Excerpts from "Answers to queries sent by the Lords of Trade",
1762
by Georgia Provincial Governor James Wright
These excerpts are from a lengthy document written by James Wright (Royal
Governor of Georgia, 1760-1776 and 1779-1782) to the British Lords of Trade
regarding the province of Georgia. Wright describes the geography of the
province, paying particular attention to bodies of water. He also writes about
the size and location of the several Indian nations that surround the province,
including the Creeks, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Cherokees, and Catawbas. He writes
specifically about the Creek Indians, whom he says are greatly opposed to any
English settlers moving beyond the boundary lines already established. Wright
says that the Crown's prohibition against such encroachment has not been heeded,
noting that some of General Oglethorpe's settlers had moved well into Creek
territory. Wright goes on to list the items that are produced in the colony and
complains that too many Georgia goods are shipped from Charleston, South
Carolina for want of more ports and suitable ships on the Georgia coast. Wright
also lists the military forts in Georgia, Spanish Florida and French Louisiana
and he compares their condition and the numbers of their arms and troops. Wright
closes his response with a list of the men employed in various offices of
government in Georgia.
The complete text is available from the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript
Library, The University of Georgia Libraries through the digital library of
Georgia.
"The Creek Indians are the People of the consequence to this Province
and are supposed to consist of about 2150 Gun men or Hunters, they have about 38
Towns.
"The Chickesaws have always been sincere friends to the English, but do
not contain in the whole above 350 Gun men, about [word(s) omitted] of which are
settled near Augusta, and the rest about 250 miles beyond the upper Creeks westward
from thence.
"The Chactaws are a very numerous nation supposed to contain about 4000
Gun men, mostly in the French Interest, altho some pretend to be in ours. Their
Settlements lye between the Creek Country & Mobile, but very near to the
latter. The Cherokees and Catawbas lye more contiguous to the Province of
South Carolina, & I presume from thence your Lordships will be clearly
informed with respect to them. We have had many Treaties of Peace Friendship and
Commerce with these people which are still subsisting; all those since the
surrender of the Trustees' Charter to his Majesty, I conceive have been
regularly transmitted to your Lordships. Mr. Atkin the late Indian Agent, it is
said settled a kind of Treaty with part of the Chactaws, the beginning of the
year 1760 but this was of very little signification, and a small party of Chactaws were
down here in October 1760, and for what was transacted there I must beg leave to
refer your Lordships to the Minutes of Council in that month.
"The quantity of Leather, purchased from the Creeks, Chickesaws, and Chactaws annually,
is computed at 200,000 weight. This Trade my Lords, is under the immediate
direction and regulation of the Governor established by an Act of assembly
whereby no person is to Trade with any Indians without a License from the
Governor under penalty of 100£ Sterling for each offence [offense], and with
this Licence [License] is given a sett [set] of instructions, to observe which
the party gives Bond with security in the sum of 100£ Sterling. These are the
standing instructions, and others are given occasionally and the Licences
[Licenses] renewed every year. And for your Lordship's fuller information in
this particular I have taken liberty to enclose you a Copy of the General
instructions.
"The people of So. Carolina also Trade with these Indians, but the whole
is and goes through this Province, and a difference of measures and Regulations
in each province it is feared may be productive of mischiefs & bad
consequences, and therefor [therefore] I would humbly submit it, whether the
regulating the Trade and Granting Lincences to Trade with such as are in this
Province, should not be exercised wholly by this Government. And that the
Province of So. Carolina should have no power to intermeddle, but that
such people as live there and are disposed to Trade with the Indians in Georgia,
should apply for Licences [Licenses], and be subject to its authority; for altho
[although] it may be said that the Carolina people have nothing to do with
affairs out of their province, yet as they have always had that Trade till very
lately, and I am informed are going to pass a Law relative to it, it has and I
am very apprehensive [apprehensive] will occasion disputes and inconveniences if
your Lordships are not pleased to interpose and grant an instruction to the
Governor of So. Carolina on this head, or give me directions therein. If
this is not done my Lords, I have great reason to apprehend there will be
differences and disputes between the provinces, and that many inconveniences
will ensue. The Tribes of the Cherokees and Catabaws Indians lye convenient to
So. Carolina and might be under their management and direction as the
Creeks& Chickesaws I should hope may be to Georgia.
"Answer to the 14th. Quere.
The French in the neighbourhood [neighborhood] of this province are principally
those of Mobile & New Orleans. There is a small Fort at the Alabamas in the Creek Country
before mentioned. These settlements my Lords are of the utmost importance to
this province, and their effect the very worst possible, for as long as they
continue possessed of these places, the Chactaw Indians will ever be in their
Interest, & under their influence, and the Creeks wavering & indolent,
and this province on such a precarious footing as must greatly impede its
settlements and improvements. The strength of the French in Louisiana is not
easily to be known, but by the best accounts I could get, they had from 2000 to
2500 effective men before the conquest of Canada by his Majesty, but what
numbers may have gone cross the Country from Canada to Mobile, New Orleans, and
the other settlements in Louisiana it is impossible to judge of.
"The chief Spanish Settlement My Lords is at St. Augustine which is
rather only a Garrison. Little is planted, I believe nothing but provisions and
not a great deal of that, nor are any Manufactures made there; the Inhabitants
are chiefly supplied with provision and dry goods from New York and the northern
Colonies, and I believe some from So Carolina, and a few Cattle from hence, the
number I cannot mention with much precision, but by my information suppose there
may be 1200 men in all, & I have lately heard that a reinforcement of 500
men is daily expected from Havana: They have likewise a settlement at Pensacola near
Mobile aforementioned where a small Trade is carried on, but I don't see that
either of those settlements in time of Peace, have any other bad effect, save
that of renewing and protecting run away Slaves, who as soon as they get there
throw themselves into the hands & protection of the Priests, and are deem'd
by them as Freemen."
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