3 2,6 The Discoveries 
\¥ives and Children would be at the Mercy of thefe 
Negroes •, and thus, befides the Cafe of fecuring them- 
felves againft foreign Invafions, they Would be likev/ife 
Under a NecefTity of providing for their domeftic Safety. 
In the next Place, it was forefeen that the Spaniards at St. 
AugujUn would be continually inticing away the Ne- 
groes, or inciting them to Infurredlions ; the former of 
which would have been very eafy, as they had only a 
fmall River or two to fwim over, which they might do 
fingly as well as in Parties ; the latter was fo much the 
more to be dreaded, as an Attempt or two of this kind 
muft have greatly difcouraged, if not totally fubverted, 
the Englijh Colony ; and the Certainty of thefe Evils 
was the greater, becaufe in a Time of profound Peace, 
the Spaniards had praftifed both in regard to the Colony 
of South Carolina., though at a greater Diftance, from 
whence Negroes had often fled in little Boats to the Spa- 
7 tiards., and been protedled and they have likewife been 
incited to rife in large Bodies, to the great Terror of 
the Inhabitants, and to the no fmall Hazard of the Lofs 
of that Province : Befides, the allowing Negroes in 
Georgia., would have facilitated the Defertion of the C^- 
Negroes, through this new Province; and confe- 
quently the Colony, inftead of proving, as it was intend- 
ed, a Frontier, and thereby adding Strength to the Pro- 
vince of South Carolma^vroxAdi have proved a Means of draw- 
ing away their Slaves, to the great Prejudice of the Plant- 
ers; and which was much worfe, would add thereby to the 
Strength of their Enemies 2itSt. AugujUn. So that taking thefe 
Coniiderations together, viz. that Wine, Silk, Pot-afhes, 
and other Produces, which were expedted from the new 
Colony, did not at all require Negroes ; as the Introduc- 
tion of them fo near to a Garrifon of the Spaniards., 
would weaken, rather than Ilrengthen, the Barrier ; and 
as they would introduce with them a greater Propenfi- 
ty to Idlenefs among the Planters, and too great an In- 
equality among the People ; it was thought proper to 
make the Prohibition of them a fundamental Article of 
the Coiiftitution. 
When the Truftees had made thefe Difpofitions, and were 
enabled, by Benefadlions from the Public, and feveral pri- 
vate Perfons, on the 3d of Odlober 1 732, it was refolved to 
fend over one hundred and fourteen Perfons, Men, Wo- 
men, and Children, being fuch as were in decayed Circum- 
ftances, and thereby difabled from following any Bufinefs 
in England ; and who, if in Debt, had leave from their 
Creditors to go ; and fuch as were recommended by the 
Minifter and Church- Wardens, and Overfeers of their 
refpedlive Parillies ; and James Oglethorpe, Efq; one of 
the Truftees went with them at his own Expence, to fettle 
them. On the 24th of the fame Month, the People were 
all examined, whether any of them had any Objedlions 
to the Terms and Conditions propofed to them, which 
they all declared they had not, but that they were ful- 
ly fatisfied with them ; and executed Articles under their 
Hands and Seals, teftifying their Confents thereto, which 
are now in the public Office belonging to the Truftees. 
But four of them defiring their Daughters might inherit 
as well as their Sons, and that their Widow’s Dower 
might be confidered, the Truftees immediately refolv- 
ed, that every Perfon who ffiould defire the fame, ffiould 
have the Privilege of naming a Succeffor to the Lands 
granted to him ; , who, in Cafe the Pofteftbr ffiould die 
without Ifllie Male, ffiould hold the fame to them and 
their Heirs Male for ever ; and that the Widows ffiould 
have their Thirds, as in Engla?id ; with which Refolu- 
tion the People being all acquainted, were very well fa- 
dshed. 
The Truftees prepared Forms of Government, agree- 
able to the Powers given them by the Charter ; they efta- 
bliffied under their Seal a Court of Judicature, for try- 
ing Caufes, as v/ell criminal as civil, in the Town of 
Savannah (the Name which was given to the firft Town 
to be raifed) by the Name and Stile of the Town Court. 
