USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia, Volume I > Part 18
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
Leaving his people comfortably located in tents, and in the 1 Extract of the Journals of Mr. Commissary Von Reck, etc., p. 132. London. 1734.
----
168
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
hospitable care of the colonists at Savannah, Mr. Von Reck set out on horseback with Mr. Oglethorpe to take a view of the country and select a spot where the Salzburgers might form their settlement. At nine o'clock on the morning of the 17th of March they reached the place designated as the future home of the emigrants. It was about four miles below the present town of Springfield, in Effingham County, sterile and unattractive. To the eye of the commissary, however, tired of the sea and weary of persecutions, it appeared a blessed spot, redolent of sweet hope, bright promise, and charming repose. Hear his de- scription : " The Lands are inclosed between two Rivers which fall into the Savannah. The Saltzburg Town is to be built near the largest, which is called Ebenezer,1 in Remembrance that God has brought us hither ; and is navigable, being twelve Foot deep. A little Rivulet, whose Water is as clear as Crystal, glides by the Town ; another runs through it, and both fall into the Eben- ezer. The Woods here are not so thick as in other Places. The sweet Zephyrs preserve a delicious coolness notwithstand- ing the scorching Beams of the Sun. There are very fine Mead- ows, in which a great Quantity of Hay might be made with very little Pains : there are also Hillocks, very fit for Vines. The Cedar, Walnut, Pine, Cypress and Oak make the greatest part of the Woods. There is found in them a great Quantity of Myrtle Trees out of which they extract, by boiling the Berries, a green Wax, very proper to make Candles with. There is much Sassafras, and a great Quantity of those Herbs of which Indigo is made, and Abundance of China Roots. The Earth is so fer- tile that it will bring forth anything that can be sown or planted in it; whether Fruits, Herbs, or Trees. There are wild Vines, which run up to the Tops of the tallest Trees ; and the Country is so good that one may ride full gallop 20 or 30 miles an end. As to Game, here are Eagles, Wild-Turkies, Roe-Bucks, Wild- Goats, Stags, Wild-Cows, Horses, Hares, Partridges, and Buffa- loes." 2
Upon the return of Mr. Oglethorpe and the commissary to Savannah, nine able-bodied Salzburgers were dispatched, by the way of Abercorn, to Ebenezer, to cut down trees and erect shel- ters for the colonists. On the 7th of April the rest of the emi- grants arrived, and, with the blessing of the good Mr. Bolzius, entered at once upon the task of clearing land, constructing
1 The Stone of IIelp. Commissary Von Reck, etc., pp. 16, 18. 2 An Extract of the Journals of Mr. London. 1734.
----------
169
.
SETTLEMENT OF EBENEZER.
bridges, building shanties, and preparing a road-way to Aber- corn. Wild honey found in a hollow tree greatly refreshed them, and parrots and partridges made them " a very good dish." Upon the sandy soil they fixed their hopes for a generous yield of peas and potatoes. To the " black, fat, and heavy " land they looked for all sorts of corn. From the clayey soil they purposed man- ufacturing bricks and earthenware. On the 1st of May lots were drawn upon which houses were to be erected in the town of Ebenezer. The day following, the hearts of the people were re- joiced by the coming of ten cows and calves, - sent as a pres- ent from the magistrates of Savannah in obedience to Mr. Ogle- thorpe's order. Ten casks " full of all Sorts of Seeds " arriving from Savannah set these pious peoples to praising God for all his loving kindnesses. Commiserating their poverty, the In- dians gave them deer, and their English neighbors taught them how to brew a sort of beer made of molasses, sassafras, and pine tops. Poor Lackner dying, by common consent the little money he left was made the " Beginning of a Box for the Poor." The repeated thunder-storms and hard rains penetrated the rude huts and greatly incommoded the settlers. The water disagreed with them, causing serious affections of the bowels, until they found a brook springing from a little hill, which proved both palatable and wholesome. By appointment, Monday, the 13th of May, was observed by the congregation as a season of thanksgiving.
Depending entirely upon the charity of the trustees for sup- plies of all sorts, and having but few mechanics among them, these Salzburgers labored under many disadvantages in building their little town in the depths of the woods, and in surrounding themselves with fields and gardens. Patient of toil, however, and accustomed to labor, they cut and delved away day by day, rejoicing in their freedom, blessing the Giver of all good for his mercies, and observing the rules of honesty, morality, and piety, for which their sect had so long been distinguished.
Communication with Savannah was maintained by way of Abercorn, to which place supplies were transported by water.
