^ v^^' ^^y- V^ ,H V. A^ .V . ■^^ ^•^'■ *- / %■ Z i o '■ ^ % .^^' .^-^ -^^ -% ..0' '^ t*^- ^^ ,^^^' .^' .-; ■ -i ^^ *^'' , , . •*" A o \ 1 /■ _ v\ " ■^ '■ « •/ ^/- ./' v^ » V » '?>, ^"V ,0 o -^" .^^ >.■ ^,^' C'O' x'^' .-^ ■% ,.:^ -^^ ^^^'■^^^ X)^.^ .^" ..^^ ■,^^ \et>- (M:'^.:_^l 7 SIR WALTER RALEGH. VIRGINIA 1492—1892 A Brief Rcviezu of the Discovery of the Continent of North America, zvith A HISTORY OF THE EXECUTIVES of the Colony and of the Comviomvealth of Virginia. N TWO PARTS BY ^ MARGARET VOWELL SMITH WASHINGTON: W. H. LOWDERMILK & CO. 189^ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S93, By MARGARET V. SMITH, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Glens Falls (N. Y.) Printing Co. TO THE SACRED MEMORY OF MY FATHER, ITvancia Xee Smitb, whose; love for his native; state;, THROUGH E;ARLY SEFD-SOWING IN THR MIND OF THIS HIS CHILD, NOW FINDS IMPERFECT EXPRESSION HERE; AND TO THE BELOVED MEMORY OF MY BROTHER, Courtlanb Ibawl^tns Smitb, THE TYPE OF VIRGINIA CHIVALRY, THE EMBODIMENT OF A NOBLE, GIFTED, VIGOROUS MANHOOD, WHO, ORIGINATING THE IDEA OF THIS HISTORY, BEGAN ITS PREPARATION, WHEN AN UNTIMELY DEATH PREVENTED ITS COMPLETION, IS DEDICATED. Alexandria , Virgin ia . i8g2. M. V. S. Among the chief books of reference used in the arrange- ment of the following historical sketches, may be cited : HOLMS'S Annals of America. Smith's History of Virginia. Hening's Statutes at Large. Bancroft's History of the United States. Brock's Virginia and Virginiajis. Jkfferson's Notes on. Virginia. Meade's Old Chnrches and Families of Virginia. Ripley & Dana's American Cyclopcedia. I^ORd's Lempricre'' s Universal Biography . Wirt's Life of Patrick Henry. Other histories and biographies have also contributed to the information incorporated in this work. PREFACE. To THOSE who would inquire wherefore VIRGINIA is called " The Mother of States," we would hold up to view the geographical outline upon the opposite page ; and to those who seek to learn why she is known as ' ' The Mother of Statesmen," we would point to that "shining host" whose names adorn this volume; yet, who, not hers alone, have blended their deeds inseparably with the triumphs and prog- ress of this Great Republic. Love of country has been the animating cause of the making of this book, and the author indulges the hope that such an effort to present the lives of the Virginia Governors in a compacft form, may lead to other compila- tions, so that each State and Territory of an unbroken Union may lay its written tribute into the treasury of our garnered history. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART PAGE Introduction i Sir Walter Ralegh's Patent from Queen Elizabeth . 8 I. Sir Wai^ter Ralegh 15 " " described by Bancroft . . . . 17 II. Ralph Lane 19 III. John White 21 IV. Sir Thomas Smith 23 Articles, Instrucflions, and Orders for the good Order and Government of the two several Colonies and Plantations, by King James I. ....... 24 V. Edward Maria Wingfield 28 VI. John Ratcliffe 30 vii. viii. CONTENTS VII. Captain John Smith . . . . PAGE 31 " " " described by Abiel Holmes . 39 Thomas Jefferson 39 Bancroft . 40 John H. Wheeler 40 William Meade . 41 W. W. Henry . 42 William Wirt . 42 VIII. Captain Georgk Percy 44 IX. Sir Thomas Gates 46 X. IvORD De IvA Warr 47 XI. Captain George Percy 50 XII. Sir Thomas Dale 51 XIII. Sir Thomas Gates 53 XIV. Sir Thomas Daee 54 XV. Captain George Yeardley 55 XVI. Captain Samuee Argael 56 CONTENTS. ix. XVII. PAGE Captain Nathaniei. Powell 59 XVIII. Sir George Yeardley 60 ' ' A Reporte of the manner of proceeding in the Gen- eral assembly convented at James citty in Vir- ginia," July 30, 1619 61 XIX. Sir Francis Wyatt 86 XX. Sir George Yeardley 88 XXI. Captain Francis West 89 XXII. Doctor John Pott 90 XXIII. Sir John Harvey 9-1 XXIV.- Captain John West 92 XXV. Sir John Harvey 93 XXVI. Sir Francis Wyatt 94 XXVII. Sir William Berkeley 95 X. CONTENTS. XXVIII. PAGE Richard Kempe 96 " " described by Bishop Wm. Meade . . 96 XXIX. Sir William Berkeley 98 XXX. Richard Bennet 100 "Articles at the surrender of the Countrie" . . . 100 Articles, etc., agreed upon 102 ' ' An Acft of Indemquitie made att the surrender of the Countrey" 103 XXXI. Edward Digges 105 XXXII. Captain Samuel Matthews 106 Proceedings of Captain Matthews and Council in a contest with the Assembly, John Smith, Speaker . 107 XXXIII. Sir William Berkeley 113 Protest against Navigation Adt 114 XXXIV. Colonel Francis Moryson 115 Adl I. of Revised I^aws, concerning the building of Churches 115 XXXV. Sir William Berkeley 117 XXXVI. Sir Herbert Jeffries 120 CONTENTS. xi. XXXVII. PA<5E Sir Henry Chichei.Ey 121 XXXVIII. Thomas, lyORD Cuepeper 123 Lord Culpeper's hostility to the introduction of print- ing into the Colony 125 XXXIX. NiCHOEAs Spencer 126 XL. Frances, Lord Howard 127 XLI. Nathaniee Bacon 128 XLII. Sir Francis Nichoeson 130 XLIII. Sir Edmund Andros 132 XLIV. George Hamilton Dougeas (Earl of Orkney) . .135 XLV. Sir Francis Nichoeson 136 XLVI. Edward Nott 137 XLVII. Edmund Jenings 139 XLVIII. Robert Hunter 140 CONTENTS. XIvIX. PAGE Alexander Spotswood 141 Journal of Mr. Fontaine 144 I.. Hugh Drysdai^e 151 LI. Robert Carter 152 Governor Carter's Epitaph 152 LII. William Gooch 154 LIII. William Anne Keppel 155 IvIV. Commissary James Blair 156 Epitaph. 157 LV. Sir William Gooch 159 LVI. John Robinson 160 EVII. Thomas Eee 162 Epitaph of Richard Eee 163 " " Thomas Lee 164 LVIII. Lewis Burwell 166 Epitaph 166 CONTENTS. xiii. LIX. PAGE Robert Dinwiddie i68 Bancroft's tribute to Washington . 169 LX. John Campbeli, (Earl of IvOudon) 172 I.XI. John Blair 173 LXII. Francis Fauquier 175 Address and Resolutions of patriots of the Northern Neck of Virginia, after passage of Stamp Adt, drawn up by Richard Henry lyce 177 LXIII. Sir Jeffrey Amherst 181 Extra (ft from speech of William Pitt (Lord Chat- ham) 183 Macaulay's description of Pitt 184 EXIV. John Blair 185 EXV. Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt . . .187 Bancroft's description of Botetourt 187 EXVI. William Nelson 190 Eulogy on Nelson, by Mr. Camm 191 Epitaph , 192 xiv. CONTENTS. I.XVII. PAGE John Murray 193 Extradt from Bancroft, on the Assembly of March 4, 1773 194 Kxtradt from Thomas Jefferson, concerning lyOgan, the Cayuga Chief 196 LXVIII. Pkyton RAND01.PH 199 Kxtradl from Patrick Henry's speech in Convention, held at Richmond, Virginia, March 20, 1775 . . 205 LXIX. Edmund PendlKTon 209 Described by William Wirt 210 Bancroft's description of Convention, held at Rich- mond, Virginia, May, 1776 211 Declaration of Rights 216 EXX. Patrick Henry 220 Described by William Wirt . . ■ 221 The Constitution of Virginia, adopted June 29, 1776 . 226 Extradl from Williamsburg Gazette, of May 17, 1776 232 Extradl from Thomas Jefferson 236 Extradl from William Wirt, concerning the Convention in Richmond, Virginia, which met June 2, 1788 . 237 William Wirt's description of Patrick Henry's adieu to his profession 239 EXXI. Thomas Jefferson 240 Extradl from Autobiography 240 243 CONTENTS. XV. PAGE Resolution of thanks by General Assembly to Thomas Jefferson 245 Resolutions for a cession of the lands on the north- west side of Ohio to the United States .... 246 Resolution indemnifying William Fleming .... 248 Extradt from Washington's letter to Governor Brooke 254 IvXII. Thomas Nelson, Jr 256 Extradl from General Henry I^ee, concerning the heroism of Captain Matthew Smith 259 Adl of Assembly to indemnify Thomas Nelson and to legalize certain ad:s of his administration . . . 260 PART Introduction 265 " lyist of the lyivinge in Virginia," 1623 267 lyist of counties in Virginia, 1892 268 I.XXIII. Benjamin Harrison 270 Proclamation concerning the ratification of articles of peace, 1783 271 An Adl concerning regulations respedling the British trade 272 LXXIV. Patrick Henry 273 Described by William Wirt 273 xvi. CONTENTS. PAGK Close of Patrick Henry's life, described by W. W. Henry 277 Preamble to Adl for the revision of the laws, Odlober, 1776 • ' 277 IvXXV. Edmund Randoi^ph 279 Bishop William Meade describes the views of Ed- mund Randolph on religious subjects .... 283 EXXVI. Beverley Randolph 284 An Adl for the cession of ten miles square to the United States . 285 I^XXVII. Henry Lee '^87 Corps of Cavalry, described by his distinguished biog- rapher 287 " Spread Eagle Tavern " incident 288 " Paulus's Hook " movement 289 Address from the citizens of Alexandria, Virginia, to George Washington 291 Author of "Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States," revised by his son, General Robert E. Lee ........ 293 EXXVIII. Robert Brooke 295 Extract from Washington's address to Congress, 1795 . 295 IvXXIX. James Wood 298 Extract from Washington's address to Congress, December, 1796 298 CONTENTS. xvii. LXXX. PAGE James Monroe 300 Inscription upon tomb of Daniel Morgan .... 303 Extract from ' ' Monroe Doctrine " 305 I,XXXI. John Page 306 IvXXXII. William H. Cabell 310 Extract from Eesolutions of Respect, by Court of Appeals 311 LXXXIII. John Tyler 313 EXXXIV. t VIES Monroe 315 Extract from Report of Committee on Foreign Rela- tions 315 EXXXV. George William Smith 318 EXXXVI. Peyton Randolph 320 EXXXVII. James Barbour 321 William Wirt's description of James Waddell, the blind preacher 321 EXXXVIII. Wilson Gary Nicholas 326 EXXXIX. James P. Preston 328 xviii. CONTENTS. XC. PAGE Thomas Mann Randolph 330 Decision of Supreme Court of United States, concern- ing Dartmouth College 331 Extradt from speech of Daniel Webster 331 Extradt from Inaugural address of President James Monroe 332 An A(5t ceding to the United States the lands on Old Point Comfort, etc 332 XCI. James Pleasants, Jr. . . 334 XCII. John Tyler 336 XCIII. William B. Giles 338 XCIV. John Floyd 340 XCV. lyiTTLETON Waller Tazewell 342 XCVI. Wyndham Robertson . . . . 