232 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



Under British rule the town was further adorned 

 with a State-house, for the courts and assemblies, the 

 plan of which was handsome but never completely 

 carried out. This served at the same time for a play- 

 house ; it is now half in ruins. 



The Spaniards in Florida were at one time often 

 troublesome to the southern American colonies, show- 

 ing great hostility for example at the time when Gen- 

 eral Oglethorpe undertook to settle the neighboring 

 province of Georgia, which enterprise especially 

 aroused their jealousy. This General found it neces- 

 sary to make an expedition against Florida, and came 

 without hindrance as far as Augustin, but found that 

 he had missed the best time and was too weak to take 

 the place by force. In retaliation, the Spanish shortly 

 after made a landing at St. Simon's in Georgia, and at 

 a time when the new colony there was in no condition 

 to offer an adequate defence. General Oglethorpe 

 saved himself and the new colony by a happy strata- 

 gem. A Frenchman had deserted his small force and 

 gone over to the Spaniards, so much superior in 

 numbers and equipment. General Oglethorpe wrote 

 a letter and sent it to the deserter, but took pains to 

 contrive that it should fall into the hands of the Span- 

 ish commander. In this letter he asked the deserter 

 to give out among the Spaniards that the strength of 

 the English was very small. The trick had the desired 

 effect ; the Spaniards put no more faith in the French- 

 man's true statements, and being apprehensive of a 

 dangerous situation withdrew the next day, without 

 bringing matters to an issue. 



It is sufficiently well known that at the Peace of 

 Versailles, 1762, both East and West Florida were 