Early in 1735 the settlement was strengthened and encouraged by the arrival of fifty-seven persons. They were Salzburgers all, and had been sent over by the trustees in the ship Prince of Wales. Among the new-comers were several mechanics, whose industry and skill were at once applied to hewing timber, split- ting shingles, and sawing boards to the improvement and mul- tiplication of the dwellings in Ebenezer. A large wooden tent
170
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
was erected for church purposes, and therein dwelt the minis- ters. Here, in the wilds of Georgia, far from the influence of civilization, and upon the borders of an Indian tribe, was spring- . ing up a thrifty town peopled by a Christian community ac- knowledging the pure doctrines of the gospel, and worshiping with all the simplicity and sincerity which characterized the early ages of the church.1
Of the town of Savannah the Baron Von Reck favors us with the following impressions : " I went to view this rising Town, Savannah, seated upon the Banks of a River of the same Name. The Town is regularly laid out, divided into four Wards, in each of which is left a spacious Square for holding of Markets and other publick Uses. The Streets are all straight, and the Houses are all of the same Model and Dimensions, and well con- trived for Conveniency. For the Time it has been built it is very populous, and its Inhabitants are all White People. And indeed the Blessing of God seems to have gone along with this Undertaking ; for here we see Industry honored and Justice strictly executed, and Luxury and Idleness banished from this happy Place where Plenty and Brotherly Love seem to make their Abode, and where the good Order of a Nightly Watch re- strains the Disorderly and makes the Inhabitants sleep secure in the midst of a Wilderness. There is laid out near the Town, by Order of the Trustees, a Garden for making Experiments for the Improving Botany and Agriculture ; it contains 10 Acres and lies upon the River; and it is cleared and brought into such Order that there is already a fine Nursery of Oranges, Olives, white Mulberries, Figs, Peaches, and many curious Herbs : be- sides which there are Cabbages, Peas, and other European Pulse and Plants which all thrive. Within the Garden there is an ar- tificial Hill, said by the Indians to be raised over the Body of one of their ancient Emperors. I had like to have forgot one of the best Regulations made by the Trustees for the Govern- ment of the Town of Savannah. I mean the utter Prohibition of the Use of Rum, that flattering but deceitful Liquor which has been found equally pernicious to the Natives and new Com- ers, which seldom fails by Sickness or Death to draw after it its own Punishment." 2
-----
Of Mr. Oglethorpe the Rev. Mr. Bolzius, reflecting the sen-
1 See Strobel's Salzburgers and their
Descendants, p. 71. Baltimore. 1855.
2 An Extract of the Journals of Mr.
Commissary Von Reck and of the Rev. Mr. Bolzius, pp. 12-15. London. 1734
171
OGLETIIORPE LAYS OUT EBENEZER.
timents of the Salzburgers, says : "From what Knowledge we have of Him we conclude that He hath a great Esteem for God's holy Word and Sacraments and a great Love for God's Ser- vants and Children, and wishes to see the Name of Christ glo- rified everywhere. God hath also blessed his Presence and Undertakings in these Countries. And the People being well persuaded of his Fatherly Mind and indefatigable Labour for their Welfare, his Departure 1 was very sorrowful to them. God bless Him and bring Him well home and hear all our Prayers for Ilim. Ile hath taken all possible Care of us."
To this unstudied tribute of the exile may be appended the poet's glowing lines : -
" Lo ! swarming southward, on rejoicing suns, Gay colonies extend ; the calm retreat Of undeserved distress, the better home Of those whom Bigots chase from foreign lands. Not built on Rapine, Servitude, and Woe, And in their turn some petty tyrant's prey ; But, bound by social Freedom, firm they rise ; Such as of late an Oglethorpe has formed, And, crowding round, the charmed Savannah sees.2
Having assigned a location to the Salzburgers, Mr. Oglethorpe, who was on the eve of his departure for England, attended by Paul Jenys, Esq., speaker of the South Carolina House of As- sembly, proceeded on the 18th of March to Purrysburgh, whence he purposed rowing up the Savannah to visit the Palachocolas Indians. The floods from the Cherokee mountains, however, had so swollen the river as to render its ascent tedious and difficult. He therefore returned to Abercorn where, parting company with his friend. he proceeded with some Indians and accomplished his excursion to Palachocolas. A fort had been there erected at the lowest passage of the river. This visit accomplished, he repaired to Ebenezer where he found eight able-bodied men, with their minister the Rev. Mr. Gronau, engaged in constructing booths and tents in anticipation of the early arrival of their families. l'ausing, he laid out their town for them, and ordered six car- penters, who had come up from Savannah, to assist in building six houses. He then continued his journey to Savannah, where he arrived on the 22d.
