USA > Virginia > A history of Virginia : from its discovery and settlement by Europeans to the present time. Vol. I > Part 3
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a Robertson's America, i. 391.
i. 181; and in Irving's Columbus,
b Bull of Alexander VI., 2d May, i. 187, chap. viii.
1493, cited in Belknap's Am. Biog.,
41
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
1558.]
ing the morose pride of her husband, Philip of Spain. It is melancholy to reflect upon the character of a woman so repulsive, that we can ascribe to her no praise, save that of loving one whom all others united in regarding with fear and execration.a
Her love to the church of Rome and to the mo- narch of Spain, would cause her to pay unlimited respect to the papal grant of Alexander VI .; and her persecuted subjects would have sought in vain from her an humble home in America, in which to enjoy their hated religion.
But if the spirit of maritime adventure slumbered during these reigns and a part of that which suc- ceeded, and if America was left without colonies, we who now enjoy her happy institutions have pro- bably little reason to regret the delay. Colonists educated under governments grossly despotic, could not have failed to bear some impress of their origin ; and long years of suffering might have been neces- sary to cast off the moulded forms of inveterate cus- tom. Before the work of settling America had been firmly entered upon, the human mind was begin- ning to acquire that elastic power which was its happy possession in the best days of republican antiquity ; and we may yet notice, in the progress of this narrative, the influence exerted on Virginia by the principles which were gaining strength at the time when her colonization, in truth, was effected.
Elizabeth is the sovereign to whom her country is indebted for the first systematic effort to colonize
a Hume's England, iii. 316-319.
42
QUEEN ELIZABETH.
[CHAP. I.
America. The character of this great Queen would insure a vigorous prosecution of any attempt made under her auspices to extend the influence of her far-famed dominion. Inheriting from her father an inflexible strength of purpose, without the fitful inconsistency which often prostrated his efforts, she entered with her whole heart into any measure which captivated her imagination. . Possessed of a mind firm and well balanced, yet susceptible of the most varied impressions, she selected the best means to effect the ends her judgment indicated as desi- rable, and seldom failed by her vigour to render them effectual. Her mind had been carefully cul- tivated in youth, and it sought for knowledge with an ardour amounting almost to enthusiasm. An inquisitive spirit incessantly prompted her to find new sources of improvement for her people; and her fostering care had gathered around her the most learned and brilliant men of her age.ª Imperious alike in her public offices and in her own private family, her parliament trembled at the sound of her voice, and her domestics shrank from her presence with awe and distrust; but this very habit of com- mand made her the bulwark of her country in dan- ger, and urged forward with resistless force each scheme that received her favour. Even her vanity, which taught her to claim for her person the beauty
a Hume's England, vol. iv., Appen. beth in the close of her reign. Hist. iii. 193-195.
b Sir James Mackintosh, in a few pregnant sentences, sums up the tyrannous traits displayed by Eliza-
of England, Eliz., chap. v. 42l.
c Hume's Eng., iv., 163; Grim- shaw's Eng., 126.
43
HUMPHREY GILBERT.
1578.]
which nature had wholly denied to her,a was not without its influence in enlisting her feelings for the success of every plan to which she gave being.
Under this princess England put forth her gigan- tic powers, and Christendom was made to feel her influence. Russia was visited by her fleets; and the autocrat who governed amid her cities and her forests was willing to open a communion with the isle that could send forth such adventurers.b
(June 11.) Elizabeth looked with favour on Sir Humphrey Gilbert, (perhaps from love to his kins- man Raleigh,) and granted to him a patent as ample in its liberality to him as he could desire, and as little favourable to the interests of colonists as the enemies of England could wish." But this unhappy navigator fell a victim to his zeal for discovery and marine adventure. In 1583 he took solemn posses- sion of Newfoundland in the name of his mistress; but, in returning, a violent storm separated the frail barks under his charge. The pious admiral was in the Squirrel, a small vessel to which a point of true professional pride had driven him.ª When the wind had somewhat abated, the Hind was near him. Sir Humphrey was seen with a book in his hand, carelessly reading amid the storm; and the last words heard from his lips were-" We are as near
a Aiken's Memoirs, Elizabeth, i. 332-334; Grimshaw's England, 121.
b Robertson's America, i. 395.
c Hazard's State Papers, i. 24. See an extract from the patent in Bel- knap's Am. Biog., i. 279, with note 286. by Hubbard.
d " Being most convenient to dis- cover upon the coast, and to search in every harbour or creeke, which a great ship could not doe." Hak- luyt, iii. 154-in, Belknap, i. 285,
44
RALEIGH AND ELIZABETH.
