USA > Washington DC > Washington DC > A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia > Part 75
USA > Virginia > A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia > Part 75
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Smith finding himself disabled by his wound, the pain of which almost deprived him of his reason, and seeing that there was not sufficient surgi- cal skill in the colony to restore him, determined to depart for England.
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He well knew that in his disabled state the colony was no place for him, for it had required his utinost exertion in health to suppress faction at home, keep the Indians in awe, and by the most unceasing activity supply the colony with provision. He departed under the most mortifying cir- cumstances ;- "his commission was suppressed he knew not why, himself and soldiers to be rewarded he knew not how, and a new commission granted they knew not to whom." After his determination was known the ships which were to have departed the next day were retained three weeks, whilst the mutinous captains were perfecting some colorable charge to send home against him. Never had the colony sustained such a loss. His conduct and his character will be best given in the language of those who knew him best. A writer who was with him in his troubles speak- ing of the attempt to usurp the government immediately before his depar- ture, says :-
" But had that unhappy blast not happened, he would quickly have qualified the heat of those humors, and factions, had the ships but once left them and us to our fortunes; and have made the provision from among the savages, as we neither feared Spaniard, savage, or famine; nor would have left Virginia nor our lawful authority, but at as dear a price as we had bought it and paid for it. What shall I say but thus, we left him, that in all his proceedings, made justice his first guide, and experience his second, even hating baseness, sloth, pride, and indignity, more than any danger,-that never allowed more for himself, than his soldiers with him ; that upon no danger would send them where he would not lead them him- self ;- that would never see us want what he either had, or could by any. means get us ;- that would rather want than borrow, or starve than not pay ;- that loved action more than words, and hated falsehood and covet- ousness worse than death ; whose adventures were our lives, and whose loss our deaths."
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CHAPTER III.
PROGRESS OF THE COLONY-MASSACRE OF 1622-DISSOLUTION OF THE LONDON COMPANY.
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State of the colony at Smith's departure,-its conduct and consequent sufferings, -Arrival of Gates-of Lord De La. Ware,-his departure. Arrival of Dule,-Martial law,-Gates Governor,-Grants of land to individuals,-New charter,-Marriage of Pocahontas,-Friendly. relations with the Indians,-Subjection of Port Royal and Manhat- tan,-Cultivation of Tobacco,-Tenure of lands,-Tyranny of Argall, -Propriety of reform in the government,-Yeardley Governor,-First colonial assembly in 1619,-Introduction of women,-Introduction of negroes by the Dutch in 1620,-Constitution brought over by Sir Fran- cis Wyatt .- Relations with the Indians,-Massacre of; the 22d of March, 1622,-its consequences,-Struggles between the king and the company,-Commissioners sent to Virginia,-Firmness of the Vir- . ginians,-Dissolution of the company,
WHEN Smith left the colony, it contained four hundred and ninety odd : persons. The harvest was newly gathered and there was provision for ten weeks in the stores. The savages were in a good state of subjection and readily yielded at a reasonable price whatever they could spare. All things were in such a condition that prudent management might have in- sured the most brilliant success, but the wildest confusion and anarchy pre- vailed, The new President was so ill that he could not attend to business; and twenty others endeavored to hold the reins of government. When the savages found that Smith was gone they speedily attacked and broke up the establishments at Powhatan and Nansemond, driving in the rem- pant of the men their butcheries left, to subsist upon the rapidly wasting provisions of James Town. Ratcliffe with a vessel and thirty men attempt; ing to trade with Powhatan was by his carelessness cut off, and he himself with all his company perished except two, who were saved by the humani- ty of Pocahontas. West with a crew of thirty escaped in a ship to be- come pirates .* The miserable company now left without control or authority, and composed with a few exceptions of "gentlemen, tradesmen, servingmen, libertines, and such-like, ten times more fit to spoil a common- wealth, than either begin one, or but help to maintain one," now gave free rein to all their evil dispositions. Each one, sought only to gratify his passions or preserve his own life, without regard to the wants or sufferings of the rest. There was no union, no concert, no harmony. Vice stalked abroad in her naked deformity, and her handmaids, misery and. famine followed in her train. The savages attacked and slew the whites upon every occasion, and forming a systematic plan to starve the remainder, they would supply no further provisions; after they had bought every disposa- ble article at the fort, even to most of their arms, at such a price as they
* Smith in book 4, pa, 2, says, "sailed for England."-Bancroft 156, says on the authority of Stith-"became pirates."
