Conflicting claims. — - Although the English claimed that the province of South Carolina extended to the St. John's River, no settlements had been made south of the Savannah. The Spanish also claimed all the country between these rivers, but had made no efforts to colonize it. The time had come when the question of ownership must be settled. The nation that should be first to plant a colony in the disputed territory would be the most likely to make its title good. And this, perhaps, was the reason. why King George consented so readily to the plan of colonization proposed by Oglethorpe.

II. GEORGIA

The first colonists. Soon a ship was ready to sail with the first company of emigrants. Thirty families were on board, and Oglethorpe himself sailed with them. They had a prosperous voyage, and in January, 1733, reached the Savannah River. They landed and began at once to prepare themselves homes. Some set to work to clear the fields and make the land ready for planting; some were busy building houses; others marked out the streets of the town, which they named Savannah. "All worked with a will," wrote one. "There were no idlers; even the boys and girls did their part."

Thus the thirteenth and last of the English colonies in our country had its beginning.

Other colonists. Soon other settlers began to arrive. Many classes of people came; for Oglethorpe had made it known that all who were oppressed in any way would be

welcome in his colony. There were not only poor Englishmen but Scotch Highlanders and Moravians and

Bavarians and Jews and many others.

Oglethorpe's laws. - Oglethorpe tried to enforce good laws in his colony. One of these forbade negro slavery; but, since slaves were held in all the other colonies in America, his people thought that this was a very hard law. Before twenty years had passed they succeeded in doing away with it, and negroes were bought and sold in Georgia just as else

where.

Very soon the men who had been most befriended by Oglethorpe turned against him. Although he had made it possible for them to have their own homes and to live in a free country, they were dissatisfied because he did not do more. They sent complaints about him to England, and tried to have him removed from his office of governor.

The war with Spain. - Five or six years after the landing at Savannah a war broke out between England and Spain. Governor Oglethorpe mustered all the fighting men in Georgia and made an attack on St. Augustine in Florida. But the place was so strongly guarded that the Georgians were driven off and obliged to return home. A short time afterward a Spanish fleet sailed along the coast of Georgia, and a number of Spaniards came to land with the intention of overrunning the country. But Oglethorpe and his soldiers bravely withstood them, a bloody battle was fought, and the invaders were glad to return to their ships and sail away.

End of a long life. When the colony was eleven years old Oglethorpe left it and returned to England. Perhaps he was tired of trying to serve a thankless people, and besides this, his affairs at home required his attention. Although he never saw his colony again, he was always warmly interested in its welfare and ready to give it such aid as he could. He lived to be a very, old man, ninety-six years of age, and was hale and hearty and joyful to the very end.

very

REVIEW

Name all the English colonies you have learned about in this book. With which of the colonies was Captain John Smith connected? Which colony was settled by Pilgrims? by Puritans? by Roger Williams? by lords-proprietors? by Catholics? by Quakers? by the Dutch? What was the object of James Oglethorpe in founding the colony of Georgia? What classes of people were among the first settlers in Georgia?

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

AND THE PROGRESS OF THE COLONIES

I. A STUDIOUS BOY

Franklin's childhood. - Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on the 17th of January, 1706. His parents were poor people who lived in a humble home on Milk Street, and he was the youngest son in the family of seventeen children..

His schools. Little Benjamin learned to read almost as soon as he could talk. He was so bright and studious that his parents wished to educate him for the ministry. When he was eight years old, therefore, they sent him to the Latin School where boys were prepared for Harvard College. He learned very fast and soon made his way to the head of his class; but his father had little money, and the cost of keeping him in school would be very great. His parents talked the matter over again, and the plan of educating him for a preacher was given up.

Benjamin was taken out of the Latin School and sent to a cheaper place where he learned to write and to calculate two things very necessary to one who was to follow a trade. When he was ten years old he was taken out of school altogether. Although so young, there were many things he could do, and his father needed his help.

His work. Mr. Franklin was a candle maker, and for two years he kept Benjamin busy cutting wicks, molding candles, and waiting on customers. But the lad did not like the business. When he saw the ships come into the harbor with their cargoes of goods from strange lands beyond the sea, he thought that he would like above all things to be a sailor. But his father objected to this and

kept him in the

shop more closely

There were no chil

dren's books in those days, and not muchof anything that a boy at the present time would care to read. But Benjamin Franklin read all the books he could get hold of. Sometimes he would borrow a volume

"He was apprenticed to learn the printer's trade"

and sit up nearly all night reading it so as to return it promptly. When James Franklin, one of Benjamin's brothers, set up a printing press in Boston, his father said,