344 XCVII. David Campbell 34^ XCVIII. Thomas Walker Gilmer 349 XCIX. John Mercer Patton 352 CONTENTS. xix. C. PAGE John Rutherfoord 354 CI. John M. Gregory 356 CII. James McDowei.Iv 358 cm. William Smith 360 Adl declaring the County of Alexandria, formerly in the District of Columbia, to be an integral portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia 361 CIV. John Buchanan Floyd 363 Description of Washington Monument in Richmond, Virginia 363 CV. Joseph Johnson 365 CVI. Henry Alexander Wise 367 CVII. ' John L,etcher 369 Resolutions by Hon. John J. Allen, offered in a mass- meeting of the people of Botetourt County, Vir- ginia 370 An ordinance to repeal the ratification of the Consti- tution of the United States of America, by the State of Virginia 375 XX. CONTENTS. PAGE A Declaration of the people of Virginia represented in Convention, at the Cit}' of Wheeling, June 13, 1861 376 Tribute of respedt to Governor L,etcher by General Assembly 378 CVIII. W1LI.1AM Smith 379 CIX. Francis H. Pierpoint 381 Resolutions by the General Assembly requesting the President of the United States to grant a general Amnesty to the citizens of Virginia 383 Resolutions by the General Assembly of Virginia, approving the policy of the President of the United States, etc 383 ex. Hknry H. Wells 385 CXI. Gilbert C. Walker 387 An A(ft to ratify the Joint Resolution of Congress, passed June 16, 1866, proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America 388 An Acft to ratify the Joint Resolution of Congress, passed February 27, 1869, proposing an Amend- ment to the Constitution of the United States . . 389 CXII. James Lawson Kemper 391 Resolutions by General Assembly of Virginia, pro- testing against the passage of the Civil Rights Bill 392 CONTENTS. xxi. CXIII. PAGE Frederick W. M. Holliday 394 Published addresses 395 CXIV. William Ewan Cameron 397 Adl abolishing the " whipping-post " 398 cxv. FiTzHUGH Lee 399 Extradl of letter from General R. E. lyce .... 400 Resolution of General Assembly extending thanks to the Attorney-General, etc 402 CXVI. Philip W. McKinney - 403 Adl to provide for the settlement of the public debt of Virginia 405 Extracts from Report of Commissioner of Agriculture for Virginia 413 APPENDIX. Note a — Christopher Columbus 441 Note B — Venice 442 Note C — General Robert E. I^ee 443 General Thomas J. Jackson 443 Note D — Causes which rendered necessary the New Edition of the Code of Virginia, 1873 443 PART I. History of the Executives of Virginia from the Patent granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Walter Ralegh, 1584, to the close of the Revolutionary War, lySi. INTRODUCTION. That the great Western Continent of our earth bears wit- ness to a venerable past, is a world-accepted fact, and that its gradual advance in culture has been in obedience to a fixed law of humanity, is also a matter beyond dispute. A different dis- tribution of land and water on the globe is a possible factor in the problem of the early spread of the human race, but as yet science has not been able to solve this question, and with all the lights of modern civilization, no sifting of the mutilated rec- ords of the past has brought the long-sought knowledge. No firm foundation has been found on which to fix the first link in a chain of reasoning ; no corner stone on which to build a theory of the primeval dawn. In the language of a distinguished scientist, "Multitudes of races and nations have arisen upon the American Continent and have disappeared, leaving no trace but ruins, mounds, a few wrought stones or fragments of pot- tery. History can only preserve facts founded on written records, or bona fide traditions, and it is from these formula- tions that it builds up chronology and traces the pedigree of nations. Here all these fail. Those whom we are disposed to call aborigines are perhaps but the conquerors of other races that preceded them ; conquerors and conquered are for- gotten in a common oblivion and the names of both have passed from the memory of man." It is generally agreed that Asia was the cradle of the human race, and that by successive migrations during an incalculable period man spread to the uttermost parts of the globe. The stories of Memphis, Thebes, Babylon, Assyria, Lydia, Media, and Persia, open our minds to the progress of mankind in early days, and from the history of Egypt alone we can form some idea of that ancient world which in process of I 1 3 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. time was to people the whole earth. In recent wonderful discoveries at Tel Kl-Amarna, in Upper Egypt, of epistolary- correspondence between Egyptian kings of the iStli dynasty (or i5tli century B. C.) and potentates of Western Asia, we are confronted with the surprising truth that this was a period of great literary activity, and that there was a "world of letters" before the Hebrew conquest of Palestine, is now a widely spread opinion. Dwelling upon the constantly unfold- ing revelations of the hoary past, we may well conceive how advanced were the nations of the ancient world, and how pop- ulous must have been the continent which drove its surplus human hordes upon the far shores of America. That these waves of living men, belonging to the outer edges of Asiatic nomadic barbarism, came to North America by Behring Strait, and spread along the line of the 30th parallel, south, to South America, is a plausible hypothesis, but of their growth afterwards nothing definite can be known. It is only supposed that they passed through the necessary processes of evolution until, after centuries of waiting, they reached a higher and higher plane of culture, gradually crystalizing their ideas in so permanent a form that pre-historic remains are scattered broadcast over the three Americas. To the North, these vestiges of life exist from the Rocky Mountains on the West to the Alleghanies on the East ; from the Great Eakes on the North to the Gulf of Mexico on the South ; and the monuments of Mexico, Peru, and Central America pro- claim a yet more advanced degree of culture. These last " must have required skilled labor, a numerous population, and an established priesthood, such as could have developed only during the lapse of centuries." But not the works of man alone tell of the teeming life which in the remote past covered this continent with sentient beings. Traces of mj-riads of human skeletons speak their own story of a brief sojourn upon earth, but leave no certain clue to solve the mystery of their being. Which way they came, which way they went, what form they wore, is lost for- ever to the grasp of human lore. Yet in the great brother- hood of humanity, it touches a chord of sympathy to know INTRODUCTION, 3 that these early peoples had their homes among the mountains and valleys which we call our own ; that they basked in the same sun and slept beneath the same stars we love to gaze on, and that the}^ buried their bones in the same Mother Earth that will receive our ashes ! Further than this we cannot go ; Night wrapt their cradle round with darkness, and having run their course they fell into eternal silence. Thus, no effort of archaeologist or biologist has ever traced a history of these forgotten races, and hidden in the shell-heap, the mound, and the pueblo, or buried beneath the monuments of Mexico and the farther South, lie peoples that have perished from the annals of the world, leaving in the great march of life only a nameless grave to mark their by-gone and mysterious existence. This shadowy outline of what may scarce be called a history, is that which can be told of the earliest state of America ; but the time was drawing near for a long-delayed and higher life to which the Creator of the universe had destined it. For several centuries before the Christian era, philosophers had taught that the earth was round, and that the water which bounded Europe on the West washed also the shores of Asia on the East. This opinion gained ground as the years rolled on, and it was said of him who was ordained to be the great, successful Navigator, that he "comforted him- selfe with this hope, that the land had a beginning where the sea had an ending." To find a shorter route to India and to win a portion of the trade as yet carried on by caravans with the farther East, had long been the dream of the Portuguese, the Spanish, and the English. But to students and wise men the great field of discovery offered a nobler aim — the certain knowledge of the formation of the globe and the consequent advancement of mankind. And so it came to pass in the 15th century, that Christopher Columbus, the geographer and philosopher, the hardy mari- ner and dauntless apostle of an untried creed, tempted the "Sea of Darkness" and sailed toward the horizon's rim. By faith and patience he fulfilled the prophecy of ages. 4 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. When he had traversed a waste of waters and robbed Old Ocean of his hidden treasure, in the transport of his joy he knelt and kissed the ground; at this, a reflex of "The Sleeping Beauty" of romance, the land awoke, and ' ' In that new -world which is the old, ' ' rose to renewed vitality. Although it is asserted that the Western Continent had been seen as early as the loth century by roving Norsemen, still its real discovery was made by* Christopher Columbus in 1492. Imperishable be his name ! lyike that unchanging star which led him on his stormy way, the splendor of his triumph will know no going down. In undiminished bright- ness will it shine as ages pass away. In his career on earth Columbus had been called to taste the bitter and the sweet, had known the rapture of success and the sharp sting of base ingratitude, and, saddest to tell, had died in want and woe. But Time has garnered up his glory. No other navigator can claim to have discovered ' ' The New World " ; it was he alone who opened the gates of the morn- ing and flooded the trackless deep with everlasting light. When Columbus had rent the veil which hid this great reserve of Nature, he beheld upon its shores a savage race, a race perhaps washed on the American Continent by a later wave of migration, from that great nursery of the world, old Asia. Columbus called these people "Indians," believing that the islands he had struck were but the outer fringes of the India which he sought. Though this illusion has been long dispelled, the names he gave remain. "In- dians ' ' and ' ' West Indies ' ' abide as way-marks in the prog- ress of mankind. And now, no sooner had the existence of a trans- Atlantic continent become assured, than Western Europe rose to seize the prize. Spain, having sent Columbus on his cour- ageous voyage, prepared to take advantage of his finding, and soon acquired much territory in the South. France spread her canvas too for conquest, and planted her banner in the *Note A, Appendix. INTRODUCTION. 