[CHAP. I.
heaven by sea as by land;"-a sentiment as devout as it is true, but one which will not remove our re- gret that so valuable a life should have been en- trusted to so frail a bark. In the darkness which followed, the light of the vessel suddenly disap- peared amid the angry waters, and the noble-hearted Gilbert was seen no more.
But there survived him in England a spirit worthy of greater success than ever attended the enterprises of Sir Humphrey. Walter Raleigha was his half-brother on the maternal side, and had sailed with him in a prior voyage of discovery. This celebrated man has filled a space in the eye of the world to which nothing but splendid talents and singular energy could have entitled him. At an age when the boy is still in the doubtful career of youth, and far removed from the maturity of manhood, he left his native land, and drew his sword in behalf of the Protestant queen of Navarre.b Chivalrous courage and a love of adventure were his distinguishing traits; and if his enthusiastic spirit sometimes betrayed him into folly, his warm affections endeared him to all who best knew his heart. To man he was often haughty and forbid- ding, but to woman he was willing to submit with uncomplaining deference. A character so marked could not long escape the notice of Elizabeth, and Raleigh soon received unequivocal tokens of her
ª He invariably signed himself " Walter Ralegh," and Dr. Robert- son adheres to the correct name; but " Raleigh" has now become too well fixed by usage to be changed.
b He was but seventeen when he went to France under Henry Cham- pernon. Oldys' Raleigh, viii ; Bel- knap, i. 292.
1
45
RALEIGH AND ELIZABETH.
1584.]
favour. If we may trust to authority otherwise undoubted, an incident strictly in accordance with the romance of his nature introduced him to the Queen ; and the splendid cloak of plush and velvet which he cast upon the ground before her, and which saved the feet of Elizabeth from the miry contact that threatened them, did not fail to secure to its gallant possessor a path to the antechambers
of royalty.ª The classic novelist of Scotland has introduced this event as one of the links which bound the fortunes of the knight to the throne of his mistress ;b and the happiness of Raleigh sank for ever with the declining sun of the last and greatest of the Tudors.
(March 25.) Elizabeth granted to Sir Walter a patent as ample in every respect as that before given to his kinsman Gilbert.e She gives him power for himself, " his heirs and assigns for ever, to discover, find, search out, and view all such remote, heathen, and barbarous lands, countries, or territories, as were not actually possessed by any Christian prince or people," and to colonize them from England. The principles of the feudal system were called in to perfect this grant; and the Queen, as the great proprietor in feudal sovereignty of all her present
a Fuller's Worthies of England, zard's State Papers, i. 33-38. An Devonshire, ii. 287. The grave and judicious annotator on Belknap does not hesitate to repeat this account. Am. Biog., i. 296.
b Sir Walter Scott's Kenilworth, i. 228, (Philadelphia ed., 1821.)
abstract sufficiently full is given in Burk's History of Virginia, i. 41-45, copying from Stith. See Tract " Nova Britannia," 8, in vol. i. of Peter Force's Collection of Historical Tracts, published at Washington in
" This patent may be seen in Ha- 1836.
46
A PATENT.
[CHAP. I.
and future dominions, made Raleigh and his heirs her tenants in fee simple of his discoveries, reserving to herself the duty of homage and the fifth part of all gold and silver which should at any time be found. The patent also gives to its holders full license to " encounter, expel, repel, and resist" all persons who should be guilty of the unpardonable insolence of inhabiting these countries, or any place within two hundred leagues of their settlements in six years then to ensue, unless these countries should have been previously planted by the subjects of some Christian prince in amity with her majesty,-and to capture, "by any means," all vessels or persons trafficking or found without license within their limits. Amid so much of narrow policy and extra- vagant claim, it is at least pleasing to find recog- nised that merciful principle of international law, which exempts from hostility the unhappy victims of shipwreck cast upon the shores of the settlers ; but in Elizabeth's patent even this exception is confined to " persons in amity with her."
The holders of the patent are farther authorized " to correct, punish, pardon, govern, and rule, as well in causes capital or criminal, as civil," all the inhabitants of these colonies. It is strange that any men should have been found willing to entrust themselves to a dominion so absolute and liable to so ruinous abuse ; but the colonist confided rather to the honour, the humanity, the common sympathies of his adventurous leaders, than to rights derived from a patent which tacitly denied to him the lowest pri- vileges of self-legislation.