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chose to exact. The corn was speedily consumed, next followed the domestic animals, poultry, hogs, goats, sheep, and finally the horses; all were consumed even to their skins. The only resource was in roots, acorns, berries, and such other anwholesome stuff as could be found ; nay so pinching was the hunger, that savages who had been slain and buried were disinterred to be consumed, and even some of the whites who had perished were used to preserve life by the rest. Of nearly five hundred that Smith left, in six months only sixty emaciated beings remained alive; and these were without the possibility of support for longer than ten days.
When Gates and Summers were shipwrecked on the Bermuda rocks, their good management saved the life of every individual, and a large proportion of their provision and stores. On this island although unin- habited, nature was so bountiful, and presented spontaneously such a rich variety of productions suitable to the sustenance of man, that their hun- dred and fifty men lived in ease and abundance for nearly ten months. The disagreeable idea of remaining thus upon an island, cut off from all intercourse with the rest of the world, stimulated them to the exertion necessary to build two barks, with such rude instruments as they possessed, from the wreck of their old ship and the cedars of the island. In these they embarked for Virginia, expecting to find in the comforts and plenty of a flourishing colony ample solace for all their toil and difficulties. What then May 23. was their astonishment when they reached James Town, after a
more prosperous voyage than they could have expected in their crazy vessels, to meet instead of the warm and joyful welcome of their coun- trymen, in the full fruition of health and plenty, only the greedy cravings of a few miserable wretches, begging for a sufficiency of food to preserve their existence. Not anticipating this melancholy situation they had only provided themselves with enough provision for their voyage, and were unable to releive the necessities of their fellow creatures, whose sufferings it was so painful to witness. It was impossible in this situation to re- main longer in the colony. All were embarked on board the: vessels, James Town was abandoned, and it was with difficulty that its depart- ing citizens could be prevented from setting fire to the habitations in which they had suffered so much misery. All the provisions which could be raised did not amount to more than would support them for sixteen days, at the most limited allowance, yet with this they set out with the hope to reach Newfoundland, where they expected to be relieved by'the British fishing vessels.
But although it had been the will of heaven to permit the colonists to receive an awful chastisement for their misconduct, yet it was not decreed by the ruler of all human affairs that the colony should be entirely aban- doned, and so much labor and suffering be useless to mankind, or so fine a country left in its original wild and unimproved condition. Before' Gates and his associates had reached the month of James river, they were met by Lord De La Ware with three ships, having on board a number of new settlers, an ample stock of provisions, and every thing requisite for defence or cultivation. By persuasion and anthority he prevailed upon them to June 10, 1610, return to James 'Town, where they found' their fort, and houses and magazines in the same situation in which they had been left. A society with so bad a constitution and such a weak and disordered frame required skillful and tender nursing to restore it to vigor. Lord De La Ware was fully competent to his station. Ilo held a long
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consultation to ascertain the cause of the previous difficulties, and concluded after listening to their mutual accusations, by a speech full of wholesome advice, recommending the course they should pursue, and assuring. them that he should not hesitate to exercise his lawful authority in punishing the insubordinate; dissolute, and idle. By unwearied assiduity, by the respect due to an amiable., and benificent character, by knowing how to mingle severity with indulgence, and when to assume the dignity of his office, as well as when to display the gentleness natural to his own temper, he gradually reconciled men corrupted by anarchy, to subordination and discipline, he turned the attention of the idle and profligate to industry, and taught the Indians again to reverence and dread the English name. - Un- der such an administration, the colony began once more March 28, 1611, to assume a promising appearance ; when, unhappily for it, a complication of diseases brought on by the climate obliged Lord De La Ware to quit the country : the government of, which he committed to Mr. Percy .* The colony at this time, consisted of about two hundred men; but the departure of the governor was a disastrous event, which produced not only a despondency at James Town, but chilled the zealous warmth of the London company, and caused a decided reaction in the popular mind in England, which was exhibited in the manner in which popular feeling delights to display itself, by exhibiting the Virginia colony as a subject of derision upon the stage.t
