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GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 191
islands even to mouth of the St. Mary's River. There is no reason for
thinking that they would have disturbed the province at all if it had not
been for the warlike aggressiveness of the English, in establishing forts
far below the charter limits of the colony. It is true that in 1742 the
fortifications on St. Simons Island were of immense' value in repelling
the Spanish invasion; but if the settlement had been on the Ogeechee
near Savannah, it is probable that no invasion would have been made.
Granting, however, that an invasion would have taken place, we are
confident that the same expenditure of money and labor in fortifications
would have been sufficient to repel the enemy at the mouth of the Ogee
chee or at Savannah itself. If all the efforts of 1735 had been concen
trated in the northern part of Georgia, so great an impetus could have
been given to it that it would have succeeded from that time instead
of going down rapidly as it did after that time. Oglethorpe's aggres
sive measures toward the Spanish may have been partly due to his slight
regard for their military ability and his hostility toward them which he
unconsciously gained during his service in the "War of the Spanish
Succession.
The trustees did not approve of expenditures on. his part for mili
tary or any other purposes outside the charter limits of the province;
and they wrote to him that he must look to the British government and
not to them for reimbursement for expenses thus incurred.* This is
the first intimation we have of a difference of opinion between him and
his fellow trustees that was ultimately to become serious. Oglethorpe
was on the ground and he saw work that he thought necessary for the
protection of Georgia; and so it seemed to him unreasonable that the
home authorities should grudge to have the expenses encountered. On
the other hand, the trustees found it much more difficult to raise funds
to support the colony than Oglethorpe realized; and they thought it
rash for him to make expenses of which they had had no notice and for
which they had made no provision.
In addition to the settling of Frederica and the establishing of fortifi
cations on the islands along the coast, Oglethorpe had other things to
occupy him. He succeeded in making a treaty with the governor of St.
Augustine and another with the council of war of the same place, where
by peace was to be maintained between Georgia and Florida,! but these
never went into effect for they were vetoed by the Spanish authorities
at Havana. He also attended a meeting with representatives of South
Carolina in order to confer with them in regard to disputes over the
enforcement of the rum act. The conference was held in Savannah, and
the matter was thoroughly discussed, but no agreement was reached;
and it was finally carried for decision to the board of trade. J
The complaints filed by South Carolina against Georgia made the
trustees fearful that they might not obtain a grant from Parliament
during the next session. This anxiety was intensified by the fact that
they had not heard any news at all about the province from June to
November, and so they could not present any favorable statement as to
* Ibid., July 7, 1736.
tC. E. I: 266.
i Jones, ' ' History of Georgia. " 1: 253-25S.