They alfo appointed Magiftrates there, viz. three Bailiffs 
and a Recorder, and inferior Officers, viz. two Conftables 
^nd two tything Men. They chofe for Magiftrates, fuch 
as appeared to them the moft prudent and difcreet ; but 
amongft a Number of People^ who were all upon a Le- 
and Settle m e n t s Book I. 
vel at the firft fetting out, it was impoffible to make any 
Choice or Diftincftion, which would not create fom.e fu- 
ture Uneafinefs among them. As I have no Relation to, 
or Connexion with, the Truftees of Georgia, I ffiall take 
the Liberty of making fome Remarks upon their Proceed- 
ings, which otherwife I ffiould not have thought becoming 
either them or me. The Scheme of their Incorporation 
is entirely new, as was the Projeft of Mr. Oglethorpe's, 
going over at his own Expence, and purely to fee thefe 
People put into a Way of living without him, whom he 
had extricated out of fo many Difficulties, and who, but 
for this Condefcenfion in him, muft have fallen back into 
thofe Difficulties again. The Attempts of Sir Walter 
Raleigh, for fettling of Virginia, were of this Nature 
with refpeft to him ; that is to fay, what he did was 
from a Motive of public Spirit ; but what the Virginia 
Company did, was from a Principle of Gain ; whereas 
this whole Defign rofe from the charitable and beneficent 
Difpofition of a few worthy and good Men, and has been 
hitherto conduced according to the fame Difpofition, for 
the Benefit of the Colony, and of the Public ; and from 
no other View or Intereft in the Truftees, but the making 
themfelves happy from the Confcioufnefs of well doing ; 
which at the fame Time that it refleifts Reputation up- 
on them, does the higheft Honour to this Age and 
Country, in which the Defire I have to have fome fmall 
Share, produced the Pains taken in this Sedlion, which 
I flatter myfelf will, like its Subjeft, prove of great 
Utility to the Public. 
4. On the 15th of November Mr. Oglethorpe fet out 
for Gravefend, from whence he foon failed for Carolina, 
where they arrived on the 1 5th of January following, and 
were received at Charles Eown by the Governor, with 
great Kindnefs and Civility ; who ordered Mr. Middleton, 
the King’s Pilot, to carry the Ship into Port Royal, and 
Small Craft to convey the Colony from thence to the 
River Savannah. In ten Hours they proceeded to Fort 
Royal. On the 1 8th Mr. Oglethorpe wen? afliore upon 
French's IJland, and left a Guard upon Johkls, being a 
Point of that Illand, which commands the Channel, and 
is about half Way between Beaufort and the River Sa- 
vannah. They had Orders to prepare Huts, for the Re- 
ception of the People in their Paflage from thence. Mr. 
Oglethorpe went to Beaufort Eown, and was faluted with 
a Difcharge of the Artillery, and had a new Barrac fitted 
up, where the Colony landed on the 20th, and were 
chearfully affifted by Lieutenant JVats, and Enfign Far- 
rington, and the other Officers of the independent Com- 
pany ; as alfo by Mr. Ledebar, and other Gentlemen of 
the Neighbourhood ; from thence he went to view the 
Savannah River, and pitched upon a convenient Spot 
of Ground, ten Miles up the River, on which he defign- 
ed to build a Town. The Reader will obferve that this 
was exaftly agreeable to the Refolutions taken by the 
Truftees at home ; and as there was no Time loft in fix- 
ing upon the Place, fo on the 9th of February the Town 
was marked out, and the firft Houfe begun. 
The chief Reafons that determined Mr. Oglethorpe in 
the Choice of this Place were, Flealth, Pleafure, and 
Conveniency. Before his Arrival in the Country, it had 
the Name of an Indian Nation, viz. Tammacraw, who 
inhabited here, under the Command of the Chief, Fomo- 
chichi, and who readily gave them Place, and entered 
into a clofe Friendfliip with him; fo much the more 
agreeable to both Parties, as there was no other Indian 
Nation within fifty Miles. But Mr. Oglethorpe called 
the Town by the Name of the River Savannah. It 
lies, according to Captain Gafcoign's, Obfervations, in the 
Latitude of 31 Degrees 58 Minutes, which he took off 
Fybee, an Ifiand that lies at the Mouth of the Savannah 
River. It is diftant from Charles Fown South-weft, ac- 
cording to the Courfe and Windings of the Rivers and 
Creeks, about one hundred and forty Miles, but by 
a dired Courfe feventy-feven, allowing Sullivan's, IJland 
to be in the Latitude of 32 Degrees 47 Minutes; 
from AugujUn North-eaft and by Eaft about one hun- 
dred and forty Miles ; and by the Courfe of the Rivers 
is diftant from Fort Moore three hundred Miles ; but upon 
a dired Lins but one hundred and fifteen Miles North- 
