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SOUTH CAROLINA.

Yesterday the weather was hot and bright at Wilmington,and the southerly wind felt quite balmy. After sunset theladies were sitting at the open windows of the hotel. To-day,at sunrise, the thermometer stood at 66°, with a clear sky,the windows of the carriages were thrown open, the breezebeing delightful. At Charleston I found my old enemies,the mosquitoes, in my bed-room, and they sung and stungall night.

Arriving at Charleston on Sunday afternoon, I had anopportunity of seeing the coloured population coming out ofchurch. They were well dressed, and few of the women hadany of those gaudy coloured articles of clothing that imparta comical appearance to the slaves when fully rigged out insuch fantastic costume. The town, like many others in thesouth, is not advancing much in wealth or population.Things wear a settled aspect, and the houses of the wealthyclasses have an aristocratic air about them. There is muchrefined and delightful society in the town, and I alwayslook back upon my visit to Charleston with agreeablereminiscences.

While in Charleston Library one day, I heard of a sale ofslaves having taken place on one of the cotton plantations.The average price, old and young, was 400 dollars, but twomonths ago it would have been as high as 600. This fall inslave property arose from the tightness in the money market.I also overheard two gentlemen in the room discussing thepropriety of opening the slave trade—a course which had beenopenly advocated by some worthies in New Orleans. Onemade the remark that the south now paid little regard to whatEngland might think of the matter. This conversation, Imust confess, had a curious effect upon me, for I was some-what mortified to find how little impression all that has beensaid and written about slavery has had on those whose pecu-niary interests are interwoven with the institution. At firstI could hardly believe that the conversation was real, butother circumstances soon convinced me that I was nowbreathing the atmosphere of slavery.

The chief exports of Charleston are cotton, rice, andlumber. The greater part of the business being transacted