USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia, Volume I > Part 19
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"' This day I see the majesty of your face, the greatness of your house, and the number of your people. I am come for the good of the whole nation called the Creeks, to renew the peace which was long ago had with the English. I am come over in my old days, although I cannot live to see any advantage to my- self. I am come for the good of the children of all the nations of the Upper and of the Lower Creeks, that they may be in- structed in the knowledge of the English.
1 Georgia a Porm, Tomo-cha-chi, an Ode. A copy of verses on Mr. Ogle- thorpe's second voyage to Georgia.
Facies non omnibus una, Nec diversa tamen.
London, printed and sold by I. Roberts in Warwick Lane. MDCCXXXVI.
179
SPEECHES OF TOMO-CHI-CIII.
" These are the feathers of the eagle which is the swiftest of birds, and who flieth all round our nations. These feathers are a sign of peace in our land, and have been carried from town to town there ; and we have brought them over to leave with you, O great king ! as a sign of everlasting peace.
"' O great king whatsoever words you shall say to me I will tell them faithfully to all the kings of the Creek nations.'
"To which his Majesty graciously answered, ' I am glad of this opportunity of assuring you of my regard for the people from whom you come, and am extremely well pleased with the assurances you have brought me from them, and accept very gratefully this present as an indication of their good disposition to me and my people. I shall always be ready to cultivate a gond correspondence between them and my own subjects, and shall be glad of any occasion to show you a mark of my partic- ular friendship and estcem.'
"Tomo-cha-chi afterwards made the following speech to her Majesty. 'I am glad to see this day, and to have the oppor- tunity of seeing the mother of this great people. As our people are joined with your Majesty's, we do humbly hope to find you the common mother and protectress of us and all our children.'
" And her Majesty returned a most gracious answer. The war- captain and other attendants of Tomo-cha-chi were very importu- nate to appear at court in the manner they go in their own coun- try, - which is only with a proper covering round their waist, the rest of their body being naked, - but were dissuaded from it by Mr. Oglethorpe. But their faces were variously painted after their country manner, some half black, others triangular, and others with bearded arrows instead of whiskers.
" Tomo-chia-chi and Senauki, his wife, were dressed in scarlet trimmed with gold."
Three days after, the chief who had been prevented by illness from accompanying his companions when they were presented to the king died of small-pox. Although medical aid and kind at- tention had been invoked in his behalf, neither the skill of the physician nor the efforts of nurses could arrest the progress of the loathsome disease. His death weighed heavily upon the spirits of the other Indians, who were very averse to interring him in a strange land. His immediate sepulture, however, was a matter of absolute necessity. Here, so far as our information extends, occurs the first burial of an American chief on British soil. A grave was prepared in St. John's cemetery, Westminster.
180
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Tomo-chi-chi, three of the chiefs, the upper church-warden, and the grave-digger were the only persons present on the lonely and melancholy occasion, - the fear of infection, in all probability, deterring many who otherwise would doubtless have been in at- tendance to witness the novel funeral rites.
The custom of the natives was observed as nearly as circum- stances would permit. The corpse, sewed up in two blankets, with a deal-board over and another under lashed together with a cord, was carried to the grave on a bier. When the body was lowered in the earth, the clothes of the deceased, a quantity of glass beads, and some pieces of silver were thrown in the grave after the manner of the American Indians, whose custom it was to bury with the dead the effects of the deceased.
So depressed were the Indians by this bereavement that, in order to divert their attention and afford them an opportunity for quietly regaining their wonted composure, Mr. Oglethorpe very kindly took them out to his country-seat. There they re- mained for nearly two weeks. Having bewailed the dead ac- cording to the established usages of their nation, they recovered from the affliction which had so greatly distressed them. The deceased was a brother of the queen.
On Saturday, the 7th of August, Tomo-chi-chi and his compan- ions were conveyed in the barge of the Archbishop of Canterbury to Putney, where they were hospitably entertained by Lady Dutry. After dinner, in taking leave of her, the aged mico ex- pressed his regrets that he was unable in English to convey the thoughts of his heart and tell her how sensibly he was moved by the generous and noble reception she had given him, and how great was the gratification he experienced in being permitted to see and thank her in person for the assistance she had rendered the colony of Georgia.
