USA > Virginia > A history of Virginia : from its discovery and settlement by Europeans to the present time. Vol. I > Part 26
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He looked with little favour upon domestic manu- factures. Knowing that upon England must de- pend the accomplishment of his ambitious plan, he
a Grahame, iii. 9, 10; Keith, 169, 170; Beverley, 90, 91; Burk, ii. 316, 317 ; Bancroft, iii. 25; Outline, in Howe, 86; Campbell, 91, and 220 ; Holmes's Annals, i. 468. Dur- ing the prior administration of Ni- cholson, and that of Andros, farther
attempts were made to promote the growth of " towns," by acts of coha- bitation, but they met with small success.
b Beverley, 92, 93; Burk, ii. 319 ; Grahame, iii. 10, 11.
405
SIR FRANCIS NICHOLSON.
1700.]
now frowned upon all measures, the tendency of which was to render the colonies independent of their mother. This course involved him in an in- consistency which has not escaped a cotemporary observer. He had previously complained that the price of tobacco was so low that it would not pur- chase in England clothes for the planters; and in the same memorial he afterwards urges Parliament to pass an act forbidding the colonists to make their own clothing, " thus desiring," saith Beverley, " a charitable law that the planters shall go naked."ª It was, perchance, the same aspiring vanity, which induced Nicholson to transfer the seat of govern- ment from Jamestown to the Middle Plantation. He flattered himself with the hope of being the founder of a city. Under his own eye the streets were marked so as to form the letter W; and King William, it may be, was the more flattered, because this arrangement was at once the most uncommon and inconvenient that could have been selected. The new town bore the name of Williamsburg. The college buildings were already complete; and opposite to them soon arose a stately edifice, which the Governor dignified with the title of "the Capitol."b
(1700.) The Governor, though vain and designing, was a man of promptness and energy. An incident occurred in his time which deserves to be recorded. For some years the coast of America had been in- fested by a band of pirates, generally leagued to-
a Hist. Va., 92. Vide Burk, ii. 327. the sketch in Howe's Historical Col-
b Beverley, 93; Keith, 171. See lection, 321.
406
CAPTURE OF A PIRATE.
[CHAP. VII.
gether, who made the secret harbours of the con- tinent and of the West India Islands their places of concealment. As mercantile shipping increased, the temptations to this mode of life were mul- tiplied, and the absence of a heavy naval force in these waters gave confidence to the outlaws. Several merchantmen, which had been trading in the rivers of Virginia, had fallen down to Lynha- ven Bay on the outward voyage. A pirate ship, cruising out of the capes, with consummate auda- city, ventured into the bay and seized several prizes in full view of a small vessel bound up James River. But this insolence was speedily chastised. By a fortunate direction of events, the Shoram, a fifth rate English man-of-war had but just arrived, and Captain Passenger was paying his respects to the Governor when the account of the late capture was received. The Captain immediately returned to his ship, whither he was soon followed by Nicholson himself, and at night the anchor was weighed and they proceeded down the river. At daybreak they encountered the pirate just between the capes. A desperate struggle ensued ; the outlaws fought with all the resolution of despair ; the ships were nearly equal in size, and for ten hours the conflict was undecided; but at length the pirates were compelled to strike their colours, and surrender themselves unconditionally to the mercy of the King.ª
a Beverley, 94, 95, from whom I vernor Nicholson's zeal or courage obtain this account, makes some re- in this matter ; but it is certain that marks intimating doubt as to Go. the Governor was aboard the Sho-
407
DESIGNS OF NICHOLSON.
1702.]
It had been better for the fame of Nicholson, had he always confined his energies to contests with piratical cruisers. Still intent upon his scheme for uniting the colonies, he had recom- mended to the Court of England a project for erecting and maintaining forts along the western frontier of the state of New York. In order fully to comprehend this plan, it should be remembered, that England and France had waged a bloody war from 1689 to 1697, when it was terminated by the peace of Ryswick. (1702.) Queen Anne had not long been seated upon the throne, ere hostilities re- commenced, and the memorable contest followed, in which Marlborough led the allied armies to cer- tain triumph over the hosts of France.
