USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia: containing brief sketches of the most remarkable events, up to the present day, Vol. I > Part 7
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The complaints of the people of the province, however ignorant they might be, ought not to
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have been entirely disregarded by the trustees : experience suggested those inconveniences and troubles, from which they implored relief : the hints they gave, certainly ought to have been improved towards correcting errors in the plan of settlement, and forming another, which promis- ed prospects more favorable and advantageous to them. The scattered thoughts of simple individuals, sometimes afford to wiser men, ma- terials for forming correct opinions, and be- come the ground work of the most beneficial re- gulations. The opinion of the people individu- ally, ought not to be excluded from the attention and regard of their rulers. The honor of the trustees, and the gratification they hoped to ex- · perience from their laudable undertaking, depen- ded upon the success and happiness of the set- tlers ; and it was impossible for the people to succeed and be happy, deprived of those encour- agements, liberties and privileges, necessary to the first state of colonization. A title for land which would have secured it to themselves and their offspring, both male and female, ought to have been given ; liberty to choose it of such quality as would promise to reward them for their labour, and then to manage it in such man- ner as appeared to themselves most conducive to their interest : these would have been incen- tives to industry, and opened to the view of the industrious planter, the prospect of opulence and wealth, for himself and his descendants. Such
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encouragements might have been given without opening to the speculator a field for the monoply of land, by the introduction of restrictions in their grants, such as the prohibition of mortga- ges and sales.
While the people of Georgia were laboring un- der these difficulties and petitioning unsuccessful- ly for relief, the king was giving every encour- agement for the rapid settlement of the adjoining colony. Fee-simple titles were offered for the choice of land, unshackled by restrictions, either as to trade or slavery.
CHAPTER III.
SEVERAL years had passed without an open rupture between England and Spain, yet there was not a good understanding between the two courts ; either as regarded the privileges of navigation, or the southern limits of Georgia. To the first, the Spaniards pretended they had an exclusive right to the territories and waters lying within certain latitudes in the bay of Mexico. The British merchants claimed by treaty, the pri- vilege of cutting log-wood on the bay of Cam- peachy-this liberty had been tolerated by Spain for several years, and the British merchants from
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avaricious motives, extended their claim of pri- vileges to a trafic with the Spaniards, and supplied them with English manufactures. To prevent this illicit trade, the Spaniards doubled their mari- time force on that station, with orders to board and search every English vessel found in those seas, and directed seisures to be made on all ves- sels carrying contraband commodities, and the sailors to be confined. At length not only smug- glers but fair traders were searched and detained, so that the commerce was entirely obstructed .- The British became clamorous, against such de- predations to their ministry, which produced one remonstrance after another to the Spanish court ; all of which were answered by evasive promises and vexatious delays.
The British minister, notorious for his pacific disposition, had long been flattered with promises of enquiry and redress of grievances, and suffered the complaints to remain unredressed, to the in- jury of the trade, and great loss of the nation .- Considerable reinforcements were sent to the garrison at Augustine, and a surplus of arms, ammunition and provisions, supposed to be in- tended for the Indians. These circumstances and preparations, with the demands which had been made of Oglethorpe, were sufficient to show to Georgia and Carolina, the necessity of holding themselves in readiness to oppose the hostilities which were evidently preparing for them. Lieut. governor Bull of So uth Carolina, despatched ad.