The trustees' yearly account - to be exhibited to the Lord
1 Mr. Oglethorpe was about to leave Wright's Memoir of General Oglethorpe, the province on a visit to England.
1 Thomson's Liberty, Part V. 638-646. p. 79. London. 1867.
:
172
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in obedience to the requirements of the Charter - was duly sub- mitted. From that return, made on the 9th of June, 1733, it ap- pears that one hundred and fifty-two persons had been sent to Georgia during the first year, on the trust's account. Of this number one hundred and forty-one were Britons, and eleven were foreign Protestants. The lands ceded by the trustees, to be granted out in smaller parcels to colonists transported by the charity, aggregated five thousand acres. In addition, four thou- sand four hundred and sixty acres had been conveyed to parties going at their own expense. The moneys received from private subscriptions amounted to £3,723 13s. 7d., and of this sum £2,254 17s. 9d. had been disbursed. During the year ending the 9th of June, 1734, the persons transported by the charity number three hundred and forty-one, of whom two hundred and thirty-seven were British subjects and one hundred and four were foreign Protestants.
Eight thousand one hundred acres were granted to be conveyed in smaller tracts ; and, to parties settling at their own charge, additional grants had been made aggregating five thousand seven hundred and twenty-five acres.
Including the amount received pursuant to the act of Parlia- ment, the total contributions in aid of the colonization dur- ing this twelvemonth amounted to £11,502 19s. 3d., whereof £6,863 0s. 10d. had been applied by the trustees.1
With the progress of the colonization the trustees certainly had good cause to be pleased. Never was a trust more honestly administered. Among all the English plantations we search in vain for a colony the scheme of whose settlement was conceived and executed upon like exalted, disinterested, and charitable prin- ciples, whose colonists were selected with like care, whose affairs were conducted with equal regularity, and whose supervisors and agents could be matched in respectability, culture, and benevo- lence. By judicious treatment the red men had been won over to peace and amity. By treaty stipulations these sons of the forest had surrendered to the Europeans their title to wide do- mains. The pine-covered bluff at Yamacraw was transmuted into a town, well ordered, regularly laid out, and possessing forty completed houses and many others in process of construction. A battery of cannon and a palisade proclaimed its power for self-
1 An Account showing the Progress of the first Establishment, pp. 14, 16. London. Colony of Georgia in America from its MDCCXLI.
173
PROGRESS OF THE COLONIZATION.
protection. An organized town court was open for the enforce- ment of rights and the redress of wrongs. From a tall flagstaff floated the royal colors, and a substantial crane on the bluff facil- itated the unburthening of vessels in the river below. A public garden and private farms evidenced the thrift of the community, and gave promise of a liberal harvest. An ample storehouse sheltered supplies against a season of want. This little mother town - miniature metropolis of the province - had already sent out her sons ; some of them to dwell along the line of the Sa- vannah. others to watch by the Ogeechee, others to build homes upon the islands and guard the approaches from the sea, others to warn the mariner as he entered the mouth of the Savannah, and others still to convert the neighboring forests into pleasant folds. Planters, too, at their own charge, and bringing articled servants with them, were already seeking out and subduing fer- tile tracts. Thus the colony enlarged its domains and multiplied its settlements.
After an absence of some fifteen months from home, Ogle- thorpe resolved to visit England. The general conduct of the affairs of the plantation was entrusted to Thomas Causton, the trustees' store-keeper and a bailiff. In cases of doubt and diffi- culty he was to take counsel of Mr. James St. Julian, of South Carolina, and of Mr. Francis Scott, gentleman, of Georgia. Sad were the colonists as they contemplated the departure of him upon whom above all others they leaned for guidance and protec- tion. As he bade adieu to his people, who attended him to the boat which was to convey him to Charlestown, they were all so concerned that, in the language of Mr. Commissary Von Reck, " they could not refrain their tears when they saw Him go who was their Benefactor and their Father; who had carefully watched over them as a good Shepherd does over his Flock, and who had had so tender a Care of them both by Day and by Night."
CHAPTER XII.
TOMO-CHI-CHI AND RETINUE ACCOMPANY OGLETHORPE TO ENGLAND. - ODE TO THE MICO. - ENTERTAINMENT OF THE INDIANS IN LONDON AND ITS ENVIRONS. - RETURN TO GEORGIA. - HAPPY INFLUENCES EXERTED BY THIS VISIT.
