melting furnaces.

To his country seat in Spotsylvania, Alexander Spotswood retired when
he laid down the office of Governor in 1722. But his talents were too
valuable to be allowed to rust in inactivity. He was appointed deputy
Postmaster-General for the English colonies, and in the course of his
administration made one Benjamin Franklin Postmaster for Philadelphia.
He was on the point of sailing with Admiral Vernon on the expedition
against Cartagena in 1740, when he was suddenly stricken and died. He
was buried at Temple Farm by Yorktown. On the expedition to Cartagena
went one Lawrence Washington, who named his country seat after the
Admiral and whose brother George many years later was to receive the
surrender of Cornwallis and his army hard by the resting-place of
Alexander Spotswood. Colonial Virginia lies behind us. The era of
revolution and statehood beckons us on.

CHAPTER XVI. GEORGIA

Below Charleston in South Carolina, below Cape Fear, below Port Royal, a
great river called the Savannah poured into the sea. Below the Savannah,
past the Ogeechee, sailing south between the sandy islands and the main,
ships came to the mouth of the river Altamaha. Thus far was Carolina.
But below Altamaha the coast and the country inland became debatable,
probably Florida and Spanish, liable at any rate to be claimed as such,
and certainly open to attack from Spanish St. Augustine.

Here lay a stretch of seacoast and country within hailing distance of
semi-tropical lands. It was low and sandy, with innumerable slow-flowing
watercourses, creeks, and inlets from the sea. The back country, running
up to hills and even mountains stuffed with ores, was not known--though
indeed Spanish adventurers had wandered there and mined for gold. But
the lowlands were warm and dense with trees and wild life. The Huguenot
Ribault, making report of this region years and years before, called it
"a fayre coast stretching of a great length, covered with an infinite
number of high and fayre trees," and he described the land as the
"fairest, fruitfullest, and pleasantest of all the world, abounding in
hony, venison, wilde fowle, forests, woods of all sorts, Palm-trees,
Cypresse and Cedars, Bayes ye highest and greatest; with also the
fayrest vines in all the world.... And the sight of the faire medows
is a pleasure not able to be expressed with tongue; full of Hernes,
Curlues, Bitters, Mallards, Egrepths, Woodcocks, and all other kind
of smal