47
A MONOPOLY.
1584.]
After granting this instrument to her favourite, the Queen provided him with the means of render- ing it efficacious. Her own coffers were not in- vaded, but the hoards of the luxurious in her realm were indirectly visited to procure the needed mo- ney. (Dec. 18.) She gave to Raleigh a monopoly for the sale of sweet wines throughout the king- dom,ª by which he was enabled to realize immense profits ; and however fatal was the general policy of vesting in single interests the exclusive right to any branch of trade, yet the world has small reason to regret a tax upon wealthy indulgence, which was applied to the labour of pioneers in the western wilderness.
Sir Walter himself never visited North America, although many have believed that he did.b His spirit of adventure might have impelled him to un- dertake an enterprise so congenial to his taste ; but
a Oldys' Raleigh, xxvi; Bancroft's sion renders this falsely, "qui gene- rosum D Walterum Ralegh, in eam regionem comitati sunt," thus con- veying the idea that Raleigh him- self went to America, and that others "accompanied him." See Stith's Hist. Va., 22; Oldmixon's Brit. Emp., i. 350 ; Burk's Hist. Va., i. 45; Bel- knap's Am. Biog., i. 308. Beverley makes Sir Walter come in person to "the land at Cape . Hatteras," in search of the colonists whom Sir Francis Drake had taken away, (History of Virginia, 8,) but he gives error. U. S., i. 108; Burk's Hist. Va., i. 41. b The source of this error has been satisfactorily explained. Thomas Heriot, an accomplished mathema- tician and scholar, who accompanied Sir Richard Grenville to America, on his return to England, wrote a description of the country and its natural history, which is found in English in Hakluyt, iii. 266, (cited in Belknap, i. 308;) and in Latin, in De Bry's Collec. of Voyages. The English narrative gives correctly a passage-" the actions of those who no authority, and is, doubtless in have been by Sir Walter Raleigh therein employed ;"-the Latin ver-
48
A MONOPOLY.
[CHAP. I.
England and her European neighbours now offered all that his heart could wish, of exciting incident, and of prospect for renown. He was content to interest in his scheme of colonization his two rich relatives, "Sir Richard Grenville the valiant, Mr. William Sanderson, a great friend to all such noble and worthy actions, and divers other gentlemen and merchants."a Two barks were equipped and fully provided with every thing necessary to success. They were well supplied with men, and were en- trusted to the command of captains Philip Amidas and Arthur Barlow, to whom was committed the responsible task of planting English enterprise upon the soil of the West.
They sailed from England on the 29th April, high in hope, and full of that novel interest felt by men who are hazarding their lives in a cause and clime hitherto untried. Unskilled yet in the higher mysteries of navigation, and fearful of departing from the course formerly pursued by traversers of the Atlantic, they steered first to the Canaries, and thence to the West Indies, where the summer heats caused sickness among them.b At length, after this needless delay, they approached the great con- tinent, now first to be visited by Englishmen whose professed design it was to find among its magnifi- cent forests a home for themselves and their chil- dren. (July 2.) As they drew near to the shores
a Smith's History of Virginia, i. 81. Bay of Mexico, between the capes of b Smith's Hist. Va., i. 81; Bel- Florida and Havana, was much knap's Am. Biog., i. 300; Barlow stronger than we afterwards found it to be." " doubted that the current of the
1584.]
FLOWERS OF AMERICA. 49
they had so long waited for, although the eye was yet unable to discern the distant landscape of luxu- riant verdure, yet another organ of sense told them with unwonted accuracy of the charms which na- ture had lavished upon America. A fragrance as of a thousand different flowers, varying in their odour yet uniting in their pleasing address to the senses, filled the air, and was wafted across the water to the approaching barks.ª It seemed as though the land they sought were already apprised of their coming, and were wooing them to her em- brace by the delicious breath of her yet unviolated children.
Determined to avoid the error of former navi- gators, who had, with few exceptions, sought first the stormy seas and inhospitable coasts of a high northern latitude, Raleigh had encouraged his subordinates to seek the temperate south; and it was partly their desire to make the' continent far below the cliffs of Labrador, that had induced them to sail by the Canaries and West Indian Islands. The land they were now drawing upon was the coast of Florida; but, turning their bows north- ward, they sailed yet one hundred and twenty miles before they discovered a harbour which seemed to invite them to enter. At length, on the 13th July, they landed on an island which they soon acknowledged under its Indian name of Wo- cocon; and, with grateful hearts, they returned
a Harris' Voyages, ii. 201 ; Smith's Burk's Hist. Va., i. 46; Frost's Pict. Hist. Va., i. 81; Bancroft's U. S., Hist. U. S., i. 75. i. 105; Belknap's Am. Biog., i. 300.