"IF you plant where Savages are," says Lord Bacon, " do not only entertain them with trifles and gingles, but use them justly and graciously, with sufficient guard nevertheless ; and do not win their favour by helping them to invade their enemies, but for their defence it is not amiss : and send oft of them over to the country that plants that they may see a better condition than their own and commend it when they return." 1
Rightly judging that the advantage and security of the prov- ince would be materially promoted by taking with him some of the most intelligent of his Indian neighbors, in order that they might, by personal observation, acquire a definite conception of the greatness and the resources of the British empire, and, moved by the kindnesses and attentions which he was quite sure would be extended to them on every hand while in England, bring back with them memories which would surely tend to cement the alliances and perpetuate the amicable relations which had been already so auspiciously inaugurated, Mr. Oglethorpe invited Tomo-chi-chi and some of the leading members of his tribe to accompany him on his intended visit. The old mico gladly accepted the invitation, and resolved to take with him his wife Scenawki and Toonahowi, his adopted son and nephew. Hillispilli, the war-chief of the Lower Creeks, four other chiefs of that nation, to wit, Apakowtski, Stimalchi, Sintouchi, and Hinguithi, and Umphichi, a Uchee chief from Palachocolas, with their attendants and an interpreter, constituted the retinue. Leaving Savannah, they reached Charlestown on the 27th of March, and sailed from that port for England on board his majesty's ship Aldborough on the 7th of April, 1734. After a voyage of seventy days that vessel arrived safely at St. Helens in the Isle of Wight.
1 Essays, etc., p. 77. London : John W. Parker & Son. MDCCCLIII.
175
TOMO-CHI-CIII VISITS ENGLAND.
In announcing his arrival in a letter addressed to Sir John Phillips, Baronet, Mr. Oglethorpe says, " An aged chief named Tomo-chi-chi, the mico or king of Yamacraw, a man of an excel- lent understanding, is so desirous of having the young people taught the English language and religion, that, notwithstanding his advanced age, he has come over with me to obtain means and assistant teachers. He has brought with him a young man whom he calls his nephew and next heir, and who has already learned the Lord's prayer in the English and Indian language. I shall leave the Indians at my estate till I go to the city, where I shall have the happiness to wait upon yon, and to relate all things to you more fully : over which you will rejoice and wonder."
On the evening of the 21st of June, a grand entertainment was given in honor of Mr. Oglethorpe, who presented to the trustees a narrative of the progress and a statement of the status of the colony of Georgia.
His reception was cordial and appropriate. Every mark of distinguished consideration was bestowed, and the trustees, - at a special meeting convened for that purpose, - by a unanimous vote, thanked him for the ability, zeal, activity, and perseverance with which he had conducted the affairs of the province. They assured him that they would hold his services in lively and grate- ful remembrance. The return of this philanthropist was heralded throughout the kingdom. His Roman virtues were glowingly recounted in prose and verse.
The visit of Tomo-chi-chi was also commemorated in the fol- lowing lines : -
TOMO-CHA-CHI.
AN ODE.
"Hanc olim vetercs vitam coluere Sabini, Hane Remus et frater : sic fortis Hetruria crevit, Silicet et rerum facta est pulcherrima Roma.
" What Stranger this ? and from what Region far ? This wond'rous Form, majestic to behold ? Uneloath'd, but arm'd offensive for the War, In hoary Age and wise Experience old ? His Limbs, inur'd to Hardiness and Toil, His strong large Limbs what mighty Sinews brace ! Whilst Truth sincere and artless Virtue smile In the expressive Features of his Face. His bold free Aspect speaks the inward Mind, Aw'd by no slavish Fear, from no vile Passion blind.
-----
176
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
"Erst in our Isle, with such an Air and Mien, Whilst Britain's Glory stood iu Times of Yore, Might some redoubted Chief of her's be seen, In all his painted Pride, upon the Shore. Or IIe, who graceful from the Chariot's Height, When conqu'ring Julius landed from the Main, Urg'd his confederated Tribes to fight For gen'rous Freedom, - fierce Cassibelan ; Or He, whose Fame, in Roman Annals told, Must live thro' ev'ry Age, - Caractacus the Bold.
"From the wide Western Continent of Land, Where yet uncultivated Nature reigns, Where the huge Forests undiminished stand, Nor Towns, nor Castles grace the naked P'lains ; From that new World undaunted he pursues To our fam'd Nation his advent'rous Way ; His Soul elated high with glorious Views, Our Strength, our Arts, our Manners to survey ; The boasted European skill to find, And bear triumphant home, and civilize his kind.
" And O! the idle impotent Disdain Of vulgar Error, partial to decide ! Must he be stil'd by Us a Savage Man ? O! the blind Folly of conceited Pride ! Ever by Reason's equal Dictates sway'd, Conscious of each great Impulse in the Soul, And all his Words and all his Actions weigh'd By unaffected Wisdom's just Controul, Must he be rank'd in an inferiour Place, In our inglorious Times, to our degenerate Race !
