USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia: containing brief sketches of the most remarkable events, up to the present day, Vol. I > Part 18
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Traders had heretofore taken out licenses from the governors of Carolina and Georgia, for carrying on commerce with the Indians : this plan however, had been found on experiment, to be very objec-
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tionable ; the traders were so far removed from the power to which they were amenable, that they committed frauds on the ignorant savages with whom they were licensed to trade, so that scarcely a month passed without some complaints; it was therefore thought that the office of a superinten- dent was necessary in the southern as well as the northern district of America. Accordingly this office was given to captain John Steuart, who was in every respect well qualifie for the trust; as Attakullakulla had given it as his opinion, that the southern provinces would receive no molestation from the Indians, if this officer was appointed to reside among them, and to advise and direct them. After his commission arrived from the king, the southern provinces promised themselves peace. and tranquillity with the Indians. Plans of lenity were likewise adopted by the government, with respect to Indian tribes, and every possible pre- caution was taken to guard against oppression, and prevent any rupture with them. Experience had shewn that rigorous measures, such as hum- bling them by force of arms, were not only very expensive, inhuman, bloody, and incompatible with the christian character, but also seldom ac- companied with any good effects : such ill treat- ment generally rendered the savages cruel, suspi- . cious and distrustful, and kept them in prepara- tion for the renewal of hostilities, by keeping alive their ferocious and warlike spirit. Their extirpation, though it might be easily effected
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would be as dishonorable and incorrect as it was cruel ; and the prosperity of the provinces, would be retarded by the attempt : whereas by treating them with gentleness and humanity, it was thought they would by degrees lose their savage spirit, and become more harmless and civilized. It was hoped that by establishing a fair and free trade with them, their rude temper would in time be softened, their manners amended, and their wants increased; and instead of implacable enemies, ever bent on war and mischief, they might be ren- dered good allies, and beneficial to the trade of the country.
It was thought advisable by the superintendent of Indian affairs, soon after his appointment, to call a general congress of the southern tribes ; and Mobile was fixed on as the most proper and con- venient place for the meeting. As captain Steuart was well acquainted with the humors, tempers and characters of these tribes, his speech, in which is exhibited a good specimen of the lan- guage and manner proper for addressing barbar- ous nations, may not be unworthy of the reader's perusal,
" Friends and brothers-the Supreme Being, who made the world and all its inhabitants, has been pleased to permit many great warriors of the British and Indian nations, to meet together in peace. The great king, who is the father of all white people in Great Britain and America, and defends them from danger, this day stretches out
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his arms to receive his red children into favor : he has been pleased to appoint me superintendent of the affairs of all Indian nations to the south- ward of Virginia : in his name I speak to you ; and as the words you hear are his words, I hope you will listen to them with attention, and allow them to remain deeply impressed on your minds : they are calculated to promote not only your hap- piness, but that of your children, and children's children forever.
" When the great kings of Britain and France were at variance, the storms of war raged through this great forest ; the Indian nations were divided, brothers against brothers, and your country was stained with blood; malice and revenge went forth ; all paths were made crooked ; and your land was covered with darkness. Now that it has pleased the Author of Life, to restore the blessings of light and peace, it is our duty to make a proper use and improvement of them. As fogs gathered in the night, are dispersed by the rising sun, so words dictated by the rage of war, should be forgotten in time of peace. The great king, full of wisdom and magnanimity, knows the frailty of his red children, and forgives their disobedience and rebellion : he extends his love to them all, even to those who lifted up the hatchet against him : to render them secure, he bas resolved that the English and French shall be forever separated by the great river Mississippi, and that all nations on this side of it shall have
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him for their common father : he commands alt the strife and enmity between his white and red children to cease, and expects that the allies of Britain will take those Indians, the former allies of France, by the hand, and live together likc brethren of one family. That his white and red children may be near one another, and mutually supply each others wants, he has ordered some of his good subjects to come over the great waters, and live on the fruits of this land, which the Supreme Being made for the use of mankind in general. To open this friendly intercourse, I have invited you all to meet me at this place, and I rejoice that so many brothers are come to ac- cept the royal favor and protection.