VOL. I.
4
50
THE ISLE OF WOCOCON.
[CHAP. I.
thanks to the Divine Protector who had guided them in safety across the treacherous ocean.ª
The isle upon which they entered, was the southernmost of the two which form the mouth now known as Ocracock Inlet.' In the winter season, the whole eastern line of these islands is to be approached with extreme caution, even by the most skilful navigators. Terrific storms rage around their borders, and the projecting headland of Hatteras stands out like a fearful demon, to in- spire dread in the bosoms of weather-beaten voya- gers.º (July.) But the adventurers now ap- proached them at a season when the sea is calm, and when the verdure of these circling islands would offer to the eye and the mind hopes of tran- quillity and of plenty. They were in a special manner struck with the appearance of the country. The beach was sandy,d and extended far into the land, but a dense cover of small trees and clam- bering vines shaded the interior, and furnished many pleasing retreats from the rays of the sum- mer sun. The quantity of grapes was so enor- mous, that every shrub was filled with them : the rising ground and the valley were alike laden with their abundance. Even the waves of the ocean, as they rolled in upon the sandy beach, bore back immense numbers of this teeming fruit, and scat-
a Smith's Hist. Va., i. 81.
c Murray's Encyc. Geog., iii. 529.
d Smith's Hist. Va., i. 81 ; Mur-
b Bancroft's United States, i. 105. Compare Stith, Hist. of Va., on p. 9, ray's Encyc. Geog., iii. 529. with Belknap's Am. Biog., i. 301, citing Barlow's account.
51
INDIAN HOSPITALITY. 1
1584.]
tered them in profusion along the coasts of the contiguous islands.ª
Many of the trees were odorous, and imparted to the air that healthful freshness peculiar to the fragrance of nature. The cedar, the sassafras, the cypress, the pine, were all abundant; and in the woods were found the hare and the deer, almost tame from the absence of civilized destroyers. The fabled island of Calypso could scarcely have ex- ceeded the charms of this spot as it appeared to the adventurers, and the genius of Fenelon might, without injustice, have given to the goddess a resi- dence in summer upon the coasts of North Caro- lina. b
No human being was seen by the voyagers until the third day, when a canoe, carrying three men, came by the shore. One of them landed, and, though probably filled with surprise, he evinced neither distrust nor fear. He received with appa- rent gratitude the gifts of his new friends, and, on leaving them, hastened with his companions to a favourable spot, whence they soon returned with the canoe laden with fish. Dividing these into two parts, he intimated, by intelligible signs, that he intended one portion for each vessel.c
ª No attempt at exaggeration is daient en festons. Le raisin plus here used .- See Smith's Va., i. 81. éclatant que la pourpre, ne pouvait se cacher sous les feuilles, et la vigne etait accablée sous son fruit." -Télémaque, Liv. Prem. Mr. Bancroft in describing this scene is moved to a paragraph not devoid of poetry, i. 106 .- See Purchas, iv. 1645.
b " Les collines voisines etaient couvertes de pampres verts qui pen-
c Burk's Hist. Va., i. 47; Bel- knap's Am. Biog., i. 302.
52
INDIAN HOSPITALITY.
[CHAP. I.
This savage hospitality was followed up on the succeeding day. Several canoes arrived, bringing many of the natives, and, among them, Grangana- meo, the brother of Wingina, the king. The In- dian monarch himself was kept from his guests by a severe wound, received not long before in a con- flict with a neighbouring tribe. His brother la- vished upon the voyagers all the simple kindness that his heart could suggest. He left his boats at a distance, and, approaching with his people, in- vited an interview. Spreading a mat upon the ground, he seated himself, and made signs to the English that he was " one with them."
A friendly interchange of courtesies took place. The child of nature seemed strangely pleased with a pewter dish, which he hung round his neck, and with a copper kettle, for which he gave fifty skins, " worth fiftie crowns."ª He brought his wife and children to his new friends; they were small in stature, but handsome, and graced with native modesty. When the trafficking was in progress, none of the savages ventured to advance until Granganameo and the other great men were satis- fied. They were his servants, and were governed, while in presence of their monarch, by a rule more absolute than that exercised by the kings of civil- ized climes, though his dominion virtually ceased when they passed beyond his sight.
