was done by the activity and decifion of Colonel Arthur Campbell, the fenior officer of the diftrict, to whom much praife is due.

Soon after this, to defeat a meditated invafion of the Cherokee Indians, which was discovered by NANCY WARD, an Indian woman, called, from this circumstance, the western Pocahonta, Colonel A. Campbell, with feven hundred mountaineers, well mounted, penetrated far into the Cherokee country, introduced the new and fuccessful mode of fighting Indians on horfeback, accomplished his de figns, and returned in January, 1781.

In the celebrated battle at Guildford, March 15, 1781, the mountaineers, under General W. Campbell, who on that day commanded with great applaufe the left wing of the army, behaved with their ufual gallantry. This nearly clofed the active part which the mountain men took in the American war.

In 1782, the legiflature of North-Carolina appointed commiffioners to explore the western part of the State, by which is meant the lands included in Davidson county, thofe between the fouth boundary of this county, and thofe between the rivers Miffiffippi and Tennessee, and their orders were to report to the fucceeding legislature, which part was best for the payment of the bounty promised to the officers and foldiers of the continental line of that State; and they accordingly did explore the before-defcribed tract of country, and reported to the legislature in the fpring of the year 1783. A few families had fettled in this country in the year 1780, under the guide ance of Colonel James Robertfon, on Cumberland river, and called the place Nashville, in honour of Brigadier-general Francis Nafh, who fell at German town in the year 1777; but their numbers were trivial until the year 1783, after the peace had taken place, and after an act had paffed, directing the military or bounty warrants of the officers and foldiers to be located in this county. These circumstances induced many officers and foldiers to repair immediately thither, to fecure and fettle their lands; and fuch as did not chuse to go, fold their warrants to citizens who did go: in confequence of this, many people from almost every State in the Union became purchafers of these military warrants, and are fince become refidents of this county; and many valuable and opulent families have removed to it from the Natches. Colonel Robertfon, when he fettled at Nashville, was upwards of two hundred miles diftant, to the west. ward, from any other fettlement in his own State, and was equally distant from the then fettled parts of Kentucky.

E 2

Hence it will

readily

readily be fuppofed, that himself and party were in danger every hour of being cut off by the Indians, against whom his principal fecurity was, that he was as far diftant from them as from the white people; and flender as this fecurity may appear, his party never sustained from them any damage, but what was done by parties of hunters, who happened to find out his fettlement.

In 1785, in conformity to the refolves of Congress of April 23, 1784, the inhabitants of this district effayed to form themselves into a body politic, by the name of the State of Frankland;" but, differing among themselves as to the form of government, and about other matters, in the iffue of which fome blood was shed, and being oppofed by fome leading characters in the eastern parts, the scheme was given up, and the inhabitants remained in general peaceable until 1790, when Congress established their prefent government. Since this period, fome late incurfions of the Indians excepted, the inhabitants have been peaceable and profperous.

GEORGI A.

The settlement of a colony between the rivers Savannah and Alatamaha, was meditated in England in 1732, for the accommodation of poor people in Great-Britain and Ireland, and for the farther fecurity of Carolina. Private compaffion and public fpirit conspired to promote the benevolent defign. Humane and opulent men fug-. gested a plan of transporting a number of indigent families to this part of America, free of expense. For this purpose they applied to the King, George the Second, and obtained from him letters patent, bearing date June 9, 1732, for legally carrying into execution what they had generously projected. They called the new province Georgia, in honour of the King, who encouraged the plan. A corporation, confifting of twenty-one persons, was constituted by the name of the trustees for fettling and establishing the colony of Georgia, which was separated from Carolina by the river Savannah. The trustees having first fet an example themselves, by largely contributing to the scheme, undertook alfo to folicit benefactions from others, and to apply the money towards clothing, arming, purchafing utenfils for cultivation, and tranfporting fuch poor people as fhould confent to go over and begin a fettlement. They did not confine their charitable views to the fubjects of Britain alone, but wifely opened a door for the indigent and oppreffed Proteftants of

other

other nations. To prevent a mifapplication of the money, it was depofited in the Bank of England.

About the middle of July, 1732, the trustees for Georgia held their first meeting, and chofe Lord Percival prefident of the corporation, and ordered a common feal to be made. In November following, one hundred and fixteen settlers embarked for Georgia, to be conveyed thither free of expenfe, furnished with every thing requifite for building and for cultivating the foil. James Oglethorpe, one of the trustees, and an active promoter of the settlement, embarked as the head and director of these fettlers. They arrived at Charleston early in the next year, where they met with a friendly reception from the governor and council. Mr. Oglethorpe, accompanied by William Bull, fhortly after his arrival vifited Georgia, and after reconnoitring the country, marked the spot on which Savannah now stands, as the fittest to begin a fettlement. Here they accordingly began and built a small fort, and a number of small huts for their defence and accommodation. Such of the fettlers as were able to bear arms were embodied, and well appointed with officers, arms, and ammunition. A treaty of friendship was concluded between the fettlers and their neighbours, and the Creek Indians, and every thing wore the aspect of peace and future prosperity.

