USA > North Carolina > The history of North Carolina from the earliest period, Volume I > Part 7
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1622]
THE FOURTH.
a very wide circle, were successively engaged in the conspiracy. Each tribe had its station allotted, and a part cast in the tragedy. On the morning of the day appointed, every one was at his post, and the English were so unconscious of the approaching catastrophe, that a number of Indians, who came in as spies, to as- certain whether any unthought of obstacle might pre- vent the success of the enterprise, under the pretence of bringing in, as usual, presents of venison and vegeta- bles, were received with the accustomed cordiality. As the sun reached the meridian, the foe suddenly rushed in, from every point of the compass, upon the settle- ments of the whites, in every part of the colony. Men, women and children fell, indiscriminately, under the axe or knife. Jamestown was, however, saved by the fidelity of an Indian, who lived with one of the planters, as one of his domestics, and recoiling at the idea of being the destroyer of his master, acquainted him with what was about to happen, soon enough to alarm his neigh- bours, who, running to their arms, defended themselves so bravely, as to repel the assailants. The Indians had not courage or strength of mind, to execute the horrid deed, which they had, with so much sagacity, concerted and concealed.
In some of the settlements, not one white person es- caped: in the whole, one fourth part of them fell. War ensued, and was followed by famine. Eighteen hundred persons only, survived these disasters.
Several families fled to the southward, and settled a place called Mallica, near the river May, and afterwards, visited and converted the Appalache Indians to the Christian faith.
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On the first account of this complicated series of dis- asters, a liberal collection was made for the relief of the sufferers, by the company in London. A supply of arms was obtained from the tower, and vessels were speedily despatched with the much needed relief.
While the colony experienced so disastrous a calam- ity, the company at home were distracted by dissention in her councils. The king added his influence to the efforts of one of the parties that divided the company : but its weight was not sufficient to cause the scale to preponderate. Chagrined at this, he commissioned Sir William Jones, and six other persons, to inquire into all matters respecting Virginia, from the beginning of its settlement ; and he also, at the same time, sent others to inquire on the spot. On the arrival of this deputation at Jamestown, the general assembly was called, not at their request, for they kept all their designs as secret as possi- ble. The house had information of the proceedings in England, and copies were sent over of all the papers that had been acted on ; they drew up a spirited remon- strance, and sent an agent with it to England.
This legislature is the first, the records of which have escaped the destroying hand of time. One of the acts it passed, is in the nature of a bill of rights; it de- fines the powers of the governor, the council, and the as- sembly, and it asserts and declares the privileges of the people, in regard to taxes, burdens, and personal services.
In the mean while, the king had, by a writ of quo warranto, prosecuted the annihilation of the company : he was not unsuccessful; the court of king's bench declared the charter forfeited.
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THE FOURTH.
1624]
On the 26th of August, a commission was issued for the appointment of Sir Francis Wyatt, as royal gover- nor of Virginia, with eleven assistants or councillors ; both the chief administrator and his council, were to act during the king's pleasure: no assembly was mention- ed or allowed.
James did not live to realize the fond expectations, which he now entertained, from his uncontrolled man- agement of the affairs of Virginia.
At his decease, which happened on the 27th of March, 1625 ; he left the English settlements, in Amer- ica, in a very advanced degree of progressing improve- ment. On his coming to the throne, he found not an indi- vidual of his nation living under her laws, in any part of the new world. The settlers of his province of Virginia, were now scattered over all the borders of the Chesa- peake, within the present limits of the state; they pos- sessed large herds of cattle; great sums of money had been spent, and much care bestowed, in the prosecution of useful arts and manufactures, particularly iron works, wine, silk, sawing mills and salt pans. The exporta- tion of tobacco averaged forty-two thousand and eighty five pounds a year, and a specimen of Virginia wine had been sent to England, in 1622.
The northern culony, although but four years had elapsed since "the landing of the pilgrims," had multi- plied their settlements along the coast.
Neither was the success of the English in coloniza- tion confined to the main. The small island of Bermu- das and its islots contained now, an English population equal to that of Virginia, successfully employed in rais- ing tobacco; and in the last year of James' reign, the
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[1625
islands of St. Christopher and Barbadoes, began to be added to the list of English colonies.
