USA > Virginia > Historical collections of Virginia : containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c. relating to its history and antiquities ; together with geographical and statistical descriptions ; to which is appended, an historical and descriptive sketch of the District of Columbia. > Part 4
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For six or seven weeks Smith was led about in triumph by these simple people, and exhibited to the tribes between the James and Potomac rivers, during the whole of which time he was in hourly apprehension of being put to death; but was generally well treated, and provided with most of the luxuries which their simple state afforded. At length he was brought before their om. peror, Powhatan, who received him with all the formal pomp and state known to his savage court. A long consultation was held by the council there assembled, upon the disposition to be made of him, which terminated unfavorably. He was seized by a num- ber of the savages, and his head laid upon two great stones which had been brought there for the purpose. His executionery had already raised their clubs to dash out his brains, and thus at once end his toil and difficulties, and cut off the only hope of the colony, when an advocate appeared, as unexpected as would have been the appearance of an angel sent immediately from heaven to ask his release. This was Pocahontas, the emperor's favorite daugh .. ter, who generously stepped forth and entreated, with tears, that Smith might be spared. And when she found this unavailing with the inexorable judges, she seized his head, and placed it under her own, to protect it from the blows. This sight so moved Powhatan, that be permitted Smith to live, intending to retain him to make trinkets and utensils for his family and himself. But a few days afterwards Powhatan told him they would be friends again, and sent him back to Jamestown, with an offer of a large district of country in exchange for two great guns and a grindstone ; but the party who were to carry these things found them so heavy, and were so much terrified by the effect of the guns, when discharged at a tree, that they were well satisfied to return without them. having received a few paltry baubles and trinkets. Smith's return again prevented a party from running off with the pinnace; which so incensed them that they laid a plot to stay him, by a mock trin! for the death of the two mon he had left in the canoe, and who . were slain by the savages ; but he was too prompt for the conspir. ators, whom he seized and kept close prisoners until he had an opportunity of sending them to England for trial The colony was now only preserved from perishing by the kind-
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ness of Pocahontas, who brought ample supplies every four or five days.
During this time the little colony had not been forgotten by the company in England, but Newport, soon after his return, was again dispatched, in company with another ves. sel, commanded by Francis Nelson, furnished with all things which could be imagined necessary either for the crew's or the colonists. Nelson, when in sight of Cape Henry, was driven by a storm so far to sea, that he was obliged to land in the West Indies to refit and renew his supply of water. Newport arrived without an accident. Before the arrival of this supply, Smith had established a regular intercourse with the savages, and bought their provisions at moderate prices, which the high estimation in which he was held by them, and the awe which his name inspired, enabled him to fix for himself. But now the poor colonists were so grateful to the mariners who had come to their re- bef, that they were permitted to trade at such prices as they thought proper, by which means, it followed, in a short time, that a pound of copper would not purchase what had before sold for an ounce. Newport thought proper to pay a visit of ceremony to Pow- hatan, who received. the party with great dignity and state. During this visit, a
contest of wits took place between the two parties, in which Powhatan evinced infinitely greater diplomatic skill than Captain Newport ; and by working upon his pride, was very near consumating a highly advantageous bargain ; but he in his turn was out- witted by the ingenuity of Smith, who, having passed many baubles before his eyes, and finding that his attention was attracted by some blue beads, affected to value them exceedingly, and intimated that they were not to be worn except by the greatest per- sonages: This inflamed the desire of the emperor to such an extent, that he cheerfully gave several hundred bushels of corn for a pound or two of these rare jewels, whosc beautiful color resembled the pure ether of heaven. The same stratagem was afterwards played off by Smith, with equal success, upon Opechankanough, king of Pamunkee.
Unfortunately, when Smith and Newport returned to Jamestown with this new sup- ply, and added it to their former store, it took fire and the greater part was consumed, together with many of their dry-thatched dwellings, a portion of their palisade fortifica tions, and some of their arms, bedding, and apparel.
Instead of returning home with all possible expedition, Newport remained fourteen weeks in the colony, consuming the precious provisions which should have been applied to the support of the unfortunate individuals he was to leave behind him. Unfortu- nately, too, he had brought out some gold refiners in his ship, who having discovered a glittering earth near Jamestown, thought it gold ; and all hands were diverted from their useful toil, for the purpose of lading his ship with this worthless article. To such an extent did this mania prevail, that Smith says, " there was no talk, no hope, no work, but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold." Newport, having completed his cargo, at length returned home. Soon after his departure, the Phoenix, the vessel of Nelson. which had been given up for lost, arrived, with all his men in safety, and a good stock of provisions ; which he freely and fairly gave to the colonists to the extent of his ability. The next subject for consideration was the return cargo; to obtain which, the president wished Smith to examine the commodities to be found in the country above the falls ; others wished the lading to be of the same gold with which Newport was freighted ; but Smith, more prudent than either, succeeded in loading the Phoenix with cedar, which was the first available cargo sent from Virginia to England.
