THIS STUDY represents an attempt to relate the history of
colonial Georgia in the light of British imperial policy in the
eighteenth century. With this objective in view the sources and
evidence have been re-examined from the vantage-point of the
mother-country, in whose interests colonial policy was devised, to
whom the colonies owed their allegiance, and of whom they were
legally a part. Internal affairs have received the attention required
to keep the narrative rightly proportioned, but always the general
imperial setting has been kept in mind.

This approach lends itself more satisfactorily to some aspects
than to others, and in a few instances produces results that largely
confirm the work of American scholars, finding differences only
on an occasional point of detail or the validity of an opinion.
Consequently, certain matters are dealt with relatively briefly,
while others are given more lengthy consideration; but so far as
exemplifying British policy is concerned, as reasonable a balance
as possible has been maintained. Religion and education are
omitted entirely, not because they are unimportant subjects in
Georgia's history, but because they were found to be of little
value for the purposes of this study. It may be noticed, also, that
this account seldom goes beyond 1765. This was not an arbitrary
choice as the date to close the story; it seemed essential to keep
the subject clear of the embroilments that formed the prelim-
inaries of the American Revolution, which properly are, and have
been made, the matter for another book. Wherever necessary,
however, there has been no hesitation in venturing beyond 1765,
especially in the final chapter, but any mention of the Revolu-
tionary troubles themselves has been carefully avoided.

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