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THE MERCURY.

THE CHARLESTON MERCURY HAS NOW THE LARGEST BONA FIDE COUNTRY CIRCULATION OF ANY PAPER PUBLISHED IN CHARLESTON.

Saturday Morning, August 25, 1867.

[FOR THE MERCURY.]
A New Light and a Brilliant Project.

A Black Radical Emissary-He is sent by Stevens and Douglass, and in Marlboro' Demands Lands or Death-Advises the Negroes to have No Convention-The South to be Made a Great Negro Nation-Some Negroes become Maniacs.

MARLBORO' S.C., Aug. 21st, 1867. 
My Dear Sir: A negro, calling himself the Rev. Nick Williams, and hailing from Oberlin, Ohio, made his appearance in the upper part of this district about twelve days ago, and has created the most intense excitement among our negro population. He has told the writer of this communication that he with forty other negro missionaries, entered this State together and were sent on their mission by Thad. Stevens and Fred. Douglass. He seems to be ignorant, but is undoubtedly keen and fully alive to his importance. He has made many speeches, at which, not only large crowds of negroes, but many white persons were present. He urges the negroes to vote for no one for office but persons of their own colour and to stick closely together; tells them that they are the most "powerful nation on earth." That "they and they alone whipped the rebs," abuses the Yankees more than the Southern people, denounces the Freedmen's Bureau, and says any of its agents can be bought for two dollars and fifty cents. He is especially severe upon the Rev. Mr. Whittemore, whom he says he knew fifteen years ago in Boston as a black-leg, and whom he now denounces as a thief. At first the negroes were very shy of him and charged him with being a "Democraker," but he has gained upon their affections until now he is almost worshipped as God. He threatens them with arrest and severe punishment if they dispute his word or deny his doctrine. He says that Abe Lincoln promised them forty acres of land, one hundred dollars in money, and six months' rations to commence operations upon, and that on his death-bed he swore Andrew Johnson to carry out this pledge, and it will be carried out. He says "land we must have or we will die." He tells his audiences that "we (the negroes) whipped the rebels and we will now whip the blue-bellied blistered lip Yankees." About fifty ex-rebs were present when this last expression was made, and whilst it was received with shouts of acclamation by the negroes, the ex-rebs were silent and seemed to think that as they had had enough of fighting, they would prefer to be excused from taking any part in the operation, and would simply ask to be allowed to look on. He says the Yankee treats the negro at the North worse than they are treated here, no privileges being allowed them, and proposed to bring the negro population of the North to occupy the ten conquered States and to make them a great negro nation.

He asks the negroes why should they vote for reconstruction? "Will it put muskets in your hands or mine?" "If you go into reconstruction, you will be cheated out of your rights. No! stick to your colour!" He denounces the Southerner as having just as much right still to claim the negro as his slave, as he has to claim a right to his land. No one can imagine, unless he was present among us, the extent and character of the excitement among the negroes. All labour is suspended; our fodder withers in the fields; whilst crowds attend the reverend gentleman everywhere he goes. He is partial to young girls and has a troop waiting on his every want. So great is the fear of him by the negroes generally, that more than one have lost their reason in virtue of some of his threats of punishment. One, a favourite servant for years of a gentleman in the neighbourhood, is made a raving maniac, and a gentlemen tells me that he has seen another on his knees to him imploring his mercy. Gentlemen, when is this to end, and what is to be the result? Does not this immigration of negroes from the North to our conquered land seem full of untold war to us?
P.D.
[The above letter is from a gentleman who is known to us and in whom we have confidence.-EDS. MER.]