The following day they waited upon the Archbishop of Can- terbury, at Lambeth. His venerable Grace received them with the utmost kindness and tenderness, expressing a fatherly con- cern for their ignorance with respect to Christianity, his strong desire for their instruction, and his sincere satisfaction that a door was now opened for the education and evangelization of their race.
Although very weak, his Grace, when pressed to do so, de- clined to sit during the interview. Tomo-chi-chi perceiving this, with becoming propriety omitted the reply which he proposed to make ; and, craving the blessing of the aged prelate, added that
181
TOMO-CHI-CHII'S IMPRESSIONS OF LONDON.
he would not trespass further upon his weakness, but would com- municate to his son-in-law, Dr. Lynch, what he desired to say. HIe then retired. Subsequently, at a collation given in his honor, he held an extended and cordial conference with Dr. Lynch, during which he expressed the satisfaction he experienced in his interview with the archbishop, and stated that he was deeply moved by the tender consideration which had been accorded to him. He urged upon the doctor's earnest consideration the neces- sity for sending teachers to Georgia " by whom his people might be educated and have their minds enlightened in the doctrines of Christianity." At parting he assured him of the joy which filled his heart in anticipation of the fact that good persons would soon be commissioned for the accomplishment of this important and desirable work.
Upon the occasion of their visit to Eton, the Indians were re- ceived with every mark of respect by the Rev. Dr. George, Dr. Berriman, and the rest of the Fellows. "On closing their visit to the schoolroom, Tomo-chi-chi begged that the lads might have a holiday when the doctor thought proper. This caused a general huzza." They were then shown the several apartments of the college, and took a respectful leave. Afterwards they went to Windsor, where they were graciously received ; and thence to St. George's chapel, where the prebends present named Dr. Maynard to compliment the mico for the dean and chapter. The follow- ing day they visited Hampton Court, saw the royal apartments, and walked in the gardens, where a large concourse of people had assembled to greet them. To them were subsequently shown the Tower, the public buildings, Greenwich Hospital, and all the great and interesting spectacles in London. Nothing was neg- lected which might serve to awaken and gratify their curiosity, or inspire them with a true conception of the power and grandeur of the British nation.
Tomo-chi-chi was much impressed with the strength, riches, and magnificence of the English empire. The solidity of the London houses particularly attracted his attention. In the sim- plicity of his heart he expressed his surprise that short-lived men should erect such long-lived habitations. Nothing appeared to escape his observation. At times he seemed oppressed by the contrast, everywhere presented, between the ignorance, helpless- ness, and poverty of his own people and the intelligence, power, and wealth of London and its environs. On more than one occa- sion did he avow his belief that, without the aid and friendship
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
of the English, the Indian tribes would, in his opinion, be doomed to early annihilation. ITis sympathies were most earnest in their behalf, and his constant wish was that competent teachers should be sent over to counsel, educate, and christianize the youth of his nation. Every one who came in contact with him was im- pressed with the accuracy of his observations, the pertinency of his inquiries, the maturity of his judgment, the wisdom and lib- erality of his views, and the integrity of his professions. Recog- nizing the importance of confirming the friendship which he had formed for the infant colony, aware of the influence he was eapa- ble of exerting for good or for evil not only among the members of his immediate tribe but also within the limits of the Creek confederacy, and appreciating how largely they were already in- debted for his good offices and kindly intervention in behalf of the early settlers, the trustees were peculiarly anxious that this visit of the aged mico should prove in all respects satisfactory and pro- duetive of future good. No pains therefore were spared, either on their part, or on that of all who were interested in the welfare of the province, in ministering to his constant entertainment and the enjoyment of his companions.
Nearly four months had elapsed since the arrival of the Ald- borough, and Tomo-chi-chi felt it was time that he should re- turn to his little village on the banks of the Savannah and tell his friends the incidents and lessons which were born of his sojourn in the home of the white man. In an interview with the trustees he remarked that although in his own country all travelers were entertained withont expense, he was quite sensible that the stay of the Indians in England was a severe charge upon them ; and, as cold weather was coming on, he desired to return home at an early convenient day. He requested that the weights, measures, prices, and qualities of all goods to be ex- changed by the colonists for deer-skins and other peltry should be settled in accordance with established rules; that no person should be allowed to trade with the Indians without special licenses from the trustees, so that if at any time his people were defrauded by the traders they would at once know where to apply for redress ; and further, that a storehouse might be es- tablished in every principal Indian village where the natives could be supplied at first cost with such articles as they desired to purchase. In justification of this application he referred to the exorbitant prices demanded by the traders for their goods, and the frauds practiced by them in weights and measures, in-
183
TOMO-CHI-CHI DESIRES TO RETURN HOME.
