Letter, 16 October 1802, Charleston, South Carolina, from Ezekiel Noble, to his uncle, John Ewing Colhoun, in Pendleton District, South Carolina, comments on the dull economic times, despite the “vast crops” of cotton “raised this year throughout the State,” the effects of shortages in the tobacco crop on the market, and his involvement in the organization of the South Carolina Cotton Company.

“A number of us have formed ourselves into a company…to see whether we could not adopt some plan, to raise the Credit of our upland Cotton, there are such deceptions used by…our Planters, that if there was not some way taken to remidy the same, our cotton would fall to nothing.” Some planters, he notes, packed stones and other seeds in the middle of their bags of cotton to increase the weight. The company’s affiliates, however, had “agreed it would be proper to have an Inspection established, and on the Strength of the Legislature agreeing to the Same are already erecting Machines, for the purpose of repack[in]g the cotton in Square Bales” that could more easily be stowed away for transportation aboard sailing vessels.

Noble goes on to suggest that he would have written earlier but had waited “untill our Election for Representatives of our State Legislature was determined.” John Johnson, Jr., he further notes, who “Before the Elections, declared his sentiments on a Question which he expected would be agitated this Session of the Legislature, in favour of an equal Representation, which declaration, has set a number of the People of this place very much against him - they cry out the up country have too much Power already - in consequence of that he did not carry his Election.”