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200
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Persuaded of the importance of strengthening the southern frontiers of Georgia, and moved to speedy action by the memo- rial of the General Assembly of South Carolina and by the ear- nest petition of the trustees, Parliament was induced to grant a further sum of £26,000 "for the settling, fortifying, and defend- ing of that colony." Their treasury being thus replenished, and anxious to enlist colonists of acknowledged reputation and valor, the trustees commissioned Lieutenant Hugh Mackay to recruit among the Highlands of Scotland. So successful was he, and so satisfactory did the proposals of the common council prove, that one hundred and thirty Highlanders, with fifty women and chil- dren, were accepted and enrolled at Inverness. These, together with several grantees going at their own charge and taking ser- vants with them, sailed from that city on the 18th of October, 1735, on board the Prince of Wales, commanded by Captain George Dunbar. The Savannah River was safely entered in the following January. This proved a most valuable and efficient accession to the colony. " These," says Dr. Stevens, relying upon the researches of Prof. Wm. Mackenzie, of the University of Edinburgh, " were not reckless adventurers or reduced emi- grants volunteering through necessity, or exiled by insolvency and want. They were men of good character, and were care- fully selected for their military qualities. In fact, they were picked men, numbers of them coming from the Glen of Stralb- dean, about nine miles distant. They were commanded by offi- cers most respectably connected in the Highlands. Some of their descendants have held and still hold high offices of honor and trust in the United Kingdom." The trustees were rejoiced to find so valuable and hardy a company to people and guard the southern confines of the province.
The town council of Inverness, grateful for the kind offers of Oglethorpe to the Highlanders and anxious to express their re- gard for his philanthropy, conferred on him the honor of a bur- gess of the town.
Besides this military band, others among the Mackays, the Dunbars, the Bailies, and the Cuthberts applied for large tracts of land in Georgia, which they occupied with their own servants. Many of them went over in person and settled in the province.1
These Highlanders were accompanied by a minister of their own selection, the Rev. John McLeod, a native of the Isle of Skye.
1 Stevens' History of Georgia, vol. i. pp. 126, 127. New York. MDCCCXLVII.
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SCOTCHI EMIGRATION.
A few days after their arrival at Savannah they were trans- ported in periaguas to the southward. Ascending the Alata- maha River to a point on the left bank of that stream about sixteen miles above St. Simon's Island, they there landed and formed a permanent settlement which they named New Inver- ness. Here they erected a fort, mounted four pieces of cannon, built a guard-house, a store, and a chapel, and constructed huts for temporary accommodation preparatory to putting up more substantial structures. These Scots were a brave, hardy race, - just the men to occupy this advanced post. In their plaids, and with their broadswords, targets, and fire-arms, they presented "a . most manly appearance." To the district which they were to hold and cultivate they gave the name of Darien.
Previous to their departure from Savannah some Carolinians endeavored to dissuade them from going to the South by telling them that the Spaniards, from the houses in their fort, would shoot them upon the spot selected by the trustees for their future home. Nothing daunted, these doughty countrymen of Bruce and Wallace responded, " Why, then, we will beat them out of their fort, and shall have houses ready built to live in." 1
This valiant spirit found subsequent expression in the efficient military service rendered by these Highlanders during the wars between the colonists and the Spaniards, and by their descend- ants in the American Revolution. To John Moore MeIntosh, Captain Hugh Mackay, Ensign Charles Mackay, Colonel John McIntosh, General Lachlan McIntosh, and their gallant comrades and followers, Georgia, both as a colony and a State, owes a large debt of gratitude. This settlement was subsequently aug- mented from time to time by fresh arrivals from Scotland. Al- though located in a malarial region, it maintained its integrity and increased in wealth and influence. Its men were prompt and efficient in arms, and when the war cloud descended upon the southern confines of the province no defenders were more alert or capable than those found in the ranks of these Highlanders.
At an early date a passable road, located by Captain Hugh Mackay, was constructed to connect New Inverness with Savannah. For the preliminary survey Indian guides were furnished by Tomo-chi-chi. This route is followed to this day by the highway leading from Savannah to Darien.
1 See letter of General Oglethorpe to Collections of the Georgia Historical So- the trustees under date February 27,1735, ciety, vol. iii. p. 15. Savannah. 1873.
PIT
CHAPTER XIV.