" Ye Chickesaw warriors, I speak to you, and I know your ears are open to my words. The great king regards you as children brought up in their father's house, who from their infancy have been dutiful and obedient, and by that means merited what you have always enjoyed, his par- ticular care and affection. While darkness sur- rounded you on every side, he has defended you from all those snares and dangers to which you were exposed ; now the day is clear aud unclou- ded, your father continues to love you. The paths from your towns to, all nations shall be made straight and plain, and nothing shall be per- mitted to hurt your feet ; your children shall re- joice and grow up in safety, and your houses shall be filled with abundance of corn and .veni.
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son : I am come to tell you the good news, and to see that justice be done you in all commercial dealings.
" In the next place I speak to you, ye warriors of the great party of the Choctaw nation. You were like sons separated from their father, and removed at a great distance from his protection ; but by persisting in obedience you were entitled to his love. The great king always acknowledg. ed you, but now he receives you into his family, and offers you all the favors and privileges of his sons. While you continue dutiful and obedient, the eyes of your father shall be upon you, and his hand shall be open to relieve your wants ; under his care you shall enjoy all the blessings of peace and safety ; you shall receive no inju- ries from friends, nor be exposed to any dangers from enemies ; your arms shall be kept bright, your hunting lands no man shall be permitted to take from you, and there shall be abundance of corn about your villages.
" But as for you, ye Choctaw warriors of the six villages, you were like children early lost : while you were wandering out of the way, with- out knowing your brothers you blindly struck them. You found a father indeed, who adopted you, and you have long served him with zeal, and shown many proofs of your courage. You have received from your French father, such poor re- wards for your services as he could bestow ; but all the while you' remained under his care you
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were hungry, naked and miserable. He gave you many fair words and promises, and having long deceived you, at last is obliged to leave you in your present forlorn and wretched condition. Now your true father has found you, and this day stretches forth his arms to receive you under his protection. He has forgotten your offences, he knows your weakness and forgives your er- rors : he knows your wants and is disposed to relieve them. I have but one tongue, and al- ways speak the truth, and as I bring good news, I hope my words will not be blown away by the wind. The great king is wise, generous and merciful; and I flatter myself with the hopes that you will never forget your obligations to his goodness.
." It is my duty to watch over Indians, and protect them against all manner of danger and oppression : for this purpose, my ears shall be always open to your complaints, and it shall be my study to redress your grievances. I must warn you to beware of all quarrels and cutrages, by which you would certainly forfeit the royal favor, and plunge yourselves again into misery. I hope you will always observe my advice, and conduct yourselves accordingly, that I may be able to transmit good accounts of your behaviour to England. It is only by the permission of the great king that your wants can be supplied, and that traders can come into your villages with guns, powder, balls, knives, hatchets, flints, hoes,
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clothes and other necessaries. These things you cannot make yourselves, and no other nation will be allowed to furnish you with them : therefore the great king has a right to expect your grati- tude and obedience ; for all he requires, is with a view to your own tranquillity and happiness.
" As you are all received into the family of the great king, it is expected that Indians will not . only live in friendship and peace with white men, but also with one another: in imitation of his majesty's good example, you must forget all in- juries and offences, and throw aside all national jealousies and antipathies. The king expects that the great chieftains, to whom he has given medals and gorgets, will consider them not mere- ly as ornaments, but as emblems of the high of- fices they bear, and the great trust reposed in them ; all presents made you are in considera- tion of the good services expected from you : therefore, ye wise and great leaders; I expect you will use your authority like fathers, and re- strain your young men from acts of violence and injustice, and teach them that the only way to merit honor and preferment, is to be just, honest and peaceable ; and that disgrace and punishment will be the consequences of disorderly practices, such as robbing plantations, and beating or abus- ing white people.
