Date published: 1741-01-01
Source: An Account shewing the Progress of the Colony of Georgia (ID176)
Author: Georgia Trustees (ID3)
Primary doc? 1
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Race described: English
Full text? 1
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Content id: 3469
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1734-06-01 - 1734-06-30

Indians visited England and ask Trustees for trade standardsedit

From 1741 AN ACCOUNT, SHEWING THE PROGRESS OF THE COLONY OF GEORGIA IN AMERICA, FROM IT'S FIRST ESTABLISHMENT. [Edited for readability by Amy] From the 9th June 1734, to the 9th June 1735 Indians came to England with Oglethorpe and requested formal trade standards IN the Month of June 1734, Mr. Oglethorpe arrived from the Colony, and with him came some of the principal Indians of the Lower Creek Nation who live nearest to Savannah. When these Indians were in England, they desired of the Trustees that the Measures, Prices and Qualities of all Goods to be Purchased by them with their Deer-skins, might be settled, as likewise the Weights; that nobody might be allowed to Trade with the Indians in Georgia without a License from the Trustees, in order that if they were in any respect Injured or Defrauded by the Traders, they might know where to Complain; and they further desired there might be but one Storehouse in each Indian Town for supplying them with the Goods they might want to Purchase, from whence the Trader should be obliged to supply them at the first Prices. The Indians said lack of standards has caused bad trade and animosity in the past The Reason which the Indians gave for this Application, was, because the Traders with them had often in an Arbitrary Manner raised the Prices of Goods, and defrauded them in the Weights and Measures, and by their Impositions had often created Animosities between the English and Indians, which had frequently ended in Wars between them prejudicial to both. The Trustees duplicated South Carolina’s Indian trade act The Trustees having considered of their Request, and being 16 informed that the Council and Assembly of Carolina had passed an Act the 20th August 1731, entitled, An Act for the better Regulation of the Indian Trade, and for appointing a Commissioner for that purpose with Regulations, which the Trustees hoped might be effectual in Georgia, prepared an Act, entitled, An Act for Maintaining the Peace with the Indians in the Province of Georgia, with the same Regulations and provisions as were in the Carolina Act; which Act ceased to be in Force in Georgia since it was erected into a Distinct Independent Province not subject to the Laws of Carolina.

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