5 frozen North. But between these two dominions lay a vast and unclaimed territory. Thither sent England her daring Cabot and his sons, who landed on the New World, planted the royal standard upon her virgin coasts, and laid an empire at Britannia's feet — an empire stretching from the ice-clad regions of the snow-king to the beauty, and fragrance, and opulence of the land of the sun ; whose Western and whose Eastern coast lines are washed each by a majestic ocean, and whose hidden and incalculable wealth made it at once the El Dorado of hope and of fruition. The patent conferred on John Cabot by Henry VII. is the "most ancient American state paper of England." The style of the commission is : "Johanni Cabotto, Civi Venetiarum, ac Ludovico, Sebas- tiano, et Sancto, Filiis dicti Johannis, etc." It is dated March 5th, in the eleventh year of the reign of Henry VII. Although John Cabot came from Venice, the place of his birth is unknown, and on his second voyage to America all trace of him is lost. But his name will adorn the annals of England so long as the Dominion of Canada exists, and the grand Banks of Newfoundland pour their pounds and shil- lings into British coffers. These banks are one of the treas- uries of the ocean, and the most valuable fishing grounds in the world. It was in this wise that John Cabot took possession of the country. He came in his first voyage upon the Western Continent, June 24, 1497, about latitude fifty-six degrees, among the dismal cliffs of Labrador. He ran along the coast for many leagues, and finally decided to land at a point which he called Prima Vista. This is generally acceded to be the island of Newfoundland. Here he erected a large cross with the flag of England on it ; and from affection for the *Republic of Venice he added also the banner of St. Mark. But seventy-nine years were suffered to pass away before England, from causes adverse to the extension of industry, trade, and navigation, again turned to her possessions in the *Note B, Appendix. 6 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. New World. In 1576, Elizabeth, Queen of England, sent out Martin Frobisher for the discovery of a northwest pass- age ; failing in his effort, he returned to England, from whence he was sent again in 1577 to explore further the coast of Labrador and Greenland. Finding his search an unavailing task, he sailed for home, and in 1578 returned to America with the design of forming a settlement in the north- ernmost part of the continent. In this plan he was also thwarted, and the supposed gold, which had been found in such abundance in glittering stones and sand, proved as delusive as the hope of establishing a home in that inhospita- ble land. Still Elizabeth, dazzled b}- dreams of finding the precious ore in the ice-clad regions of the North and a mine of wealth in the fisheries of Newfoundland, readily granted a patent to Sir Humphrey Gilbert, one of her adventurous subjedls, authorizing him to discover and take possession of all remote and barbarous lands, unoccupied by any Christian prince or people. She vested in him, his heirs and assigns forever, the full right of property in the soil of those countries of which he should take possession, to hold of the crown of England by homage, on payment of the fifth part of the gold or silver ore found there ; conferred complete jurisdicftion within the said lands and seas adjoining them ; declared that all who should settle there should enjoy all the privileges of free citizens and natives of England, any law, custom, or usage to the contrary notwithstanding, and prohibited all persons from attempting to settle within 200 leagues of any place which Sir Humphrey Gilbert or his associates should have occupied during the space of six years. Gilbert soon after prepared to put to sea with a considera- ble fleet ; but dissensions arose and he was deserted by some of his associates. He set sail, however, yet losing one of his ships in a storm he returned to England, and the effort proved abortive. On this adventure he was accompanied by his half-brother. Sir Walter Ralegh. In 1583 Gilbert equipped a new squadron and embarked under happier aus- pices. He sailed for Newfoundland June 11, and in August, entering St. John's harbor, he summoned the Spaniards and INTRODUCTION. 7 Portuguese to witness the ceremonies by which he was to take possession of the country for his sovereign. When assembled, his commission was read and interpreted to the foreigners. A turf and twig were then delivered to him, and proclamation was immediately made that by virtue of his commission from the Queen, he took possession of the har- bor of St. John and 200 leagues ever>' way around it, for the crown of England. Not far from this place a pillar was eredted, upon which were "infixed the amies of England." This formal possession, in consequence of the voyage of the Cabots, is considered by the English as the foundation of the right and title of the crown of England to the territory of Newfoundland and to the fishery upon its banks. But Gilbert was not destined to enjoy the reward of his enterprise and courage. On his return voyage the little Squij'vel which he commanded — a bark of ten tons only — foundered at midnight in a fierce gale at sea, and ship nor crew were ever seen again. The Hind one of the fleet, reached home in safety, and her captain, Edward Haies, detailed the sad disaster. But Sir Walter Ralegh, undaunted by the tragic fate of Gilbert, resolved to make the desperate venture once again. Observing that the Spaniards had not yet occupied a vast extent of territory north of the Gulf of Mexico, he hoped by planting a colony there to thwart the Spanish and the French from gaining entire possession of the continent. Ever since the arrival in England, in 1565, of the Huguenots who had escaped massacre in Florida by the Spaniards, the knowl- edge of the increasing power of Rome in America had been growing. This may have been one reason which lured the Protestant Elizabeth to seek a permanent settlement there ; but it is certain that the reputed mines of gold in the new country had much to do with energizing the project. So Sir Walter Ralegh, young, accomplished, and in favor with the Queen, had little difficulty in obtaining her consent to fit out another expedition. She gave to Ralegh a patent with pre- rogatives and jurisdictions as ample as had been granted to his brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert. 8 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. The following is an exact copy of this interesting paper : THE LETTERS PATENTS, granted by the Queenes Maiestie to M. Walter Ralegh noiv Knight, for the discouering and planting of new lands and Countries, to continue the space of 6 yeeres and no ■more. Elizabeth, by the grace of God of England, France, and Ireland, Queene, defender of the faith, &c. To all people to whom these presents shal come, greeting. Know ye that of our special grace, certaine science, & meere motion, we have giuen and graunted, and by these presents for vs, our heires and successors doe giue and graunt to our trusty and well- beloued seruant, Walter Ralegh, Esquire, and to his heires and assignes for euer, free liberty & licence from time to time, and at all times for euer hereafter, to discouer, search, finde out, and view such remote, heathen, and barbarous lands, countreis, and territories, not actually possessed of any Christian prince, nor inhabited by Christian people, as to him, his heires and assignes, and to euery or any of them shall seenie good, and the same to haue, holde, occupy & enioy to him, his heires and assignes for euer, with all prerogatives, commodities, iurisdictios, royalties, priui- ledgcs, franchises and preeminences, thereto or thereabouts both by sea and land, whatsoeuer we by our letters patents may grant, and as we or any of our noble progenitors haue heretofore granted to any person or persons, bodies politique or corporate ; and the saide Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, and all such as from time to time, by licence of vs, our heires and successors, shal goe or trauaile thither to inhabite or remaine, there to build and fortifie, at the discretion of the said Walter Ralegh, his heires & assignes, the statutes or act of Parliament made against fugitiues, or against such as shall depart, remaine, or continue out of our Realm of England without licence, or any other statute, act, law, or any ordinance whatsoeuer to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. And we do likewise by these presents, of our especial grace, meere motion, and certain knowledge, for vs, our heires and successors, giue and graunt full authoritie, libertie, and power to the said Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, and euery of them, that he and they, and euery or any of them, shall and may at all and euery time and times hereafter, haue, take, and leade in the sayde voyage, and trauaile thitherward, or to inhabite there with him or them, and euery or any of them, such, and so many of our subiefls as shall willingly accompany him or them, and euery or any of them ; and to whom also we doe by these presents, giue full libertie and authoritie in that behalfe, and also to haue, take, and employ, and vse sufficient shipping and furniture for the transportations, and Nauigations in that behalfe, so that none of the same persons or anj'^ of them be such as hereafter shall be restrained by vs, our heires or suc- cessors. And further that the said Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, and INTRODUCTION. 