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rice to England of the growing power of Spain in Fast Florida, and acquainted the trustees that such preparations were making there, as evi- dently portended hostilities ; and as the Span- iards pretended to have a claim to Georgia, there were strong grounds to believe that they intended to assert their claim by force of arms. The king resolved to vindicate the honor of his crown, and maintain the right to his territories in Georgia, together with the freedom of commerce and navi- gation in the Mexican seas. The pacific dispo- sition of his minister, Sir Robert Walpole, had drawn upon him the displeasure of the nation, particularly of the mercantile part; and that amaz- ing power and authority which he had long main- tained, began to decline : the spirit of the nation was roused, and the administration could no longer wink at the insults, depredations and cru- elties, which had been practised by Spain. In- structions were despatched to the British ambassa- dor at Madrid, to demand in absolute terms, a compensation for the injuries of trade : this produced an order from the Spanish court to the ambassador, to allow the amount to the British merchants, upon condition of the Spanish de- mand upon the south-sea company being de- ducted, and Oglethorpe's settlers recalled from Georgia ; and no more employed in that. quarter, as he had there made great encroachments on his catholic majesty's dominions. These conditions were received at the court of Great-Britain with
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that indignation which might have been expected from an injured nation The Spanish ambassador at London, was informed that the king of Eng- land was determined, never to relinquish his right to a single foot of land in the province of Georgia ; and that he must allow his subjects to make reprisals, since satisfaction for their losses in trade could in no other way be obtained.
The Hector and Blanford ships of war, had been ordered to transport general Oglethorpe's regiment to Georgia, where they arrived in. Sep- tember 1758. The colonists rejoiced at their arrival, having been harrassed by frequent alarms ; they now found themselves relieved, and placed. in such circumstances as enabled them to bid de- fiance to the Spanish power.
The general established his head-quarters at Frederica and placed small garrisons on Jekyl and Cumberland islands to watch the motions of the enemy. While preparations were making in England to guard against the hostility of Spain, the Spanish agents from Augustine, had been busily employed in seducing the Creek Indians, who had formed a great attachment for general Oglethorpe, and impressed them with a belief that he was at Augustine, and promised them considerable presents if they would pay him a visit at that place. Accordingly some of them went down to see their beloved man, as they called him ; but finding he was not there, they were highly offended at the deception attempted to be
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practised upon them. The Spanish governor in order to cover the fraud, or probably with a de- sigu to convey their leaders out of the way, that he might have the less difficulty in corrupting their nation by a Pizarro stratagem, pretended that the general was sick on board of a ship in the harbor, where he would be extremely glad to see them ; but the Indians, suspicious of some deep design, refused to go, rejected their presents and offers of alliance, and immediately left the place : when they returned to their towns, they found an invitation from the general, to meet him at Fre- derica, which evidenced to them the insidious designs of the Spaniards, and tended to increase the general's influence and power over them. A number of the chiefs and warriors repaired to the place appointed, where they received the thanks of the general for their fidelity : he made them many valuable presents and renewed the treaty of friendship and alliance. At this meeting, they offered the general.every aid in their power; agreed to march a thousand men to his assistance when- ever he demanded them, and invited him to pay a visit to their towns : he excused himself by stating the multiplicity of business, which would necessarily occupy his time in settling the pro- vince, and making arrangements for its defence against the Spaniards ; but promised them a visit the next summer, and dismissed them much pleased with his kindness and hospitality, and disgusted with the Spaniards for the deception
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which was evidently intended to be practised up- on them at Augustine.
In this state of anxiety and perplexity, the ge- neral's mind was harrassed with the complaints of the colonists. They wanted rum, they. wanted slaves, and they wanted fee-simple titles to their lands. The following is offered as a sample of their outrageous discontents; and in which was enclosed a copy of the petition from the people at Savannah to the trustees :
To the honorable James Oglethorpe, Esquire, ge- neral and commander in chief over all his majes- ty's forces in South-Carolina and Georgia, Sc. at Frederica.