REVEREND JOHN WESLEY ENGAGED AS A MISSIONARY. - DR. BURTON'S AD- VICE TO HIM. - THE GREAT EMBARKATION. - ANECDOTES OF OGLE- THORPE DURING HIS RETURN VOYAGE TO GEORGIA. - ARRIVAL OF TIIE SYMOND AND THE LONDON MERCHANT AT TYBEE ROADS. - ACCESSIONS TO THE POPULATIONS OF EBENEZER AND IRENE. - THE SALZBURGERS DESIRE A CHANGE OF LOCATION. - THEIR REMOVAL TO NEW EBENEZER ON THE SAVANNAH RIVER. - MARTYN'S ACCOUNT OF THE NEW SETTLE- MENT.
DURING this sojourn in England Oglethorpe was busily en- gaged in preparing for what was subsequently known as the " grand embarkation." Much of his time was spent in the selec- tion of colonists, in unfolding the special wants of the province, and in the accumulation of necessary supplies. In many details he was greatly assisted by Mr. Francis Moore, who, at his sug- gestion, was appointed by the trustees keeper of the stores. Widely extended now was the fame of Mr. Oglethorpe, and exalted the position he occupied in the esteem of the British nation. His broad philanthropy, his executive ability, his courage, his pru- dence, his self abnegation, his intelligence, and his success in planting and fostering the colony of Georgia attracted the ad- miration of all. Everywhere was he honored and praised. The general sentiment was reflected by Mr. Cave, the proprietor of the " Gentleman's Magazine," when, among the prizes offered by him for the four best poems to be composed upon " The Chris- tian Hero," he named as the first a gold medal bearing on one · side the head of the Rt. Hon. Lady Elizabeth Hastings, and on the other a portrait of Oglethorpe, with the motto " England may challenge the World."
In their desire to enlist the services of competent ministers to preach the Gospel both to the colonists and to the Indians, the attention of the trustees was attracted toward the Rev. Jolin Wesley, a young gentleman whose ancestors had been distin- guished for their learning and piety, himself a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, a fine classical scholar, and an earnest student of divinity. These qualifications, supplemented by a regularity
203
REV. JOIIN WESLEY.
of behavior, an abstemious manner of life, and a readiness to endure hardships, commended him as one, seemingly at least, admirably fitted to assume the office of an evangelist in Georgia. On the 29th of August, 1735, he was introduced, by the Rev. Dr. Burton, to Mr. Oglethorpe, who urged him to go to Sa- vannah in the capacity of a religious teacher. After some re- flection Mr. Wesley consented to do so. With the conduct of the Rev. Samuel Quincey as resident minister in Georgia the trustees were not pleased. They therefore, on the 10th of Octo- ber, 1735, revoked his appointment, and nominated in his stead the Rev. John Wesley with a salary of £50.1 Charles Wesley, wishing to accompany his brother, was accepted by Mr. Ogle- thorpe as his private secretary. He was also designated as secre- tary of Indian affairs in the province of Georgia.
To his young friend fresh from the benches of the University. deeply imbued with religious sentiments yet unused to the practi- cal affairs of life, single in purpose and still little acquainted with experimental piety, firm in his belief yet intolerant of all which coincided not with his convictions, unaccustomed to deal with men and emergencies, proclaiming the power of godliness yet ignorant of those modes of persuasion by which the unrighteous are led to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, the Rev. Dr. Burton addressed a communication eminently wise and ap- propriate. Among other observations he indulged in the follow- ing : " Under the influence of Mr. Oglethorpe, giving weight to your endeavours, much may be effected under the present circum- stances. The Apostolical manner of preaching from house to house will, through God's grace, be effectual to turn many to righteousness. The people are babes in the progress of their Christian life, to be fed with milk instead of strong meat ; and the wise householder will bring out of his stores food propor- tioned to the necessities of his family. The circumstances of your present Christian pilgrimage will furnish the most affecting sub- jects of discourse ; and what arises pro re nata will have greater influence than a laboured discourse on a subject in which men think themselves not so immediately concerned.
" With regard to your behaviour and manner of address, that must be determined according to the different circumstances of persons, etc. But you will always, in the use of means, consider the great end, and therefore your applications will of course vary. You will keep in view the pattern of that Gospel preacher,
1 Journal of the Trustees, vol. i. p. 291.
.
