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CHAPTER XVIII
GEORGIA DIVIDED INTO Two GREAT COUNTIES : SAVANNAH AND FRED-
ERICA—COLONEL WILLIAM STEPHENS Is MADE PRESIDENT OF THE
FORMER—BUT ON THE RETURN OP OGLETHORPE TO ENGLAND HE
BECOMES PRESIDENT OF THE COLONY OF GEORGIA—SKETCH OF
PRESIDENT STEPHENS—His JOURNAL AN IMPORTANT SOURCE-BOOK
OF INFORMATION IN REGARD TO COLONIAL AFFAIRS—IMPOVERISHED
CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE FOLLOWING THE SPANISH WARS—THE
SILK-WORM INDUSTRY DECLINES—GREAT DISTRESS PREVAILS—
PRAYER FOR RELIEF Is MADE TO THE TRUSTEES—THOMAS STEPHENS
EMBARKS FOR ENGLAND TO REPRESENT THE MALCONTENTS, MUCH TO
THE EMBARRASSMENT OF AN AGGRIEVED FATHER—SLANDERS THE
TRUSTEES, FOR WHICH OFFENCE HE Is MADE TO KNEEL BEFORE THE
HOUSE OF COMMONS AND TO RECEIVE A REPRIMAND FROM THE
SPEAKER—NEVERTHELESS, • IN RESPONSE TO REPEATED COMPLAINTS,
RADICAL CHANGES ARE MADE—SLAVERY Is ALLOWED UNDER CER
TAIN RESTRICTIONS—EVEN THE SALZBURGERS . WITHDRAW OBJEC
TIONS—RUM Is ALSO ADMITTED—ESTATES IN TAIL MALE ABOLISHED—
OGLETHORPE'S DIPLOMACY IN DEALING WITH THE INDIANS—CHRIS
TIAN PRIBER—SEEKS TO ORGANIZE AN INDIAN CONFEDERACY—PROVES
TO BE A CATHOLIC—PAPERS FOUND ON His PERSON—THE BOSOM-
WORTH CLAIM—MARY'S DRAMATIC ENTRANCE INTO SAVANNAH—
PRESIDENT STEPHENS TAKES A BOLD STAND—THE INDIANS ARE
QUIETED.
Some two years before the return of Oglethorpe to England the
province of Georgia had been divided by the trustees into two great
counties: Savannah and Frederica. It was contemplated that for each
of th^se there should be a president, with four assistants. But since
Oglethorpe had established his residence on St. Simon's Island, no
president was appointed for Frederica. To fill this office for Savannah,
Col. William Stephens was appointed. Oglethorpe, however, still
retained his general oversight of the province until his return to Eng
land in 1743, when Col. William Stephens was designated to succeed
him as president of Georgia, an office which he held as a sort of lieu
tenant-governorship under Oglethorpe, who, even after his return to
England, continued for more than a decade to he Georgia's official head.
Maj. William Horton was designated to act as military commander at
Frederiea. Here, on March 22, 1743, the powder magazine was blown
up, it is supposed, by a vagabond Irishman; but its great mission had
been accomplished. Capt. Richard Kent was chosen at this time to
keep the peace at Augusta.
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