Smith accompanied the Phoenix, as far as Cape Henry, in a June 2, 1608. small open barge with fourteen men, with which equipment he proposed to accomplish his long cher- ished object of exploring the Chesapeake and its tributary waters. It is not our purpose to follow him through his two wonderful voyages, undertaken for this purpose, but we will merely present an outline of his course from the pen of an able modern author,* from whom we have before quoted. " Two voyages, made in an open boat, with a few companions, over whom his superior cour- age, rather than his station as a magistrate, gave him authority,
* Bancroft, Hist. U. States, vol I. p. 149.
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occupied him about three months of the summer, and embraced a navigation of nearly three thousand miles. The slenderness of his means has been contrasted with the dignity and utility of his discoveries, and bis name has been placed in the highest rank with the distinguished men who have enlarged the bounds of goograph- ical knowledge, and opened the way by their investigations for colonies and commerce. He surveyed the bay of the Chesapeake to the Susquehannah, and left only the borders of that remote river to remain for some years longer the fabled dwelling-place of a giant progeny. The Patapsco was discovered and explored, and Smith probably entered the harbor of Baltimore, The majestic Potomac, which at its mouth is seven miles broad, especially in- vited curiosity ; and passing beyond the heights of Mount Vernon and the City of Washington, he ascended to the falls above George- town. Nor did he merely explore the river and inlets. He pen- etrated the territories, established friendly relations with the native tribes, and laid the foundation for future beneficial inter- course. The map which he prepared and sent to the company in London is still extam, and delineares correctly the great outlines of nature. The expedition was worthy the romantic age of American history." The map is indeed astonishingly accurate. We cannot forbear adding the corroborating testimony of the dis- tinguished Robertson# upon this subject, which is also quoted and approved by Marshall.| "He brought with him an account of that large portion of the American continent now comprehended in the two provinces of Virginia and Maryland, so full and exact, that after the progress of information and research for a century and a half, his map exhibits no inaccurate view of both countries. and is the original upon which all subsequent descriptions have been formed."
When Smith returned to Jamestown he found that little had Sept. 7, 1608. been done, and a whole summer, which was a season of plenty, was wasted in idleness by the folly and imbecility of the president, whose conduct was so outrageous that the company had been at last forced to depose and imprison him.
Smith was now elected president, and his energetic conduct
speedily brought affairs into good order, and repaired
Sept. 10. as far as possible the injuries occasioned by the mis- conduct of his predecessor.
Soon after Smith's election Newport again arrived, with the preposterous order, supposed to have been procured by his own representations, not to return without a lump of gold, discovery of a passage to the south sea, or one of the lost company sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh. He also absurdly brought some costly articles for the royal household of Powhatan, which served only to inflate the pride, without conciliating the affection of that prince. Some Poles and Dutchmen were also brought for the purpose of
* See Robertson's Hist. of Va. p. 71.
t Marshall's Introduction to Life of Washington, p. 41.
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manufacturing pitch, tar, glass, ashes, &c., which would have been well enough if the colony had been in a condition always to defy famine, but which it was impossible to accomplish now, when every man's exertions were necessary to proeure a sufficiency of food. Notwithstanding Smith's remonstrances, Newport insisted upon his trip of discovery above the falls of James River, for the purpose of discovering a route to the south sea, although Powhatan had assured them that the story they had heard of there being a ses in that direction was utterly false. The party returned, as Smith had predicted, disappointed and disheartened. Since this project had failed, Smith having first procured a supply of provisions, which Newport and the rest with all their vain boasting and their costly presents had failed to do, and knowing that it was as im- possible to find a lump of gold, or one of Raleigh's company, as it was to find the south sea on James River, set himself to work to supply a cargo of tar, pitch, boards, ashes, and such articles as they had it in their power to procure, although with great difficulty and labor. So effectually did he exert himself, and so much authority had he acquired over the delicate gentlemen under his control, whose tender hands blistered with the use of the axe, that in a short time he had provided a sufficient cargo for Captain Newport, who at length departed, leaving two hundred souls in the colony. By the return of the vessel Smith wrote to the coun- eil a letter detailing the cause of their mishaps, assuring them that they need not expect a sudden acquisition of wealth, and that nothing was to be obtained but by labor. He complained of the want of judgment and economy in the expenditure for the benefit of the colony, which prevented them from reaping an advantage of greater value than a hundred pounds judiciously expended would purchase, from an actual outlay by the company of two or three thousand. He also especially complained of the habits and character of the men sent out, and entreated them when they sent again, rather to send "but thirty carpenters, husbandmen, garden- ers, fishermen, blacksmiths, masons, and diggers up of tree-roots, well provided, than a thousand such as they had; for unless they could both lodge and feed them, they would perish with want before they could be made good for any thing."
