that his conscience did thereupon accuse him, and does yet, for having so done. That upon a promise from the said Colonel, that he would give this deponent £12 currency per month, he went to the late siege of St. Augustine, as did sixty other inhabitants and servants of Darien, of which only thirty-two escaped the massacre at Moosa. That their allowance of provisions not being delivered as they ought, this deponent, and the rest of their company were reduced to the necessity of feeding on palmetto roots to keep themselves from starving. That this deponent was almost famished with thirst on long marches and counter-marches, and not allowed even to quench it with water. That the said Colonel had this deponent's boat on that service for three months, promising him to purchase the same, but it was returned him, and no pay at all allowed for that, nor his own time, except one month's pay, though he was out three, and had engaged, as others did, with the said Colonel for four months certain; and was all he had to support his family, his crop being lost by his being absent. That in November 1740, this deponent left the said Darien, and all his aforesaid improvements, though not without hopes, that a power superior to the trustees would take the deplorable condition of these people into consideration, and give encouragement for him to return and reap the benefit of his labors. That he left only four of the freeholders, and about as many of their servants there, besides a few servants of the trustees, and the widows and orphans of those slain and taken prisoners at Moosa, whom the said Colonel allowed two pounds of beef and a peck of Indian corn a head per week, and who were desirous of coming away, but were unable; that this deponent never heard of their petitioning the said Colonel, or any body else, for a supply of others of their countrymen in the room of those lost at Moosa, nor that they were desirous of it. ALEXANDER MONROE. South Carolina :-Sworn before me this 29th day of November, Anno 1741, ("the words and wholesome' in the first page, and 'two pounds' in the fifth page, being first interlined.") OTHNIEL BEALE. : No. VII. George Philp, late of the town of Savannah, in Georgia, merchant, aged twenty-three years and upwards, maketh oath and saith, that he this deponent has been twice in Georgia in America: that the second time he arrived there, which was in September 1738, he found the number of inhabitants decreased, and the people in general uneasy: that the inhabitants of the south, both of Frederica and Darien, notwithstanding some of the latter did send a petition to the trustees, as some of the others are said to have signed one, which they did not send, yet they are as incapable of improving their lands and raising produces, as the people in the northern division, as appears from the very small quantity of Indian corn which hitherto has been the chief and almost only produce of the province, some few potatoes excepted; and as a proof of which, this deponent says, that he was in the south in May last, when the season for planting was over, and much less was done at Frederica than in former years and that the people of Darien did inform him, that they had not of their own produce to carry to market, even in the year 1739, which was the most plentiful year they ever saw there, nor indeed any preceding year; nor had they (the people of Darien) bread-kind of their own raising, sufficient for the use of their families from one crop to another, as themselves, or some of them, did tell this deponent and farther, the said people of Darien were, in May last, repining at their servants being near out of their time, because the little stock of money they carried over with them was exhausted on cultivation, which did not bring them a return; and they were thereby rendered quite unable to plant their lands, or help themselves any way: and further, that those of the inhabitants in the south, who did sign the petition, counter to the representation of the 9th of December 1738, were some of them ashamed and heartily sorry for having so done, it being contrary to the true interest of themselves and the whole country, as themselves did confess to this deponent; and that the said inhabitants in the south, or some of them, did confess and voluntarily say to him this deponent, that they were induced to sign the said petition by promises of credit being given them by the store, for cattle, which they afterwards had, and gave bonds for their value; and that those that refused to sign the said petition praying against negroes, had no cattle given them, nor credit for any, as some of the said people who did sign the said petition, counter to the said representation, did tell this deponent: and that in September last, Mr. John M'Intosh, son of Mr. Benjamin M'Intosh, told him this deponent, that his father, at the request of the few people then remaining at Darien, was to go soon into South Carolina, to look out for some new settlement there for the said people of Darien, for that they did intend to leave their improvements in Georgia, because they did not answer the expense; nor were they able any longer to subsist themselves in Georgia: that he never saw nor heard of the Saltzburgers at Ebenezer, their selling provisions in Savannah, nor elsewhere, except a few