It cannot be necessary to repeat at this late day that I was asked by your governor to accept the charge of the relief of the sufferers of the Sea Islands, of whom it was said there were thirty thousand who would need aid until they could raise something to subsist upon themselves. This was accepted with great hesitancy, and only in view of the fact that no other body of persons in all the land appeared to assume the responsibility, and with the cordial, unselfish and generous support of the advisory committee of Charleston and Beaufort, to whom our earnest thanks are due, the work has been carried on to a successful conclusion. It later developed that an equal number of persons, both white and colored, residing on the seagirt coast of the State, now known as the "mainland," were nearly as destitute as the islanders, and many of them equally storm swept. Finding these people appealing to us, and well knowing that, in the depressed financial condition of the entire United States, we could not safely take on this double charge, we memorialized the South Carolina Legislature in November; the people, also under our advice, petitioned for a little aid to get them through the winter. The governor also recommended the suggestion. For some reason, which we never knew, no response was given. We never questioned this, but redoubled our exertions to meet the wants as they came by single rations issued upon application, until our books show an issue up to June 1 of over 34,000 to the needy white and colored on the mainland of the State, from Charleston to Savannah. No applicant, unless detected in absolute imposition, and this after having been repeatedly served with all he needed for the time, has ever been declined. Our thirty thousand Sea Islanders have received their weekly rations of food, they have been taught to distribute their own clothing, making official report, and have done it well. They are a well clothed people, and over 20,000 garments have gone to the mainland. Thousands of little homes have been rebuilt or repaired, and are occupied. Over 245 miles of ditches have been made, reclaiming and improving many thousands of acres of land; nearly five tons of garden seeds, producing all varieties of vegetables in their well-fenced gardens of from a quarter of an acre to one acre and more for each family, with 800 bushels of peas and beans, have been provided. These seeds have been distributed on the islands and to every applicant from the mainland; 1,000 bushels of Irish potato seed, 400 bushels of which went to the mainland; 1,800 bushels of seed corn, 800 bushels of this distributed on the mainland. Those provisions, together with a revival of the phosphate industries, the fish in the rivers and their boats in repair, have served to make the 30,000 Sea Islanders, whom we were asked to take charge of nine months ago, a prosperous and self-helping people.