9 every of them, shall haue, holde, occupie and enioy to him, his heires and assignes, and euery of them for euer, all the soyle of all such landes, territories, and Countreis, so to be discovered and possessed as aforesayd, and of all such Cities, Castles, Townes, Villages and places in the same, with the right, royalties, franchises, and iurisdidlions, as well marine as other within the sayd landes, or Countreis, or the seas thereunto adjoin- ing, to be had, or vsed, with full power to dispose thereof, and of euery part in fee simple or otherwise, according to the order of the lawes of England, as neere as the same conueniently may be, at his, and their wil and pleasure, to any persons then being, or that shall reniaine within the allegiance of vs, our heires and successors ; reseruing always to vs, our heires and successors, for all seruices, dueties, and demaunds, the fift part of all the oare of golde and silver, that from time to time, and at all times after such discouerie, subduing and possessing, shall be there gotten and obteined : All which lands, Countreis, and territories shall for euer be holden of the said Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, of vs, our heires and successors, by homage, and by the sayd payment of the said fift part, reserued onely for all seruices. And moreover, we do by these presents, for vs, our heirs and succes- sors, giue and grant licence to the said Walter Ralegh, his heires, and assignes, and euery of them, that he, and they, and euery or any of them, shall and may from time to time, and at all times for euer hereafter, for his and their defence, encounter and expulse, repell and resist as well by sea as by lande, and by all other wayes whatsoever, all and euery such person and persons whatsoever, as without the especial liking and licence of the sayd Walter Ralegh, and of his heirs and assignes, shall attempt to inhabite within the sayde Countreys, or any of them, or within the space of two hundreth leagues neere to the place or places within such Coun- treys as aforesayde (if they shall not bee before planted or inhabited within the limits as aforesayd with the subiedts of any Christian Prince being in amitie with vs) where the said Walter Ralegh, his heirs, or assignes, or any of them, or his, or their, or any of their associats or com- pany, shall within sixe yeeres (next ensuing) make their dwellings or abidings, or that shall enterprise or attempt at any time hereafter vnlaw- fully to annoy, eyther by Sea or Lande the sayde Walter Ralegh, his heires or assignes, or any of them, or his, or their, or any of his or their companies, giuing and graunting by these presents further power and authoritie to the sayd Walter Ralegh, his heirs and assignes, and euery of them from time to time, and at all times for euer hereafter, to take and surprise by all maner of meanes whatsoeuer, all and euery those person or persons, with their Shippes, Veasels, and other goods and furniture, which without the licence of the sayde Walter Ralegh, or his heires, or assignes, as aforesayd, shalbe found trafiquing into any Harbour, or Har- bours, Creeke, or Creekes, within the limits aforesayd (the subiec^ts of our Realms and Dominions, and all other persons in amitie with us, trading 10 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. to the Newfound lands for fishing as heretofore they have commonly vsed, or being driuen by force of a tempest, or shipwracke onely excepted) ; and those persons, and eiiery of them, with their shippes, vessels, goods, and furniture, to deteiue and possesse as of good and lawfull prize, accord- ing to the discretion of him the sayd Walter Ralegh, his heirs, and assigns, and euery, or any of them. And for vniting in more perfedl league and aniitie, of such Countryes, landes, and territories so to be pos- sessed and inhabited as aforesaid with our Realmes of England and Ire- land, and the better encouragement of men to these enterprises : we doe by these presents, graunt and declare that all such Countries, so hereafter to be possessed and inhabited as is aforesaid, from thencefoorth shall be of the allegiance of vs, our heires and successours. And we doe graunt to the sayd Walter Ralegh, his heires, and assignes, and to all, and euery of them, and to all, and euery other person or persons, being of our alle- giance, whose names shall be noted or entred in some of our Courts of recorde within our Realme of England, that with the assent of the sayd Walter Ralegh, his heires or assignes, shall in his iourneis for discouerie, or in the iourneis for conquest hereafter trauaile to such lands, countreis and territories, as aforesayd, and to their, and to euery of their heires, that they, and eiiery or any of them, being e3ther borne within our sayde Realmes of England or Irelande, or in any other place within our alle- giance, and which hereafter shall be inhabiting within any of the Lands, Countryes, and Territories, with such licence (as aforesayd), shall and may haue all the priuiledges of free Denizens, and persons natiue of Eng- land, and within our allegiance in such like ample maner and forme, as if they were borne and personally resident within our said Realm of Eng- land, any law, custome, or vsage to the contrary notwithstanding. And forasmuch as vpon the finding out, discouering, or inhabiting of such remote lands, countries, and territories as aforesaid, it shalbe neces- sary for the safety of all men, that shall aduenture themselues in those iourneyes or voyages, to determine to Hue together in Christian peace, and ciuill quietnesse eche with other, whereby euery one may with more pleasure and profit enioy that whereunto they shall atteine with great paine and perill, wee for vs, our heires and successors, are likewise pleased and contented, and by these presents doe giue & grant to the said Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes for ever, that he and they, and euery or any of them, shall and may from time to time for ever hereafter, within the said mentioned remote lands and countries, in the way by the seas thither, and from thence, haue full and meere power and authoritie to correal, punish, pardon, govern, and rule by their and euery or any of their good discretions and policies, as well in causes capitall, or criminall, as ciuil, both marine and other, all such our subie6ts, as shal from time to time aduenture themselues in the said iourneis or voyages, or that shall at any time hereafter inhabite any such lands, countreis, or territories as aforesaid, or that shall abide within 200 leagues of any of the sayde place /ATA' on i 'CTION. 1 1 or places, where the sayde Walter Ralegh, his heires or assignes, or any oi them, or any of his or their associats or companies, shall inhabite within 6 yeeres next ensuing the date hereof, according to such statutes, lawes and ordinances as shall be by him the sayd Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, and euery or any of them deuised, or established, for the better gouernment of the said people as aforesaid. So alwayes as the said stat- utes, lawes, and ordinances may bee, as nere as conueniently may be, agreeable to the forme of the lawes, statutes, gouernment, or policie of England, and also so as they be not against the true Christian faith, nowe professed in the Church of England, nor in any wise to withdrawe any of the subie6ls or people of those lands or places from the allegiance of vs, our heires and successours, as their immediate Soueraigne vnder God. And further, we do by these presents for vs, our heires and successors, giue and grant ful power and authoritie to our trustie and welbeloued Counsailour Sir William Cecill knight, Lorde Burghley, as high Treasourer of England and to the Lorde Treasourer of Eng- land for vs, our heires and successors for the time being, and to the priuie Counsaile of vs, our heires and sviccessors, or any foure or more of them for the time being, that he, they, or any four or more of them, shall and may from time to time, and at all times hereafter, vnder his or their handes or Scales by vertue of these presents, authorise and licence the sayd Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes and euery or any of them by him, & by themselues, or by their, or any of their sufficient Atturneis, Deputies, Officers, Ministers, Factors, and seruants, to imbarkc & trans- port out of our Realme of England and Ireland, and the Dominions thereof, all or any of his or their goods, and all or any the goods of his and their associats and companies, and euery or any of them, with such other necessaries and commodities of any ovir Realmes, as to the sayde Lorde Treasurer, or foure or more of the priuie Counsaile, ofvs, our heires and successors for the time being (as aforesaid) shalbe from time to time by his or their wisedomes, or discretions thought meete and conuenient for the better reliefe and supportation of him the sayde Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, and euery or any of them, and of his or their or any of their associats and companies, any act, statute, law, or any thing to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. Prouided alwayes, and our wil and pleasure is, and we do hereby declare to all Christian kings, princes, and states, that if the sayde Walter Ralegh, his heires or assignes, or any of them, or any other by their licence or appointment, shall at any time or times hereafter robbe or spoile by sea or by land, or doe any a6le of vniust or vnlawfull hostilitie, to any of the subicdls of vs, our heires or successors, or to any of the sub- iedls of any of the kings, princes, rulers, Gouernours, or estates, being then in perfeeft league and amitie with vs, our heires and successours, and that vpon such liniurie, or vpon iust complaint of any such Prince, Ruler, Gouernor, or estate, or their subiedts, wee, our heires and succes- 13 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. sors, shall make open Proclamation within any the portes of our Realme of England, that the saide Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, and adherents, or any to whom these our Letters patents may extende, shall within the termes to bee limited, by such Proclamation, make full resti- tution, and satisfadtion of all such iniuries done: so as both we and the said Princes, or other so complaining, may holde vs and themselues fully contented : And that if the said Walter Ralegh, his heires or assignes, shall not make or cause to be made satisfa6lion accordingly within such time so to be Hmitted, that then it shal be lawful to vs, our heires and suc- sessors, to put the sayde Walter Ralegh, his heires and assignes, and adherents, and all the inhabitants of the said places to be discouered (as is aforesaid) or any of them out of our allegeance and prote(5lion, and that from and after such time of putting out of protection of the said Walter Ralegh, his heires, assignes and adherents, and others so to be put out, and the said places within their habitation, possession and rule, shall be out of our allegeance and protection, and free for all Princes and others to pursue with hostilitie, as being not our subie6ls, nor by vs any way to be auouched, maintained, or defended, nor to be holden as anj' of ours, nor to our prote6lion, or dominion, or allegeance any way belonging: for that expresse mention of the cleere yeerely value of the certaintie of the premisses, or any part thereof, or of any other gift, or grant by vs, or any our progenitors, or predecessors to the said Walter Ralegh, before this time made in these presents bee not expressed, or any other grant, ordi- nance, prouision, proclamation, or restraint to the contrary thereof, before this time, giuen, ordained, or prouided, or any other thing, cause or matter whatsoeuer, in any wise notwithstanding. In witnesse whereof, wee haue caused these our letters to be made Patents. Witnesse our selues, at Westminster the fine and twentie day of March, in the sixe and twentith yeere of our Raigns. Anno 1584. The expedition thus inaugurated consisted of two ships, the one commanded by Philip Amidas, and the other by Arthur Barlow. They sailed from England on the 27th of April, 1584, and on July 4th following, arrived on the coast of America. Here, somewhat north of the West Indies and opposite what was afterwards called " Carolina," on the island of Wocoken, the southernmost of the islands forming Ocracoke Inlet, they lifted the British flag and took possession of the country in the name of Queen Elizabeth. Prophetic July 4th ! Little dreamed those mariners of England of the "Open Sesame" inscribed, unseen to mortal eye, upon that rippling banner! Little dreamed they how it INTRODUCTION. 