you visit them, unless you give them grounds to plant, it is expected that you will cede lands to the king for that purpose: but whenever you shall be pleased to surrender any of your territories to his majesty, it must be done for the future at a public meeting of your nation, when the governors of the provinces, or the superintendent shall be present, and obtain the consent of all your people. The boundaries of your hunting grounds will be accurately fixed, and no settlement permitted to be made upon them: as you may be assured that all treaties with you will be faithfully kept, so it is expected that you also will be careful strictly to observe them. I have now done, and I hope you will remember the words I have spoken: time will soon discover to you the generosity, justice and goodness of the British nation. By the bounty of the king, and a well ordered trade with his subjects, your houses will be filled with plenty, and your hearts with joy; you will see your men and women well clothed and fed, and your children growing up to honor you, and add strength to your nation; your peace and prosperity shall be established and continue from generation to generation."

The talents and vigilance of the superintendent of Indian affairs, promised a preservation of peace; and the province of Georgia now began to grow into importance. It was thought advisable however, to have a convention of the governors of the four southern provinces, and of the chiefs of all

the nations on the frontiers. Lord Egremont, his majesty's principal secretary of state for the southern department, having been consulted, approved of the plan accordingly the head men of the Catabaws, Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickesaws and Creeks, were invited to a general treaty, to be held at Augusta ; which was attended by governors James Wright of Georgia, Thomas Boone of South-Carolina, Arthur Dobbs of North-Carolina, lieutenant-governor Francis Fauquier of Virginia, and captain John Steuart superintendent of Indian affairs, in the southern department. This treaty was concluded on the 10th of November 1763; and it was agreed that a farther acquisition of territory should be annexed to Georgia; the boundary to be settled by a line extending up Savannah and Little rivers, to the fork of the latter; thence to the head spring or source of the Ogechee river, and down the said river to Mount Pleasant; thence a line to be run direct to Saint-Savilla on the Alatamaha river; and thence in a direct line to the extremity of tide water on the river St. Mary's, Cherokee and Creek nations of Indians, being indebted to the English Indian traders in greater sums than they could pay in peltries, and being desirous to discharge their debts, ceded and granted to the king this tract of country upon the frontiers of Georgia; that the same should be sold, and that the proceeds of the sale should be appropriated to the payment of their debts to

The

these traders; and the governor and council were appointed by his Britannic majesty, to sell so much of these lands as might be requisite to settle the respective claims of the traders, and discharge the same out of the produce of such sale, conformably to the design of the Indian grantors. I believe it may be said of Georgia, that there has been no instance in which lands have been forced from the Aborigines by conquest; and that in all cases, the Indians have expressed their entire satisfaction at the compensations which have been given them for acquisitions of territory.

After this treaty, which was extended to a settlement of all differences between the several Indian nations, as well as the provinces, Georgia remained undisturbed by war for a considerable time. The rapid progress of the colony strikingly appears by a comparison of its exports: in 1763 they consisted of only seven thousand five hundred barrels of rice; nine thousand six hundred and thirty-three pounds of indigo; twelve hundred and fifty bushels of corn; which together with deer skins, beaver fur, naval stores, provisions, timber, &c. amounted to no more than twenty-seven thousand and twenty-one pounds sterling. But in 1773, the province exported staple commodities to the value of one hundred and twenty-one thousand six hundred and seventy-seven pounds sterling; and the number of negroes was estimated at fourteen thousand.

In 1765, four additional parishes were laid off

between the Alatamaha and St. Mary's rivers; which were called St. David's, St. Patrick's, St. Thomas's and St. Mary's.

It has been observed that the territory of Georgia was formerly included in a charter granted to South-Carolina: during that period, and previous to the granting of a charter for this province to the trustees, sir William Barker had obtained a grant for twelve thousand acres of land, from the lords proprietors of South-Carolina, near the Alatamaha. When general Oglethorpe's regiment was disbanded, each of the officers and soldiers had a certain portion of land allotted to him, as a reward for his good conduct, and compensation for his faithful services. These warrants were in many instances located within the body of land granted to Barker, whose heirs had not exhibited a claim until the year 1770, when a number of farms had been opened upon the land at a considerable expense. A petition was presented to the king in council in behalf of the possessors, which was referred to the board of trade for their opinion: their report was unfavorable, and the prayer of of the petition was not granted. These poor soldiers were obliged to purchase from the heirs of Barker, not only the land, but the value of the labor which they had bestowed in improvements and preparing it for cultivation: others who were unable to purchase, were compelled to relinquish the fruits of their labor to Barker's rich descendants, and settle elsewhere.

The rich lands at the head waters of great Ogechee and Oconee rivers, had drawn many settlers, and some of them had made improvements beyond the limits prescribed by the treaty of 1763. The jealousy of the Indian character, had not yet been well known, so far as related to the ideas they entertained of territorial rights: it had been a maxim among them, that all property found upon their lands, was of right, the property of those who claimed the territory; this maxim applied to horses and cattle, as well as wild beasts of the forest. The Creek nation complained of these encroachments to governor Wright, and remarked, that if he could not restrain the white people, how could it be expected of them to govern their young warriors. When the Indians

had finished their autumnal hunt, about the 1st of October, they stole several horses which they found upon their own land, to carry home their meat, and the goods which they had received in exchange for their peltry: about the same time the store of Lemmons, which had been established at Traders-hill, on St. Mary's river, was attacked by a party of Creek Indians; Lemmons and his assistants, finding themselves overpowered by numbers, fled and left their store in possession of the savages, who carried off the goods, and burned the houses. A party of white men collected on Ogechee, pursued the Indians to their towns, retook their horses, and remunerated themselves for other losses which they had sustained,