America could not be tranquil while a conflagra- tion was raging that affected the two powers most deeply interested in her soil. The Count de Cal- liers, Governor of Montreal, had already made a strenuous effort to divide the British strength, by a blow aimed at the middle province of New York ; and though he had been unsuccessful, yet his plan was too imposing to be forgotten by either party.ª Count Frontenac, the French Governor-in-Chief, saw the importance of this point, and constantly menaced New York with an irruption of his own forces and their Indian allies. Virginia had here-
ram during the whole affair, though
a Burk, ii. 320-322 ; Marshall's he willingly yielded the honour of Am. Colon., i. 189. the fight to Captain Passenger. See Act of Assembly against Pirates, in 1699, Hening, iii. 176, 177.
408
DESIGNS OF NICHOLSON. [CHAP. VII.
tofore remained an undisturbed spectator of the contest; the tide of general war had not yet reached her borders; but she was not always to enjoy this security.
In 1695, England had proposed a plan of general defence for the colonies, by which each was to con- tribute in men and military supplies according to its population ; but this scheme did not take effect, inasmuch as every colony desired to employ its means in a manner indicated by its own compara- tive danger or safety.ª When the war was renewed, New York again became the object of attack on the one side, and defence on the other. Early in his present administration, Nicholson had proposed to the General Assembly of Virginia, that they should appropriate a sum of money to build a strong fort in the western border of the threatened colony. After due deliberation, they determined to decline this expenditure, and when their resolve was made known, the Governor was overwhelmed with astonishment and chagrin. He immediately addressed a report to the King, presenting in the strongest light the importance of the measure he wished, and he so operated on the mind of majesty, that William urged the Assembly to reconsider their vote and grant the money. We cannot fail to be struck with the firm conduct of this provin- cial body, under the influence of a monarch's ad- vice. They replied that they saw no reason to change their former view ; that neither the existing
a Marshall's Am. Colon., i. 196; Burk, ii. 322.
1
409
THE GOVERNOR'S SUBTERFUGE.
1702.]
forts nor any others, that could be built, would in the slightest degree protect Virginia, because both French and Indians might pour their destructive masses upon her, and yet not approach within a hundred miles of these fortresses; should she therefore comply with the Governor's wish, she would be weakening her own resources, and in- creasing rather than diminishing her danger.a
To these conclusive arguments, no farther objec- tion was made by the English Court. Queen Anne was content, but Nicholson was not. The reason was obvious : he had a secret purpose to accomplish, to which ran counter the determined course of the Assembly ; and from this time he ap- pears to have conceived a steady hatred of Vir- ginia and all her interests. Hastening to New York, he there took a prominent part in a farce, which deserves to be recorded only that it may be ridiculed. Professing to feel great contempt for the penurious spirit which, as he declared, had in- fluenced Virginia, he did incontinently execute his own sealed note for the sum of nine hundred pounds, to be appropriated to the desired fortresses. This magnificent act was spread abroad by the tongue of Fame, that its author might gain popu- larity ; but Nicholson, with wondrous wisdom, took a counter-bond from the person to whom his own note was given, by which it was agreed, that he should not be called upon for the nine hundred pounds until her majesty, Queen Anne, should
a Beverley, 95, 96 ; Burk, ii. 323, 324; Outline in Howe, 87, 88.
3
410
MEMORIAL OF QUARRY.
[CHAP. VII.
have granted him that sum out of the quit-rents of Virginia.ª In point of fact, no portion of this money was ever paid.
When Sir Francis returned to his own province, his ill-humour exhibited itself in many captious proceedings. To detail them would be a task more of annoyance than of profit; but there is one feature in his conduct which cannot be passed in silence. One Colonel Quarry represented some of the interests of England in the colonies, and with him Nicholson joined in preparing and presenting a memorial to the Council of Trade in the mother country. In this luminous production, they took care first to trumpet forth praises of the Governor's generosity to New York; and in so doing, they gave currency to a falsehood as dishonouring as could have been invented.b Not content with this, they proceeded to draw a portrait of Virginia cha- racter, representing her people as numerous and rich, and imbued with a dangerous republicanism, which required the sternest rebuke from the reign- ing powers. They urged immediate measures of
a Beverley, 96; Outline, in Howe, 88; Burk, ii. 325. Mr. Burk greatly misrepresents Beverley by changing a single word in a sentence quoted from him. Beverley says, " I have heard him boast that he gave this money out of his own pocket, and only depended on the Queen's this correction.
dently, the historian's comment on Nicholson's boast ; but Mr. Burk appears to attribute the whole to the Governor, and quotes thus : "though the money is not paid to him to this day," ii. 325. The accurate reader will recognise the importance of
b Memorial of Quarry, in Bever-
bounty to repay him. Though the money is not paid by him to this ley, 97; Burk, ii. 325, 326. day," 96. This last clause is, evi-
411
EDWARD NOTT.
