Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

CHAPTER V
ENGLAND DURING THE REIGN OF G-EORGE II—POLITICAL, CONDITIONS FOL
LOWING A CHANGE OP DYNASTIES—HEAVY INDEBTEDNESS ENTAILED
BY DISASTROUS WARS—THE MANIA FOR SPECULATION—THE SOUTH
SEA BUBBLE BURSTS—THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AN ENDORSER OF
THE SCHEME is INVOLVED IN THE GIGANTIC CATASTROPHE—HUNDREDS
OF INNOCENT INVESTORS REDUCED TO WANT AND DESTITUTION—WAL-
POLE'S ADMINISTRATION AS PRIME MINISTER AN ERA OF COMMERCIAL
EXPANSION BUT OF CORRUPT POLITICS—RELIGIOUS ZEAL AT A Low
EBB—INTEMPERANCE'FOLLOWS THE MANUFACTURE OF RUM—DEBTOR
PRISONS—How MANAGED—OUTRAGEOUS ABUSES—THOUSANDS OF IN
SOLVENTS SUFFER Loss OF LIBERTY—VICTIMS OF THE HARD TIMES—
ENGLAND'S RESPONSIBILITY—OGLETHORPE IN SEARCH OF A FRIEND
VISITS THE FLEET PRISON—LEARNS THAT ROBERT CASTELL, AN ARTIST,
HAS DIED OF SMALLPOX—RESOLVES TO REFORM THE PRISONS OF
ENGLAND—Plow THE COLONY OF GEORGIA WAS CONCEIVED—JAMES
EDWARD OGLETHORPE—SKETCH OF His LIFE—HUMANITARIAN AND
SOLDIER—SERVES UNDER PRINCE EUGENE—AN EPISODE IN His CAREER
AS A GENTLEMAN VOLUNTEER—ENTERS PARLIAMENT—ZEALOUS AS A
REFORMER ONLY AFTER His VISIT TO THE FLEET PRISON—ENLISTS
THE CO-OPERATION OF EMINENT ENGLISH GENTLEMEN—THESE JOIN
HIM IN A PETITION TO THE CROWN FOR A CHARTER—THE PETITION
is GRANTED BY KING GEORGE.
To grasp with anything like an intelligent appreciation the reasons
for establishing a new colony in North America to be called the Colony
of Georgia we must endeavor to realize conditions in England during the
reign of George II. The beginning of the eighteenth century was marked
by a great political and social revolution. It was a period of tremendous
upheaval. In the first place, there had been .a change of dynasties. The
House of Brunswick had superseded the House of Stuart on the English
throne; and from a line of Scotch sovereigns the kingdom had turned to
a line of German princes. Nor did this change bode much for the bet
ter. George I, who could hardly speak a syllable of English, spent most
of his time across the channel; but his profligate habits of life made
his absence a benefit rather than a bane to his subjects. George II, with
some difficulty, learned to speak the language of Alfred, but with a
marked Teutonic accent; and while he improved upon his father's Eng
lish, he did not better the latter's example as an immoral spendthrift.
Consequently it was a motley crowd of vulgar flatterers and of coarse
sycophants who fawned upon these foreign monarchs until the1 royal
court soon became a school of scandal and, adopting a dissolute code
of manners, ceased to recall an age of Elizabeth.
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