Honoured Gentlemen,
SOME letters, which I received last week from Georgia, occasion my troubling you with this, which I doubt not will meet with a candid reception at your hands. I find that Mr. H—— and Mr. B—— have been taken up by a warrant, and were imprisoned above a week, for a thing which, I believe, none of you, honoured gentlemen, will judge cognizable by the civil magistrate. It seems that Mr. B——, in a private conversation with Mr. O——, (who, I suppose, is the present minister of Savannah) told him, “He was no ‘christian’; that he wondered at the impudence of young men in subscribing articles they did not believe; and that he should think it his duty to warn his friends not to hear him.” I acknowledge that such language was too harsh; but Mr. H——, who did not say near so much, was linked in the same prosecution, and imprisoned with him. Mr. J——, who was then at Frederica, being informed of it, declared such a procedure to be illegal; and his Excellency General Oglethorp, desired my friends to lay the matter before the board of the Honourable Trustees. I being now upon the spot, they have sent to me a very particular account of what has passed; which, if you please, honoured gentlemen, I will transmit unto you, or, when I come to London, will wait upon you in person. I find also, that my friends were denied a copy of the proceedings of the court: in which, I am persuaded the honourable gentlemen to whom I am writing, will think they have been wronged. My friends require no satisfaction, but only desire such a proceeding may be animadverted upon; knowing that otherwise it will be a great discouragement to people’s settling in Georgia. I am sorry also to inform you, honoured gentlemen, that five very small children, (Swiss or Dutch) whose parents lately died in their passage from England, have had their goods sold at Vendue, and are bound out till the age of twenty-one years. This I think directly contrary to the grant given me by you, honoured gentlemen; for thereby I was impowered to take as many orphans into the house as my fund would admit of. The magistrates, I understand, have also been at the Orphan-house, and claim a power to take away the children when they please, whether the children chuse it, or complain of ill-treatment, or not. This grieves some of the children, and makes others of them insolent, who are hereby taught, that they have a power to go away when they will. This, honoured gentlemen, must be very discouraging to those who are entrusted with their education; and who, I am persuaded, aim at nothing but the glory of God, the welfare of the colony, and the salvation of the children’s souls. I suppose that the magistrates (I mean Mr. P—— and Mr. T——) have taken such a liberty from the instructions which were sent, honoured gentlemen, from you some time ago. But Mr. J—— has told them, they have misunderstood you; and his Excellency General Oglethorp I find has wrote to you, honoured gentlemen, about it. By the accounts I have, our plantation thrives well; and Mr. H—— hopes we shall do with white servants alone. I do assure you, honoured gentlemen, I will do all I can, with the most disinterested views, to promote the good of Georgia: only I beg the management of the Orphan-house, and orphans, may be secured to me and my successors for ever; and that the magistrates be not suffered to disturb us, when there is no ground of complaint. They acknowledged, when at the Orphan-house last, that the children were taken good care of, both as to their bodies and souls; and will it not then, honoured gentlemen, tend much to the welfare of the colony, that the Orphan-house should meet with all possible encouragement. His Excellency General Oglethorp has informed my friend Mr. H——, that, if I desired it, he thought you would grant me a greater tract of land, which I should be obliged to give away in a certain term of years, and that we might have our own magistrates, as have the people of Ebenezer. Whether I shall desire such a favour, I know not; but, if I should, I desire to know, what you, honoured gentlemen, would say to it. Many have applied to me to settle in Georgia; hitherto I could give them no encouragement. I wish I may be enabled to give them a great deal for the future. Indeed, honoured gentlemen, I do not desire to find fault. I doubt not but you have been prejudiced both against me and my friends. The event will shew what friends we are to Georgia. The Orphan-house will certainly be of great utility to the colony; and the children educated therein, I trust, will be the glory of the society to which they belong. They are bred up to industry, as well as to other things; and are taught to fear God, and honour the king. I am glad to hear that you have lately sent over a gentleman who (I suppose) will do justice. I think I desire nothing else; and heartily pray God to bless him, and you, honoured gentlemen, and all that are concerned in the management of Georgia affairs. I hope to be in town in about two months; in the mean while, I would beg the favour of a line by your secretary; and also entreat you, honoured gentlemen, to write to the magistrates of Savannah, to let the Orphan-house managers alone. If I or my friends should happen to say or do any thing amiss, I assure you, honoured gentlemen, you shall have all possible satisfaction given you by them, and also by, honoured gentlemen,
Your very humble servant,
G. W.
LETTER CCCCXLI.
To Mr. H——, in Georgia.
Cambuslang, Aug. 17, 1742.
My very dear Friend and Brother,
WITH a great deal of pleasure I received your letters dated May 14th, 26th, 29th, and June 1st. Blessed be God! for all his goodness, in providing for my dear family in that wilderness, by such various unexpected ways. It caused my heart to leap for joy. I find you have been wrongfully imprisoned. I should have been glad (if time had permitted) that you had wrote me word, how it has been with your soul under such a circumstance. I hope the spirit of Christ and of glory rested upon you. Glad should I have been to have sung and prayed with you; but my hour is not yet come. I have just now wrote to the trustees, and intend waiting upon them as soon as I come to London. I am persuaded the Lord will influence their hearts to do us justice. I am glad you wrote so properly to the General, and that God hath given you favour in his sight. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes his very enemies to be at peace with him.” I intend sending him and Mr. Jones a letter of thanks. I owe Mr. S—— only about ninety pounds, and about a hundred and fifty more in all, upon the Orphan-house account in England. I am just publishing a further account, which I am persuaded the Lord will bless. I would not have you to undertake any business you do not like. I think the Lord has fitted you for your present station. Professor Franck held it dangerous to change persons frequently, who were entrusted with the care of the orphans. I am of your opinion as to hiring servants.—It is impossible to tell you, my dear man, what I have seen, heard, and felt since I came last to Scotland. The glorious Emmanuel rides daily on in the chariot of his gospel, from conquering and to conquer. The congregations are just like that at Fogg-Manor.—I am opposed on all sides. Dear Mr. E——’s people have lately kept a fast upon my account. The kirk presbyters also, now they see the Seceders splitting, notwithstanding I have been instrumental in God’s hands, in some degree, in stopping the secession, begin to call some of their ministers to account for employing me: but who can stand before envy? In the midst of all, my dear Master keeps me leaning upon himself, and causes me to walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost from morning to night. I wish time would have allowed you to have wrote a little about his love, and to have abounded more in thanks for the opportune supplies which he sent you. But I am sure that my dear Mr. H—— is not wanting in either of these. I think that I see you grow in grace. I assure you, you are dearer to me than ever. My wife readily excuses your not writing, knowing what it is to be in a hurry of business. O pray that we may have a prosperous voyage to you, by the will of God. By this time I suppose you are a father. May God teach you and your wife how to order the child! I have much to say to you both, when I see you. My dear old friend, and first fellow-traveller, God has yet great blessings in store for us. He will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he with-hold from them that lead a godly life. Methinks I am conversing with you now. May God give us a happy meeting! He will, he will! For the present I must bid my dear man good night. I stole this day from public preaching, to dispatch my private affairs. All join in hearty love to, and prayers for you. Accept of the same in the most tender manner, from, my dear Mr. H——,