Before the departure of Lord De La Ware the company in England had despatched Sir Thomas Dale with supplies, and it was well he arrived so May 10, 1611. soon, for the company was already fast relapsing to their former state of idleness and improvidence, and had ne- glected to plant corn ; which he caused to be done immediately. The com- pany having found all their previous systems of government mefficient, granted to Sir Thomas Dale more absolute authority than had been grant- ed to any of his predecessors, impowering him to rule by martial law; a short code of which founded on the practice of the armies. in the low countries, the most rigid school at that time in Europe, they sent out with him. This system of violent and arbitrary government was recommend- ed by Sir Francis Bacon, the most enlightened philosophier, and one of the most eminent lawyers of his age. It proves the depth of his sagacity, for it would have been absurd to apply the refined speculative theories of civil government to a set of mutinous, undisciplined, idle, ignorant creatures, shut up in a fort, surrounded by hostile nations, and dependent upon their . own exertions for support. Surely in such a case a strong government was as necessary as in a ship at sea, and more so than in ordinary military stations, where habitual discipline preserves order, and ensures respect to the officers.
" The governor who was now entrusted with this great but necessary power exercised it with prudence and moderation. By the vigor which the summary mode of military punishment gave to his administration, he introduced into the colony more perfect order than had ever been estab- lished there; and at the same time he tempered its Vigor with so much . discretion, that no alarm seems to have been given by this innovation.
In May Sir Thomas Dale wrote to England full information 'of the
* Robertson's Virginia, pa. 80.
+ Bancroft, 150.
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weakness of the colony, but recommending in strong terms the importance of the place. His favorable representations were fully confirmed by Lord De La Ware and Sir Thomas Gates. The hopes of the company were . resuscitated, and in August, Gates arrived at James Town with six ships, . and three hundred emigrants. The colony which now consisted of seven hundred men, was surrendered into the hands of Gates, and Dale by his permission made a settlement with three hundred and fifty chosen men .upon a neck nearly surrounded by the river, which in honor of Prince . Heriry, he called LIenrico.
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One of the greatest checks to industry which had hitherto existed in the colony was the community of property in the provisions and stores .? The idle and dissipated seeing that they were to have a full share, had no stim- ulus to exertion, and the industrious were disheartened by seeing the larger portion of the fruits of their industry consumed by the idle members of the little society. So discouraging was this state of things to exertion, that fre- quently in the best tines, the labor, of thirty did not accomplish more than was done under a different system by three. Gates perceived the evil and applied the remedy. He distributed a certain portion of land to each indi- vidual to be worked for his own benefit, still paying however a small por- tion of his produce to the general store to provide against contingencies. This policy was found so advantageous that every encouragement was af- forded to individual enterprize in the acquisition of wealth. But little re- spect was paid to the rights of the Indians, for some depredation or injury from the tribe of Apamatuck, they were dispossessed of their corn and their cabins, which "considering the position commodious" were unceremonious- ly appropriated by the English to their own benefit.
The colony now having extended considerably, assumed a more regular March 12, 1612. form by pursuing a more consistent system of policy; and beginning to promise permanency, a new charter : was granted by James. This confirmed and enlarged all the privileges and im- munities which had been previously granted, extended the time of exemp- tion from duties, and enlarged their territory and jurisdiction to all islands and seats within three hundred miles of the coast. This included the new- ly discovered, fertile Bermudas, which were soon after sold by the company to one hundred and twenty of its members *
This new, charter made some changes in the constitution of the company, by giving more power to the company itself and less to the council; it also conferred the power of raising money by lottery for the benefit of the colo- ny, which was the first introduction of this pernicious system of taxation March 1621. into England, and which was soon after prohibited by act of
Parliament, but not until the company had raised nearly thirty thousand pounds by the privilege.