From the departure of the ship until the next arrival, the men 1609. were only preserved from perishing by the most active and unremitting exertions of their president, the detail of whose conduct in his intercourse with the savages, and his man- agement of the ill-assorted, disorderly. turbulent spirits under his control. is one of the most interesting stories in history, and proves him to have been a man of extraordinary abilities.
Although the fond anticipations of the Virginia company had been entirely dissap- pointed, a spirit seems to have prevailed, which was rather disposed to surmount all difficulties by increased exertion, than to succumb to the accumulated misfortunes which had already been encountered.
The company seemed to have perceived their error in expecting a sudden acquisition
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of wealth from their American possessions ; and the defects in the government estab- May 23, 1609. lished by the first charter. To remedy these evils a new charter way obtained, in which many individuals and corporate bodies were included, of great wealth, power, and reputation.
By the new charter the power which had before been reserved by the king was now transferred to the company itself ; which was to have the power of choosing the supreina council in England, and of legislating in all cases for the colony. The powers of the governor were enlarged from those of a mere president of the council, to supreme und absolute civil and military control : the instructions and regulations of the supreme council being his only guide or check. There can be no doubt but that this Was the only practicable government which could be offered to a colony in the situation and composed of the materials which then existed in Virginia. The members of the council had only been so many petty tyrants,-the indolent and weak thwarting the exertions of the industrious and intelligent, and the cowardly and factious disputing the authority and impugning the motives of such as were brave and honorable. In truth, whenever any thing good had thus far been done, it was by the exercise of absolute authority by a mind superior to the rest ; and whatever had gone wrong, might with truth be attributed almost as much to the opposing views of the various members of the council, as to the disposi- tion of some to do wrong.
Lord De La Ware received the appointment of governor for life under the new charter, and an avarice which would listen to no possibility of defeat, and which already dreamed of a flourishing empire in America, surrounded him with stately officers, suited by their titles and nominal charges to the dignity of an opulent king- dom. The condition of the public mind favored' colonization ; swarms of people desired to be transported ; and the adventurers with cheerful alacrity contributed free-will offerings. The widely diffused enthusiasm soon enabled the company to dispatch a fleet of nine vessels, containing more than five hundred emigrants. Newport was made admiral, and was joint conanissioner with Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers to administer the affairs of the colony until the arrival of the governor. But these three indi- viduals, with a ceremonious punctilio characteristic of little minds. seeking that distinction from artificial positions in society which they cannot obtain by their own merit, could not agree in & con- test for precedence, and hence were compelled, as a compromise, all to go in the same ship : thus exposing the colony to all the danger of anarchy rather than that one should appear by the ship he occupied to be a greater man than the other.
They accordingly embarked with their commission, their direc- tions, and much of the provision, in the Sea Venture, When near the coast of Virginia they encountered a violent storm which de- stroyed one small vessel, and drove the Sea Venture so far to sea that she stranded on the rocks of the Bermudas. Seven ships arrived in safety.
When Smith heard of the arrival of this immense fipet, he at first supposed it belonged to Spain, and was sent to take possession of the colony ; he accordingly made all things ready, with his usual prompturss and energy of character, to give them a warm reception, and little fear was entertained of the result. smith had by this time by his good con - duct brought the savages so completely into subjection, by their admiration for his quali- ties and fear of his power, that they had become subjects and servants. planting and work- ing for him as he required ; and now, when it was thought he was about to be attacked by the Spaniards, they lent him all the aid in their power.
The company in England bad not attended to the wise advice of Smith in the selec-
t
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: tion of theic colonists, for it must be remarked that he had no friend at home, while his enemies were suffered there to make their own representations. In the new batch of officers Ratcliffe and Archer were sent back, who had been sent home in disgrace for their idle, dissolute, and mutinous conduct. They prejudiced the minds of the other officers so much against Smith, on the voyage, that they hated him mortally before they had seen him. The historian of the times regrets that the fleet was not composed of Spaniards instead of Englishmen, and thinks it would have been better for the colony.
The newly-imported " unruly gallants, packed hither by their friends to escape ill destinies," taking sides with Ratcliffe, Archer, and their confederates against the president, whose commission they affected to consider as having been superseded by the new commission, conducted themselves very riotously, and refused to remain in subor- dination to any authority. Smith bore this for some time patiently, expecting evers moment the arrival of the new commission, and wishing, when that event happened, to depart for England, and leave the scene of his great sufferings and glorious exertions ; being willing to quit the service of a company, who could so unceremoniously dispense with his authority, for the purpose of putting individuals over him who had no claims upon them, and who knew nothing of the management of the colony. Fortunately the commissioners had been stranded, and did not arrive, and Smith could no longer suffer affairs to remain in confusion. After his resolution was taken, he quickly laid by the heels the most factious, who had been perpetually plotting his destruction, and engaging in all kinds of mischief, until he could have leisure to do them justice.
