When the war had finally ended, however, South Carolinians were relieved; the war had not brought in much of the way of benefits. "No sooner had the war begun than did Charleston merchants begin to consider methods by which they could gain from it". The English colonists hoped to gain from the Spanish Alarm, but as the raids continued, the merchants realized their ill effects. Many colonists started to lose their enthusiasm, especially during the 1740s. The court, "during nine years of actual warfare, recorded only twenty-one enemy ships which were captured by Charleston privateers and condemned as prizes of war". The book "Georgia Journeys" stated that "the Spanish Alarm...was of great damage to the colony in regarding cultivation".