TROUBLE WITH SPANISH; CONFERENCE WITH CREEKS. granted, and slavery was introduced into Georgia.* The Spaniards on the south were a cause of annoyance to Oglethorpe. Aware of the weakness of the colony, he had almost from the very beginning taken measures to fortify it against attack by the Spanish. Near the mouth of the Altamaha, a fort was erected and the town of Frederica was laid out. A battery was also erected on Cumberland Island, ten miles nearer the sea, commanding the entrance of the Jekyl Sound, through which all ships must pass to reach Frederica. At these proceedings the Spanish took umbrage, and sent a commissioner from Havana to demand an evacuation of all the territory south of St. Helena Sound, claiming it as the property of the King of Spain. Oglethorpe resisted the demands of the Spaniards. He had acquired the veneration and devotion of all classes by his benevolent labors, nobly devoting all his powers to serve the poor, and rescue them from their wretchedness "; and though he personally had no share in the territory, he determined to shelter it, if needful, with his life. As he said to Charles Wesley, "To me death is nothing. If separate spirits regard our little concerns, they do it as men regard the follies of their childhood." He returned to England, where he raised and disciplined a regiment of 66 * Doyle, pp. 361-362, 403. For details see Doyle, pp. 352-353. VOL. II-4 45 600 men and a company of grena- In 1737 Oglethorpe se to In July and August, 1639, Oglethorpe travelled some 300 miles into the interior, near the site of the present city of Columbus, in order to hold a conference with the Creek Indians. He was successful in securing On the English aggressions see Jones, History of Georgia, vol. i.; Pickett, History of Alabama, chap. viii; Brown, History of Alabama, chap. v.; and the contemporary account reprinted in Georgia Historical Society Collections, vol. ii., pp. 265-310, and in Force's Tracts, vol. i., No. 5. Doyle, pp. 360–361. Doyle, p. 361. 46 ST. AUGUSTINE ATTACKED; DEATH OF OGLETHORPE. saved the colonies from disaster. to In May, 1740, having raised a large force not only of his own men, but also of settlers from South Carolina, Oglethorpe laid siege to St. Augustine. His first capture was Fort St. Deigo, nine miles from St. Augustine, next causing the Spaniards to abandon Fort Moosa, only two miles away. The attack was to be made both by land and sea, but it was found that the vessels could not get near enough to the town to aid the land forces. The siege lasted until July and as several incidents of a disadvantageous character occurred, Oglethorpe in disappointment abandoned the attack and returned to Frederica. He lost only 50 men, while the Spaniards lost 450 beside the forts. Now, therefore, as Anson's and Vernon's efforts to despoil the commerce and colonies of the Spanish had proved failures, the Spaniards determined to attack Georgia, and in 1742 a force of 3,000 men was sent against the province. Their ignorance of the territory, however, was the only thing that *The treaty is in White, Historical Collections of Georgia, p. 121. See also Hamilton, Colonial Mobile, p. 115; Doyle, pp. 374-375; The South in the Building of the Nation, vol. ii., p. 128. For details of the siege see Hildreth, History of the United States, vol. ii., pp. 375-377; Doyle, pp. 376-382; The South in the Building of the Nation, vol. ii., p. 129. While Oglethorpe possessed a large share of the confidence of the colonists, he was exposed to a great amount of petty meanness and ingratitude, notwithstanding his devotion to the interests of Georgia.† The colonists who had become dissatisfied sent Thomas Stevens to England, as their agent, to lay their complaints before the proper authorities. The charges, having been duly examined by the House of Commons, were pronounced to be "false, scandalous and malicious."‡ In 1743 Oglethorpe himself went to England to refute charges which had been made against him, and was so successful that his accuser, Cook, who was his own lieutenant-colonel, was deprived of his commission. Oglethorpe never afterward returned to Georgia. He married shortly after his return to England, and accepted an appointment by the government in his own country. But he lived long enough to see the establishment of the independence of the United States. He died July 1, 1785. *Bancroft, vol. ii., pp. 292-298; The South in the Building of the Nation, vol. ii., pp. 129-131; Doyle, pp. 393–399. For details see Doyle, p. 383 et seq. Hildreth, History of the United States, vol. ii., pp. 384-385. For further details of his life and work, see Henry Bruce, Life of Oglethorpe, in Makers of America series; Robert Wright. Memoir of General James Oglethorpe; the memoir by W. B. CHARTER SURRENDERED; MARY MUSGROVE. Up to this time the government of Georgia had not proven satisfactory, and the trustees, on Oglethorpe's return to England, determined to introduce important changes, committing civil affairs to a president and four councillors. In 1743 William Stephens was appointed president, and, notwithstanding his advanced age, he conducted the affairs of his office most satisfactorily. Nevertheless the course pursued by the trustees only served to hinder the progress of the colony. The nature of the climate and similar causes had a serious influence upon its prosperity. "After twenty years' effort, and the expenditure of parliamentary grants to the amount of more than $600,000, besides about $80,000 contributed by private ostentation or charity, when the trustees surrendered their rights under the charter, Georgia contained only three small towns and some scattered plantations, with seventeen hundred white inhabitants and four hundred negroes. The total value of the exports for the three years preceding had hardly amounted to $13,000. The exportation of wine and drugs had been totally relinquished, but some hopes of silk were still entertained." Shortly after Wesley's return to England, the celebrated George Whitefield came to the colony and labored very effectively in many * 0. Peabody in Sparks' American Biography, 2d series, vol. ii.; Biographical Memoires of James Oglethorpe, Founder of the Colony of Georgia. *Hildreth, History of the United States, vol. ii., p. 453. 