SETTLEMENT OF SAVANNAH.

99

which he gave the name of that stream, for a settlement. Here a fort was erected, and a few guns mounted on it for the defence of the infant colony. He immediately formed the settlers into a militia company, and appointed certain days for training the company. The Carolinians continued to send supplies of provisions, and skilful workmen to direct and assist in their labours. Oglethorpe's next measure was the establishment of some definite treaty with the Indians. He gave them presents, and they gave him as much land as he wanted. The Indians promised, with "straight hearts and love to their English brethren," to permit no other race of white men to settle in that country. The chief of the Creek nation then presented Oglethorpe with a buffalo skin, painted on the inside, with the head and feathers of an eagle, and made a speech which appeared to have been prepared for the occasion, the object of which was to request for the Creeks the love and protection of the English. Oglethorpe then committed the government to two individuals named Scott and St. Julian, and ordered Scott to make a treaty with the Choctaw Indians. This was done, and the interest of these powerful Indians secured to the English.

Oglethorpe returned to England, taking with him Tomochichi, the king of the Creeks, with his queen and several other chiefs. They were entertained in London with magnificent hospitality, loaded with presents and attentions from all classes of people, and introduced to the king and the nobility. When they returned, it was computed that they carried with them presents to the value of 400 pounds. After remaining in London four months, they returned with Oglethorpe and a shipload of emigrants. At the expiration of a year from this time, between five and six hundred emigrants had arrived and taken up their abode in this colony. But it was soon found by experience, what might have been expected from a knowledge of the kind of colonists sent over, that the settlement did not fulfil the expectations of the projectors.

The trustees offered land to other emigrants, and more than four hundred persons arrived in the colony from Germany,

100

GEORGE WHITEFIELD.

Scotland, and Switzerland, in 1735. Among these were some of the associates of Count Zinzendorf, the Moravian missionary. These were not the only persons of a religious character who arrived in the colony during this year. John Wesley had formed, when at college, a pious association of young men, who visited the prisons and made many efforts to reform the vices of their race. Charles Wesley, the brother

of the former, and George Whitefield, whose labours are well known to the student of American history, were among the principal members of this society, which was styled in derision, by the college wits, the Godly Club. Oglethorpe was introduced to the two Wesleys, and being made acquainted with their character, he prevailed upon them to come to America. With them came to the colony three or four of their associates, and three hundred others, among whom were one hundred and seventy more Moravian Germans. Wesley laboured in this field for some time without much success, when he returned to England. Soon after, Whitefield came out to the colony, and laboured much to establish an orphan asylum, in which design he partially succeeded, the asylum being still in existence, though not in a flourishing state.

Naturally fearful of the close proximity of the Spaniards, Oglethorpe applied himself to the fortification of the colony. In pursuance of this design, he built a fort on the banks of the Savannah, at a place he called Augusta. At Frederica, another fort with four regular bastions was erected; and a third was placed on Cumberland Island, which commanded the entrance to Jekyl Sound, through which alone ships of force could reach Frederica. Ten thousand pounds were granted by Parliament for the construction of these forts and the maintenance of the garrisons.

While the forts were building, the Spanish garrison was reinforced, and the governor of Georgia was informed by the commander of that garrison of the arrival of a commissioner from Havana, who wished a speedy conference with the British governor. This personage required of Oglethorpe, the immediate evacuation, by the English, of all the territories

OGLETHORPE PROMOTED.

101 south of St. Helena Sound, as they were the property of the king of Spain, who would shortly vindicate his claim.

It was in vain for Oglethorpe to attempt to use arguments with a person who relied upon his supposed superiority of force; and he therefore sailed immediately to England, in order to state the condition of affairs to the ministry. In London, the founder of Georgia was promoted to the rank of major general of all the forces in South Carolina and his own colony, with a regiment of six hundred new soldier emigrants for the defence of the colony.

During his absence in England, the Spaniards made many attempts to detach the Creek and other friendly tribes from their alliance; and, at the time of his arrival in Georgia, some of the Creek chiefs were in St. Augustine. When they returned, they found at their town an invitation from Oglethorpe to visit him at Frederica, where he renewed the treaty, and foiled the intrigues of the Spaniards. These now employed an unwarrantable stratagem against the English. Some of Oglethorpe's soldiers had been in the fortress at Gibraltar, where they learned to speak the Spanish language. One of these soldiers they found means to corrupt, and employed him to excite a mutiny in the English camp. He formed a conspiracy, and a daring attempt was made to assassinate the General, whose courage and self-command happily rescued him from danger, and the conspirators were put to death.