The French and the Dutch were the only nations that could be said to have, at this time, any establish. ment in North America, although the Spaniards had yet, as in the beginning of James' reign, a few soldiers garrisoning some forts built on the coast of Florida.
But neither the French nor the Dutch could rival the English : the first had established the towns of Quebec and Montreal, but the population there was extremely thin ; they traded at Tadoussac, and had some fishing huts on the coast of Acadia : they had also, a few sol- diers in a fort they had built, in the island of St. Christopher.
The Dutch at New Netherlands, in defence of that colony, had built several forts, one on the east side of Delaware bay, which they named fort Nassau, one up Hudson river, called fort Orange, on the spot on which stands the present town of Albany, and a third, the Hirsse of Good Hope, on Connecticut river. At the mouth of the Hudson, they had laid out the city of New Amster- dam, which is now known as that of New York ; they gave their attention, principally to the fur trade; four thousand beaver, and seven hundred otter skins, were exported to Holland, in the year 1624, estimated at twenty-seven thousand one hundred and fifty guilders.
Lord Baltimore, had abandoned the settlement he had begun at Newfoundland ; none of the European nations had any established government there; fishing vessels from the most of them, sought employment thither ; among them, the English had three hundred and fifty
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THE FOURTH.
1625]
sail, estimated at one thousand five hundred tons, em- ploying five thousand persons, and making on an average, annually, about one hundred and thirty-five thousand pounds sterling.
Smith-Stith-Beverly-Keith-Marshall.
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CHAPTER V.
SIR George Yardly was appointed governor of Vir- ginia, on the accession of Charles II. to the throne of England. The new monarch devolved, on his repre- sentative at Jamestown, the absolute government of the province, under the directions of the crown; the Vir. ginians were compelled to obey statutes, in the forma- tion of which they had no agency, and to pay taxes, for the imposition of which they were not consulted. Neither was the new oppressive system confined to their public affairs ; it soon affected private property ; the planters were forbidden to dispose of their tobacco to any per- son, but certain commissioners appointed by the king to engross that commodity; the king's favorites, at home, soon began to obtain vast and ill defined conces- sions of land, which checked the progress of agriculture, and became the source of frequent disputes about titles, and consequent litigation.
In the following year, a bill for the maintenance and increase of shipping and navigation, and for the free liberty of fishing voyages on the coasts of Newfound- land, Virginia and New-England, passed the house of commons, but never was returned from the house of lords ; it is supposed to have been the revival of a bill, the introduction of which had given offence to king James, in 1621. The spirit of the commons was not
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1627]
repressed by the miscarriage of it; in a strong repre- sentation of grievances, which they presented to the monarch, they insisted that "restraint of the subject from the liberty of a free fishing, with all the necessary inci- dents, was a great national grievance." The spirit dis- played by this animated assembly, and its refusal to grant to the sovereign a required aid, brought on its dissolution.
Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, having patron- ized the scheme of Gulielm Usselin, to establish a Swe- dish colony, near that of the Dutch, on Hudson river, .. a number of Swedes and Fins came over in the year 1627, and landed on cape Henlopen, which they called Paradise Point ; they purchased from the natives all the land from that cape to the falls of the Delaware.
On the twenty-second of June, Charles I. granted to the earl of Carlisle the island of Barbadoes, and all the Caribbee islands; the whole was erected into a province, which, in honor of the patentee, was called Carliola.
Governor Yardly dying, was succeeded by sir John Harvey. The conduct of the new administrator was not calculated to lessen the pressure of the king's despotism ; he was haughty, inauspicious, and unfeeling.
The English, the following year, settled on the island of Nevis, and at the same time was laid the foundation of the colony of Massachusetts. The council for New- England, on the nineteenth of March, sold to sir Henry Roswell, sir John Young and four other associates, in the neighborhood of Dorchester, in England, a patent for all that part of New-England, lying between three miles to the northward of Merrimack river, and three miles to the southward of Charles river, and a length within the described breadth, from the Atlantic ocean to
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[1629
the South sea, and on the following year the grantees were incorporated, by the name of "the governor and company of the Massachusetts bay, or New-England."