47 ways to forward the cause of humanity and religion. He was largely instrumental in founding the orphanage at Savannah.* The same spirit of Southern hospitality prevailed in this colony as in the other colonies of the South, and under the royal government the colonists were favored with the same liberties and privileges as their neighbors. Yet the real value of the land at this time was unknown, for some years had elapsed before the settlers began industriously to cultivate it. In 1749 trouble arose through fear that the Indians might become hostile, a state of affairs actually brought about by a woman named Mary. Musgrove. When the colonists first landed at Savannah, Oglethorpe used her as an interpreter. She subsequently married the Reverend Thomas Bosomworth, a priest of the Church of England, who induced her to make a demand on the colony for £5,000, in compensation for her services and also for damages to the property of her first husband. She asserted that she was an Indian princess and an empress of the Creek Indians, claiming as her property the islands of Ossabaw, Sapelo and St. Catherine's, as well as certain lands just across the river from Savannah. Governor Stephens, Governor Stephens, however, denied. the legality of her claims, whereupon, accompanied by her husband in his priest's clothes, she marched with a *Doyle, Colonies under Hanover, p. 388 et seq. 48 ASSEMBLY OPENED; GEORGIA BECOMES CROWN COLONY. number of Indians to Savannah. Stephens assembled the soldiers and directed that the Indians must give up their arms before entering the town. This they did, and the Bosomworths were arrested and locked up. Stephens addressed the Indians and convinced them that the woman was not a princess, and that the land claimed by her belonged to the Creek Indians. This brought about a state of peace and quiet in the colony, but the Bosomworths went to England, there endeavoring to persuade the king and trustees of the righteousness of their demands and invoking the aid of the courts. For many years their actions were a source of trouble to the colony, and they were finally given about £2,000 and a title to St. Catherine's Island, where both of them died and were buried.* In 1750 a change in the affairs of the colony occurred, which was much for the better. James Habersham describes the condition of the colony as follows: My present thoughts are that the colony never had a better appearance of thriving than now. There have been more vessels loaded here within these ten months than have been since the colony was settled." In 1750 the trustees established a provincial Assembly to be composed of delegates elected by the people, whose duties were to look after the interests of the inhabitants * For the interesting history of Mary Musgrove and the Rev. Mr. Bosomworth, see White, Historical Collections of Georgia, pp. 21–31. and to suggest to the trustees such As the period of twenty-one years named in the charter was now at an end, the trustees decided that they would not renew the grant and expressed a wish to the Lords of the Council that the trust be surrendered. On June 23, 1752, the last meeting of the trustees was held, and from that time the colony of Georgia was in charge of the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations. By order of the king, the regulations put in force by the trustees were continued, and all officers were to be retained until a new form of government was *The South in the Building of the Nation, vol. ii., p. 134. ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR REYNOLDS. adopted. For more than two years, however, no change was made, Mr. Parker continuing in office until his death, when Patrick Graham of Augusta was chosen his successor. The Lords of the Council now recommended that Georgia be made a royal province, and, as the king approved, Captain John Reynolds of the royal navy was sent out as royal governor. A new seal was at the same time given to the province, the obverse side of which was a female figure representing the province, kneeling before the king in token of submission and presenting him with a skein of silk, over which was the motto, "Hinc laudem sperate Coloni." The motto engraved around the edge was "Sigillum Provincia Nostra Georgia in America." The reverse side contained the royal coat of arms. Reynolds landed at Savannah October 29, 1754, and was heartily welcomed by the people. The legislature at this time was composed of the upper house of the Assembly, consisting of 12 members appointed by the king, who were also the governor's council and the commons house of Assembly, consisting of representatives elected by the people from the various districts of the province. No bill could become a law until passed by both houses and signed by the govUnder the new régime, the first legislature met January 7, 1755, at which time only twelve acts were passed that became laws. Governor Reynolds found that the colony was ernor. 49 not in the prosperous condition that he supposed, but did nothing during his administration to remedy the condition of affairs. He laid off the town of Hardwick on the Ogeechee River, but that never developed into importance. He spent much time and thought in improving the defences of the colony, and endeavored to make a treaty with the Indians at Augusta, but failed to awaken any interest in that point, ere he was called back to Savannah by the arrival of two vessels with 400 Acadians on board. As it was against the provisions of the charter to allow Catholics to come into the colony, Governor Reynolds was at a loss to know how to act in this case. The Acadians were allowed to land, however, and continued to reside in the colony until the next summer when the majority of them went away. Reynolds did not remain on good terms with the council, and soon complaints against him were sent to England. On October 3, 1756, he was summoned to appear before the Board of Trade and Plantations to answer charges, and during his absence, Henry Ellis was appointed lieutenant-governor to take charge of affairs in the colony. Ellis landed at Savannah February 16, 1757, and at the same time Reynolds departed. Immediately upon his arrival, Ellis began to place the province in good condition to resist an invasion. He also entered into an agreement of peace and friendship with the Creeks, which was a matter of much impor |