" SIR,
" It is the common misfortune of all who act in the higher stations of life, to be surrounded by flatterers, who consult rather the humors, pas- sions and prejudices of their patrons, than their honor and interest : this should induce every person in such station, who regards his own ho- nor, interest and fame, to lend an open and atten- tive ear to truth, in whatever shape, or from whatever hand delivered. I have no other basis, motive or interest in view, farther than as I am a member of the colony, and a well wisher to the happiness of society, unless a real and sincere regard to your honor and welfare, and an earnest desire to restore you to that quiet of mind and the now suspended affections of the people, which
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the present state of affairs must necessarily de- prive you of ; it is not therefore of consequence to enquire who writes, but what is written. I am, sir, a plain dealer, and shall, with the greatest res- pect, use you with more sincerity than ceremony, and if any arguments can attain the desired effect, you will, I doubt not, think me your and the co- lony's real friend. When a skilful physician would relieve his patient of a disease, he traces it from the beginning, and examines the sources and progress of it, in order that by finding out the cause, he may the more certainly apply a re- medy : in the body politic the same process is necessary to effect a cure. The present lan- guishing and almost desperate condition of the affairs of this province, is too obvious to your ex- cellency to need a description : be pleased then, to lay aside prepossession and prejudice, to retire unto yourself, and examine impartially whence the present misfortunes take rise ; in order to do which, let me present your excellency with a view of the nations designs in establishing this colony ; and indeed they were and are nothing unsuitable to a British or Roman spirit ; the establishing a strong and numerous settlement as a barrier and safe guard to British America. To employ those persons in effecting this end who were least use- ful at home, and others who from reasonableness of profit should voluntarily profer their service : to restore liberty and happiness to those who,. oppressed by the common misfortunes of man-
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kind, were groaning under the consequences of those misfortunes, and incapable of serving them- selves or country at home : And lastly, to set a foot such new manufactures as might be most useful to support the colony, or tend to rectify the balance of trade of Great-Britain with neigh- boring nations-a design truly great, founded on the justest policy, and practicable. . To sug- gest that any low private design was ever laid down, that might tend to make the adventurers slaves, or, at best, tenants at will ; or that it was . a concert to leave the industry and substance of the settlers exposed to satisfy the ambition or covetousness of an after governor, or any parti- cular courtier or party ; or to imagine that the honorable board of trustees or any of them, could be capable of such a concert ; I say, sir, that such
a thought were impious,
What wonder then,
if numbers of persons, encouraged by his majes- ty's most ample rights and privileges, granted in his royal charter to the honorable trustees for the behalf of the inhabitants ; from the beautiful des- cription of the fertility of the soil and happiness of the climate ; and lastly, from a view that Mr. Oglethorpe, a gentleman of the greatest humanity and generosity, was willing to sacrifice his ease, and all those pleasures and enjoyments which his easy circumstances in life intitled him to, in order to be the patron and father of the distressed, and the distinguished friend of his country, society and human nature: I say, sir, no wonder if num-
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bers upon those views, embarked their persons, families and fates, in such an adventure. Shall any thing then intervene to render such a noble design abortive, and frustrate those of their ex- pected happiness, or your excellency of your de- served honors ? God forbid !
" This colony consists of two sorts of people ; either those whom the public sent over, or vo- lunteers ;* who were not burthensome to the public ; both now I look upon in the same light, as either party have exhausted their support or private stocks, in endeavoring to prosecute the intended plan ; but it shall suffice for my argu- ment, that so many of each kind have applied themselves to this purpose as are sufficient to con- firm the experiment, that it is impossible for us, with British or foreign servants, to afford the low- est necessaries of life, much less to increase. our stocks, or defray. the many exigencies and disap- pointments that this soil and climate, are inevita- bly exposed to : this I take to be granted ; and would to God the success of the colony depended on establishing the most satisfactory proofs of it ! And as for persons who, from selfish views, have imposed upon the credulity of the honorable trustees, by representing things in colors distant from truth ; it were superfluous to curse them. I do not say, but in time manufactures may be founded more suitable to the strength and con- stitution of British servants, that might support
* Such as came at their own expense.