The number still remaining at large in Jamestown being too great for that position, and more than could be well supported or easily managed, he dispatched West with a hundred and twenty of the best men he could select, to form a settlement at the falls : and Martin, with nearly as many more, to Nansemond ; providing them with a fair proportion of food and other necessary articles. Martin managed badly ; his jealous fears induced him to attack the savages in his neighborhood, who had treated him well, and take possession of a large quantity of their corn and other property-while his cowardly cantion or criminal tenderness permitted them to rally, and in their turn attack his inen with impunity, to kill and wound several, and retake all they had lost. He sent to Jamestown for a reinforcement, which he did not employ when he received, but hastened thither himself, cowering under the protection of Smith's prowess, and leaving his men to their fate.
The president set out for the falls, a few days after West had departed, and found that he had located himself in an exceedingly inconvenient station, subject to inundation, and surrounded by other intolerable inconveniences. He offered a fair proposition to Powhatan, for the purchase of his place called Powhatan, which he was willing to accept ; but the disorderly spirits he had sent thither, who were dreaming that the country immediately above them was full of gold, to which they wished no one to have access but themselves, refused the place or to ratify the contract, despis- ing alike his kindness and his authority. The president, with his five men, went boldly among them, and seized the ringleaders of the mutiny ; but the whole number of a hundred and twenty gathering in upon him, forced him to retire, but not without sciz- ing one of their boats, with which he took possession of the ship. in which their provision was lodged. Fortunately for Smith, he was sustained by the mariners, who had learned his character from his old soldiers and their own observations of his conduct, as well as by several of the officers, who had learned the error of their first prejudices, deserted his adversaries, and become his firm friends. The Indians came to Smith, whom they considered as their friend and protector, complaining bitterly of the maltreat- ment of the party at the falls, stating that they were worse than their old enemies the Monocans, from whom it was the duty of the
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party to protect them ; and seeing their turbulent disobedie ice, they offered their aid to chastise them. Smith remained nine days longer trying to heal these differences, and to convince them of the absurdity of their " gilded hopes of the South sea mines." But finding all in vain, he set out for Jamestown. Such vision- ary and disorderly persons were the first civilized inhabitants of the present polished, intelligent, and hospitable city of Richmond. No sooner was Smith's voyage commenced down the river, than the savages attacked those he left behind him, and slew many, and so frightened the rest, that they suffered the prisoners they held in custody to escape. The terrified wretches fled for safety to Smith, whose ship had grounded, and submitted, without stipu- ·lation, to his mercy. He seized six or seven of the ringleaders, and imprisoned them ; the rest he placed in the savage fort Pow- hatan, which from the beauty of its position, the excellence of its houses and fortifications, and other advantages, was called Non- such. He also satisfied the savages. This fair prospect was again marred by the imbecility of West, who listened to the deceit-
ful tales and whining entreaties of the prisoners, and released them, which again threw all things into disorder ; the evil dis- posed being the more encouraged in their mutinous conduct now, by the possession of their provisions and stores, which had been returned to them at the time of their previous submission. They abandoned Non-soch, and returned to their former inconvenient station at West's fort. Smith, finding it impossible to restore tran- quillity, again set sail down the river.
In his progress an unfortunate accident occurred, which deprived the colony of his services, and was near depriving him of life. His powder-bag accidentally exploded while he was sleeping. and tore the flesh from his body and thighs in a horrible manner. The pain was so acute that he threw himself into the river to cool the burning sensation, and was noar drowning before he could be recovered. He had yet to go nearly one hundred miles in this situation, before he could reach a surgeon, or have any soothing application applied to his wound.
When he returned to Jamestown, the time for the trial of Rat- cliffe and Archer was approaching, and these worthies, fearing the result, hired an assassin to murder him in his bed, but the heart of the wretch failed him ere he could fire the fatal shot. Failing in this, their next hope was to save their lives, by possessing theni- selves of the government ; but in this they were disappointed by Smith, who, having in vain urged all those he thought most worthy to accept the presidency, resigned it to Mr. Percy, who was about to sail for England, but was induced to stay under tho present embarrassing circumstances, to prevent the supreme con- trol of the colony from falling into the hands of the misereants who aspired to it.
Smith, finding himself disabled by his wound, the pain of which almost deprived him of his reason, and seeing that there was not
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sufficient surgical skill in the colony to restore him, determined to depart for England. He well knew that, in his disabled state, the colony was no place for him ; for it had required his uunost 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 circumstances; "his com. mission 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, while the mutinous captains were perfecting some colorable charges 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, speaking of the attempt to usurp the government immediately before his departure, says :
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