Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/370

342 Progress of them. . . . At the same Time a Party of Yamasee Indians, headed by Spaniards from St. Augustine, having murdered our Out-Scouts, made an Incursion into our Settlements. . ..

In the latter End of 1737, still Peace subsisting, great Preparations were made to invade openly this Province and Georgia. For that Purpose a great Body of Men arrived at St. Augustine, in Galleys from the Havana ; which put this Province to a very large Expense to provide against. But happily they were countermanded just as they were ready to set off.

In 1738, altho' Peace subsisted, and Governor Johnson after his Arrival here had. in 1733, renewed the before mentioned Stipulation, another Method was taken by the Spaniards to answer their Ends. Hitherto the Government of St. Augustine had not dared to acknowledge, much less to justify, the little Villainies and Violences offered to our Properties : But now an Edict of his Catholic Majesty himself, bearing Date in November 1733, was published by Beat of Drum round the Town of St. Augustine (where many Negroes belonging to English Vessels that carried thither Supplies of Provisions, &c., had the Opportunity of hearing it) promising Liberty and Protection to all Slaves that should desert thither from any of the English Colonies, but more especially from this. And, lest that should not prove sufficient of itself, secret Measures were taken to make it known to our Slaves in general. In Consequence of which Numbers of Slaves did, from Time to Time, by Land and Water desert to St. Augustine ; And, the better to facilitate their Escape, car ried off their Master's Horses, Boats, &c. some of them first commiting Murder ; and were accordingly received and declared free. Our present Lieutenant Governor, by Deputies sent from hence on that Occasion to Seignor Don Manuel de Montiano, the present Governor of St. Augustine, set forth the Manner in which those Slaves had escaped : and redemanded them pursuant to the Stipulation between the Two Governments, and to the Peace subsisting between the Crowns. Notwithstanding which, tho' that Governor acknowledged those Slaves to be there, yet producing the King of Spain's said Edict he declared that he could not deliver them up, without a positive Order for that purpose from the King, and that he should continue to receive all others that should resort thither, it having been an article of Complaint against his Predecessor, that he had not put the said Edict in force sooner. The Success of those Deputies being too well known at their Return, Conspiracies were form'd and Attempts made by more Slaves to desert to St. Augustine : But. . . by great Vigilance, they were prevented from succeeding. However,