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190 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS
gia was to consult with the Salzburgers about changing the location of
their Town of Ebenezer. They objected to the poor quality of the land
and requested to move. He objected to this; but he finally yielded the
point, and they moved over to Savannah River. Later developments
indicate that they rather than Oglethorpe were right in the wisdom of
the movement.*
The large embarkation that had accompanied him to Georgia was for
the purpose of establishing ,a new town to help defend the southern
boundary of the province against the Spanish. It had been generally
understood that it was to be located at St. Simons at the mouth of the
Altamaha River. After Parliament granted only £10,000 instead of the
£20,000 requested by the trustees, the latter decided unanimously that
it would be best not to locate the new settlement so far to the south.
They wished both the Highlanders and the English moved to the Ogee-
chee River, where provisions would be cheaper, they would be closer to
Savannah for mutual support and defense, and there would be no neces
sity for further Indian presents, in order to secure more land.f
A month later Secretary Martyn wrote for the trustees again, urging
the same policy of making the settlements nearer together. They urged
that the depth of water in the Altamaha is not sufficient to make it a
good harbor, and that was a main dependence in going there. In spite
of the expense already met with, they preferred to drop the scheme.
They yielded their judgment so far as to allow him to continue the set
tlement if it seemed necessary to keep the Spanish from thinking that
the English were weakening in their claims to Georgia. J Oglethorpe
evidently regarded it as best to hold to St. Simons as an outpost, and so
he continued to settle and to fortify it. As a military leader, it was
almost inevitable that he would make this choice, for the mouth of the
Altamaha was undoubtedly a better strategic position than any point
on the Ogeechee; but it is not certain that his military training was of
great value to the colony in this particular decision.
There are several reasons for thinking that he made a mistake in
thus going counter to the expressed will of the trustees. As they had
written him, it was very expensive to establish the new town so far from
Savannah; transportation of provisions was a constant drain; the inter
change of messages meant an additional outlay of money; and at the
same time the resources of the trustees were decreasing. Again, the dis
tance from Savannah prevented Oglethorpe from keeping up with affairs
in the northern part of the province; and, as the trustees trusted to
him for letters of information, they were led into grave errors, as we
shall see. The settlement of Frederica was of no material benefit to the
colony; the town was prosperous for a little while, but it soon became
practically dead. The settlements on the Altamaha were designed as
defenses for Georgia; but it is by no means certain that they were not
sources of more danger than aid. The Spanish made no overt attempts
against Georgia and no very vigorous protests against the English set
tlements there until after the settlements on the Altamaha and on the
* Ga. Hist. Gollec. Ill: 13.
t B. T., Ga., VIII: Martyn to Oglethorpe, May 10, 1736.
t Ibid., June 10, 1736.