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
St. Paul, who became all things to all men that he might gain some. Here is a nice trial of Christian prudence. Accordingly, in every case you would distinguish between what is essential and what is merely circumstantial to Christianity ; between what is indispensable and what is variable; between what is of Divine and what is of human authority. I mention this because men are apt to deceive themselves in such cases, and we see the traditions and ordinances of men frequently insisted on with more rigour than the commandments of God to which they are subordinate. Singularities of less importance are often espoused with more zeal than the weighty matters of God's law. As in all points we love ourselves, so especially in our hypotheses. Where a man has, as it were, a property in a notion, he is most industrious to improve it, and that in proportion to the labour of thought he has bestowed upon it; and as its value rises in imagi- nation, we are in proportion more unwilling to give it up, and dwell upon it more pertinaciously than upon considerations of general necessity and use. This is a flattering mistake against which we should guard ourselves." Had these sage counsels been observed, the Rev. Mr. John Wesley would have been spared no little annoyance and mortification during his residence in Georgia, and the community in Savannah would have escaped much which engendered ill-will and distraction.
On Tuesday, the 14th of October, 1735, Mr. Oglethorpe, ac- companied by the brothers John and Charles Wesley, the Rev. Mr. Ingham, and by Charles Delamotte, the son of a London merchant and a friend of the Wesleys, set out from Westminster for Gravesend, where they were to embark for Georgia. Two vessels had been chartered by the trustees : the Symond, Captain Joseph Cornish, of 220 tons, and the London Merchant, of like burthen, Captain John Thomas. Among the stores on board were large quantities of provisions, small arms, cannon, ammuni- tion, agricultural tools, and articles for family use. As a convoy, H. M. sloop of war Hawk, commanded by Captain Gascoigne, was detailed. On board the Symond and the London Merchant two hundred and two persons were assembled to be conveyed on the trust's account.1 Among these were many English people, a number of German Lutherans under the conduct of Mr. Von Reck and Captain Hermsdorf, and twenty-five Moravians with their bishop, the Rev. David Nitschman. Departing at their
1 A Voyage to Georgia begun in the Year 1735, p. 11. By Francis Moore. London. 1744.
205
ON THE VOYAGE.
own charge were Sir Francis Bathurst, his son, three daughters, servants, and some relatives of Planters already located in the province.
Although it was intended that Mr. Oglethorpe should take passage in the Hawk, he denied himself the comforts of the apartments there fitted up for his accommodation, and took a cabin in the Symond, where he could at all times exercise a watchful care over the emigrants.
Contrary winds delayed for several weeks the departure of these vessels. It was not until the 10th of December that, with " a moderate gale, they stood out for Sea." The voyage was protracted and tempestuous. At times the ships barely escaped destruction, so violent were the storms and so unruly the waves. Amid these perils the composure of the foreign Protestants was remarkable. The missionaries were the guests of Oglethorpe and ate at his table. Prayers were read twice a day, and they expounded the Scriptures, catechised the children, and on every Lord's Day administered the Sacrament. Although he had, on his own account, laid in a large supply of live-stock and dainties, Mr. Oglethorpe distributed them freely among the sick and the feeble, often contenting himself with the ordinary ship's farc. When the weather permitted, he repaired on board the London Merchant and personally inspected the condition of the emigrants conveyed in that vessel, prescribing and enforcing such regula- tions as were conducive to their health and comfort.
With the calm religious conduct of the Lutherans and the Moravians Mr. John Wesley was much impressed, and he entered upon the earnest study of the German language that he might acquire a more intimate acquaintance with their peculiar views and rules of conduct. During the voyage these Christians " sung psalms and served God in their own way." Turnips, carrots, potatoes, and onions, issued with the salt provisions, prevented scurvy. To promote comfort and good order, the ships had been divided into cabins, with gangways between them, in which the emigrants were disposed according to families. The single men were located by themselves. Weather permitting, the vessels were cleaned between decks, and washed with vinegar to keep them sweet. Constables were appointed " to preveut any disor- ders," and so admirably was discipline preserved that there was no occasion for punishment except in the case of a boy, " who was whipped for stealing of turnips." The men were exercised with small arms and instructed by Mr. Oglethorpe in the duties
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206
TIIE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
which would devolve upon them as land-holders in the new settle- ment. To the women were given thread, worsted, and knitting needles. They were required to employ " their leisure time in making Stockings and Caps for their Family, or in mending their Cloaths and Linnen." 1 In this sensible way were matters conducted on these emigrant ships, and the colonists, during a protracted voyage, prepared for lives of industry in their new homes.