A commission having been given this year, by Charles I. to David Kertz and two kinsmen of his, of the same name, they advanced as far as point Levy, and sent an officer on shore, to Quebec, to summon the city to surrender. Samuel Champlain, who had the chief command there, knowing his means inadequate to a defence, surrendered the city by capitulation.
one year This year, the town of Boston, in Massachusetts, was settled.
In 1629, the English began a settlement at New- Providence, one of the Bahama islands, which at that time was entirely uninhabited.
Sir William Alexander sold all his rights in Nova Scotia, excepting Port Royal, to Saint Etienne, lord Latour, a French Huguenot, on condition that the inha- bitants of the territory should continue subjects to the crown of Scotland. The French still retained possession of the country.
Sir Robert Heath, attorney-general to Charles I. ob- tained a grant of the lands between the thirty. eighth degree of north latitude, to the river St. Matheo. His charter bears date of October 5, 1629, or the fifth year of Charles I. The preamble sets forth, that the grantee being excited, with a laudable zeal for the propagation of the Christian faith, the enlargement of his sovereign's empire and dominions, the increase of the trade and commerce of the kingdom, had besought leave, by his own industry and charge, to transplant an ample colony of English subjects, unto a certain country in America. not yet planted or cultivated.
1630]
THE FIFTH.
The land granted, is thus described : "by all that river or rivulet or San Matheo, on the south part, by all that river or rivulet of Passo Magno, on the north part, and all the lands, tenements or hereditaments, within the said two streams, by the tract thereunto, the ocean on the eastern and western parts, so far south as the continent extends itself there: and also all those islands of Vea- nis and Bahama, and all the islands and islots near there- to, and lying southward of and from the said entrances all which lie within the thirty-first and thirty-sixth de- grees of north latitude inclusively."
The tenure is declared to be as ample as any bishop of Durham, in the kingdom of England, ever held and enjoyed, or ought or could of right have held and enjoyed.
Sir Robert, his heirs and assigns, are constituted the true and absolute lords and proprietors, and the country is erected into a province, by the name of Carolina, and the islands are to be called the Carolina islands.
Sir Robert conveyed his right, some time after, to the earl of Arundel. This nobleman, it is said, planted several parts of his acquisition, but his attempt to colo- nize was checked by the war with Scotland, and after- wards the civil war. Lord Maltravers, who soon after, on his father's death, became earl of Arundel and Sussex and earl marshal of England, made no attempt to avail himself of the grant.
On the fifth of November, a treaty of peace was con- cluded with Spain, by which it was stipulated, that the subjects of both crowns should be at peace and amity, in all parts of the world. Hitherto, the Spaniards had exercised perpetual hostility against all European ships
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[163]
in the American seas, pretending, under Alexander's bull, to the exclusive right of navigating them.
Robert, earl of Warwick, having the last year receiv- ed a patent from the council of Plymouth, of all that part of New-England, which extends from Narraganset river one hundred and twenty miles, on a strait line, near the shore, towards the south-east, from sea to sea, now made it over to William viscount Say and Seal, Robert, lord Brook, and their associates. This is the original patent for Connecticut.
In the month of May, the king granted a license, un- der his sign manual, to William Claiborne, "to traffic in those parts of America, for which there was already no patent granted for the sole trade." Claiborne and his associates, with the intention of monopolizing the trade of the Chesapeake, planted a small colony on the island of Kent.
By the treaty of St. Germain, in the following year, Charles I. resigned the right which he had claimed to New-France, Acadia and Canada, as the property of England, to Louis XIII. king of France.
Sir Thomas Warner, governor of St. Christopher, established a small colony on the island of Montserrat. Antigua was settled at the same time.
George lord Baltimore, sickened by the severity of the climate, and barrenness of the soil, in his province of Avalon, having visited that of Virginia, was much pleased with the mildness of the weather and the fertility of the land, and observing that the settlements in the latter province did not extend behind the river Poto- mac, on his return, solicited a grant, but before the patent could be prepared and pass the seals, he died, on
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THE FIFTH.
