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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Memorandum from Stephen Godin concerning the history of Carolina
Godin, Stephen
May 21, 1728
Volume 02, Pages 763-764

[B. P. R. O. B. T. South Carolina. Vol. 3. C. 21.]
MEM: FROM Mr GODIN RELATING TO Ye FIRST SETTLEMENT OF CAROLINA

Recd: May 21. 1728.
Read May 21. 1728.

All that tract of Land on which Carolina & St Augustine lays was first call'd Florida from the abundance of Flowers the Country naturally producst, it was settled first by the French in the Reign of Charles 9th king of france and in honour to him call'd Carolina, they also named all the Rivers and satt down principally at Port Royall, this being a favorite Collony of Admiral De Colligny who in the begining of the reformation had views to establish it as a refuge for the persecuted protestants but being betraid by ville gagnon & then unfortifyed the Spaniards came from Cuba & the Havana & murther'd them all, of which the Admiral had resolved to take a signal revenge, and was preparing to this purpose a large Imbarcation att Dieppe but was prevented by the masacry of St Barthelemy, wherein he himself was so barbarously butcher'd. The Spaniards seeing the Consequence of that Coast between which and the Island of Cuba all the treasurs of the Indies must pass, resolved to secure some part of it to themselves, for the safety of the passage of their Gallions & flottas built for St Augustine, & kept there a Garrison ever since and nothing more.

Now the English comeing a 100 Years after the French had been routed out of the Country as it were to revenge the blood of so many

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protestants, may very well say that St Augustin is built within the Limitts of Carolina for there were never any boundarys or Frontiers settled with them to acertain what was theirs, or ours, but it appears that the Inhabitants always took the alatamaha River to be a naturall boundary between us, since Governour Nicholson built fort King George beyond it which put the Spaniards upon complaining of it as of an Infraction there being no Inhabitants near it for a great distance that fort being three hundred miles from Fort Royall as I was told.

Florida was first discover'd by                           about 1490 for King Henry the 7th

The french in 1560 odd went & settled upon it by direction of Admiral De Coligny, call'd it Carolina in honour to Charles the 9th King of France, named the Rivers, & places particularly Port Royall and Charles fort.

They were betrayed to the Spaniards by one Knight of Maltha called ville gagnon who the admirall had sent there on his pretending to be well affected to the Protestants they came from Cuba & murther'd & routed them not as french men as they pretended but because they were Lutherans afterwards the Spaniards knowing the Importance of that Coast along which the Gallions & Flotas must pass thought fitt to secure some part of it for themselves & so built fort St Augustin there &c:

The English came 100 Years after the french, in the Reign of King Charles ye 2d and settled ye Country as it is now. By the Treaty of Utrecht every potentate was to keep what he had in possession, either by conquest, conivance or acquisition

STEPH: GODIN.