" Ye warriors who have no commissions, I speak to you also in the name of the king, and I hope you will reverence his authority and love
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your brethren. Listen at all times to your wise rulers, and be careful to follow their advice and example ; by their wisdom and justice they have arrived at a high pitch of preferment, and stand distinguished by great and small medals : if, like them you wish to be great, like them you must first be good; you must respect them, as children do their father, yielding submission to their authority, and obedience to their com- mands : without the favor of your chiefs, you will neither get your wants supplied, nor reach the station of honor. An armourer will be sent into your nation, to clean and repair your rifles, but he will have instruction to mend arms for none but such as shall be recommended by their chief, it being proper that such leaders should have it in their power to distinguish those that are peaceable and obedient, from the obstinate and perverse.
" I am to inform you all, that I will send a be- loved man into your towns, who will be vested with authority to hear and determine all differ- ences between you and the traders ; to deliver all messages from me to you, and all talks from you to me : and as he will come to promote your wel- fare and tranquillity, I hope you will receive him kindly, protect him against all insults, and assist him in the execution of his office.
" When the French governor took his leave of you, he advised you to look upon yourselves as the children of the king of Great Britain; the
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advice was good, I hope you will remember it forever. The great king has warriors numerous as the trees of the forest, and stands in no need of your assistance ; but.he desires your friend- ship and alliance to render you happy : he loves peace and justice, but he will punish all murders and rebellion ; be careful therefore, to keep your feet from the crooked and bloody path ; shun all communication with Indian tribes who lift the hatchet against their white brethren ; their talks, their calumets, their belts of wampum, and their tobacco, are all poisonous; if you receive them into your towns, be assured you will be infected with their madness, and be in danger of rushing into destruction : be cautious above all things, of permitting great quantities of rum to be brought into your villages ; it poisons your body, ener- vates your mind, and from respectable warriors, turns you into furious madmen, who treat friends and enemies alike. Mark those persons, whether they be white or red, that bring rum among you, for bad men ; who violate the laws, and have no- thing else in view but to cheat, and render you despicable and wretched.
" Lastly-I inform you that it is the king's order to all his governors and subjects, to treat Indians with justice and humanity, and to forbear all en- croachments on the territories allotted for them. Accordingly, all individuals are prohibited from purchasing any of your lands ; but as you know that your white brethren cannot feed you when
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you visit them, unless you give them grounds to plant, it is expected that you will cede lands to the king for that purpose : but whenever you shall be pleased to surrender any of your territo- ries to his majesty, it must be done for the fu- ture at a public meeting of your nation, when the governors of the provinces, or the superin- tendent shall be present, and obtain the consent of all your people. The boundaries of your hunt- ing grounds will be accurately fixed, and no set- tlement permitted to be made upon them : as you may be assured that all treaties with you will be faithfully kept, so it is expected that you also will be careful strictly to observe them. I have now done, and I hope you will remember the words I have spoken : time will soon discover to you the generosity, justice and goodness of the Bri- tish nation. By the bounty of the king, and a well ordered trade with his subjects, your houses will be filled with plenty, and your hearts with joy ; you will see your men and women well clothed and fed, and your children growing up to honor you, and add strength to your nation ; your peace and prosperity shall be established and continue from generation to generation."
The talents and vigilance of the superintendent of Indian affairs, promised a preservation of peace; and. the province of Georgia now began to grow into importance. It was thought advisable how- ever, to have a convention of the governors of the four southern provinces, and of the chiefs, of all .