As the new system of policy had increased the independence and pre- served the numbers of the colony, so had it increased its strength, and the respect of the savages. One powerful tribe now voluntary sought British protection and became British subjects, another was brought to a close and friendly alliance by a tenderer tie than fear could afford.
Captain Argall in a voyage to the Potomac for the purpose of purchasing corn, fell in with an old chief named lapazaws, to whom Powhatan had en- trusted Pocahontas, which he disclosed to Argall, and offered to sell her to
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him for a copper kettle. The bargain was made, and Pocahontas being en- . ticed on board by the cunning of her guardian, was carried off without once suspecting the treachery of the old hypocrite. The authorities at Jamestown availed themselves of the possession of this lucky prize to endeavor to ex- tort from Powhatan a high ransom; but the old Emperor though he really loved his daughter; seemed to be so highly affronted at the indignity offered him, that he preferred fighting those who had robbed him of his daughter to purchasing her freedom. But whilst this matter was in agitation a trea- ty of a different character was going forward between the young princess herself and Mr. Rolfe, a highly respectable young gentleman of Jamestown, who struck by her beauty, and fascinated by her manners so far superior to the rest of her race, wooed and won her affections and obtained a pro- mise of her hand. The news of this amicable adjustment of all difficulties soon reached the ears of Powhatan, and met with his cordial approbation. He sent the uncle and two brothers of Pocahontas to witness the nuptial ceremonies at Jamestown, which were solemnized with great pomp, accord- ing to the rites of the English church. From this marriage several of the most highly respected families in Virginia trace their descent. Happy would it have been for both races, if this amalgamation had been promoted by other instances, but this is the only case upon record. This mar- riage secured. the permanent friendship of Powhatan and all under his influence; and the Chickahominies, his next neighbors, when they heard of it, sent deputies, and submitted by solemn treaty to become subjects to king James, and to submit to his governor in the colony,-to pay tribute,- and furnish men to fight against whatever enemies should attack the colo- ny ; only stipulating that at home they should continue to be governed by their own laws.
No better evidence could exist of the opinion which the colony me tain- 1613 .. ed at this time of its own stability and power, than the fact that they sent two successive expeditions under Captain Argall to the French settlements at Port Royal, in Acadia which he effectually succeeded in de- stroying. This was done in a time ef profound peace between the two na- tions, and the only semblance of right is afforded in the prior discovery of the continent by Cabot, for the French settlement was beyond the limits of the Virginia charter. As Argall returned he stopped at the port of New York, and forced Hendrick Christiaens, the governor of the Dutch colony there located, to become a subject of the crown of England, and submit to the authority of its representative the governor of Virginia, and to pay tribute. When Argall was gone, the Dutchman no doubt smoked his pipe and pursued his trade as composedly as he had before, for no use was ever made of this conquest.
We have already mentioned a partial distribution of lands by Sir Thomas Dale, for the purpose of encouraging individual industry ; it may be well to explain more in detail the tenure by which lands were held by indi- viduals. At the favored Bermudas plantation, near the mouth of the Appo- mattox, either on account of the greater merit, longer service, or some fa: vorable circumstances attending the expense of the emigration of the te- nants, the lands were held by a rent of two and a half barrels of corn annual- ly to the general stock, and one months' service, which was not to be in time of sowing, or of harvest. Those who had been brought over at the ex- pense of the company, had three acres of land allotted them and two bushels of corn from the publk store; and with shifscanty allowance were required
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to support themselves by one month's labor; the other eleven being required. by the company. This species of laborers had decreased in 1617 to fifty four, including all classes; and these were finally released entirely from their vassalage by Sir George Yeardly in 1617. The original bounty to, emigrants, coming at their own expense, or that of others than the company, had been one hundred acres of land; but after the colony became better set -; tled it was reduced to fifty, the actual occupancy of which gave a right to. as many more. The payment of twelve pounds and ten shillings to the treasurer of the company, entitled the adventurer to a grant of one hundred acres, the occupancy of which also secured a right to as many more .*
The labor of the colony which had been for a long time misdirected in the manufacture of ashes, soap, glass and tar in which they could by no means compete with Sweden and Russia, and also in planting vines which require infinite labor and attention, and for which subsequent experiments have indicated the climate to be unfit; was at length directed by the extend- ed use of tobacco, in Englandt almost exclusively to the cultivation of that 1615. article. This commodity always finding a ready price, and affairs being now so regulated that each one could enjoy the fruits of his labor, was cultivated so assidiously, as to take off the attention of the plan- ters too much from raising corn, so that it became scarce, and supplies had again to be looked for from England or purchased of the Indians. The fields, gardens, public squares, and even the streets of Jamestown were planted with tobacco, and thus becoming an article of universal desire it became to a great extent the circulating medium of the colony. Not only. private. debts but salaries and officers' fees were paid in tobacco, and the statute book to this day rarely mentions the payment of money, that it does not add as an equivalent "or tobacco."