1834]
the 16th of April. On the 20th of June following, his eldest son Cecilius Calvert lord Baltimore, received a grant of a vast tract of land to the northward of the river Potomac, which was erected into a province, by the name of Maryland, in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen of England, and daughter of Henry IV. of France; this included the island of Kent, of which we have seen William Clayborne had possessed himself the preceding year.
This grant gave umbrage to the Virginians; in a petition to the king, they remonstrated against " some grants of a great portion of the lands of the colony, so near their habitations, as will be a general disheartening to them, if they shall be divided into several govern- ments." Clavborne lay claim to his island, and de- clared his intention to disown the jurisdiction of Mary. land, countenanced by the Virginians, whose jealousy of the new grantee was extended to the members of the religion he professed ; the legislature passed severe laws against sectaries of all denominations : this was an in- considerate act ; it occasioned the flight of some of the planters to other colonies, and prevented the arrival of others who intended to remove to Virginia.
This year was built the first house in Connecticut.
Lord Baltimore sent over his brother, George Calvert, with about two hundred Roman Catholics ; they sailed from England in the month of November, and arrived in the Chesapeake in the following year; proceeding to the Potomac, he passed by the Indian town of that name, and went to Piscataway, where by presents to the head men, he conciliated their friendship to such a degree, that they offered to sell one part of the town to him, and to live in the other, till they could gather their N. CARO. 13
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CHAPTER. [1635
harvest, when they would resign the whole to the Eng- lish. Calvert, thus obtaining possession of the town, gave it the name of St. Mary's.
The king now gave a special commission to the arch- bishop and eleven other persons, for governing the American colonies, and an order was given to the lords commissioners of the cinque ports and other sea ports, to stop the promiscuous and disorderly departure of the king's subjects to America, and the sending of a governor-general thither was spoken of.
As soon as information of this reached Boston. there was a general meeting of as many of the colonists, as could be called together, and the clergy were wished to attend it, and give their advice; all the ministers ap- peared, except one, and the meeting came to an unani- mous resolution, that if such a governor were sent, he ought not to be received, but the people should, if able, defend their lawful rights, otherwise temporise.
In the summer, the council of Plymouth surrendered its charter to the king, that instrument being complained of in parliament, who construed it as a monopoly : and soon after, a quo warranto was brought against the governor, deputy governor and assistants of the corpo- ration of Massachusetts, on which a judgment was soon obtained against them, Preparations were made for sending over a governor-general, but a large ship, which was built for that purpose, fell asunder in the launching, and the scheme was abandoned.
In the fall, the patentees of Connecticut sent over John Winslow, as the first governor of that colony ; the Dutch of New Netherlands opposed his taking posses- sion of his government, but he prevented them, and
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THE FIFTH.
1636]
built a fort at the entrance of Connecticut river, which he called Saybrook.
The French this year made their first establishment at Cayenne, in the West Indies, under Monsieur de Bouligny.
In the following year, the settlement of Providence was began, under the auspices of Roger Williams, a minister, who had been driven away from Massachu- setts ; and John Wheelright, another minister from the same colony, who was ordered by the general court to remove out of the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, on a charge of sedition and contempt of authority, began a plantation at Rhode Island.
. Although the people in Virginia, at a great distance from the throne, and ever awed by the authority derived from a royal commission, submitted for a considerable time to governor Harvey's exactions and tyranny, their patience was at length exhausted; roused almost to madness, they seized and sent Sir John a prisoner to England.
The king found the mode, adopted by his subjects, in Virginia, to redress their own grievances, quite repug . nant to his idea of the passive obedience due to a mo- narch; he considered it as an encroachment on his rights, and a daring act of rebellion ; he refused to admit to his presence two colonists, who had come over with the governor, in order to lay the complaints of their coun- trymen at the foot of the throne, and far from hearkening to their solicitations, he renewed the powers of Sir John, and commanded him to return immediately to Jamestown.
