From 1741 A True and Historical Narrative edited by Amy SECONDLY, He prohibited the Importation of Rum under Pretense that it was destructive to the Constitution and an Incentive to Debauchery and Idleness: However specious these Pretenses might seem, a little Experience soon convinced us that this Restriction was directly opposite to the Well-being of the Colony: For in the first Place, we were cut off from the most immediate and probable Way of exporting our Timber (the only poor Prospect of Export that we could ever flatter ourselves with) to the Sugar Islands, Rum being the principal Return they make: In the second Place, the Experience of all the Inhabitants of America will prove the Necessity of Qualifying Water with some Spirit, (and it is very certain, that no Province in America yields Water that such a Qualification is more necessary to than Carolina and Georgia) and the Usefulness of this Experiment has been sufficiently evident to all the Inhabitants of Georgia who could procure it and use it with Moderation: A third Reason which made this Restriction very hurtful to the Colony, was That though the Laws were in force against it, (which gave the Magistrates power to lay Hardships upon every Person they might resent) yet great Quantities were imported (mainly from Carolina and New England, who would take Money only) only with this Difference, that in Place of Barter or Exchange, the Ready Money was drained from the Inhabitants: And likewise, as it is the Nature of Mankind in general and of the common Sort in particular, more eagerly to desire and more immoderately to use those Things which are most restrained from them; such was the Case with respect to Rum in Georgia. THE THIRD Thing he did, was regularly to set out to each Free-holder in Savannah Lots of Fifty Acres, in three distinct Divisions: 1. 1/8 of an Acre for a House and Garden in the Town 2. 4-7/8 Acres at a small Distance from Town 3. 45 Acres at a considerable Remove from Town. No regard was had to the Quality of the Ground in the Divisions, so that some were altogether Pine Barren and some Swamp and Morass far surpassing the Strength and Ability of the Planter: And indeed, what could be done with such small Parcels of Land separate from one another: These Lots were likewise shaped in long pointed Triangles, which considerably increased the Extent of enclosure and rendered much of each Lot entirely useless. But these and many other Hardships were scarcely felt by the few People that came there while Mr. Oglethorpe stayed, which was about Fifteen Months: They worked hard indeed in Building some Houses in Town; but back then, they labored together, assisted by Negroes from Carolina who did the heaviest Work.