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and enrich the colony; I heartily pray for that happy period ; and should then condemn and dis- sent from any who would not be content with the present regulation ; but as in the interim, production of necessaries is absolutely requisite, and under the present establishment impractica- ble ; it follows of course, that either the scheme must be altered or the design abandoned. At the first it was a trial, now it is an experiment ; and certainly no man or society need be ashamed to own, that from unforseen emergencies the hypo- thesis did misgive ; and no person of judgment would censure for want of success when the pro- posal was probable ; but all the world would ex- claim against that person or society, who through mistaken notions of honor, and positiveness of temper, would persist in pushing an experiment, contrary to all probability, to the ruin of the adven- turers. How many methods may be found out by the wisdom of the trustees, for remedying this inconvenience, I know not; one only occurs to me, which is, the admitting a certain number of negroes, sufficient to ease the white servants from those labors that are most fatal to a British con- stitution : I am very sensible of the inconvenien- ces of an unlimited use of them in a frontier colo- ny ; but am as sensible that those inconveniences may be prevented by prudent regulations ; and their admission for executing the more laborious parts of culture, made the means to attract num- bers of white servants, who would otherwise fly
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the place as a purgatory or charnel-house. If our Libor and toil is not capable of providing mere necessaries by cultivation of land, much less by trade ; for as all the neighboring colonies, by rea- son of their negroes, prosecute all branches of it at a sixth part of the expense we can ; they would forever preclude us of any benefit therefrom : and supposing what cannot be admitted, that the nation would consent to give a perpetual fund for making up all those deficiencies, what benefit could we accrue to the nation ? or what to the settlers, but a present bare subsistence ? and what the certain consequence but the bequeathing a numerous legacy of orphans to the care of provi- dence, since no period of time can be affixed when such a support would enable us to provide for ourselves? A second reason which disables us to improve either by land or trade, is our want of credit : You know very well, that both the mer- cantile and mechanic part of mankind, live more by credit than stock ; and the man who has a pro- bable scheme of improving credit, is naturally intitled to it : As we have no stock further to dis- pense, either in cultivation or trade, we are re- duced to need the support of credit ; which the present restrictions of our legal rights and titles to our land deprive us of. It is true, indeed the trustees have assured us, that those and other res- trictions, are only temporary, and for the welfare of the first settlement, until a proper body of laws, which was upon the carpet, should be perfected ;
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and I am far from disputing the reasonableness of that resolution, while either the public support or private stocks, kept us from needing credit; but that now the case is altered, the necessity of moving those restrictions is arrived, to preserve the remains of the colony not yet dissolved, and far too late for hundreds, whom necessity has dispersed in other corners of the world : this is a truth sir, too obvious to need further enlarge- ment.
" Hence it is clear we can insist on demanding our privileges as British subjects, from the trus- tees promises ; but we likewise claim them as law, justice and property. Your excellency was pleased in the court-house of Savannah, to use a comparison to satisfy the minds of the people, of a man who would lend his horse but not his sad- die, which one refusing another accepted of : this I humbly take it, no way meets the case : the king's majesty was owner both of horse and sad- dle, of the lands and rights, and gave us both in his charter ; we ask but what is there given us. The reliance on the public faith brought us to this colony, and to endeavor to obviate or disappoint the effects of those promises which tempted us here, were to justify the decoying us to misery, under the sanction of the royal authority, than which nothing could be more injurious to the fountain of honor. I shall suppose, that were full and ample rights given, that some idle per- sons, who had no judgment to value, or inclina-
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tion to improve their properties, no affections for their families or relations, might dispose of their rights for a glass of rum ; but I absolutely deny that the colony could loose by such an exchange : I own that such persons were much safer if bound than at liberty ; but where the affections of the parent and the reason of the man die, the person is a fitter inhabitant for moor-field than Georgia. I must notice farther, that not only are parents in- capable for want of credit, to provide for them- selves, being necessitated to dispose of their ser- vants for want of provisions ; but if they could, only their eldest son could reap the benefit, their younger children, however numerous, are left to be fed by him who feeds the ravens; and if they have no children, their labor and substance de- scends to strangers : how sir, would you, or in- deed any free born spirits, brook such a tenure ? are not our younger sons and daughters equal- ly entitled to our bowels and affections ? and does · human nature end with our first born, and not ex- tend itself to the rest of our progeny and more distant relations ? and is it not inverting the or- der of nature, that the eldest son should not only enjoy a double portion, but exclude all the youn- ger children ? and having an interest independ- ent of the parents, how natural is it he should withdraw that obedience and subjection, which proceeds from parental authority and filial depend- ance ! the trustees are but a channel to convey to us the king's rights, and cannot in law or equi,.