Charles did not, however, persist long in the determi- nation of disregarding the remonstrances of the colonists ;
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[1631
either affected by their distress, or conscious of the dan- ger he ran in provoking them, to assert their rights by violence, he despatched, in the following year, Sir John Berk ey, to supersede governor Harvey.
The new administrator, on meeting the colonists, im. parted to them the orders he had received, to rule the country, according to the laws of England, and he soon after directed an clection of burgesses, to meet him and the council in a general assembly.
In the month of April, the king issued a proclamation, to restrain the transportation of his subjects to America .; it forbade the granting of any license for that purpose, unless the applicant produced a certificate of his having taken the oaths of supremacy and allegiance, and con- formed to the discipline of the church of England; and an ordinance was issued, forbidding all persons to enter. tain any stranger that should arrive in the colonies, with intention to reside, or allow him an habitation, without liberty from the standing council.
The plan of uniting the government of the American colonies, under one officer, was revived, and Sir Ferdi- nando Gorges was appointed governor-general, but it does not appear that he ever acted under his commission.
Governor Berkley had it in strict charge, to require from every vessel sailing from Virginia, a bond with surety, for the landing of her cargo in some part of the king's European dominions.
Monsieur d'Ernambuc, the founder of the French colony in the island of St. Christophers, brought from that island one hundred soldiers, to Martinico; he built a fort, which he called St. Peters', and began the settle- ment of that island.
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THE FIFTH.
1638}
The power of archbishop Laud growing grievous to the Puritans, many of them thought of seeking refuge in the American plantations ; such number of families be- gan to transport themselves, that government took um- brage, and a proclamation was issued, to prevent migra- tions to America, without the king's license. Oliver Cromwell and John Hambden, two persons who a few years after became so famous, were among a number of men of note, who had made preparations for their depar. ture, and in consequence of the proclamation. the lord treasurer was directed by an order of the king and council, to take speedy and effectual measures for the stay of eight ships, in the river Thames, bound to New- Eng- land; accordingly, Oliver Cromwell and John Hambden, and the rest of the passengers, were compelled to aban- don their intended voyage.
In the following year, Sir Ferdinando Gorges ob. tained from the crown a distinct charter of all the land, from Pasquataqua to Sagadehoc, styled the Province of Maine ; he was created lord palatine of the country, with the same powers and privileges as the bishop of Durham, in the county palatine of Durham ; he constituted a government in the province, and laid the foundation of a city, which he called Gorgeana.
This year is noted for the establishment of the first printing press in North America, it was set up at Cam- bridge; and the establishment of a nunnery in Quebec, in Canada.
The colony of Virginia was called upon by the king's letter, to grant assistance to Henry lord Maltravers, in settling Carolana, and on motion of William Hawley, who was his lordship's deputy, an order of council was inade to that effect.
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An attempt was made in parliament, to establish over Virginia the government of the ancient company, and to annul the charter of Maryland; but it was vigo- rously opposed by the Virginia assembly, and the mea- sure was abandoned: " the ancient dominion had now learned from experience, that more liberty is enjoyed under any form, than beneath the rule of a commercial company."
The French began, in 1641, to establish a colony at a place on the continent of South America, called Suri- nam, but finding the climate unhealthy, and the land low and marshy, they abandoned it to the English, who the same year, under the auspices of lord Willoughby, first settled there.
The intrigues of Clayborne in Maryland infused jealousy into the natives ; the rapid increase of the Eng. lish, threatening their own annihilation as a people, gave them much uneasiness; individuals procured their lands, without the authority of government, for considerations totally inadequate, with which, therefore, on review, they were greatly dissatisfied. These combined causes, in the beginning of 1643, brought on an Indian war, which, with its accustomed evils, continued several years.
On the nineteenth of May, 1643, was signed at Bos- ton, a treaty made between the colonies of New-Eng- land; this measure had been in agitation for several years, and five years before those of Massachusetts, Con- necticut, Plymouth, and New-Haven, had formed a treaty of amity, offence and defence, mutual advice and assistance, on all necessary occasions ; circumstances delayed the execution of this treaty, which was now subscribed by commissioners from those colonies, who
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