Lord truly, love working, and will conform themselves to our congregation. We have given

them an account of our being settled well, and being mighty well pleased with the climate and condition of this country, having here several preferences in spiritual and temporal circumstances, for other people in Germany, which your honor will find in the here-enclosed copy of our letter to Mr. Senior Urlsperger; if they fare as we do, having been provided in the beginning with provisions, a little stock for breeding, some tools and good land, by the care of the honorable trustees, and if God grants his blessing to their work, we doubt not, but they will gain with us, easily, their bread and subsistence, and lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. Though it is here a hotter climate than our native country is, yet not so extremely hot as we were told on the first time of our arrival but since we have now been used to the country, we find it tolerable, and for working people very convenient, setting themselves to work early in the morning, till ten o'clock, and in the afternoon, from three to sunset; and having business at home, we do them in our huts and houses, in the middle of the day, till the greatest heat is People in Germany are hindered by frost and snow in the winter, from doing any work in the fields and vineyards but we have this preference, to do the most and heaviest work at such a time, preparing the ground suf

over.

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ficiently for planting in the spring. We were told by several people, after our arrival, that it proves quite impossible and dangerous for white people to plant and manufacture the rice, being a work only for negroes, not for European people; but having experience of the contrary, we laugh at such a talking, seeing that several people of us have had, in last harvest, a greater crop of rice than they wanted for their own consumption. If God is pleased to enable us, by some money, for building such mills convenient for the cleaning the rice, as we use in Germany for the making several grains fit for eating, then the manufacture of rice will be an easy and profitable thing: For the present we crave your excellencies goodness to allow for the use of the whole congregation, some rice sieves of several sorts, from Charleston, which cannot be had at Savannah ; we will be accountable to the store for them.Of corn, pease, potatoes, pumpkins, &c. we had such a good quantity, that many bushels were, and much was spent in feeding calves, cows and hogs. If the surveyor, according to his order and duty, had used dispatch in laying out our farms, (which we have got not sooner than last fall.) Item; if not, we all were disappointed by long sickness, and planting the yellow Pennsyl vania corn, we should have been able, by the blessing of God, to spare a greater quantity of grain, for getting meat kind and clothes, of which we are in want, It is true, the ten acres of

ground for each families garden, are set out some time ago; but there being very few swamps fit for planting rice, and some of them wanting a great deal of manure, we were not able in the beginning to manure it well, therefore we could not make such a good use of those acres as we now have reason to hope, by the assistance of God, after our plantations are laid out. Hence it is that we plant the good ground first, and improve the other soil then, when occasion may require it, in the best manner we can. In the first time, when the ground must be cleared from trees, bushes and roots, and fenced in carefully, we are to undergo some hard labor, which afterwards will be easier and more pleasing, when the hardest trial is over, and our plantations are better regulated. A good deal of time was spent in building huts, houses and other necessary buildings in town, and upon the farms; and since we wanted money for several expences, several persons of us have hired ourselves out, for some weeks, for building the orphan-house, and its appurtenances.-Item; the Reverend Mr. Gronau's house, which happened to be built in the hottest summer season; and now some of us are employed to build the Reverend Mr. Bolzius' house, which buildings have taken away some time from our work in the ground; but the fair opportunity of earning some money at home, was a great benefit to us: this, being so, that neither the hot summer season, or any thing else, hinders us from working the ground; and we

wish to live a quiet and peaceable life at our place. We humbly beseech the honorable trustees not to allow it, that any negroes might be brought to our place, or in our neighborhood; knowing by experience that our fields and gar dens will be always robbed by them, and white persons be put in danger of life because of them, besides other great inconveniences: likewise we humbly beseech you and the trustees, not to give any person the liberty of buying up lands at our place, by which, if granted, it would happen, that by bad and turbulent neighbors, our congregation would be spoiled, and poor harmless people troubled and oppressed; but we wish and long for such neighbors to be settled here, whose good name and honest behaviour, is known to us and our favorers. The honorable trustees have been always favorers and protectors of poor and distressed people, therefore we beseech you and them, they would be pleased to take us farther under your fatherly care, that the remembrance of their benevolence and kindness to our congregation, might be conveyed to our late posterity, and be highly praised. We put up our prayers to God for rewarding your excellency, and the honorable trustees manifold, for all their good assistance and benefits which are bestowed upon us, and humbly beg the continuance of your and their favor and protection, being with the greatest submission and respect,

Your honors most obedient dutiful servants. [This petition was signed by the inhabitants of Ebenezer.]

"We the ministers of the congregation at Ebenezer, join with the Saltzburghers in this petition, and verify, that every one of them has signed it with the greatest readiness and satisfaction.

JOHN MARTIN BOBLIUS,

ISRAEL CHRISTIAN GRONDER."

If the same people had been settled in a country, some hundreds of leagues from the other colonies of Great-Britain, out of the reach of such examples and indulgencies as were granted to the Carolinians, it is probable that they might have submitted to the regulations which were established for their government: but they considered themselves as forming a bulwark on advanced ground, for the defence of their neighbors and their property, against the Spaniards. Notwithstanding the trustees required nothing from the people, but what they had bound themselves by covenants and indentures to perform, yet they considered themselves as subjects to the same king, consequently entitled to the same privileges. The Germans and Highlanders having been brought up in the habits of industry, yielded to a fulfilment of their contracts for the public good, and under a full confidence that the trustees would, in due time, extend to them such privileges as would eventually tend to their interest and happiness. The people about Savannah, having been, not only useless members, but burthensome to society at home, determined to be