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GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 183
references to the petitioners for the charter as recorded in the "Acts
of the Privy Council,'' his name does not appear at all, though it is quite
likely that he was included under the general term "and others/' After
the petition for the charter had been referred to the board of trade for
investigation, Oglethorpe wrote to the board a number of suggestions.
Among other things he proposed for the new corporation the name,
"Corporation for Establishing Charitable Colonies," which was for a
while considered but was finally discarded. Just what were his other
suggestions and whether they were adopted or not cannot be ascer
tained.* After the board of trade had made its report, Oglethorpe in
company with others appeared before a committee of the privy council
to ask for certain changes in the report in order that the trustees might
have more power than was proposed in the matter of selecting the civil
and military officers of Georgia.f
In no case above cited does Oglethorpe seem to have exercised more
influence than any other of the active petitioners for the charter. That
is not proof positive at all that he was not more influential, nor would
it prove that he was not the originator of the project. There are a num
ber of indications that such honor ought to be given him. By common
consent the historians of Georgia and the biographers of Oglethorpe
agree that he was the first to propose the settlement and that it was
through his efforts that the other men who later became trustees became
interested in the work. The literature of the time paid tribute to him as
pre-eminently benevolent of soul, but the compliments paid him in
nearly every case came after he had gone to Georgia, and they were
seemingly called forth on that account rather than because he was the
author of the scheme. The fact that he had shown already indications
of interest in imprisoned debtors and in foreign Protestants, and the
additional fact that he was prominently connected with several other
charitable enterprises, are perhaps the best reasons for thinking that
he would and did originate the plan for settling the new province.
Whatever may be the facts about its origin, Oglethorpe was indisputably
earnest in helping to carry forward the project.
It has been incidentally mentioned that he was a member both of
the general corporation and of the common council which was to do so
much of the actual work of government. He was faithful in attending
the meetings of these bodies. Before he left England, there were nine
teen meetings of the general board of trustees, and Oglethorpe was
present seventeen times. Only one other member of the board equalled
him in faithfulness. There were, in addition, seven meetings of the
common council, and he was present at six of these, being surpassed by
two members and equalled by four others in regard to the number of
times in attendance. He was also active in the committee work of the
early organization. For the common council he served in this capacity
six times before leaving England, being equalled in this particular by
only two others. For the general board he also served on six commit
tees, having only one man to surpass him in activity. In this connection
it is worthy of note that Oglethorpe served on the most important com-
* Abstract of B. T. Papers, S. C. Hist. Colleo. II: 127.
tActs of Privy Council, 1720-1745: 301-303.