Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

GEOEGIA AND GEORGIANS 153
ing Provinces, or give such direction as His Majesty shall think proper,
and I do not doubt but with a moderate support not only to be able to
defend these Provinces, the same numbers they had in this expedition."
To this interesting narrative we append, without comment, two con
temporaneous accounts, copies from documents on file in the Public
Record Office, in London, and found among the Shaftesbury Papers:
"The following particular Account of the Spaniards invading
Georgia was received by Messrs. Skinner & Simson, Merchants in Lon
don, from Mr. John Smith, who was then on board the Success Frigate,
Captain William Thomson, dated at Charles Town in South Carolina,
the 14th of July last:
" 'This serves to inform you of my safe arrival in Georgia after
a Passage of 10 weeks. We met no Molestation from the Privateers
in our way, nor could make no Prizes, tho' we pursued and brought to
several Vessels. Our People were all healthy 'till the last three weeks
of our Passage, when a Malignant Fever came amongst them and sweeped
away several Soldiers, and the best part of our Ship's Company with
out Chief Mate, Carpenter, and Boatswain. ' I was also visited, but got
well over it.
" 'Three days after our arrival in Georgia AVO were alarmed by sev
eral small Vessels being seen off the Harbour which we took to be Span
iards. The Ge/ieral sent his Privateer Schooner to Fort William which
lyes to the Southward of our Harbour to help to defend that Place in
ease of being attacked, and the next day (being the 22nd of June) sent
out his own Barge to make discovery if the Enemy had landed. They
returned in the afternoon with Account that the Enemy with eleven
Galleys were in the Sound called Cumberland, about 20 miles to the
Southward of St. -Simon's, where we lay. Upon which the General put
two Companies of Soldiers in three Boats and went along with them
himself to the relief of Fort William, so that crossing Cumberland Sound
the Galleys, full of men, bore down upon them. He began the Engage
ment himself with his own Boats' Crew, and exchanged several Volleys
with one of the Galleys. In the mean time two Galleys engaged one of
the General's Boats where was 50 Soldiers commanded by one Toulson,
who thinking himself hard set, bore away and left the General with
the other two Boats engaged, but they bravely fought their way through
with the loss only of one man, and got to Fort William. Toulson got
clear and afterwards came to St. Simon's. That night we heard several
great Guns fired, and volleys of small arms to the Southward, so that
we got all ready for an attack; next day heard nothing of the General,
which put everybody under great concern. The Day after saw a Sail
off the Bar which proved to be the General's Schooner with himself
aboard, and a Company of Soldiers, who brought account of all being
well at Fort William, and that they had beat off 9 Galleys which thought
to surprise them. The General came ashore and was saluted by us with
31 Guns, and by the Fort. He confined Mr. Toulson for leaving him,
and sent for Captain Thomson, and advised him to send his Goods to
Town, and get all ready for defence, for he thought of being attacked at
St. Simon's. And soon after we had an Account that there were 32 Sail
hoisting Spanish Colours where they lay in the same place for 5 days
without making the least attempt, but sent out their small Vessels to