1705.]
restraint to check this growing spirit, and declared that a frown from the Queen would have the hap- piest effect. They spoke in plain terms of the ne- cessity for a standing army to awe the rebellious, and implored that all the colonies should be united under one government, and subjected to the sur- veillance of a single viceroy.ª Such were the art- ful views of these unworthy slanderers. It is a source of the purest consolation to reflect that their advice was totally disregarded, and that one of the parties was speedily informed that her majesty could dispense with his services and his presence in her colony. Nicholson was displaced in the following year, (1704.)
On his removal, the office of Governor-in-chief of Virginia was bestowed upon the Earl of Ork- ney, who held it during thirty-six consecutive years, without once crossing the Atlantic.b In . 1705, Edward Nott arrived in the colony, and en- tered upon the duties of his place. He held a full commission from the Queen as Governor-General, in order to inspire the people with respect; but in truth, he was only the lieutenant of Orkney.c The new officer ruled with mildness, and inspired
a Memorial of Quarry, in Bever- ley, 97; Burk, ii. 326; Grahame, iii. 13; Bancroft, iii. 27-29. This memorial is preserved in the British Museum.
b Sir William Keith mentions the practice of permitting the governor to reside in England, of giving him Campbell, 91. twelve hundred pounds for doing
nothing, and his lieutenant eight hundred pounds for doing all. Hist. of Va., 171. Yet he does not seem to disapprove of this. Vide Gra- hame, iii. 65, and in note ; Old- mixon's Brit. Empire.
c Beverley, 97; Burk, ii. 329 ;
412
REVISION OF LAWS.
[CHAP. VII.
universal respect. We mark, in his short career, nothing but measures for peace and happiness. A full revision of the laws, which had long been called for, now at length took place.a Every de- partment of colonial jurisprudence was remodelled, except that relating to the church and clergy, and here Mr. Commissary Blair made so many difficul- ties that the bill was dropped, and for a season entirely lost.b One important change effected was, by the law making slaves real estate, instead of personal chattels, as they had theretofore been. This change was intended for the benefit of three deserving classes, orphans, widows, and the slaves themselves. Many of the incidents attaching upon personal property were yet retained, and it may be here mentioned, that this law, though wise in some respects, has been found inconvenient, and has long since been repealed ..
Edward Nott did not live long enough to enjoy the happiness that his gentle rule tended to give to the colony. - (1706.) He died in August of the 1 next year, and was succeeded by Edmund Jen- nings, who, as President of the Council, assumed the duties of governor. The administration of Nott was universally approved, and during its course we have but to record a single painful inci-
a This was the fifth revision since Henry II. of England. Hume, i. 158, the settlement of the colony. It will be found in Hening, iii. 229 to 481.
edit. 1832, ch. viii. An established clergy has seldom been content with impartial laws.
b Beverley, 98. Something near- c It is in Hening, iii. 333-335, ly similar occurred in the reign of chap. 23; Beverley, 98; Burk, ii. 329.
413
THE COLLEGE BURNT.
1710.] _
dent, caused not by the agency of man, but by the direction of a higher power. By some unhappy accident, the College buildings took fire, at ten o'clock at night, in a time when a public meeting had convened in Williamsburg, and before the alarm was given, the flames had gained such strength that it was impossible to arrest them. The edifice was burned to the ground, and many years elapsed before this misfortune could be fully repaired.a
Years now rolled quietly away, only to bring in- creased comfort and happiness to Virginia. Europe was involved in a terrific war, and the northern colonies sustained many of its heaviest strokes ; but the " Old Dominion" was at peace, and was content to watch the progress of affairs, and to hold herself in readiness to do her duty, whatever it might be. So profound was the calm reigning in her bosom, that the intervention of an Assembly was never required to amend existing laws, or to interpose between the governor and his people.
It is believed that Brigadier General Robert Hunter received a commission as lieutenant of Lord Orkney, and was actually on his way to the colony, when his ship was captured by a French man-of-war, and he was carried a prisoner into France.b (June 23.) In 1710, a gentleman arrived to assume the reins of her government, whose memory Virginia will ever rejoice to cherish with
2 Present State of Virginia, in b Beverley, 98, 99; Burk, ii. Beverley, viii. 232; Burk's Appen- 330.
dix, ii. 16.