The missionaries were, as we have observed, the constant guests of Mr. Oglethorpe. By him were they treated with marked con- sideration; and, although the emigrants differed in their relig- ious persuasions, he " showed no discountenance to any."
On one occasion the officers and certain gentlemen who had been invited to dine with him, not relishing the grave demeanor of the clergymen, took some liberty with them. This conduct excited the indignation of Mr. Oglethorpe, who exclaimed, " What do you mean, Sirs? Do you take these gentlemen for tithe-pig parsons ? They are gentlemen of learning and respecta- bility. They are my friends, and whoever offers any affront to them insults me." This rebuke secured for the missionaries entire respect from all on board.
The Rev. Henry Moore relates another anecdote : " Mr. Wes- ley hearing an unusual noise in the cabin of General Oglethorpe stepped in to inquire the cause: on which the General imme- diately addressed him, 'Mr. Wesley you must excuse me, I have met with a provocation too great for man to bear. You know the only wine I drink is Cyprus wine, as it agrees with me the best of any. I therefore provided myself with several dozens of it, and this villian Grimaldi, (his Italian servant who was present and almost dead with fear) has drunk nearly the whole of it. But I will be revenged. He shall be tied hand and foot and carried to the man of war. (He alluded to a ship of war which sailed with them.) The rascal should have taken care how he used me so, for I never forgive.' 'Then I hope, sir, (said Mr. Wesley, looking calmly at him, ) you never sin.' The Gen- eral was quite confounded at the reproof ; and, after a pause, putting his hand into his pocket, he took out a bunch of keys which he threw at Grimaldi, saying ' There villain, take my keys and behave better for the future.'"
The criticism of Mr. Wright is not without force. In com- menting upon this circumstance, as thus narrated by Mr. Moore, 1 Moore's Voyage to Georgia, p. 15. London. 1744.
207
TYBEE LIGIIT-HOUSE.
he says: The foregoing anecdote is so circumstantially told that one might fancy the narrator to have been a by-stander. But he was not born at the time, and only professes to have heard it from Wesley some fifty years afterwards. Wesley's memory then failed him ; for otherwise he would have remembered that the sloop of war was separated from her consorts by a violent gale on the day after they sailed, and did not join them again during the whole voyage. The Cyprus wine must have been very tempting indeed if Grimaldi had consumed several dozens of it by that time. But, evidently, the biographer's object was to magnify Wesley, and by putting the words " I never forgive " into Oglethorpe's mouth - words which it is by no means prob- able he ever uttered- to give a handle for the young missionary's sanctimonious rebuke.1
Impeded by rough seas and adverse winds, the Symond and the London Merchant did not arrive in sight of Tybee Island until the evening of the 4th of February, 1736. The next morn- ing, with the first of the flood, they passed over the bar and came to anchor within Tybee Roads.
Without delay Mr. Oglethorpe went ashore to ascertain what progress had been made in the erection of the light-house on the upper end of that island, intended for the guidance of vessels entering the Savannah River. This beacon was to be twenty-five feet square at the base, ninety feet high, and ten feet each way at the top. It was to be constructed of " the best pine, strongly timber'd, raised upon Cedar Piles, and Brickwork round the Bottom." When finished it would prove " of great service to all shipping, not only to those bound to this port, but also to Caro- lina, for the land of all the Coast for some hundred miles is so alike, being all low and woody, that a distinguishing Mark is of great consequence."2 To Mr. Oglethorpe's surprise and annoy- ance the most unpardonable delay had occurred in the erection of this important structure. Although the materials had been prepared in Savannah and brought to the spot, Blythman, the carpenter in charge, and his ten assistants, had only piled the foundation. Even the brickwork was not laid. When called to account for his "scandalous neglect," Blythman could offer no excuse save that he had used his men in clearing away the trees so that the beacon might be rendered more conspicuous: that much time had been consumed in piling the foundation and in
1 Memoir of General James Oglethorpe,
p. 102. London. 1867.
