721. The following article is copied from his Commission: "And we do by these presents authorize and empower you to collate any person or persons to any Churches, Chapels, or other Ecclesiastical Benefices, within our said Province and Territory's aforesaid, to which we, our heirs or successors, are or shall be entitled to collate as often as any of them shall happen to be void." His Instructions, dated Sept. 27, 1720, contain the following articles relating to Religion and Morals:

"45. You shall also cause an exact account to be kept of all persons born, christened, and buried, and send yearly fair abstracts thereof to his Majesty and his Commissioners for Trade and Plantations.

"57. You are to permit a liberty of Conscience to all persons, (except Papists) so they be contented with a quiet and peaceable enjoyment of the same, not giving offence or scandal to the government.

"72. You shall take especial care that God Almighty be devoutly and duly served throughout your government, the Book of Common Prayer as by law established, read each Sunday and Holy-day, and the blessed Sacrament administered, according to the Rites of the Church of England.

* See Appendix I. 6.

"73. You shall take care that the Churches already built there be well and orderly kept, and that more be built as the Province, by God's blessing, be improved; and that besides a competent maintenance to be assigned to the Minister of each orthodox Church, á convenient house be built at the common charge, for each Minister, and a competent proportion of Glebe assigned him.

"74. And you are to take care that the Parishes be so bounded and settled, as you shall find most convenient for the accomplishing this good work.

"75. You are not to prefer any Minister to any ecclesiastical Benefice in that Province, without a certi ficate from the Right Rev. Father in God, the Lord Bishop of London, or some other Bishop, of his being conformable to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, and of a good life and conversation; and if any Person preferred already to a Benefice, shall appear to you to give scandal, either by his doctrine or manners, you are to use the power and usual means for the removal of him, and to supply the vacancy in such manner as his Majesty has directed. •』”

"76. You are to give Orders forthwith (if the same be not already done) that every orthodox Minister within your government be one of the Vestry, in his respective Parish, and that no Vestry be held without him, except in case of sickness, or that after notice of a Vestry summoned he omit to come.

"77. You are to inquire whether there be any Minister within your government, who preaches and administers the Sacrament in any orthodox Church or Chapel without being in due Orders, and to give an account thereof to the said Lord Bishop of London."

"78. And to the end the ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Lord Bishop of London, may take place in that Province, so far as conveniently may be, his Majesty thinks fit that you give all countenance and encouragement to the exercise of the same, excepting

1

only the collating to Benefices, granting Licenses for Marriages and Probates of Wills, which his Majesty has reserved to you and to the Commander in Chief, of the said Province for the time being as far as by Law he may.

"79. And his Majesty does further direct that, no Schoolmaster be henceforward permitted to come from this Kingdom, and to keep School in that Province, without the License of the said Lord Bishop of London. But when such Persons so qualified as above shall be wanted for the promotion of Learning and good education, you may yourself License such other Persons as you shall think qualified for such employments; and that no other person now there, or that shall come from other parts, shall be admitted to keep School in Carolina without your License first obtained.

"80. And you are to take especial care, that a Table of Marriages established by the Canons of the Church of England, be hung up in every Orthodox Church, and duly observed: And you are to endeavour to get a Law passed in the Assembly of that Province (if not already done) for the strict observation of the said -Table.

"81. You are to take care that Drunkenness and Debauchery, Swearing and Blasphemy be discounte Onanced and Punished: and for the farther discountenance of Vice and encouragement of Virtue and good living (that by such example the Infidels may be invited, and desire to embrace the Christian Religion;) you are not to admit any Person to public trust and employments in the Province under your government, whose ill fame and conversation may occasion scandal."

The increasing prosperity of the Province, was attended with an advance in the price of the necessaries of life. The salaries of the Clergy, being limitted by law, were become insufficient for their support. It was the

intention of the Assembly, to allow them a competent maintenance for their families, if not an adequate reward for their labours." An Act was therefore passed;" June 23, 1722, "for advancing the salaries of the Clergy." The Rector of St. Philip's was in future, to receive £150, and the Rectors of Country Parishes, £100 per ann. Proclamation money; or the value thereof in Current Bills, at the rate of four for one. The Act likewise directed the Parsonage-Houses to be repaired by the Vestries, at the expense of the Parish. This had formerly been done by the Rectors at their own expense.

In 1723, the white population in the Province was about 14,000, and the Coloured 18,000.

The Right Rev. John Robinson, D. D. Bishop of London, died in 1723. He was succeeded by the Right Rev. Edmund Gibson, D. D. who was translated from the See of Lincoln. This Prelate held his Primary Visitation in 1724, and distributed throughout his Diocess, a Book of Directions for the conduct of his Clergy in the discharge of their Ministerial duties. It is a work of great excellence, and the book in which it is now to be found,* should occupy a place in the Library of every Clergyman.

The new Church of St. Philip's being nearly finished, it became necessary to procure adjoining land for a grave yard. The General Assembly, fearing that persons might either refuse to sell, or exact exorbitant prices for their lots, passed an arbitrary Act upon the subject, April 17, 1725. It provided that, if the owners of such lots as were required by the Commissioners, should refuse to sell, the land was to be appraised by three freeholders. The owners were then required in ten days, to make a conveyance of the same to the Church Wardens, and in case of default, a Bill was to be exhibited against them in the Court of Chancery.

* Clergyman's Instructor, or a Collection of Tracts on the Ministerial Duties. Oxford 1813.

The melancholy death of Mr. Commissary Johnson, in 1716, left the Bishop of London without a representative in this part of his Diocess. The number of Clergymen was increasing in the Southern Provinces, and required, in conformity with the Canons, a visible head to inspect their manners and superintend their spiritual duties. The Rev. Alexander Garden, Rector of St. Philip's Parish, possessed all the requisite qualifications for this important office. He was beloved by his people, and highly respected by the inhabitants generally, for his learning, piety and zeal. The Clergy honoured him for his faithful adherence to the ecclesiastical Constitution and Canons, and for his conscientious observance of the Rubrics and religious usages and customs of the Church. Dr. Gibson, Bishop of London, being well acquainted with his character, appointed him, in 1726, his Commissary for North and South-Carolina, and the Bahama Islands.

Individual piety had been exerted in many of the Parishes in promoting the conversion of the negroes; and the success which attended these charitable labours induced similar exertions in other places, and increased the desire to extend the practice farther. The Clergy had, generally, given a portion of their time to this work, and had baptised many. Something, however, was wanting to make it general. Prejudices were to be overcome, objections removed, and advantages pointed out, while the Christian's duty of converting even such souls to Christ, was to be clearly established and brought home to the hearts of the people, by some person in authority, whose opinions they would respect, and whose advice they might be willing to adopt.

The Clergy of this Province, in a joint Letter to The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, stated their views of this subject. It was taken up by many serious Christians in England,