13 called upon the realms of Night to yield the sceptre of her ebon throne and let the Day come in ; how it bid the Arcana of Nature to give up to Science and to Art their hoarded wealth ; how it opened a way for the progress of Christianity, and spread out a land of light and freedom destined to become one of the first powers, "In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world." In September, 1584, upon their return from this voyage of discovery, Amidas and Barlow gave such splendid descrip- tions of the beauty and fertility of the country, the mildness of the climate, and of the gentleness of the aborigines, that Elizabeth, delighted with the idea of occupying so fine a ter- ritory, bestowed upon it the name of "Virginia," as a memo- rial that this happy acquisition was made under a virgin Queen. Thus did this imperial domain await the hour when, in the providence of God, it was conceded to the mighty forces at work among mankind, predestined to a Titanic progress under the Anglo-Saxon race, beneath the equal sway of law and liberty. Twice did Sir Walter Ralegh endeavor to plant a colony upon the shores of the New World. On the island of Roa- noke, not far from " Wocoken," in 1585 and 1587, he made these efforts, but failed in both attempts. Having thus expended many thousand pounds in vain, he used the privi- lege of his patent March 7, 1589, to endow a company of mer- chants and adventurers with large concessions, and this act was the connedling link between the first efforts on Roanoke Island and the final colonization of Virginia. The new instrument ("An indenture made between Sir Walter Ralegh, Chief Governor of Virginia, on the one part, and Thomas Smith, etc., etc., of the other part, witnesseth, etc.,") was not an assignment of Ralegh's patent, but the ex- tension of a grant already held under its sandlion, by increas- ing the number to whom the right of that charter belonged. The assigns of Ralegh became the leaders in applying to James I. for leave "to deduce a colony into Virginia." He 14 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. consented, and on the loth of April, 1606, set his seal to the first colonial charter under which the English were planted in America. Although Sir Walter Ralegh was not permitted to see his own personal schemes realized, they yet stamp him as the author of the Plantation idea in Virginia, and the pioneer in that great "Westward Ho," which still rings in the ears of civilized Europe. I. SIR WALTER RALEGH. Chief Gover7ior of Vu'gmia and Founder of Roanoke Colony. 1585. Sir Walter Ralegh, an illustrious Englishman, was born at Hayes, in the parish of Budley, Devonshire, in 1552. He was for some time at Oriel College, Oxford, but the pur- suits of ambition and an a(5live life were more congenial to his tastes than academic labors. So at the age of seventeen he commenced his career as a soldier, being one of a number of volunteers sent by Elizabeth to France to support the Protestants. Here he remained nearly six years, when he returned to England, and in 1578 embarked for the Nether- lands with the troops sent against the Spaniards. On get- ting home from this expedition, he found that his half- brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, had just obtained a patent for establishing a plantation in America, and into this scheme Ralegh entered with enthusiasm. They put to sea in 1579, but one of their ships was lost, and the remainder were crip- pled in an engagement with a Spanish fleet, so they came back without making land. Ralegh now began a career of brilliant services to his country and mankind. In his military life in Ireland his bravery and intelligence were so conspicuous in quelling the insurgents, that he was received at court with unusual favor, and it is narrated that his position there was much strength- ened by an act of knightly gallantry rendered personally to the Queen. One day as her Majesty was walking, the party came upon a muddy path, whereat the courtly Ralegh laid 16 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. his mantle at his sovereign's feet for her to step on. EHza- beth, struck anew at the polished courtesy of her subject, made him a knight indeed, and rewarded his many loyal and distinguished services by several lucrative grants, in- cluding a large share of the forfeited estates in Ireland. Ralegh, whose talents only needed opportunity, now soon rose to positions of honor and distinction in the royal service. One of the most interesting subjects which occupied his active mind was the colonization of ' ' The New World ' ' by the English people. Sir Humphrey Gilbert's mother was the mother also, by a second marriage, of Sir Walter Ralegh, and it was this elder brother's zeal for seeking "summer isles" that first fired the heart of Ralegh "To sail beyond the sunset and the baths Of all the western stars ' ' in search of riches, fame, and power. On March 25, 1584, Ralegh obtained from Elizabeth an ample patent and the title of Lord Proprietor over an exten- sive region in America, which the Queen subsequently called "Virginia." Here, he made two unsuccessful attempts to found a colony, but his zeal in this matter was full of conse- quence and will never be forgotten in the annals of the early settlement of America. When England was threatened by the Spanish Armada, Ralegh joined the fleet with a squadron of ships belonging to gentlemen volunteers, and contributed signally to the vic- tory which it pleased Providence to grant the English over the Spaniards. He was now advanced at court, but, unfort- unately, fell after a time into disfavor with the Queen. His success in the expedition to Cadiz, however, where his valor and prudence contributed so largely to a victorious result, combined with other important services, restored him to the partiality of his Queen. But Ralegh's bravery, distinguished abilities, and great enterprise made him the objecfl of envy as well as of admiration. Queen Elizabeth conferred honors upon him, but her succes- SIR WALTER RALEGH. 17 sor sent him to the Tower. During a long confinement there of thirteen years he wrote his "History of the World," a book of unusual finish and erudition ; and his contributions made from time to time to general literature were numerous and valuable. In March, 1615, he was liberated from prison, but not pardoned. A last unsuccessful venture in Guiana was the culmination of his disastrous efforts to redeem his for- tunes. Having failed to find the gold on which so much depended, he returned to England in 16 18, broken in hope and health. Soon afterwards he was arrested, and to please the Spanish, King James suffered the sentence of death to be executed on him. Ralegh's life had been full of vicissitude, and after many triumphs and many failures, much honor and much misfor- tune, he finally finished his chequered course on the scaffold in Old Palace Yard, London, October 29, 1618. His behavior at the end was calm, and after addressing the people in his own justification he received the stroke of death with perfedl composure. He remarked to the executioner, with a smile, as he felt the edge of the axe with his hand, "This is a sharp medicine, but it is one that will cure all diseases." The following beautiful tribute to Ralegh is paid by the distinguished American historian, George Bancroft : "The name of Ralegh stands highest among the statesmen of Eng- land who advanced the colonization of the United States. Courage which was never daunted, mild self-possession, and fertility of invention, insured him glory in his profession of arms, and his services in the conquest of Cadiz and the capture of Fayal established his fame as a gallant and suc- cessful commander. " No soldier in retirement ever expressed the charms of tranquil leisure more beautifully than Ralegh, whose 'sweet verse' Spencer described as ' sprinkled with nectar ' and rivalling the melodies of ' the sunmier's nightingale.' When an unjust verdict left him to languish for years in prison, with the sentence of death suspended over his head, his active genius plunged into the depths of erudition ; and he who had been a warrior, a courtier, and a seaman, became the author of an elaborate 'History of the World.' In his civil career he was thoroughly an English patriot; jealous of the honor, the prosperity, and the advance- II 18 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. meut of his country ; the steadfast antagonist of the exorbitant preten- sions of Spain. In parliament, he defended the freedom of domestic industry. When, through unequal legislation, taxation was a burden upon industry rather than wealth, he argued for a change; himself pos- sessed of a lucrative monopoly, he gave his voice for the repeal of all monopolies; he used his influence with his sovereign