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CHAPTER IX
THE ARRIVAL OF THE JAMES—CAPTAIN YOAKLEY AWARDED A SPECIAL
PRIZE FOR BRINGING THE FIRST SHIP-LOAD OF EMIGRANTS TO SAVAN
NAH—OGLETHORPE CONVENES THE SETTLERS TO EXPLAIN THE PLAN
OF SAVANNAH—NAMES ITS STREETS, SQUARES, WARDS AND TITHINGS
—EARLY FRIENDS OF THE COLONY REMEMBERED—BAILIFFS AND CON
STABLES CHOSEN—CONSERVATORS OF THE PEACE—TITHING MEN—THE
FIRST JURY EMPANELLED—HEBREW EMIGRANTS ARRIVE IN GEORGIA
—IRREGULARITY OF THE EXPEDITION—OGLETHORPE WELCOMES THE
JEWS—FRICTION RESULTS BETWEEN OGLETHORPE AND THE TRUSTEES
BUT OGLETHORPE STANDS FIRM—ON JULY 7, 1733, AN ALLOTMENT OF
LANDS is MADE TO THE COLONISTS—DETAILS OF THE DISTRIBUTION—
NAMES OF THE EARLY COLONISTS PRESERVED IN AN OLD DOCUMENT—
TOMO-CHI-CHI 's FRIENDSHIP FOR GEORGIA.
Within the next few weeks the settlement's population was increased
by small accessions from Charleston; but in May, 1733, a vessel, the
James, dropped anchor at Savannah with a list of seventeen passengers,
all of whom had been approved by the trustees and transported at the
expense of the corporation. On board there were some Italians from
Piedmont who had come to instruct the colonists in breeding silk-worms
and in other important phases of an industry from which large revenues
were expected. Captain Yoakley, the vessel's commanding officer, was
awarded a special prize offered by the trustees to the first English ves
sel to discharge its cargo at Yamacraw Bluff.*
On July 7, 1733, Oglethorpe called the settlers together for the pur
pose of acquainting them with the town's design, to promulgate the
names given to streets, squares, wards and tithings, and to distribute
town lots, gardens and farms. As was customary, whenever Oglethorpe
assembled the colonists together on any important occasion, the busi
ness of the day was preceded by an invocation of the divine blessing.
From an authoritative account, we quote the following description of
how the city was laid off and how the lands allotted to settlers were in
each instance divided into three portions, a town lot, a garden in the
immediate vicinage, and a farm in the remoter environs: t
'' Four wards, each containing four tithings, were marked and named,
viz.: Percival Ward, so named in honor of John, Lord Percival, the
first Earl of Egmont, and president of the Trustees for establishing the
colony of Georgia in America; Heathcote Ward, so named in honor of
* Gentleman's Magazine for 1733, p. 384.
t '' History of Georgia,'' Charles G. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, pp. 149-150.
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