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the nations on the frontiers. Lord Egremont, his majesty's principal secretary of state for the south- ern department, having been consulted, approved of the plan : accordingly the head men of the Ca- tabaws, Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickesaws and Creeks, were invited to a general treaty, to be held at Augusta ; which was attended by governors James Wright of Georgia, Thomas Boone of South-Carolina, Arthur Dobbs of North-Caro- lina, lieutenant-governor Francis Fauquier of Virginia, and captain John Steuart superinten- dent of Indian affairs, in the southern department .. This treaty was concluded on the 10th of No- vember 1763 ; and it was agreed that a farther acquisition of territory should be annexed to Georgia ; the boundary to be settled by a line extending up Savannah and Little rivers, to the fork of the latter ; thence to the head spring or source of the Ogechee river, and down the said river to Mount Pleasant ; thence a line to be run direct to Saint-Savilla on the Alatamaha ri- ver ; and thence in a direct line to the extremity of tide water on the river St. Mary's. The Cherokee and Creek nations of Indians, being indebted to the English Indian traders in greater sums than they could pay in peltries, and being desirous to discharge their debts, ceded and granted to the king this tract of country upon the frontiers of Georgia ; that the same should be sold, and that the proceeds of the sale should be appropriated to the payment of their debts to
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these traders ; and the governor and council were appointed by his Britannic majesty, to sell so much of these lands as might be requisite to set- tle the respective claims of the traders, and dis- charge the same out of the produce of such sale, conformably to the design of the Indian grantors. I believe it may be said of Georgia, that there has been no instance in which lands have been forced from the Aborigines by conquest ; and that in all cases, the Indians have expressed their entire sat- isfaction at the compensations which have been given them for acquisitions of territory.
After this treaty, which was extended to a set- tlement of all differences between the several In- dian nations, as well as the provinces, Georgia remained undisturbed by war for a considerable time. The rapid progress of the colony strik- ingly appears by a comparison of its exports : in 1763 they consisted of only seven thousand five hundred barrels of rice ; nine thousand six hun- dred and thirty-three pounds of indigo; twelve hundred and fifty bushels of corn ; which together with deer skins, beaver fur, naval stores, provi- sions, timber, &c. amounted to no more than twenty-seven thousand and twenty-one pounds sterling. But in 1773, the province exportcd staple commodities to the value of one hundred and twenty-one thousand six hundred and seven- ty-seven pounds sterling ; and . the number of negroes was estimated at fourteen thousand.
In 1765, four additional parishes were laid off
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between the Alatamaha and St. Mary's rivers ; which were called St. David's, St. Patrick's, St. Thomas's and St. Mary's.
It has been observed that the territory of Geor- gia was formerly included in a charter granted to South-Carolina : during that period, and previous to the granting of a charter for this province to the trustees, sir William Barker had obtained a grant for twelve thousand acres of land, from the lords proprietors of South-Carolina, near the Alatamaha. When general Oglethorpe's regiment was disban- ded, each of the officers and soldiers had a certain portion of land allotted to him, as a reward for his good conduct, and compensation for his faithful services. These warrants were in many instances located within the body of land granted to Barker, whose heirs had not exhibited a claim until the year 1770, when a number of farms had been opened upon the land at a considerable ex- pense. A petition was presented to the king in council in behalf of the possessors, which was referred to the board of trade for their opinion : their report was unfavorable, and the prayer of of the petition was not granted. These poor sol- diers were obliged to purchase from the heirs of Barker, not only the land, but the value of the labor which they had bestowed in improvements and preparing it for cultivation : others who were unable to purchase, were compelled to relinquish the fruits of their labor to Barker's rich descend- ants, and settle elsewhere.