The gentle manners of these people induced Captain Barlow,' and seven others, to comply with
2 Smith's Hist. Va., i. 82.
this visit in his letter to Raleigh .-
b Burk says, Captain Amidas, i. See Smith, i. 83 ; Belknap, i. 303. 49 ; but it was Barlow, who mentions
53
ENGLISH CAUTION.
1584.]
their request, and visit Granganameo on the Isle of Roanoke. They sailed up the river Occam (now known as Pamlico Sound) about twenty miles, and arrived in the evening at the north end of the isle, where they found nine houses, built of cedar, for the families around the chief. Granganameo was absent, but he was well represented; and in the very opening of their enterprise the settlers of Virginia were to receive from the gentle nature of woman a support which afterwards preserved them from destruction. The wife of the chief ran, brought them into her dwelling, caused their clothes to be dried, and their feet to be bathed in warm water; and provided all that her humble store could afford of venison, fish, fruits, and ho- miny for their comfort.a
When her people came around with their bows and arrows-the usual implements for hunting,- the English, in unworthy distrust, seized their arms, but this noble Indian woman drove her fol- lowers from the lodge, and obliged them to break their arrows, in proof of their harmless designs. Though her whole conduct gave evidence of open- hearted and determined good faith, yet the adven- turers thought it most discreet to pass the night in their boat, which was launched and laid at anchor for this purpose. The wife of the Indian chief was grieved by their conduct, yet she relaxed not her efforts for their comfort. Five mats were sent to cover them from the heavy dews of the season, and a guard of men and women remained during
a Belknap's Am. Biog., i. 303 ; Campbell's Hist. Va., 10.
54
ENGLISH CAUTION.
[CHAP. I.
the whole night on the banks of the river.ª The learned and philanthropic Belknap might well pro- pose the question, "Could there be a more en- gaging specimen of hospitality ?" Yet can we not blame the caution of the English, for on their safety depended the voyage; and they had not now first to learn that man in a state of nature is prone to violence and treachery.
These Indians were represented by the voyagers on their return as gentle and confiding beings, full of innocent sweetness of disposition, living with- out labour, and enjoying a golden age in their west- ern home; yet, by a singular inconsistency, the same narratives tell us of their feuds with other tribes, their fierce wars (often urged to extermina- tion), and of those perfidious traits which so uni- formly enter into the character of the savage.b It is not irrational to suppose that the enthusiasm en- gendered by the discovery of a clime so full of na- tural charms, affected the view of the adventurers as to every thing connected with this land; and suffering and cruelty, both in the settlers and in the natives, slowly dispelled the pleasing vision.
Beyond the island of Roanoke they made no at- tempt to extend their voyage; and they collected no intelligence that could be useful or interesting, except a confused statement from the Indians that,
a Smith's Hist. of Va., i. 84; Burk's 3, says-" That they seemed rather Va., i. 50; Belknap, i. 394.
b Belknap's Am. Biog., i. 304; Burk's Va., i. 48. Dr. Robertson has with more soberness estimated their character, i. 398. Beverley,
to be like soft wax, ready to take an impression, than any ways likely to oppose the settling of the English near them."
55
MANTEO AND WANCHESE.
1584.]
twenty or thirty years before, a ship had been wrecked upon their coast.ª What this ill-fated messenger was we do not know. It may have been one of the many barks shattered by the winds and waves in the dangerous passage of the Atlantic, and gradually driven by tide and current to the shores of Carolina.
Having thus happily accomplished some of the objects they had sought, the voyagers set sail on their return to England, taking with them two na- tives, Manteo and Wanchese, who voluntarily ac- companied them to the " great country" beyond the sea. They arrived about the middle of September, and immediately sought the Queen, and laid before her an account of their voyage, and of its results. There was much of truth as a basis for their won- drous descriptions ; but the sober observer will not fail to mark in this narrative the impress of imagi- nations heated by the novelty of their performance and the encouraging hopes of their royal mistress.b They spake of the land they had visited as an earthly paradise ;- its seas were tranquil and gem- med with green islands, on which the eye delighted to rest,-its trees were lofty, and many of them would rival the odoriferous products of tropical soil,-its fruits were so lavishly supplied by nature, that art needed to do little more than gather them in
a Belknap, i. 304; Burk's Va., so temperate, sweet, and whole- i. 51. I have found no account of some,-the woods and soil so charm- this Indian statement in Smith.
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