Jean-Pierre Pury

In May 1713 Pury boarded the Prince Eugenius bound for Batavia, Dutch East Indies. He had been made a Corporal for Dutch East India Company and helped lead the Huguenot congregation in Batavia.[2][1] While travelling with the company, he developed a climatological theory to advise on the best places for effective colonization. In 1718 he published Mémoire sur le Pays des Cafres and la Terre de Nuyts, where he defended a concept of twelve climates between the North Pole and South Pole and that the fifth climate, located at approximately 33 ° latitude, was the best for colonization due to fertile soil.[2] He presented the concepts to Christophel von Swol, the Governor of Batavia, with the hopes of being granted permission to start his own colonies in Australia or Southern Africa, but was dismissed.[2][3] Pury then left Batavia for France.

While living in France, Pury presented his theories to Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, the British Ambassador to France, and asked that they be brought before King George I with the hopes of being granted permission to form a colony. The book of theories was brought before Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle in July 1724. The book was examined by the Board of Trade for legality and feasibility. The Board summoned Richard Shelton, Secretary of the Lords Proprietor of Carolina. In June 1776 Pury was granted permission to start a colony in Carolina.[4][2] The agreement between the Lords Proprietor was that one-hundred people from Neuchâtel would settle the new colony, but no funding was to be provided.[4][2] Unable to provide the finances, Pury left Neuchâtel.[4][2] The English Crown later took over Carolina from the Lords Proprietor. George II appointed Robert Johnson as the new Governor of South Carolina.[2] On 9 July 1730 Pury petitioned again for permission to establish a settlement. The Crown granted Pury permission to establish a settlement with six-hundred Swiss Protestant emigrants over a six year period.[5][6] In exchange, he was granted 12,000 acres of land.[2][7] In 1731 Purry led an expedition to Carolina and founded the Colony of Purrysburg along the Savannah River.[5][2] In 1732 the first convoy of settlers arrived, Swiss-French Huguenots, Swiss-German Lutherans, and Austrian and Italian protestant refugees.[2][8] The colony was relatively unsuccessful, and Pury died of malaria in 1736.[2][9] He was succeeded by his son, Charles, as head of the colony. Charles was later killed by one of his slaves.[2]