to mitigate the severity of the judgments against the non-conformists, and as a legislator he resisted the sweeping enactment of persecuting laws. "In the career of discovery, his perseverance was never baffled by losses. He joined in the risks of Gilbert's expedition ; contributed to that of Davis in the northwest, and explored in person 'the insular regions and broken world ' of Guiana. His lavish efforts in colonizing the soil of our republic, his sagacity which enjoined a settlement within the Chesapeake Bay, the publications of Hariot and Hakluyt which he countenanced, diffused over England a knowledge of America, as well as an interest in its destinies, and sowed the seeds of which the fruits were to ripen during his life-time, though not for him. " Ralegh had suffered in health before his last expedition. He re- turned broken-hearted by the defeat of his hopes, by the decay of his strength, and by the death of his eldest son. What shall be said of King James, who would open to an aged paralytic no other hope of liberty but through success in the discovery of mines in Guiana? What shall be said of a monarch who could, at that time, under a sentence which had slum- bered for fifteen years, order the execution of a decrepit man, whosg genius and valor shone through the ravages of physical decay, and whose English heart still beat with an undying love for his country? " After the lapse of two long centuries, the state of North Carolina revived in its capital the name of this chief author of early colonization in the United States, and future genera- tions in America will cherish the memory of Sir Walter Ralegh not only as the founder of Virginia, but as one whose laws should "be not against the true. Christian faith no we professed in the Church of England." To him belongs the meed of making here the wilderness and the solitary place glad, and of opening a way for the desert " to rejoice and blossom as a rose," II. RALPH LANE. Governor of Ralegh) s ist Colony. 1585-1586. RaIvPH Lane, second son of Sir Ralph Lane, of Orling- bury, and his wife Maud, daughter of William, Lord Parr (uncle of Queen Catherine Parr), was born in North- amptonshire about 1530; entered the Queen's service in 1563, and was so much esteemed b}^ Elizabeth for his services as a soldier that she knighted him. In 1585 Sir Walter Ralegh sent out from England a fleet of seven sail, with people to form a settlement in Virginia, deputing Sir Richard Grenville to be General of the expedition and Mr. Ralph Lane to be Governor of the Colony. This was the first English settle- ment ever planted in America, and was established on Roanoke Island. It consisted of 107 persons, under the government of Lane. The colonists suffered great dangers from the machi- nations of the Indians, who at first intended to starve them by abandoning them, and leaving the island unsown. Foiled here, they next formed a conspiracy for the general massacre of the colonists. This, however, was frustrated by the vigilance of the English Governor, who contrived a counterplot, in execution of which Pemisapan, the wicked son of the good old Indian king, Ensenore, was slain on June i, 1586. Unable, however, to contend with hostile Indians and want of provisions, the whole Colony returned to England June 18, 1586. Lane carried tobacco home with him, and Sir Walter Ralegh, at that time a man of gaiety and fashion, adopting the Indian usage of smoking it, by his influence 30 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. and example introduced it at court, where the pipe soon became the mode. Thus terminated the first EngHsh colony planted in America. The only acquisition made by this expensive experiment was a knowledge of "the weed," and a better acquaintance with the country and its inhabitants. III. JOHN WHITE. Governor of Ralegh's 2d Colony, 1587- On April 26, 1587, Sir Walter Ralegh, intent on planting the territory of Virginia within his patent (it was "to con- tinue the space of six years, and no more ' ' ) sent out another company of 150 adventurers. He incorporated them by the name, "The Borough of Ralegh in Virginia," and consti- tuted John White, Governor, in whom, with a council of twelve persons, the legislative power was vested; and they were diredled to plant at the Bay of Chesapeake and to eredt a fort there. They, however, landed at Roanoke, July 22, and commenced a second plantation. On August 13, Manteo, a friendly Indian, was baptized in Roanoke, and according to a previous order of Sir Walter Ralegh was called, Lord of Roanoke. On the i8tli of August, Mrs. Dare, daughter of the Governor, gave birth to a daughter in Roanoke, and on the next Lord's day the infant was baptized " Virginia," being the first English child born in the country. On the 27th of August, at the urgent solicitation of the whole Colony, the Governor sailed for England to procure supplies, but of his countrymen who remained behind, nothing was ever after- wards known. Governor White, though personally detained in England (being of the Queen's Council and the country threatened with war), sent in 1588 supplies for the relief of the Colony, but this expedition, more intent on taking prizes than in sailing to Virginia, was finally disabled and rifled by two men of war and was compelled to put back for England. In 1590, however. Governor White, being at liberty to return to his Colony, sailed March 20 from Plymouth with 21 32 JOHN WHITE. three ships and went to the place where he had left the English settlers. Coming to this landing point, he found on a tree at the top of the bank, CRO carved in distindt Roman letters, but the cross, the sign of distress, was wanting ; further on they found carved on a tree, CROATOAN. This Croatoan was an Indian town on the north side of Cape Lookout, and thither Governor White determined to sail next day, but a violent storm arose and being short of water and provisions they went back to England. It is said that Ralegh sent out five times, at his own charges, to the succor of the Colony left in Virginia in 1587. Other efforts were also made to search for these lost emigrants, but all to no avail. Their fate was never known, and so ended in tragic eclipse Sir Walter Ralegh's enterprise for settling the New World. The Governor of this last ill-starred effort, John White, came first to Virginia with Governor Eane in 1585, and was always interested in this initial work. Though White's Colony met with such a doubtful fate in his absence, he sought again and again to find some traces of it, and was conspicuous in his concern in the adventure of settling America. He was a good artist, made maps of the various portions of Virginia which he visited and drawings of the inhabitants, etc. Some of his paintings are now in the Sloane collec- tion and in the Greenville Library, British Museum. IV. SIR THOMAS SMITH. First Preside7it of the London Company^ and its' Treasurer. 1605-1607. King James I., having recently made peace with Spain, and the passion for the discovery of a northwest passage being now in its full vigor, a ship was sent out with a view to this purpose by the Earl of Southampton and Lord Arundel, under the command of Capt. George Weymouth. He sailed from England on the last of March, 1605, and remained a month exploring the American coast. The discovery of which he seems to have been proudest was that of the Penobscot River. On his return to England he took with him five Indians, three of whom he yielded to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the Governor of the town of Plymouth, whose attention was thus addressed to the New World. The information Gorges gathered from Weymouth filled him with the strongest desire to become a proprietary of lands beyond the Atlantic. His influence, with that of Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice of England, and the combined enthusiasm of the assigns of Ralegh, were the means employed by Providence to induce King James I. to set his seal to the patent of April 10, 1606. He divided that portion of North America which stretches from the 34th to the 45th degree of north latitude into two distri(5ls, nearly equal. The southern, called the First Colony, he granted to the Lon- don Company; the northern, called the Second Colony, he granted to the Plymouth Company. He authorized Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hakluyt, Edward Maria Wingfield. and their associates, chiefly resi- dent in London, to settle any part that they should choose of the southern distridl, and vested in them a right of prop- as 34 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. erty to the land extending along the coast fifty miles on each side of the place of their first habitation, and reaching into the interior country loo miles. The northern distridl he allotted as a place of settlement to several knights, gentle- men, and merchants of Bristol, Plymouth, and other parts of the West of England, with a similar grant of territory. The following is an extra(5l from the instrudlions given for the gov- ernment of the Colonies : ARTICLES, INSTRUCTIONS AND ORDERS made, sett down and established by us, the twentieth day of November, in the year of our raigne of England, France, and Ireland the fourth and of Scotland the fortieth, for the good Order and Government of the tivo several Colonies and Plantations to be made by our loving subjeBs, in the Cojititry coimnonly called I 'irginia and America, betiueen thirty-four and forty-five degrees from the crquinoctial line. Wheras Wee, by our letters pattents under our great seale of England, bearing date att Westminster, the tenth day of Aprill, in the year of our raigne of England, France and Ireland the fourth, and of Scotland the 39th, have given lycence to sundry our loving subjects named in the said letters pattents and to their associates, to deduce and conduct two several Colonies or plantations of sundry our loving people willing to abide and inhabit in certain parts of Virginia and America, with divers prehemi- nences, priviledges, authorities and other things, as in and by the same letters pattents more particularly it appeareth. Wee according to the effedt and true meaning of the same letters pattents, doe by these presents, signed with our hand, signe manuel and sealed with our privy seale of our realme of England, establish and ordaine, that our trusty and well beloved Sir William Wade, Knight, our Lieutenant of our Tower of Lon- don, Sir Thomas Smith, Knight, Sir Walter Cope, Knight, Sir George Moor, Knight, Sir Francis Popeham, Knight, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Knight, Sir John Trevor, Knight, Sir Henry Montague, Knight, recorder of the citty of London, Sir William Rumney, Knight, John Dodderidge, Esq., SoUicitor General, Thomas Warr, Esqr., John Eldred of the citty of London, merchant, Thomas James of the citty of Bristol, merchant, and James Bagge of Plymouth, in the county of Devonshire, merchant, shall be our councel for all matters which shall happen in Virginia or any the territories of America, between thirty-four and fourty-five degrees from the sequinoctial line northward, and the Islands to the several collonies limitted and assigned, and that they shall be called the King's Councel of Virginia, which councel or the most part of them shal have full power and authority, att our pleasure, in our name, and under us, our heires and successors, to give directions to the councels of the several collonies which Sm THOMAS SMITH. 