" Alas ! brave Indian, good old England's Fame Thou sees't sunk down from its Meridian IIeight ; The noblest Ardors now no more inflame, Of conscious Worth and Honor's dear Delight ; As then, when welcom'd to your happy Shore, Our Fleets first landed from the wat'ry way, And cach strange Region studious to explore, Pass'd the long Gulf, and vast Pacific Sea ; And round emerging to the Eastern main, Maintain'd from Sun to Sun their Gloriana's Reign.
" Wealth without End, from such Exploits as These, Crown'd our large Commerce, and extended Sway ; And hence, dissolv'd in soft luxurious Ease, Our ancient Virtue vanish'd soon away. Rare to be found is the old gen'rons Strain So fam'd amongst us once for Patriot Zeal, Of try'd Good Faith, and Manners stanch and plain, And bold and active for their Country's weal ; Clear from all Stain, superior to all Fear ; Alas! few such as These, few OGLETHORPES are here.
177
ODE TO TOMO-CHI-CHII.
"Oft hast thou seen His gallant Spirit prov'd, His noble Scorn of Danger oft hast known, Admir'd his Wisdom, and his Candor lov'd, And Openness of Heart, so like thy own; What time, at home before long lov'd and blest, He to Thy Country brought his Godlike Aim, Born as he is, to succor the Distrest, The Prey from proud Oppression to reclaim, Of lawless Might to curbe the impious Rage, And strike with conscious shame the prostituted Age.
"Oft hast thou seen with what assidnons Care His own young Infant Colony he rears ; Like a fond Parent, anxious to prepare His tender Offspring for maturer years, To love of Labor he subdues their Minds, And forms their Morals with instructive Laws, By Principle their solid union binds, And Zeal that only heeds the Public Canse ; Still with Example strengthening Reason's Call, Still by superior Toil distinguish'd from them all.
" Whate'er of Empire underneath the Sun Time thro' revolving Ages has survey'd, First from such manly Discipline begun, And Merit summon'd Fortune to its Aid. And hence, when Op'ning scenes of Fate make known The long determin'd Purpose of the Skies, Shall GEORGIA, to a mighty Nation grown, In Arts and Arms and Glorious Actions risc, And stand renown'd upon the Western Shore, Ev'n then, when Europe's Fame shall cease and be no more.
"Renown'd shall GEORGIA stand it's own short Hour, For soon must all that's Human pass away ; Fix'd are the gradnal Dates of Earthly Pow'r, To rise, to grow, to flourish, and decay ; Still the Effect must follow from the Cause, And every Work of mortal Men must fall, And kingdoms change by Nature's stated Laws, Forever round the habitable Ball : All must, in turn, the self-same Tenor rnn; All raised by honest Toil, by License all undone.
" But sacred Virtue, ever self-sustain'd, Whilst all things fleeting round her she surveys, Alone to Time shall unobnoxious stand, And live and flourish in perpetual Praise. Thine with thy OGLETHORPE's fair Fame shall last, Together to Eternity consign'd, In the immortal Roll of Heroes plac'd, The mighty Benefactors of Mankind; 12
--------
--... . .
178
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Those IIeav'n-born Souls from whose high Worth we know The Deity himself best imag'd IIere below." 1
Having for some days enjoyed the hospitalities of Mr. Ogle- thorpe, the Indians were transferred to the Georgia office where comfortable quarters had been intermediately provided for them. There they were suitably attired, and there they painted their faces according to the custom of their country. Crowds flocked to see them. Presents of various kinds were bestowed, and no effort was spared to interest, amuse, and instruct these strange visitors.
On the 1st of August Sir Clement Cotterell was sent to con- duct the Indians to Kensington Palace where they were to be presented to the king. He found them all prepared for the im- portant event, except one who was suffering severely from an attack of small-pox. They were conveyed in three of the king's coaches, each drawn by six horses. At the door of the palace they were received by the king's body-guard, and then by the Duke of Grafton, lord chamberlain, were presented to his maj- esty.
The following account of what transpired on this interesting occasion is borrowed from the " Gentleman's Magazine : " -
" THURSDAY, August 1, 1734.
" Tomo-cha-chi, the king, Senauki his wife, with Tooanakowki their son, Hillispilli the war-captain, and the other Cherokee In- dians brought over by Mr. Oglethorpe from Georgia, were intro- duced to his Majesty at Kensington, who received them seated on his throne ; when Tomo-cha-chi, micho, or king, made the fol- lowing speech, at the same time presenting several eagle's feath- ers which are trophies of their country :
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.