In 1740, the trustees rendered an account of their administration, in which it was stated that twenty-five hundred emigrants had been sent to the colony, and five hundred thousand dollars had been expended on it; but such was the character of the emigrants, and so grievous were the restrictions laid upon the colony, that it yet depended upon charitable contributions for support.

War being declared between England and Spain, Oglethorpe led an army of four hundred chosen men, and a body of Indians, into Florida. He took two of the Spanish forts, and laid siege to St. Augustine. The garrison found means,

102

OGLETHORPE'S STRATAGEM.

however, to admit a reinforcement of seven hundred men into the town, with provisions. The Indians soon left the English camp, and many of the soldiers were sick. There was no prospect of starving the garrison out, and Oglethorpe, with great chagrin, raised the siege, and returned to Frederica.

In 1742, an expedition from Havana, consisting of a formidable land and naval force, sailed up the Altamaha, for the purpose of retaliating these aggressions. The army of the invaders consisted of three thousand men. The object of the expedition was not merely the destruction of Georgia, but the entire extermination of all the British settlements in the southern part of North America. Oglethorpe applied to the South Carolinians, who thought it more prudent to keep their men at home, and fortify themselves, leaving Georgia to repulse the invaders herself, if possible. Oglethorpe, thus thrown on his own resources, proceeded in the following manner, as related by Dr. Ramsay :-When the Spanish force proceeded up the Altamaha, Oglethorpe was obliged to retreat to Frederica. He had but about seven hundred men besides Indians; yet, with a part of these, he approached within two miles of the enemy's camp, with the design of attacking them by surprise, when a French soldier of his party fired a musket and ran into the Spanish lines. His situation was now very critical, for he knew that the deserter would make known his weakness. Returning, however, to Frederica, he had recourse to the following expedient. He wrote a letter to the deserter, desiring him to acquaint the Spaniards with the defenceless state of Frederica, and to urge them to the attack. If he could not effect this object, he desired him to use all his art to persuade them to stay three days at Fort Simon's, as, within that time, he should have a reinforcement of two thousand land troops, besides six ships of war; cautioning him, at the same time, not to drop a hint of Admiral Vernon's meditated attack upon St. Augustine. A Spanish prisoner was entrusted with this letter, under promise of delivering it to the deserter; but he gave it, as was expected and intended, to the commander-in-chief, who immediately put the deserter in irons.

RETREAT OF THE SPANIARDS.

103

In the perplexity occasioned by this letter, while the enemy was deliberating what measures to adopt, three ships of force, which the governor of South Carolina had at last sent to Oglethorpe's aid, appeared on the coast. The Spanish commander was now convinced, beyond all question, that the letter, instead of being a stratagem, contained serious instructions to a spy; and, in this moment of consternation, set fire to the fort, and embarked so precipitately, as to leave behind him a number of cannon, and a quantity of military stores. Thus, by an event beyond human foresight or control-by a correspondence between the suggestions of a military genius and the blowing of the winds-was the infant colony providentially saved from destruction, and Oglethorpe gained the character of an able general. He now returned to England, and never again revisited Georgia. In 1775, he was offered the command of the British army in America. He professed his readiness to accept the appointment, if the ministers would authorize him to assure the colonies that justice would be done them; but the command was given to Sir William Howe. He died in August, 1785, at the age of ninety-seven, being the oldest general in the service. Nine years before his death, the province of Georgia, of which he was the father, had been raised to the rank of a sovereign, independent state, and was now acknowledged as such, by the mother country under whose auspices it had been planted.

The importation of West India rum into the colony being prohibited by the original charter, all the commerce of the colony with those islands was suspended; and it was asserted by the settlers that the prohibition, by the same instrument, of negro slavery in the colony, prevented the successful cultivation of their lands. This latter assertion was, however, disproved by the Moravian settlers, whose lands were always well cultivated, without the least assistance of negroes, or other servants. Many complaints were also made by the settlers against the tenure by which they held their lands. But, whether owing to these causes, or to the indolence and ignorance of the settlers, it is certain that, at the end of ten