25 shal be vdthin any part of the said country of Virginia and America, within the degrees first above mentioned, with the Islands aforesaid, for the good government of the people to be planted in those parts, and for the good ordering and desposing of all causes happening within the same, and the same to be done for the substance thereof, as neer to the common lawes of England, and the equity thereof, as may be, and to passe under our scale, appointed for that councel, which councel, and every and any of them shall, from time to time be increased, altered or changed, and others put in their places, att the nomination of us, our heires and suc- cessors, and att our and their will and pleasure, and the same councel of Virginia, or the more part of them, for the time being, shall nominate and appoint the first several councellours of those several councells, which are to be appointed for those two several colonies, which are to be made plan- tations in Virginia and America, between the degrees before mentioned, according to our said letters pattents in that behalfe made ; and that each of the same councels of the same several colonies shal, by the major part of them, choose one of the same councel, not being the minister of God's word, to be president of the same councel, and to continue in that office by the space of one whole year unless he shall in the meantime dye or be removed firom the office ; and we doe further hereby establish and ordaine, that it shal be lawful for the major part of either of the said councells, upon any just cause, either absence or otherwise, to remove the president or any other of that councel, from being either president, or any of that councel ; and upon the deathes or removal of any of the presidents or councel, it shall be lawful for the major part of that councel to ele6t another in the place of the party soe dying or removed, so alwaies, as they shal not be above thirteen of either of the said councellours, and wee doe establish and ordaine, that the president shal not continue in his office of presidentship above the space of one year; and wee doe specially ordaine, charge, and require the said president and councells, and the ministers of the said several colonies respectively, within their several limits and precincts, that they, with all diligence, care, and respect, doe provide, that the true word and service of God and Christian faith be preached, planted, and used, not only within every of the said several colonies, and plantations, but alsoe as much as they may amongst the salvage people which doe or shall adjoine unto them, or border upon them, according to the doctrines, rights, and religion now professed and estab- lished within our realme of England. Sir Thomas Smith, chief of the assignees of the patent of Sir Walter Ralegh, was the first President of the Coun- cil of the lyondon Company of Virginia, and its Treasurer until the close of 1618. His services in establishing a Colony in Virginia, and thus securing a foothold for England in 26 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. America, cannot be overestimated, and a history of the fac- tions in the Virginia Company after this period of its earliest inauguration, will show the storms and struggles through which the infant Colony began its life. Sir Thomas Smith was the third son of Thomas Smith, commonly called "Mr. Customer Smith," and Alice, daughter and heiress of Sir Andrew Judde, Lord Mayor of lyondon (by whom he acquired the manors of Ashford and Westure). Sir Thomas Smith was born about 1558, was educated at Oxford, and at an early age became a prominent man. It is greatly to be regretted that the history of Sir Thomas Smith's administration of affairs in Virginia rests almost entirely upon the adverse testimony of his opponents. But that his services were recognized by the crown, is to be seen in the fadt that in the second charter to "The Treasurer and Company of Adventurers and Planters of the City of lyondon for the First Colony in Virginia," he was named as one of "our Council for the said Company." ' ' And the said Thomas Smith we do ordain to be Treas- urer of the said Company, which Treasurer shall have authority to give order for the warning of the Council and summoning the Company to their courts and meetings." That the distant colonists may have had their grievances is true, as is related in " A Briefe Declaration of the Planta- tion of Virginia Duringe the First Twelve Yeares, when Sir Thomas Smith was Governor of the Companie, and downe to the present tyme" (1621), but, the conclusion is inevitable that Sir Thomas Smith had much to do with the permanent establishment of the Virginia Colony. He was Treasurer and Governor of the Company during the first twelve years, which ended the i8th of November, 1618, and his administration was confined to a presidency of the Council and Company in England, while the affairs of the Colony were managed b)- one of the Council resident there. He was never actually Gov- ernor in Virginia. It was on March 9, 1607, that King James I. issued the following : ' ' An Ordinance and Constitution enlarging the number of SIR THOMAS SMITH. 27 our Councel for the two several Colonies and Plantations in Virginia and America, between thirty-four and forty-five de- grees of northerly latitude, and augmenting their authority, for the better direcfting and ordering of such things as shall concerne the said Colony." * Sir Thomas Smith died Sept. 4, 1625, at his house at Tunbridge, and was buried under a most superb monument in Hone Church, Kent. The following inscription will give some idea of the scope of his usefulness, and the honors which he won : "To the glory of God, and to the pious memorie of the honorable Sir Thomas Smith, Knt. (late Governor of the East Indian, Muscovia, French, and Sommer Island Companies; Treasurer for the Virginia Plantation ; prime undertaker [in the year 16 12] for that noble designe, the discoverie of the North-West passage ; principall commissioner for the London expedition against the pirates and for a voiage to the ryver Senega, upon the coast of Africa ; one of the chief commis- sioners for the navie-roial, and sometime ambassador from His Majestic of Great Britain to the emperour and great duke of Russia and Muscovia, etc.), who, havinge judiciously, con- scionably, and with admirable facility, managed many difficult and weighty affairs to the honor and profit of this nation, rested from his labors the 4th day of Septm., 1625." *From a MS. record book in the Land Office of Virginia — Book No. 2. See Hening's " Statutes at Large" (Virginia), Vol. I., pp. 76-79. V. EDWARD MARIA WINGFIELD. President of the Council in Virginia. May 13, 1607, to September 10, 1607. On the reception of the patent from King James, April 10, 1606, several persons of consequence in the English nation undertook the arduous task of planting the Southern Col- ony. Having chosen a Treasurer, and appointed other offi- cers, they provided a fleet of three ships to transport the emigrants, 100 in number, to Virginia. The charge of this embarkation was committed to Christopher Newport, already famous for his skill in western navigation, who sailed from the Thames on the 20th of December, carrying with him the royal instru(5lions and the names of the intended Colonial Council, carefully concealed in a box. It was the intention of Captain Newport to land at Roanoke, but being driven by a violent storm to the northward of that place, he stood diredlly into the spacious Bay of Chesapeake, which seemed to invite his entrance. The promontory on the south of the bay he named Cape Henry, in honor of the Prince of Wales, and that on the north Cape Charles, in honor of the Duke of York, afterward King Charles I. of England. Thirty men going on shore at Cape Henry for recreation were suddenly assaulted by five Indians, who wounded two of them very dangerously. At night the box was opened and the orders were read, in which Bartholomew Gosnold, John Smith, Edward Wingfield, Christopher Newport, John Ratcliffe, John Martin, and George Kendall were named to be of the Council, and to choose from their number a President for a year, who, with the Council, should govern the Colony. The adventurers were employed in seeking a 28 EDWARD MARIA WINGFIELD. 