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The rich lands at the head waters of great Ogechee and Oconee rivers, had drawn many set- tlers, and some of them had made improvements beyond the limits prescribed by the treaty of 1763. The jealousy of the Indian character, had not yet been well known, so far as related to the ideas they entertained of territorial rights : it had been a maxim among them, that all property found upon their lands, was of right, the property of those who claimed the territory ; this maxim applied to horses and cattle, as well as wild beasts of the forest. The Creek nation complained of these encroachments to governor Wright, and remarked, that if he could not restrain the white people, how could it be expected of them to gov- ern their young warriors. When the Indians had finished their autumnal hunt, about the Ist of October, they stole several horses which they found upon their own land, to carry home their meat, and the goods which they had received in exchange for their peltry : about the same time the store of Lemmons, which had been establish- ed at Traders-hill, on St. Mary's river, was at- tacked by a party of Creek Indians; Lemmons and his assistants, finding themselves overpower- ed by numbers, fled and left their store in posses- sion of the savages, who carried off the goods, and burned the houses. A party of white men col- lected on Ogechee, pursued the Indians to their towns, retook their horses, and remunerated them - selves for other losses which they had sustained,
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and burned all the houses in their towns. The chiefs came to Savannah and communicated these circumstances to governor Wright, who thought it best to compensate the Indians for the loss of their houses, and the superintendent compelled the Indians to restore Lemmons his goods : by these placid measures, the consequences which might have been expected, were removed, and peace was restored.
Alexander Cameron, a Scotchman, had been appointed deputy-superintendent in the Cherokee nation. This tribe had also shewn some discon- tents arising from encroachments on land claimed by them as hunting grounds, to the north-west of Little river, afterwards Wilkes county ; and simi- lar complaints were made against encroachments in Carolina, upon a creek called Long-Cane .- Steuart directed Cameron to make a visit to the governor in Charleston, and to invite some of the chiefs to accompany him : this visit drew some presents from the governor, and had the desired effect.
On the 27th of October, at the annual meet- ing of the general assembly of Georgia, governor Wright communicated to the upper house, the instructions of his majesty, requiring implicit obe- dience to the mutiny act ; and desired that those provisions should be made for supplying the king's troops, which by that act they were directed to do. James Habersham, president of the upper house, signified the determination
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of that branch of the assembly, to comply with , the law. A similar communication was made to the lower house, of which Alexander Wylly was speaker : that branch of the assembly resolved to provide a sum not exceeding two hundred pounds sterling, for supplying his majesty's troops doing duty in this province, with the fol- lowing articles; to wit, firewood, candles, vine- gar, salt, bedding, cooking utensils, and small- beer or cyder, not exceeding five pints, or half a pint of rum, or in lieu thereof three-pence ster- ling per diem, to each man respectively : and also to defray the expense of providing neces- sary carriages for the said troops on their march through any part of the province, and for the hire of barns and out-houses for their lodgement, in such places where there were no barracks .. This law was to commence its operation on the first day of November thereafter, and to continue in force for one year, and to be raised and grant- ed in the next general tax bill. The governor thanked the assembly for the promptitude with which his communication had been complied with. These measures were adopted under the pressure of necessity rather than free will : the colonies being tenacious of their liberties, and jealous of their rights, the rulers of the mother country, found it necessary to be cautious in exercising their power. The government was not only mix- ed but dependent, which circumstance occasion- ed a peculiarity in its form of a very delicate
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nature. When oppressions and dissatisfactions were permitted to accumulate, and the governed allowed occasionally to throw off a part of the load, it was to be expected that they would soon do more : the rights of the people therefore required immediate consideration and redress. The petitions which had been presented to the king, were not attended to by the minister, and it was recommended to the colonies, to appoint agents to superintend their demands for redress. Accordingly, at the meeting of the general assem- bly at Savannah in April, a resolution to that. effect was entered into, and doctor Benjamin Franklin was appointed agent for the colony of Georgia, at the court of Great Britain : in his acceptance of this appointment, he warmly re- commends a peaceable, prudent, firm and ani- mated conduct in the management of public af- fairs ; by which means they would support the character of freemen without losing that of faith- ful subjects ; and would prove that the Ameri- cans possessed that true magnanimity which could resent injuries without becoming outrage- ous, and that they knew what was due to them- selves and their posterity, as well as to the mo- ther country : and thus they might advance their interest and reputation, and convince the world of the justice of their demands and the purity of their intentions. These measures all mankind would applaud, and confess that those deserved liberty, who so well understood its value, so pas-
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