414
ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD. [CHAP. VII.
gratitude and pride. Alexander Spotswood was born of Scottish parents, in Tangier, in Africa, and his earliest years were passed amid the scenes of the camp and the bivouac.ª He delighted in his profession, and bestowed upon it the close study of an acute and vigorous mind. His talent for the mathematics was remarkable, and a taste for drawing made him skilful in one of the highest duties of the military engineer. Although pos- sessed of the courage and the accomplishments which in a peculiar manner fitted him for the life of a soldier, he had not neglected civil studies, and his well-trained intellect had mastered much of the learning necessary to the lawyer and the statesman.b But perhaps his chief advantage con- sisted in his social and moral character, in which aspect it would not be easy to find one, of whom might be truly asserted so much that is good and so little that is evil. He came to Virginia after a time of active employment in the army of Britain. In the great battle of Blenheim, in which Marlbo- rough annihilated, for a season, the strength of France, Colonel Spotswood received a dangerous wound in the breast by a musket-ball, but by skilful treatment he recovered, and before the war
a Keith, 172.
c Keith, 172, says, " the battle of Hockstadt." This celebrated conflict
is known by three distinct names.
b Campbell, 91; Beverley, 99; " Telle fut la célèbre bataille qui, en Keith, 172; Burk, ii. 330, and iii. France a le nom de Hochstet, en 101, 102; Oldmixon, ii. 401; Gra- hame, iii. 66. Allemagne de Pleintheim, et en An- gleterre de Blenheim."-Voltaire, Siècle de Louis XIV., ii. 127.
415
ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD.
1710.]
was ended he received the appointment of Lieute- nant-Governor in the colony.
He had been a very short time in Virginia ere his active genius suggested plans for her improve- ment, which his industry hastened to carry into effect. A love of architectural grace displayed itself in the magazine which he caused to be built in Williamsburg; and when the Assembly, in accordance with an intention formed years before, voted money for the governor's house, Spotswood applied it with so much prudence and skill that none could regret its appropriation.a .
He devised improvements in the tobacco trade, by which the planters were to deposit their crops in public warehouses, at certain places, and to receive certificates of officers as to the amount and the quality. These certificates they could after- wards use as money ; but though this plan was in many points convenient, the people did not like it, and after a time it fell into disuse. The planters could not endure the slightest approach to the hated " law of towns." It is wonderful that Vir- ginia has ever had one hundred houses in juxta- position.
The mind of the Governor, which had so long been engaged in the immense field of European politics, could not be confined to the narrow limits of a few colonial plantations. He reflected upon the broad lands, the forests, the rivers, and mountains of America, with astonishment and delight; and it
a Keith, 172; Act in Hening, 1710, iii. 483. See Chalmers's Revolt of Amer. Colon. ii. 73, 74.
-
416
AN EXPEDITION
[CHAP. VII.
would appear that his fancy was already begin- ning to grasp some of her capacities for future greatness. He often turned his eyes to the west. A few daring pioneers had crossed the beautiful ridge of mountains which first opposed the pro- gress of settlers, and the vast region of Orange was soon to yield a part of its domain to the claims of West Augusta.a But the Alleghanies were still unexplored : their summits towered far above their eastern sisters, and the rugged precipices found among them discouraged the labours of the most enterprising and undaunted: Natural obstacles remained in all their pristine strength. Wolves, bears, and catamounts abounded in the fastnesses of this wild country; and the Indians on either side of the mountains were distinguished for their fierceness and their ability. But these difficulties, instead of discouraging the Governor, stimulated his zeal, and added to his design the attractive zest of novelty and hazard. He resolved to under- take an expedition for the purpose of exploring the country, and discovering its resources west of the rugged barrier that had hitherto bounded the hopes even of Anglo-Saxon adventurers.
When this object was made known, the General Assembly lent its aid, and made provision for its accomplishment. Some of the most enlightened
a Under the name of Orange was the whole of this magnificent region. first included all that part of Virgi- -Howe's Hist. Collections, 177. The valley was settled in 1732, by Ger- man families from Pennsylvania .- Kercheval's Hist. Valley, 64-66. nia lying west of the Blue Ridge. In 1738, the counties of Frederick and Augusta were created, covering
1
1714.]
