The government is administered, under the charter of 1836. by a mayor who holds office for four years, and a city council, the members of which are elected one-half by wards, and one half at large. The executive controls appoint ments to the board of health and, with the con sent of the council, nominates commissioners of the city hospital. board of fire masters. commis sioners of the Colonial Common. and park com missioners. All other administrative officials are elected by the municipal council. The annual expenditures of the city amount to about $000, 000, the main items of expense being $30,000 for street lighting, $50,000 for the fire department. 030,000 for charitable institutions, and $75,000 for the police department.
Population. in 1790, 18.359: in 1850. 4•.985; in 1860. 40.522; in 1870, 48,958; in 1890, 54.9553 in 1900, 55,807. including :31,500 persons of negro descent and 2600 of foreign birth.
11370 an English colony under Governor William Style came to Albemarle Point, on the west bank of the Ashley River. three miles from the present city, and founded Charles Town (named in honor of Charles 11.), the first permanent settlement in Carolina. In 1680 the mikes were removed to the present site of Charleston. where at number of familks had previously settled. The population was increased, in 1685-80. by a company of Iluguenot refugees. in 1755 by 1200 Acadian exiles, and in 17:1:3 by 500 French refugees from Santo Domingo. In 1775 Charleston was one of the chief cities and the third seaport in tance in Ameriea, and it was the first Southern city to join the revolutionary movement. In 1775. a South Carolina convention met in Charleston and adopted the first independent State Constitution. On June 28. 177tt. the gar rison on Sullivan's Island. under Colonel Moul trie (see FORT :tfort.TaiE), repulsed an attack by the British fleet, and in 1779 the city was again successfully defended, this time against General Prevost; but on May 12. 1780, with its garrison of 7000 under General Lincoln. it was
captured after a siege of six ueeks by a British force of 10,000 under Sir henry Clinton, its los: being regarded as one it the greatest disasters of the Revolutionary War. On December 14, 1782, the British evacuated the city, and the Americans again took possession of it. Charleston was in ( orporated in 1783, and until 1790 was the capi tal of the State. In 1781 the first hale of cotton exported from America to Europe was shipped from this port. Charleston was the centre of the nullification movement of 1832, and in 1860 the Democratic convention, being afterwards ad journed to Baltimore. met here, as did also the State convention which. on December 20. passed the first ordinance of secession. On April 12-13, 18(31, the Civil War was opened by the Confed erate bombardment and capture of Fort. Sumter (q.v.) in Charleston Harbor. In 1803 a Federal fleet under Admiral Dupont unsuccessfully at tacked the fortifications of the harbor, and, though closely besieged, and frequently bom barded, the city remained in possession of the Confederates until February 17, 1865. when it was evacuated, and all the publie buildings. cotton-warehouses. and shipping were burned IT order of General Hardee, the Confed erate commander. On the following day the Union force, under General Sherman took pos session. On August 31, 188(1. Charleston suf fered terribly from an earthquake shock, the severest in the history of the United States. Seven-eighths of the houses were rendered unfit for habitation, many persons were killed. and property valued at over S8,000,000 was destroyed. The damage, however. was quickly repaired. South Carolina interstate and \\ est Indian Ex position (q.v.) opened here December 2. 1901.
Consult: McCrady, South. Carolina T'nder the Proprietary Government (New York, 1897) ; South Carolina Under the Royal Government (New York. 1899) : and South Carolina in the Revolution (New York, 1901) ; also Powell, His toric Towns of the Southern States (New York, 1900)