calves; though he lived, and, for the most part, was in the most public part of the town, and near the place where the provisions were commonly sold; but that he has often seen them fetch provisions for their own use, as supposed, from the public stores at Savannah, as also bread and flour from other private stores in the town; that he has seen and known a great many people in Georgia, and who were reputed to be the most industrious, to be very laborious, and to take pains on their lands, the produce of which does not answer the expense of a white man's labor, as they themselves have told him; that this deponent would not have left the colony, had it not been so much upon the decline, for that he liked the place so well, that he would have taken up a lot in the town of Savannah, about the month of August 1739, but General Oglethorpe refused to grant him one; because he said he would not have asked for one, had he not hoped that the tenures would be altered. Sworn at the public office, 16th February, 1740. GEORGE PHILP. No. VIII. From Ebenezer. John Speilbeigler, late of Ebenezer, in Georgia, aged twenty-nine years and upwards, maketh oath and saith, that he arrived in Georgia on or about March 1735-6, and lived there till March 1740-1. That soon after his arrival, his countrymen, who were settled at Old Ebenezer, on their first coming to Georgia, (upon a complaint, "that the land did not answer the expense and labor bestowed on it,") were removed several miles farther up the river Savannah, to the place now called Ebenezer, and where he left them, or the greatest part of them when he came away; that he built a house, and fenced in his lot, and made other improvements in the town, and cleared and planted four acres of land, on which he never but once had so much as fifty bushels of corn, and twenty bushels of potatoes, which was not sufficient to maintain himself and mother in the common necessaries of life; (they have nothing to drink but water,) nor did he buy any clothes, nor had he money or anything to give in exchange for drink or clothes, the whole five years that he lived in Georgia, except about thirty yards of oznaburgs, that made him ten shirts, and about ten pair of shoes, which cost six shillings a pair; that he must have gone naked, had not he hired himself by the month at Savannah, which enabled him to buy the said shirts and shoes; that the inhabitants of the said Ebenezer in general, have often said to him, "that they could not live were it not for the assistance they received from their friends in Europe and the trustees' store," which Mr. Boltzius, the minister, distributed among them as he thought fit. That the said inhabitants had never corn, and rice, or any sort of bread-kind sufficient for the use of their families from crop to crop; though last year some of them gave in exchange a small quantity of Indian corn for a little flour, and sometimes, (perhaps) twice the last year, three or four fowls, a calf, or small pig among them. That he never had his lands conveyed to him, nor a grant or any sort of writing to show for the same; and that all the inhabitants of the said Ebenezer in general, were frequently complaining that they had no sort of writing to show that 16 VOL. II. they had titles to their lands. That the inhabitants in general of the said Ebenezer, have often said to him, that they wanted and would be glad of negroes, because they found that they were unable to raise provisions for their support by their own labor. That the said inhabitants were called together by the said Boltzius to sign their petition, dated March 13, 1739, and that they, or many of them, would not have signed it, had they not been compelled to do it by the said Boltzius, as they after told this deponent, and repenting their signing it, did several of them leave the colony, as this deponent believes the rest would do, were they able; for they are very uneasy under the arbitrary government of the said Boltzius, who judges in all causes, gives to and takes from whom he pleases, the said inhabitants being deprived the benefits of any courts of judicature, or magistrates, having no such among them, except the said Boltzius, who takes upon him to act as king, priest and prophet; and who took this deponent's plantation tools from him, on his coming away, without judge or jury, though he was nothing indebted to the said Boltzius. And farther this deponent saith not. South Carolina, ss. Personally appeared the deponent, John Speilbeigler, who on oath declared, that the contents foregoing are true. Sworn this 16th day of Dec. 1741, before me. OTHNIEL BEALE. I do hereby further certify, that I have employed the said John Speilbeigler at his trade, being a bricklayer, and that he performed to my satisfaction, being (as far as I could discover,) sober, diligent and faithful. Witness my hand the day above mentioned. OTHNIEL BEALE. No. IX. From Ebenezer. Whereas the inhabitants of Ebenezer, in Georgia, have signed a petition, setting forth their dislike to negroes, signifying that the produce of their lands answers the labor bestowed on them, and that they are well pleased with their condition; These are to certify, to all whom it may concern, that the subscribers bereóf, who are of the oldest settlers in the said Ebenezer, have never yet been able to support |