P. S. I find by the Enclosed the Letters I sent to Georgia were not received and I hear from other Hands that some were Intercepted at Charles Town.

I wrote to the Secretary at War the enclosed Letter upon which he told me to acquaint Your Grace it was properly in Your Province, I therefore enclose the whole to Your Grace.

I have now the Honor to Transmit Your Lordship my Report in Answer to the several Queries Relative to the State of this Province, in which I have not Attempted a Pompous description or Account of the Country &c. but Confind myself to the more Substantial & Material Facts which from the best Informations I have been able to obtain, and to the best of my knowledge & Judgement I have Truly Stated, and hope the same will prove Agreeable to His Majesty's Royal intention, and a Satisfactory Account of the Present State of things in this Province.

I have the Honor to be with Great deference

My Lord your Lordships

Most oblig'd & most obedt Servt.

REPORT OF SIR JAMES WRIGHT ON THE CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE OF GEORGIA, ON 20TH SEPT. 1773.*

† Answers to the Heads of Inquiry relative to the present State and Condition of the Province of Georgia in obedience to His Majty's Commands signified by the Earl of Dartmouth His Majty's Principal Secretary of State and received the Fourteenth of September 1773.

Answer to the first Querie.

The Province of Georgia is situated to the Southward of South Carolina upon the River Savanah which is the North Boundary of the Province and extends Southwardly as far as the River St. Mary which is the South Boundary between Georgia and East Florida. Tybee Inlet at the entrance of Savanah River lyes in the latitude of thirty one and fifty five North Lat: and Longitude of Eighty West from London and Cumberland Sound or the Inlet at the Entrance of St. Mary's is computed to be an hundred Miles South of Tybee Inlet and in the longitude of 80 West from London.

The Lands in general on the Sea Coast are low & flat and rise gradually as you go back into the Country, but no remarkable Hills till you get back Westerly or West and be South about 160 miles from Savanah when you come to very hilly stony ground. The Nearest Mountain is at Chote a Cherokee Town about 45 Miles above the Indian Boundary Line, settled at the Congress held with the Cherokees and Creeks on the third of June last And the Blue or Appelachee Mountains are supposed to be about 55 miles beyond Chote. The soil upon all the Rivers and in the swamps is strong rich and fertile and in general has a black or loamy mould at the top with a rich blue clay underneath but these lands are intermixed with very large ridges of Pine Barren Land and not worth cultivation which greatly impedes the settling of the Province and often occasions the Plantations to be at a very considerable distance from each other.

*[Indorsed] Report to the Farl of Dartmouth on Sundry Queries sent me, Ja. Wright, [In Sir James Wright's (No. 8.) of 20th Decr. 1773.]

† P. R. O. Am. & W. Ind. No. 235.

The Climate in point of health is by no means bad, in the fall of the year there often is intermitting Fevers with Agues and sometimes stubborn and putrid Fevers and in the Winter Season Pleurisies Peripneumonies and other disorders common in all these Countrys. In January, February and March common Winter Weather and sometimes intensely cold and the Mercury in the Thermometer has been down at 20, but usually from 25 to 30. From the latter end of March to the end of May very pleasant agreeable clear weather. From the end of May to the end of September clear weather but excessively hot and often close and sultry for as the Town is settled up Savanah River about 15 miles from the sea we have no sea breezes, the Thermometer in the Summer months rises to 92 and very seldom higher but usually from 80 to 92 and during these months Squals of Wind and Rain are very common, with sharp thunder and lightening. From the end of September to the end of December is generally very pleasant clear cool weather. We have no constant or periodical rainey seasons, tho often more in July and August than at other times.

The Latitude and Longitude of Tybee Inlet has been settled by good observations by his Majesty's Surveyor General of this Province and East Florida, as well as by several other persons.

Answer to the Second Query.

The present Boundaries of this Province are North on the 'most Northern stream of Savanah River as far as the Head of the said River and from thence Westward as far as his Majesty's Territories extend, on the East by the Sea Coast, from the said River Savanah to the most Southern stream of the River St. Mary, including all islands within twenty leagues of the coast lying between the said Rivers Savanah and St. Mary And on the South by the said River St. Mary as far as the head thereof and from thence Westward as far as His Majesty's Territories extend by the North Boundary Line of East and West Florida. Our present Indian Boundary Line between Savanah River and Ogechee River extends back from the Sea Coast including the late ceded Lands about 230 Miles in a strait Line. But the Lower

Boundary Line cross from Ogechee to the Alatamaha on Ogechee River, I believe does not exceed 110 Miles. At the Alatamaha River not above 70 Miles and at St. Mary's River I suppose not above 45 or 50 Miles from the Sea.

I don't know that there is any doubt or dispute at present about our Boundaries either with the adjoining Provinces or with the Indians.

Answer to the third Quere.

The extent of the Province along the Front or Sea Coast from Savanah River to St. Mary's River is computed to be about one hundred Miles as the Coast lyes, but less in a direct line from Tybee Inlet. The distance back up Savanah River and from the head of St. Mary's River is as far as His Majesty's Territories extend which it is impossible for me to determine, but the size and extent within the Boundary Lines settled with the Indians is as above and has been computed by His Majtys Surveyor General to contain about 6,695,429 Acres, as follows Viz: Amount of Lands ceded in the time of the Trustees to General Oglethorpe 1,152,000 Acres.

Additional Cession to me at the Congress in November 1763, 2,408,800 Acres.

Addition made by the extension of this Province from the River Alatamaha to the River St. Mary computed at 998,400 Acres.

Additional Cession 20,000 Acres in 1766.

Additional Cession at the Congress held at Augusta the third of June 1773-2,116,298 Acres.

In all within the Indian Boundary Line supposed to be 6,695,429 Acres.

It is difficult to say with any precision what part of the above Lands are actually cultivated and improved, but from the best calculation that can be made, there is not less than fourteen hundred settlements or Plantations containing different Quantitys of Improved Lands in the whole not more than 120,000 acres. And here I must observe that on the whole quantity of 93,000 Acres of Land granted to the Inhabitants of South Carolina in 1763, there is not above three or four Settlements at the most, just as I wrote the Lords of Trade in the year 1763 I was sure would be the case.