2 Moore's Voyage to Georgia, p. 18. London. 1744.
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208
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
transporting the materials ; and that more braces were found necessary than he had at first imagined. The chief explanation of the delay was found in the fact that the workmen were fre- quently intoxicated, idle, and disobedient. Rum was so cheap in Carolina that they experienced no difficulty in supplying themselves with it. A day's pay would purchase liquor sufficient to keep them drunk for a week. "I heard Mr. Oglethorpe," writes Mr. Moore in his journal, " after he return'd to the Ship, say that he was in doubt whether he should prosecute the Man, who is the only one here able to finish the Work, and thereby leave the Work undone, and lose the Materials which were all ready ; or else forgive what was past, and have the Beacon finish'd. He took the latter counsel, and agreed with him for a Time certain and a Price certain, appointing Mr. Vanderplank to see that the work advanced according to the Agreement ; and not to pay but proportionably to what should be done."
Having carried the colonists on shore upon Peeper Island, where they could dig a well and refresh themselves, Mr. Ogle- thorpe, early on the morning of the 6th, departed for Savannah. He had previously sent a dispatch to Lieutenant Delegal, com- manding the king's independent company at Port Royal, order- ing him to repair at once with his command to St. Simon's Island that he might protect the projected settlement at Frederica. Upon his arrival in Savannah Mr. Oglethorpe was welcomed by all the freeholders under arms, and was saluted by twenty-one discharges from the battery of cannon. Sincere and universal was the de- light of the citizens at the return of their leader and best friend. The clergymen and gentlemen who accompanied him having been introduced, and Savannah congratulated upon this intelli- gent addition to the population of the colony, orders were issued for supplying the newly arrived on Peeper Island with fresh meat and vegetables. They were promptly obeyed, and in a generous and satisfactory manner. The articles distributed consisted of " fresh beef, fresh pork, venison, wild turkeys, soft bread, strong- beer, small-beer, turnips, and garden greens, and this in such plenty that there was enough for the whole Colony for some days. This was doubly agreeable to the Colony both because they found the comfort of fresh food after a long voyage, and also that a Town, begun within these three years by people in their own circumstances, could produce such plenty." 1
It was Mr. Oglethorpe's intention to locate all the emigrants 1 Moore's Voyage to Georgia, p. 21. London. 1744.
209
DISSATISFACTION AT EBENEZER.
transported on the trust's account in the Symond and the Lon- don Merchant at Frederica, that they might assist in the rapid development of that town and in the construction of its fortifica- tions. The Moravians, desiring the benefit of their ministers, not wishing to divide their congregation, and being reluctant to go to the southward where " they apprehended blows," -fighting be- ing "against their religion," - persuaded Mr. Oglethorpe to per- mit them to join the settlement of their countrymen near Irene school-house. Thither they went some days afterwards and were heartily welcomed. Several of the Lutherans also craved per- mission to dwell among their brethren at Ebenezer, and this privilege was accorded to them. Captain Hermsdorf, however, with a little company, assured Mr. Oglethorpe that he would "never forsake him, but serve with the English to the last." IIis offer was accepted, and he subsequently accompanied Mr. Ogle- thorpe when he set out to establish his new town and fort at the mouth of the Alatamaha.
By this and other accessions, the population of Ebenezer had increased so that it now numbered two hundred souls. Neverthe- less, contentment and prosperity did not obtain in the town. In the anticipated fertility of the soil the inhabitants were disap- pointed. Much sickness prevailed, and they were oppressed by the isolated nature of their location. The creek upon which the town was situated was uncertain in volume, serpentine, and diffi- cult of navigation. Although Ebenezer was distant by land from the Savannah River only six miles, in following the creek which furnished the sole outlet by water, twenty-five miles must be traversed before its confluence with the Savannah could be reached.
Moved by these and other depressing considerations, the Rev. Messrs. Bolzius and Gronau visited Savannah, at the instance of their flock, and conferred with Mr. Oglethorpe as to the pro- priety of changing the location of the town. Moore says the Salzburgers at Ebenezer were so discontented that they " de- manded to leave their old Town, and to settle upon the Lands which the Indians had reserved for their own Use." 1
Having patiently listened to the request, Mr. Oglethorpe, on the 9th of February, 1736, set out with the Salzburger ministers and several gentlemen for Ebenezer to make a personal inspec- tion of the situation and satisfy himself with regard to the ex- pediency of the removal. IIe was received with every mark of
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