Early in the year 1614 Sir Thomas Gates had returned to England leaving the colony, which then consisted of about four hundred men, under The com- mand of Sir Thomas Dale, who in his turn desiring to visit England and his family, left the colony in 1616 under the protection and control of Sir Thomas Yeardley.
With Dale, Mr. Rolfe and his interesting bride Pocahontas sailed. By a communication from Smith her amiable and valuable conduct was made known at court, and every attention was shown her both by the Queen and many of the nobility. This excellent Princess, whose deportment was so far superior to that which the condition of her race would authorize one to expect, that it won for her universal admiration and esteem, was destined never more to behold her father or her native land. She died at Graves- end, where she was preparing to embark with her husband and child for Virginia. Peace to her gentle spirit, her memory will not perish whilst
* Smith, Book IV. pa. 18. Bancroft I. 167,-Burke.
t Note by Robertson,-"It is a matter of some curiosity to trace the progress of the consumption of this unnecessary commodity. The use of tobacco seems to have been first introduced into England about the year 1586. Possibly a few sea-faring persons may have acquired a relish for it by their intercourse with the Spaniards previous to that period; but it could by no means be denominated a national habit anterior to that date. Upon an average of the seven years immediately preceding the year 1622, the whole import of tobacco into England amounted to a hundred and forty two thousand and eighty five pounds weight. Stith p. 216. From this it appears, that the taste had spread with a rapidity which is remarkable. But how inconsiderable is that quanti- ty to what is consumed Now in Great Britain!" or now !!
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the commonwealth of Virginia endures, or noble and generous actions are valued by her sons.
Yeardley's administration was similar to that of his predecessors, enfor- cing obedience from his own men, and the respect of the savages. He was succeeded in 1617 by Captain Argall, who was a rough seamen, accustomed to the despotic sway of his own ship, naturally tyrannical in his disposition, cruel and covetous, in short a person utterly unfit to be trusted with the ad- ministration of the arbitrary government which then existed in Virginia. For although we have considered such a government the only practicable one which could have been then established, yet it required the utmost firm- ness in the governor, tempered by mildness, prudence and discretion to make it tolerable. Such had been the case under the administration of Gates, Dale and Yeardley, and under them the colony had prospered more than it had ever done before; but such was not the disposition of this new governor. Instead of holding the severity of the laws in terrorem over them, and not actually resorting to the extent of his power except in cases of extreme necessity, he sought to bring innocent actions within the letter of the law, which indeed was not very difficult with the bloody military code which then existed. These arbitrary exertions of power were princi- pally used in the gratification of his inordinate rapacity, which in its indis- criminate grasp sought not only to clutch the property of the colonists, but also trespassed upon the profits of the compnay. Not satisfied with per- verting the labor of the free colonists to his own use or pleasures, he con- sumed the time of the servants of the company upon his own plantations. At length his conduct was so flagitious in the case of one Brewster, who was left by Lord Delaware to manage his estate, and who only sought to prevent Argall from utterly despoiling it, that neither the colony or compa: ny could bear his tyranny longer, but he was deposed and Sir George Yeardley sent in his place. Yet he contrived to escape punishment, by the mismanagement of some, and the connivance of others, and preserved all of his ill-gotten booty.
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