Writing again to the Duke of Newcastle from Frederica, November 20, 1738, Oglethorpe says,—­“Those soldiers who came from Gibraltar, have mutinied.  The King gave them provisions and pay at Gibraltar.  He gave them but six months provision here; after which they were to live upon their pay.  On the expiration of their provisions, they demanded a continuance of them, and not being able to comply with their demands, they took to arms.  One of them fired upon me.  After a short skirmish we got the better of them.  One of the officers was slightly, and one of the mutineers dangerously wounded, and five are secured prisoners, to be tried by a Court Martial.  We have strong reason to suspect that our neighbors have tampered with these men.  Many of them speak Spanish, and some of their boats,[1] under various pretences, came up hither before my arrival.”

[Footnote 1:  He refers here to boats from St. Augustine.]

Upon this Dr. Stevens remarks—­“In this case the cause of mutiny had no reference to the Spaniards.  While in Gibraltar the troops had received provisions in addition to their pay.  These were continued six months after their arrival in America; but when these were withdrawn, and nothing but their bare pay left, they became dissatisfied; demanded additional supplies; and, on refusal by General Oglethorpe, took to their arms.  Here was a simple cause originating among themselves; in the other affair, the soldiers who created the difficulty were acting as agents of a foreign power; the bribed and acknowledged traitors to their own country.  In the one case it was the sudden outbreaking of discontent, owing to the retrenchment of their wages; in the other, it was a premeditated and well-concerted plan, framed by Spanish emissaries on the other side of the water, to be executed on this.”

Referring to the remark of General Oglethorpe at the close of the last letter, as also to some suggestions in the letter of mine, to which the foregoing was the reply, Dr. Stevens adds—­“That the Spaniards tampered with the English, and endeavored to seduce them from their allegiance, is not to be doubted; because it was of the utmost importance to them to create divisions in the regiment; but the one to whom Hewatt refers, as having been ’in the Spanish service, and had so much of a Roman Catholic spirit,’ is doubtless the same spoken of by Oglethorpe in July, upon whom a Court Martial sat in September; and who could not, therefore, have been connected with the mutiny at Fort St. Andrews, in November.”

XXI.

FURTHER PARTICULARS OF TOMO CHICHI.