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ty, and I dare say, will not abridge those rights Can we suppose that we are singled out for a state of misery and servitude, and that so many hon- orable personages are instruments of it? far be the thoughts from us ! the genius of the British nation, so remarkably zealous for liberty and the rights of mankind, will never suffer British sub- jects, who have not fled their country from crimes, but voluntarily proffered their services and resign- ed their all, upon the confidence of the public faith and the trustees honor, to accomplish a set- tlement upon the most dangerous point of his majesty's dominions : I say, it will never allow such to be deprived of public promises, or the natural liberties of British subjects ; as we are on a frontier, where our lives and fortunes may more frequently come into dispute than other people's, our privileges and supports should be proportionably greater ; for who would venture his life to secure no property, or fight to secure to himself poverty and misery ? and no doubt our cunning and vigilant adversaries, the French and Spaniards, would know how to make their own advantage : the king has been very gracious, and your endeavors generous and useful, in pro- curing a regiment, and not only the support of the soldiers, but your own honor, glory and re- putation, are intermixed with the fate of the colo- ny, and must stand or fall with it.
" To come closer to the point ; please to con- sider the consequences of refusing the represen-
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HISTORY OF GEORGIA, 1739. 115
tation of the colony, whereof your excellency as one of the honorable board will be furnished with a copy, and how these consequences may affect the colony, the nation, the trustees, the military establishment in the province, the Indians, and your excellency.
" As to the colony, the defering hitherto the necessary relief, has already too tragically affect- ed it, by dispersing a great part of the inhabit- ants ; the remainder in a languishing condition, supported more with faint hopes and a continued reliance on the honor of the nation and trustees, than victuals; while want and meagre famine guard the doors of many, and render them equal- ly incapable to stay or go : the town so beautiful- ly situated to the honor of the contriver, bearing the most visible signs of decay and mortality be- fore it is fully born; and the once cultivated plantations now overgrown with weeds and brush, are so many hic jacets of such and such persons and families! I wish it were possible to draw a veil over this tragic scene ! but sir, our case is more claimant than a thousand tongues, and will reach the ears and pierce the hearts of every free Britain. If such be the effects of delay, what will the total dissolution of the colony produce ? Such a body of miserable people, orphans and suppliants, will be heard by the justice of the nation ; and if it shall appear, that they too, posi- tively adhering to an impracticable scheme, and the refusing those obvious means that would an-
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swer the proposed end, or with-holding those just rights which we are entitled to, have been the cause ; we should have a right to recover da- mages from the authors of our misery : in all pla- ces where settlements were attempted by the English, and found untenable, the settlers were taken home upon public charge, their losses were recompensed, and they made otherwise useful to the community ; while we are neither allowed to do for ourselves here or elsewhere. As to the se- cond point, how the nation would be affected by it : it is first obvious, that all the noble ends and advantages they proposed are lost, and sums of money expended to no purpose, but to inform the French and Spaniards of the importance of a pass which they would not fail to possess. It were impossible to make a second settlement upon the present plan, and if it is to be altered in favor of others, why not of us, who have risqued and spent our all in the adventure ? How the trus- tees may be affected by it in all respects, I shall not say ; a parliamentary enquiry into their man- agement, I no ways question but they would en- tirely satisfy; but all good men will regret, that so honorable a body should lose that glory and fame, which the prosperous success of the colony would have crowned them with. I have formerly asserted, that only the flourishing state of the colony, can support the military ; and indeed without a colony, it were easier to maintain a garrison in Tangier on the coast of Africa, than in
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