The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-09

upon this experiment, and 1t was finally
abandoned only when the revolution took
away all hope of a market. In johnson
square, on the spot now occupied by the
Greene monument, stood the first town
clcck-a sun dial; and somewhere in the
same square was a wooden hut twenty
by forty feet, wherein were held both the
sessions of court and divine service. Later
the church edifice was erected on the
christ Church lot. The habtation Of
Oglethorpe was a tent, which was spread
beneath four pine trees little to the east
OF Bull street on Bay.
From time to time slight accesslons were
made to the colony-among them certain
Italians skilled in the silk culture. They
came IN the ship James, which was the first
vessel from England to ascend the Savan-
nan river. In the meanwhile the work of
construction was pressed forward. A bat
terry for cannon and a magazine were built
Fort Argyle, on the Great Ogeechee, and
defensive structures on Skdaway, at
Thunderbolt.F~and at Wormsloe, erected !;
High-Gate, Hampstead, Abercorn and 10
seph's Town laid out and a light house
to be ninety feet hig on Tybee Island, pro-
jected.
Returning from Charleston, whittier he
mad gone to express his acknowledge
meGetS Tor the kindnesses shown the colony,
on May is, 1913, Oglethrope met with the
chief of the Lower Creek Indians, brought
together by Tomochichi, and with them,
on the 2lst entered into a treaty by which
the trustees were granted all lands be-
| tween the Savannah and the Alatamaha,
from the ocean to the head of tideWater,
| with the islands from Tybee to st. Sim
ons, inclusive, save Ossabaw, Sapelo and
| ST GATHERINGS. In one way and another,
| by treaties and by charter, Georgia be
| came vast empire in eXtent-her posses
| sions extending along the Savannah and
Alatamaha TO their headWaters, thence due
| west to the South sea-a claim which was
| so far good as to cover after the revolu-
| ton the territory of Alabama and Mis-
| sissipi. By this time the colony had be
| gun to attract the attention of the out
| side world. Toward he end Of 1873 came
| about forty Hebrews, over the protest of
| the trustees-but proving to be orderly
| and useful citizens, Oglethorpe permitted
! them to remain In the spring of 1874 oc-
CURED an incident of historic moment.
| From 1923 to 1892 had been going on in
| Europe movement which deeply inter
| ested the people of England frenzy of
| religious persecution directed against the
| Lutherans, had taken possession of the
! ecclesiastical powers of Salzburg 1t rag
| ed with especial fury in the beautiful val
ley of the Salsa, until at length overborne
| by the helplessness of their situation the
| inhabitants of that unhappy spot determ-
| ined to forsake the homes Of their faith
ers and seek peace and freedom in other
lands To the number of twenty-five or
| thirty thousand they marched through
Europe on their way to Holland and Eng
| land. These were no imprisoned debtors
| freed by the impulsive benevolence of a
remorseful people. They were martyrs
| VINO preferred death or exile to apostacy
win gentleness and plety which af-
| fected those to whom they came-the con-
vlcuons upon which they acted were as
| unbendlng as the oak. Misfortune and
| oppression had not crushed their snirits
| ana they heard through the night of their
| sorrow the voice of God leading them on
ward as He had in the olden time led the
| lsraelites out of the bondage of Egypt into
| the Land of Promise. Late In 1873. seventy
| eight of these people, under invitation
| from the trustees, and set out from Berch
| tolsSaden for Rotterdam, and being there
| Joined by the Rev John Martin Rollins
| and Rev. Israel Christian Gronau sailed
| for Dover where the oath of allegiance to
| the British crown was administered 10
| them by the trustees. On Dec % they
| sailed in the ship Purisburg, stopping at
| Charleston, where they were met by Ogle-
| thorpe Resuming their journey on the
! 10th of March, 1884 after a stormy pass
| age, they entered the Savannah river. and
| on the 18th pitched their tents at the chos-
| en- site which they gratefully called Ebe-
| nezer With characteristic industry they
| at once set to work to build their homes
| In those days the great consideration was.
| of necessity, access to navigable streams.
| Otherwise it would be difficult to conject-
| ure why in a belt of country which had
! then, as now, some of the healthiest locali-
| ties in Georgia, the site of Ebenezer should
| have been selected a a habitation for for
| elgners. The soil was barren, the sur
| rounding country full of swamps-and
! despite the earnest efforts of the Salzbur-
| gers, Ebenezer was doomed from the first
| The town was far advanced when 1t was
| determined to change the site. over the
| remonstrances of Oglethorpe, the entire set
| Element forsook their new home and be-
| gan anew the work of colonization al Red
| Bluff. on the Savannah, which they re-
| named New Ebenezer. From time to time
| they received accesslons from Europe and
| Pennsylvania and established a reputation
| for industry and honesty which clngs to
| their descendants to this day. Savannah
/ had boosted that ii had no lawyers, but
Ebenezer could claim that 1t had neither
! lawyers, courts or rum All of their diff
ferences were referred to their pastors and
by them, aided by the elders, reconcilad.
| IL was amongst these people that the silk
culture received its highest development
They succeeded in producing
an article which was recog-
nized by experts in England as equal
to the best Piedmontese silk. The output
increased year by year, until 1t was stop
ped for all time by the revolution. There,
too, the first cotton was raised.
In the summer of 1888, Oglethorpe sailed
LOT EnSldnO, WIN IOTnOCHlcnl ana Otnef
Indians, and we find but scant record of
the colony until his return. However,
! whilst he was abroad an event of the first
import to the colony took place in Great
Britain. There gathered al Inverness, in
Scotland band of Highlanders, number
ing about one hundred and eighty, whose
destination was Georgia. Embarking on
Oct 90 1875, in the Prince of Wales, and
encountering favoring winds, they reached
Georgia early in January and at once pro-
ceeded to the spot on which Darien stands
This was the settlement of New Inverness
They came with their plaids and shields
and claymores Among them, says the
Chronicle, were some who We're unaccus>
toned to work, and these were attended |
by their servants, 1t would seem that the |
extremes of the world had met-the High |
lander and the Indian. BuFno people ever !
came to Georgia who took so quickly to |
the conditions under which they were to |
live or remained more loyal to her inter- |
ests. BY this time our friends across the |
river had begun to interest themselves in |
Georgia affairs. Their traders were giving |
trouble by undertaking to deal with the |
Indians without a Georgia license and |
they were constantly smuggling rum into |