sisting that to such impositions were to be chiefly ascribed the animosities and quarrels which had sprung up in adjacent settle- ments between the English and the Indians. From the trustees he received the assurance that this subject would receive the careful and immediate attention which its importance demanded.1
Although Tomo-chi-chi desired to leave the shores of England, it was not because there was any diminution in the attentions shown him, or that the visit of the Indians began to be regarded with indifference by a public keenly alive to its novelty and im- portance when the strange guests were first installed in the Georgia rooms. By the nobility, " curious to see them and observe their manners," princely entertainments were constantly given. Whenever they appeared in public, multitudes followed, shaking hands with these "rude warriors of the forest," making them many presents, and treating them with every mark of friendship and civility. It is said that the presents received and carried home by the Indians amounted in value to at least £400. During their stay in London, the portraits of Tomo-chi-chi and his nephew Toonahowi were painted and hung up in the Georgia rooms.
In the " Gentleman's Magazine " for October, 1734, appears the following notice of the departure of Tomo-chi-chi and his com- panions : -
" WEDNESDAY, October 30, 1734.
"The Indian king, queen and prince, etc., set out from the Georgia office in the king's coaches for Gravesend, to embark on their return home. During their stay in England, which has been about four months, his majesty allowed them ££20 a weck for their subsistence, and they have been entertained in the most agreeable manner possible. Whatever is curious and worthy ob- servation in and about the cities of London and Westminster, has been carefully shown them ; and nothing has been wanting among all degrees of men to contribute to their diversion and amusement, and to give them a just idea of English politeness and our respect for them. In return they expressed themselves heartily attached to the British nation. They had about the value of £400 in presents. Prince William presented the young mico John Towanohowi with a gold watch, with an admonition to call upon Jesus Christ every morning when he looked on it: which he promised. They appeared particularly delighted with seeing his highness perform his exercise of riding the managed
1 See MeCall's History of Georgia, vol. i. p. 46. Savannah. 1811.
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
horse, - the Horse Guards pass in review, and the agreeable ap- pearance of barges, etc., on the Thames on Lord Mayor's day.
"In the same ship embark several relations of the English already in Georgia, who were allowed the preference of going ; also Sir Francis Parkhurst, his son, three daughters, and ser- vants, together with fifty-six Saltzburghers newly arrived from Rotterdam. These people were at the German church in Trinity Lane, where £47 were collected for them."
The vessel in which Tomo-chi-chi returned was the transport- ship, Prince of Wales, George Dunbar, captain. She arrived in Savannah on the 27th of December, 1734.
In communicating to the trustees the intelligence of his re- markably quick and prosperous voyage across the Atlantic, Cap- tain Dunbar writes : " We arrived here [Savannah] all cheerful and in good health. The Indians behaved with their accustomed modesty, as did also the Saltzburgers, who are a sober and pious people, and gave much less trouble than I expected ; nor do I think any of them were dissatisfied while on board." He adds in conclusion, "Tomo-chi-chi, Toonahowi, Hillispilli and Umpe- chi were so kind as to come on board on the morning of our in- tended departure, to see me. They have a very grateful remem- brance of the many civilities which they received in England, and desire me to inform your honors that Santechi has gone to the Upper and Middle Creeks, who are at present extremely well disposed to the British interest, and their deputies are expected down in two months." 1
Upon his return we are told that Tomo-chi-chi freely im- parted to his tribe and nation the impressions he had formed, during his recent visit, of the power of the British empire, and assured them of the marked courtesies, kindness, and hospitality with which he and his companions had been everywhere enter- tained during their sojourn in England. He exhorted them to continne in friendship with their neighbors the colonists, and sacredly to observe the obligations of the existing treaties. Says McCall, "He acknowledged that the governor of the world, or Great Spirit, had given the English great wisdom, power and riches, so that they wanted nothing. To the Indians he had given great extent of territories, yet they wanted everything. Therefore he exerted his influence in prevailing on the Creeks to resign to the English such lands as were of no use to themselves, and allow them to settle amongst them, that they might be thus
1 London Magazine for March, 1735.
185
EFFECT OF TOMO-CIII-CHI'S VISIT.
supplied with nseful articles for the cultivation of the soil, and with the necessaries of life. He told them also that the English were a generous nation, and would trade with them on the most honorable and advantageous terms ; that they were brethren and friends, and that they would protect them against danger, and go with them to war against their enemies." 1
The beautiful and novel presents which Tomo-chi-chi and his companions brought home with them went very far toward a positive confirmation of his praises of the liberality of the English, and produced a profound impression upon the natives. To many of them did the generous mico freely give, from his treasures, articles of value and ornament.
