il 18._ At night came Mr. Soule from Beaufort with an account of
the investigations going on there concerning the tax-commissioners
before Judge Smith, an agent sent by the President for the purpose.
Mr. Soule found that he had also been commissioned to look into the
affairs of our "concern," as the Fripp Point men had sent a petition
to the President to be relieved from Mr. Philbrick's oppression! Mr.
Soule and Mr. Tomlinson both saw Judge Smith, and had some talk with
him at the meeting, which was a public one, and he was invited to come
down here, see Mr. Soule's books and investigate all the charges
thoroughly. Whoever drew up the petition (of course it had been done
by a white man, but who we could not tell, for his name as witness had
been omitted in the copy given Judge Smith) had so overshot the mark
that it was palpably absurd to all who knew the facts, and happily Mr.
Soule had found Judge Smith to be a fair-minded, able, clear-sighted
person, who could not have dust thrown in his eyes.

_April 21._ Sat waiting the arrival of Judge Smith, when about one
o'clock Robert called to me that a carriage was coming. To my
amazement, instead of the Judge alone or with only a friend, a great
vehicle with four white horses and "sofas inside,"[157] as Rose said,
dashed up to the front door with four gentlemen, Mr. Tomlinson and Mr.
G. being on horseback besides. Of course I had to fly round about my
dinner and get up tables large enough to seat thirteen people. By
three dinner was ready and my guests at table--a very pleasant
company: Judge Smith, a round, smooth-faced _gentleman_ between fifty
and sixty, active and wide-awake; Judge Cooley, the new
tax-commissioner, a Westerner and also very pleasant. Judge Smith took
Mr. Soule's statement before dinner, and afterwards Mr. G.'s, all
simply facts and with no waste of words. C. was not questioned at all.
Then Mr. G. went over to the Point for the men there, for, though the
Judge was satisfied that Mr. Philbrick was not a scoundrel and all of
us aiders and abetters of his iniquities, we knew the men there would
never be satisfied with the statement from any of us or Mr. Tomlinson,
who had been talking to them for two hours that morning. Poor things,
they are much more sinned against than sinning. They came flocking
over so closely upon Mr. G.'s heels as to get here nearly as soon as
he did, and the session of the Court began by the examination of John
Major before tea, the