In the mean time the trustees of Georgia had been employed in framing a plan of fettlement, and establishing fuch public regulations as they judged moft proper for answering the great end of the corporation. In the general plan they confidered each inhabitant both as a planter and as a foldier, who must be provided with arms and ammunition for defence, as well as with tools and utenfils for cultivation. As the ftrength of the province was the object in view, they agreed to establish fuch tenures for holding lands in it, as they judged most favourable for military establishment. Each tract of land granted was confidered as a military fief, for which the poffeffor was to appear in arms, and take the field, when called upon for the public defence. To prevent large tracts from falling, in process of time, to one perfon, they agreed to grant their lands in tail male, in preference to tail general. On the termination of the estate in tail male, the lands were to revert to the truft; and fuch lands thus reverting were to be granted again to fuch perfons, as the common Council of the truft fhould judge most advantageous for the colony; only the trustees in fuch a cafe were to pay special regard to the' daughters of fuch perfons as had made improvements on their lots,

especially

1

efpecially when not already provided for by marriage. The wives of fuch perfons as fhould furvive them, were to be, during their lives, entitled to the manfion-house, and one half of the lands improved by their hufbands. No man was to be permitted to depart the province without licence. If any of the lands granted by the trustees were not cultivated, cleared and fenced round about with a worm fence, or pales fix feet high, within eighteen years from the date of the grant, such part was to revert to the trust, and the grant with respect to it to be void. All forfeitures for non-refidences, high treafons, felonies, &c, were to the trustees, for the use and benefit of the colony. THE USE OF NEGROES TO BE ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED, and also THE IMPORTATION OF RUM. None of the colonists were to be permitted to trade with the Indians, but such as fhould obtain a special licence for that purpose.

These were fome of the fundamental regulations established by the trustees of Georgia, and perhaps the imagination could scarcely have framed a fystem of rules, worse adapted to the circumstances and fituation of the poor fettlers, and of more pernicious confequence to the prosperity of the province. Yet, although the trustees were greatly mistaken with refpect to the plan of fettlement, it must be acknowledged their views were generous. As the people sent out by them were the poor and unfortunate, who were to be provided with neceffaries at their public store, they received their lands upon condition of cultivation, personal refidence, and defence.

Silk and wine being the chief articles intended to be raised, they judged negroes were not requifite for thefe purposes. As the colony was defigned to be a barrier to South-Carolina against the Spanish fettlement at Auguftine, they imagined that negroes would rather weaken than strengthen it, and that such poor colonists would run in debt, and ruin themselves by purchasing them, Rum was judged pernicious to health, and ruinous to the infant fettlement. A free trade with the Indians was a thing that might have had a tendency to have involved the people in quarrels and troubles with the powerful favages, and have expofed them to danger and deftruction. Such were, probably, the motives which induced the truftees to impofe fuch foolish and ridiculous restrictions on their colony. For by granting their finall eftates in tail male, they drove the fettlers from Georgia, who foon found that abundance of lands could be ob tained in America upon a larger fcale, and on much better terms. By the prohibition of negroes, an act which we must, however, have

praised

praised if it had originated in principles of humanity, they rendered it impracticable, in fuch a climate, to make any impreffion on the thick forests, Europeans being utterly unqualified for the heavy tafk. By their discharging a trade with the Weft-Indies, they deprived the colonists of an excellent and convenient market for their lumber, of which they had abundance on their lands. The trustees, like other diftant legiflators, were liable to many errors and mistakes; and, however good their defign, their rules were found improper and impracticable. The Carolinians plainly perceived that they would prove infurmountable obstacles to the progress and profperity of the colony, and therefore, from motives of pity, began to invite the poor Georgians to come over Savannah river and fettle in Carolina, being convinced that they could never fucceed under fuch impolitic and oppreffive restrictions.

Befides the large fums of money which the trustees had expended for the fettlement of Georgia, the Parliament had alfo granted, during the two last years, thirty-fix thousand pounds towards carrying into execution the purpose of the corporation. But after the representation and memorial from the legiflature of Carolina reached Britain, the nation confidered Georgia to be of the utmost importance to the British settlements in America, and began to make still more vigorous efforts for its fpeedy population. The firft embarkations of poor people from England, being collected from towns and cities, were found equally as idle and useless members of society abroad as they had been at home. An hardy and bold race of men, inured to rural labour and fatigue, they were perfuaded, would be much better adapted both for cultivation and defence. To find men posfeffed of thefe qualifications, they turned their eyes to Germany and the Highlands of Scotland, and resolved to send over a number of Scotch and German labourers to their infant province. When they published their terms at Inverness, an hundred and thirty Highlanders immediately accepted them, and were tranfported to Georgia. A township on the river Alatamaha, which was confidered as the boundary between the British and Spanish territories, was allotted for the Highlanders, in which dangerous fituation they settled, and built a town, which they called New-Invernefs. About the fame time an hundred and feventy Germans embarked with James Oglethorpe, and were fixed in another quarter; fo that, in the space of three years, Georgia received above four hundred British subjects, and about