This visit of Tomo-chi-chi and his companions, and the inter- est awakened by their personal presence in London, materially assisted Mr. Oglethorpe and the trustees in enlisting the renewed and earnest sympathies of the public, and in securing substantial aid not only for the colonists, but also for the education of the natives and their instruction in religious knowledge. Applica- tion was made to the Rev. Dr. Wilson, Bishop of Sodor and Man, to prepare a mannal for their more facile indoctrination in the principles of Christianity. With this request he complied, and the results of his labors in this behalf are embodied in " The Knowledge and Practice of Christianity made easy to the Meanest Capacity, or an Essay towards an Instruction for the Indians," a work which was printed at the expense of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and passed through several editions. It does not appear, however, that it was ever extensively used among the Indians, or that any marked prog- ress was achieved in the contemplated labor of their evangeliza- tion.
A letter was composed by a Cherokee chief and sent to the trustees. It was drawn and curiously marked in red and black figures on the neatly dressed skin of a young buffalo. A transla- tion was prepared by an Indian interpreter when it was first delivered at Savannah in the presence of fifty chiefs and many prominent citizens for the purpose of transmission to England. This unique epistle contained the grateful acknowledgments of the Indians for the honors and civilities which had been extended to Tomo-chi-chi and his companions, their admiration of the grandeur of the British court and kingdom, and a declaration of their strong attachment to Oglethorpe. Upon its receipt by the
1 Ilistory of Georgia, vol. i. p. 46.
186
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
trustees this hieroglyphic painting was framed and suspended in the Georgia office in Westminster.1
Widely disseminated among the Indian nations was the knowledge of this sojourn of the mico of the Yamacraws in the home of the white men, and faithful the report of his hospitable reception and gracious treatment by the English. Grateful were the Creeks for the kindness and consideration extended to one of their race. The beneficial results flowing from, and the senti- ments of good-will engendered by, this visit tended most decid- edly to perpetuate the amicable relations existing between the colonists and the natives.
1 American Gazetteer, London, 1762; article " Georgia."
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CHAPTER XIII.
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION OF THE COLONISTS AND THE INDIANS. - FREDERICA NAMED, AND ITS SETTLEMENT AUTIIORIZED BY THE TRUSTEES. - OGLE- THORPE RESUMES TEMPORARILY HIS SEAT IN PARLIAMENT. - INTRODUC- TION OF RUM AND SLAVES INTO GEORGIA PROHIBITED BY SPECIAL ENACT- MENT. - CAUSTON IN CHARGE OF THE COLONY. - SILK CULTURE. - STAL- WART COLONISTS SELECTED FOR THE SOUTHERN FRONTIERS. - RULES OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR 1735. - ARRIVAL OF THE MORAVIANS. - THEIR HISTORY IN GEORGIA. - SCOTCH EMIGRATION FROM INVERNESS. --- THE DARIEN SETTLEMENT FORMED ON THE ALATAMAHA.
THIS visit of Tomo-chi-chi and his companions to England was turned to good account by Mr. Oglethorpe, who sought by their personal introduction to the British public not only to impress the natives with a proper conception of the power and superiority of the white race, but also to enlist in behalf of their social, moral, and religious amelioration the intelligent and substantial sym- pathies of the English people. The employment of mission- aries to instruct them in the doctrines of Christianity was urged upon the immediate and favorable consideration of the trustees, and Dr. Wilson, Bishop of Sodor and Man, moved by Ogle- thorpe's appeal, promised to prepare a manual for their religious edification. " The Knowledge and Practise of Christianity made easy to the Meanest Capacity, or an Essay towards an Instruc- tion for the Indians " was, as has been stated, written and pub- lished in fulfillment of this engagement. In his preface the author mentions that his little book was undertaken in consequence of a conversation which he and some others had with the " honor- able and worthy General Oglethorpe " concerning the condition, temper, and genius of the Indians in Georgia. " And indeed," he adds, " that most worthy gentleman's great and generous con- cern for both the present and future interests of these natives, and his earnest endeavours to civilize them first, and make then capable of instruction in the ways of religion and civil govern- ment, and his hearty wishes that something might be done to forward such good purposes prevailed with the author, however indifferently qualified for such a work, to set about the following essay."