ACROSS THE ALLEGHANIES. 417
1
men in the settlement volunteered their services, and the chivalry of the " Old Dominion" eagerly enlisted in a cause promising so much of interest and excitement.a. A number sufficient to meet all enemies were soon assembled. They were well armed, and mounted on horses selected with a special view to the duty before them. At the head of this gallant array, Spotswood turned his . face to the far West. Their course was seldom interrupted, and was almost a continued triumph. They marked carefully the resources of a country, which has since realized all the hopes they could have formed. The rich valley lying between the two chains of mountains was then covered with the wildness of nature, but it was already beauti- ful enough to attract a sensitive beholder. On reaching the base of the Alleghanies, they found it difficult to select a point at which ascent was practicable either to man or horse; but when, at length, they gained the summit, the view pre- sented repaid them for their exertions. The point they had attained gave them a view of the splen- did champaign country beyond;b and those who have often enjoyed this prospect may conceive something of the pleasing wonder it excited in the minds of colonists beholding it for the first time. Not yet content with their achievement, they de- scended into the plains below; and, after satisfy- ing themselves that America was indeed one of the favoured lands of Heaven, they returned to
a Burk, ii. 331.
b Ibid. ii. 331.
VOL. I.
27
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418
SPOTSWOOD KNIGHTED.
[CHAP. VII.
3
the East to recount their discoveries to those who had not, in person, enjoyed them.a
When the results of this expedition were made known in England, King George, who had suc- ceeded Anne upon the throne, bestowed on Spots- wood the honour of knighthood, and presented to him, as an appropriate device for his coat of arms, a small golden horse shoe, bearing the Latin in- scription, " Sic jurat transcendere montes." The English Court was not entirely insensible to the value of an undertaking so materially affecting their dominion in America; and although this achievement became afterwards the occasion of an unhappy difference between its author and the ruling powers, yet it greatly added to his fame on either side of the Atlantic. It would be unjust to suppose that one so philosophical in his habits of thought as was the Governor, was content with
a Grahame, iii. 67; Keith, 173; Governor Spotswood, and giving a Campbell, 91. The author of the Out- line, in Howe, 89, says, he “ effect- ed a passage over the Blue Ridge ;" but it was undoubtedly the Alle- ghany range that he crossed. Mr. Grahame calls him "Spottiswoode," but the original records give his own signature, "A. Spotswood." Hist. Docum., in Hening, iv. 546, 547, &c. 1.
.
b I give this incident on the au- thority of Howe's Outline History, p. 89. It has been to me a source of deep regret that I have not been able to procure the use of a very valuable manuscript, prepared by
history of the colony, from the time of his arrival, to a period near the date of his death. This MS. was carried to England some years ago, by Mr. Featherstonaugh, an English geologist, I believe, who travelled through America for scientific pur- poses. Besides other interesting matter from this work, we would have obtained an authentic account. of a society, known as " Knights of the Golden Horseshoe."-Letter to the author, from John R. Spotswood, Esq., of, Orange County, Virginia, dated March 25, 1846.
419
INDIAN CHILDREN EDUCATED.
1714.]
viewing his excursion in its physical aspect alone. He may have admired the mountains, been re- freshed by the valleys, and rejoiced in the display of almost exhaustless natural wealth ; but he could not forget the effect that the presence of man was to have in these fair regions. Although the war between France and England had been ended by the peace of Utrecht, concluded the preceding year, yet Alexander Spotswood could discern causes which would sooner or later renew the conflict, and he looked with the deepest interest to the broad valley of the Ohio, upon which the French had already thrown a glance of hope and prepa- ration.
Few events now occurred to disturb the peace or impede the rapid growth of Virginia. Blessed with good laws, a representative government, and a chief deservedly popular, she pursued her course with steadiness and content. The Governor sought to meliorate the condition of the natives still living within their bounds, by sending competent and pure men among them, to inspire a love of order and civilization. He required that some of the children of the sachems, delivered up as host- ages to the whites, should be admitted into Wil- liam and Mary College, and instructed according to their necessities for future life.ª As his admi-
a Keith, 172, 173; Burk, iii. 102; disputes with the Assembly. The Chalmers's Revolt of Am. Colon., ii. Burgesses from the counties of Vir- ginia could not yet appreciate his expanded views, and complaints and recriminations on either side some- 74. Although Spotswood was be- loved by the great body of the colo- nists, he was sometimes involved in
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