estates, and upon such rents, reservations and conditions, as the same might lawfully be granted; and as to the said common council, or the major part of them, should seem fit and proper ; provided that no grant should be made of any part of the said lands, unto, or in trust for, or for the benefit of any member of the said corporation: and that no greater quantity of the said lands be granted either entirely or in parcels, to, or to the use of, or in trust for any one person, than five hundred acres; and declared that all grants made contrary to the true intent and meaning thereof, should be absolutely null and void. And granted, that the said corporation for the term of twenty one years from the date of the letters patent, should have powers to erect and constitute judicatures and courts of record, or other courts, to be held in his majesty's name, for the hearing and determining of all manner of crimes, offences, pleas, processes, plaints, ac, tions, matters, causes and things whatsoever, aris. ing or happening within the said province, or between persons inhabiting or residing there, and for awarding and making out executions thereupon; and directed the said corporation to register or cause to be registered, all leases, grants, plantings, conveyances, settlements and improvements whatsoever, as should at any time be made of any lands, tenements or hereditaments, within the said province; and yearly transmit authentic accounts thereof, unto the auditor of the planta

tions, or his deputy, and to the surveyor of SouthCarolina, to inspect and survey the same, to ascertain the quit-rents that should become due according to the reservation before mentioned; but not to have, or take any gratuity, fee or reward, for such survey or inspection, on forfeiture of their offices; with a proviso that all leases, grants or conveyances, to be made of any lands within the said province, or a memorial containing the substance or effect thereof, should be registered with the auditor of the plantations, within one year from the date thereof; otherwise that the same should be void. And directed, that all rents, issues or profits, which should come to the said corporation, issuing or arising out of, or from the said province, should be applied in such manner as would most improve and enlarge the said colony, and best answer the good purposes therein mentioned, and for defraying all other charges about the same; and directed the said corporation from time to time, to give in to one of the secretaries of state, and to the commissioners of trade and plantations, accounts of the progress of the said colony. And directed, that the said common council should from time to time, for the said term of twenty-one years from the date of the said letters patent, have power to appoint all such governors, judges, magistrates, ministers and officers, civil and military, both by sea and land, within the said district, as they should think fit and needful for the government of the said

colony, except such officers as should be appointed for managing, collecting and receiving such of his majesty's revenues as should arise within the said province, with a proviso, that every governor so appointed, should be approved by his majesty, and qualify himself, as often as governors in America, are by law required to do, and give security for observing the acts of parliament relating to trade and navigation; and obeying, all instruction from his majesty or any acting under his authority, pursuant to the said acts. And granted, that the said corporation, for the said term of twenty-one years, from the date of the said letters patent, should have power by any commander or other officer for that purpose appointed, to train, instruct, exercise and govern the militia, for the special defence and safety of the said colony; to assemble in martial array, and put in warlike posture, the inhabitants of the said colony; and in time of actual war, invasion or rebellion, to use and exercise the law martial, and also to erect forts, and fortify any place or places within the said colony, and the same to furnish with all necessary ammunition, provision and stores of war for offence and defence, and from time to time to commit the custody and government of them to such person or persons, as to them should seem meet; declaring that the governor or commander in chief of South-Carolina, should have the chief command

of the militia of Georgia, and that they should observe his orders. And granted, that the said corporation should have power to import or export their goods, at or from any port or ports that should be appointed by his majesty within the said province for that purpose, without being obliged to touch at any other port in Caroli na. And declared, that after the end of the said twenty-one years, such form of government and method of making laws, statutes and ordinances for the government of the said province and its inhabitants, should be observed and established within the same, as his majesty, his heirs and successors should ordain and appoint, and should be agreeable to law; and that after the end of the said twenty-one years, the governor and all officers, civil and military, within the said province, should be appointed by his majesty, his heirs and

successors.

In pursuance of this charter, the trustees (of whom lord Purcival was president) met in London about the middle of July, for the purpose of fixing on some fit person to superintend the settlement of the colony, and to establish rules for its government and in order to fulfil the intents and pur poses therein expressed, it was thought necescessary for the trustees to send over such poor people and foreign protestants, as were willing to live in Georgia, not only to cultivate the lands, but at the same time to strengthen the other colonies. The inhabitants were to be consid

ered as planters and soldiers, and were provided with arms for their defence, as well as tools for cultivation; and a due portion of attention was occasionally to be turned to the exercise of both. Towns were to be laid out for their settlements, and lands allotted to each of them for their maintenance as near to these towns as convenient, that they might never have occasion to be too far distant from their towns, which were to be regarded as their garrisons, so that each man might reach his post of defence at short notice, in case of emergency. As the military strength of the province was particularly to be taken care of, it was deemed necessary to establish such tenures of lands as might most effectually preserve the number of planters, or soldiers, equal to the number of lots of land within a narrow compass; there fore each lot of land was to be considered as a military fief, and to contain so much in quantity as should be deemed equal to the support of a plan. ter and his family-fifty acres were judged sufficient, and not too much for that purpose, and provision was made to prevent an accumulation of several lots into the claim or possession of any one person, lest the garrison should be lessened and the defence weakened; and likewise to prevent a division of these lots into smaller parcels, since each lot when entire, was deemed no more than sufficient for one planter, but if sub-divided, would be too scanty for a subsistence, and become useless.

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