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
The practical results anticipated were not realized. But little good was accomplished by the missionaries. The proposed trans- lation of this essay into the language of the Creek confederacy was never made, and the Indians, with few exceptions, continued, after their fashion, to observe the religious rites and to entertain, the superstitions which had been handed down by the sun-wor- shiping priests of former generations.
The trustees never lost sight of the fact that Georgia was a Protestant colony. In all their deliberations and arrangements the encouragement of religious thought and observance among the settlers was a matter of constant solicitude. To keep them supplied with spiritual advisers and religions publications was ever their aim. The public, too, sympathized in this sentiment and effort. Benefactions in support of a minister, and contribu- tions of catechisms, devotional exercises, and Christian guides are frequently acknowledged in the proceedings of the common council. As early as the 18th of April, 1733, the trustees re- ceived from an unknown benefactor, at the hands of the Rever- end Samuel Wesley, a silver chalice and patine for the use of the church in the town of Savannah ; and from time to time sums of money were paid over to them, to be applied to the erection of that house of worship. Of the character of the religious litera- ture provided for the guidance and edification of the colonists some idea may be formed from the following entry in the journal of the trustees : -
" PALACE COURT, Wednesday, May the 30th, 1733.
" Received by the hands of Mr. IIales, from an unknown person, for the use of the Colony of Georgia, the following books : viz : Two hundred of Dr. Thomas Gouch's Showing how to walk with God ; two hundred Help and Guide to Christian Families, by William Burkitt ; two hundred Gibson's Family Devotion ; two hundred Common Prayer Books : minion, 12 mo; two hundred Horn Books ; two hundred Primmers; one hundred Testaments ; one hundred Psalters ; two hundred A. B. C. with the Church Catechism ; one hundred Lewis's Catechism ; one hundred of The Young Man instructed ; two hundred Friendly Admonition to the Drinkers of Brandy ; the whole to the value of fifty-four pounds, ten shillings." With such solemn publications and rudimentary books was it proposed to beguile the leisure hours, entertain the rising generation, and comfort the hearts of the dwellers by the Savannah.
189
IMPORTATION OF RUM AND SLAVES FORBIDDEN.
Oglethorpe's reception by the trustees, as we have seen, was most cordial. After he had submitted to them a report of the condition of the province, he was complimented by a unanimous expression of their "great satisfaction with the eminent services he had rendered to the colony." His scheme for building a new town near the mouth of the Alatamaha River and construct- ing fortifications for the protection of the southern confines of the province found favor in the eyes of the common council, who resolved to name the new town Frederica. The seal of the cor- poration was also affixed on the 26th of September, 1735, to a deed erecting therein " a Court of Judicature for trying causes, as well criminal as civil, by the name and style of the Town Court."
Resuming his seat in Parliament, Mr. Oglethorpe was in- strumental in procuring the passage of two bills for the con- jectured benefit of the province. One of these was an act to prohibit the importation and sale of rum, brandy, and other dis- tilled liquors within the limits of Georgia. In August, 1733, several persons had died at Savannah, as was suggested, from the too free use of rum. Mr. Oglethorpe so notified the common council, who, on the 21st of November following, " Resolved that the drinking of Rum in Georgia be absolutely prohibited, and that all which shall be brought there be staved." Although the founder of the colony endeavored to enforce the observance of this regulation, traders from Carolina supplied both the settlers and the Indians with smuggled spirits which, as was alleged, "produced disease among the former and disorderly conduct on the part of some of the latter." In South Carolina no prohi- bition existed, and the importation of rum, both from New Eng- land and from the West Indies, was constant and heavy. Upon the moderate use of English beer and the wines of Madeira the Georgia authorities placed no restriction. With these the trus- tees' store at Savannah was regularly supplied, and the magis- trates there were empowered to grant licenses for retailing beer both of foreign manufacture and of home brewing.
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