[Footnote 1:  “Brief Account of the Progress of the First Colony sent to Georgia,”—­inserted in the 46th volume, p. 234, of the “Political State of Great Britain;” and it makes the second Tract in FORCE’S Collection.]

While the sea-worn emigrants rested and refreshed themselves, the indefatigable Oglethorpe, accompanied by Colonel William Bull, a man of knowledge and experience, went up the river to explore the country.  Having found a pleasant spot of ground near to Yamacraw, they fixed upon the place as the most convenient and healthy situation for the settlers, and there marked out a town, which, from the Indian name of the river that ran past it, they called Savannah.

On the 24th he returned, and with the emigrants celebrated the following Sunday as a day of Thanksgiving for their safe arrival.  A sermon was preached by the Reverend Mr. Jones,[1] by exchange of services with Doctor Herbert, who officiated at Beaufort.  There was a great resort of gentlemen and their families, from the neighborhood, to welcome the new-comers, and unite with them in the gladness of the occasion.

[Footnote 1:  REV LEWIS JONES.  See some account of him in DALCHO’S History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina, p. 378.]

On the 31st they arrived at the place selected for their settlement, the description of which by Oglethorpe himself, in a letter to the Trustees, dated the 10th of February, 1733, cannot fail to give both interesting information and much pleasure to the reader.

After referring to a former letter, and giving a brief notice of their arrival at Beaufort, and his selection of a site, a few miles higher up the river, for laying out a town, he adds, “The river here forms a half-moon, along side of which the banks are about forty feet high, and on the top is a flat, which they call ‘a bluff.’  The plain high ground extends into the country about five or six miles; and, along the river side, about a mile.  Ships that draw twelve feet of water can ride within ten yards of the bank.  Upon the river side, in the centre of this plain, I have laid out the town, opposite to which is an island of very rich pasturage, which I think should be kept for the cattle of the Trustees.  The river is pretty wide, the water fresh, and from the key of the town you see its whole course to the sea, with the island of Tybee, which is at its mouth.  For about six miles up into the country, the landscape is very agreeable, the stream being wide, and bordered with high woods on both sides.

“The whole people arrived here on the first of February.  At night their tents were got up.  Until the tenth they were taken up with unloading and making a crane, which I then could not finish, and so took off the hands, and set some to the fortification, and began to fell the woods.

“I have marked out the town and common; half of the former is already cleared; and the first house was begun yesterday in the afternoon.