29 place for settlement until the i3tli of May, when they took possession of a peninsula on the north side of the river Pow- hatan (called by the English, James River), about forty miles from its mouth. To make room for their projecfled town, they here began to cut down the trees of the forest, which had for centuries afforded shelter and food to the natives. The code of laws, hitherto cautiously concealed, was at length promulgated. Affairs of moment were to be exam- ined by a jury, but determined by the major part of the Council, in which the President was to have two voices. The Council was sworn, Wingfield was chosen President, and " now commenced the rule of the most ancient administration of Virginia, consisting of seven persons, and forming a pure aristocracy." In honor of King James, they called the town they now built, Jamestown. "Captain Edward Maria Wingfield, of Stoneley Priorye" in Huntingdonshire, was born 1560. He commenced life as a soldier and was a prisoner of war at Eisle with Ferdinando Gorges, where probably their friendship began, which resulted in a closer association in the colonizing of Virginia. Wingfield was eledted. May 4, 1607, the first President of the first Council of the first permanent English Colony in America, but becom- ing obnoxious to the Company he was deposed from the presi- dency, September 10, 1607, and Captain Ratcliffe eledled in his place. Wingfield was of a Catholic family. Cardinal Pole and Queen Mary were sponsors for his father. He left Vir- ginia, April 10, 1608, and arrived in England, May 21, 1608. He wrote " A Discourse of Virginia," which was first printed in i860 by the American Antiquarian Society. VI. JOHN RATCLIFFE. President of the Council in Virginia. September lo, 1607, to September 7, 1608. Captain John Ratci^iffe was President of the Virginia Colony from September 10, 1607, to September 7, 1608, when, suffering from a wounded hand, he went to England, but re- turned the following year, in July, in command of the Diamond, with colonists. Many dissensions divided the Colony at this time and its history is a sad recital of rivalries and jealousies, privations and sufferings, among the settlers, and dangers seen and unseen from the treacherous Indians. It is said that Ratcliffe was ' ' betrayed and murdered by Powhatan in the winter of 1609-1610." In one of the man- uscripts preserved by the remarkable Hakluyt, which came into the hands of the Rev. Samuel Purchas, and which was " written by that honorable gentleman. Master George Percy," we read: "The eleventh day (September, 1607) there was certain articles laid against Master Wingfield, which was then President ; thereupon he was not only displaced out of his Presidentship, but also from being of the Councell. Afterwards Captaine John Ratcliffe was chosen President." 30 VII. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. President of the Council in Virginia. September lo, 1608, to August, 1609. Captain John Smith, according to his own account, ' ' was born in Willoughby in lyincolneshire, and a scholler in the two free schooles of Alford and Louth. His father anciently descended from the ancient Smiths of Crudley in Lancashire, his mother from the Rickands at great Heck in Yorkshire. His parents dying when he was about thirteene years of age, left him a competent means, which hee not being capable to manage little regarded ; his minde being even then set upon brave adventures, sould his satchell, books, and all he had, intending secretly to get to sea, but that his father's death stayed him." In the register of the Willoughb)' Rectory is found an entry of the baptism of John, son of George Smith, under date of January 9, 1579. Peculiarly courageous, restless, and fond of adventure, he left his native country at the age of fifteen, traveled in France, and served in the Netherlands, a soldier in the cause of libert3^ After having returned to England and devoted some attention to military tactics and history, he went again to France and embarked thence for Italy with a company of Pilgrims, who, regarding him as a heretic, threw him into the sea near a small island off Nice, to calm a tem- pest by which they were overtaken. He swam to the shore and proceeded to Alexandria. In returning, he entered the service of Hungary against the Turks, where he soon distin- guished himself and obtained the command of a bodj^ of horse. At the siege of Regal, a Turkish nobleman sending a chal- lenge to fight with any Christian captain who would venture a contest for the amusement of the ladies, Smith accepted 31 32 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. the offer, and meeting his antagonist on horseback bore away his head, and gained a similar victory in a second and third contest. For this exploit he was given a coat of arms, as seen bj' the following : " Sigismundus Bathor, by the Grace of God, Duke of Transilvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia, Earle of Anchard, Salford and Growenda ; to whom this Writing may come or appeare. Know that We have given leave and licence to John Smith, an English Gentleman, Captaine of 250 Soul- diers, under the most Generous and Honourable Henry Volda, Earl of Meldritch, Salmaria, and Peldvia, Colonell of a thousand horse, and fifteen hundred foot, in the warres of Hungary, and in the provinces aforesaid under our author- ity ; whose service doth deserve all praise and perpetuall memory towards us, as a man that did for God and his Country overcome his enemies: Wherefore out of Our love and favour, according to the law of Armes, We have ordained and given him in his shield of Armes, the figure and description of three Turks' heads, which with his sword before the towne of Regall, in single combat he did overcome, kill, and cut off, in the Province of Transilvania." Captain Smith was afterwards taken prisoner by the Turks, and sold as a slave. Escaping from this tyranny, he traveled much in Northern Europe, passed into Spain, and finally went to Morocco. From thence he returned to Eng- land. Aged about 26 and full of experience and honors, he eagerly joined in the great drama of discovery and adventure in which he found some of his countrymen engaged. He entered with enthusiasm into the project of colonizing the New World, and with Newport, Gosnold, Ratcliffe, Wing- field, Hunt, and others, set out in December, 1606, with a squadron of three small vessels for Virginia, under the authority of a charter granted by James I. The Sarah Con- sta?it, in charge of Captain Christopher Newport, the com- mander of the expedition, carried seventy-one men ; the Godspeed, in charge of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, carried fifty-two men, and the Discove?y, a pinnace, in charge of John Ratcliffe, carried twenty men. They landed May 13th, at CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 33 Jamestown. Amidst the unhappy dissensions, difficulties, and distresses of the first years of the great enterprise, Smith rendered the most important services by his irrepressible hopefulness, his practical wisdom, and his vigorous govern- ment. But for his wisdom and noble exertions the projedl would probably have been abandoned. He made important geographical explorations and discoveries. In 1607, ascend- ing the Chickahominj^ and penetrating into the interior of the country, he and his comrades were captured by the Indians, and he only, by his rare self-possession, escaped with life. He remained a prisoner for some weeks, carefully observed the country, got some knowledge of the language of the natives, and when at last they were going to put him to death, he was saved by the affectionate pleading of Pocahontas, the daughter of the chief Powhatan, a girl ten or twelve years old. Reconducted to Jamestown, Smith had need for all his energy to save the desponding colonists. In the summer of 1608 he explored in an open boat the Bay of the Chesa- peake and its tributary' rivers, a navigation of nearly 3000 miles. He also penetrated inland, established friendly rela- tions wnth the Indians, and prepared a map of the country. On his return from this wonderful expedition, he was made President of the Colonial Council. In 1609 he was severely injured by an accidental explosion of gunpowder, and without reward for his splendid services, except in his own conscience and the applause of the world, returned to England. Three times had Smith prevented the abandonment of the Colony, preserved it from starvation and destruction for nearlj- three years, and had left it, on a change of administration, in a condition to take care of itself with judicious management. This great work, accomplished in a new settlement rent by intestine dissensions and threatened hourly with destruction by a wily and powerful foe, would surely entitle the author of it, to be called "The Father of the Colony." It was during Captain Smith's term of office as President of the Colonial Council that King James I. granted "The second Charter to the Treasurer and Company, for Virginia, erecting them into a corporation and Body Politic, and for III 34 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. the further enlargement and explanation of the privileges of the said Company and First Colony of Virginia."* Having returned to England in a torn and bleeding state from his injury, in the autumn of 1609, Captain Smith remained there until March 3, 16 14, when he set sail on a voyage of dis- covery to North Virginia. He ranged the coast east and west from Penobscot to Cape Cod, and bartered with the natives for beaver and other furs. By this voyage he made a profit of nearl}^ ^1500. From the observations which he now made, on shores, islands, harbors, and headlands, he on his return home formed a map, and presented it to Prince Charles, who, in the warmth of admiration, declared that the country should be called New England. Smith in this vo5'age made several discoveries, and distin- guished them by peculiar names. The northern promontory of Massachusetts Bay, forming the eastern entrance into the bay, he named Tragabigzanda, in honor of a Turkish lady to whom he had been formerly a slave at Constantinople. Prince Charles, however, in filial respecfl to his mother, called it Cape Ann, a name which it still retains. The three small islands lying at the head of the promontory, Smith called the "Three Turks' Heads," in memory of his victory over three Turkish champions ; but this name has also been changed . Another cluster of islands, to which the discoverer gave his own name, "Smith's Isles," was afterwards denominated "The Isles of Shoals," and still retains that name. On one of these isles (Star Island), erected on the southerly summit, stands a marble shaft in honor of John Smith. Encouraged by commercial success. Smith, in 1615, in the employment of Sir Ferdinando Gorges and of friends in Eon- don who were members of the Plymouth Company, endeavored to establish a colony in New England. Sixteen men were all whom the adventurers destined for this occupation. The attempt was unsuccessful. Smith was forced by violent storms to return. Again renewing his enterprise, he suffered from the treachery of his companions, and was intercepted by * Dated May 23d, 1609, James i.st, Stith'.s App., No. 2, See Henins's "Statutes at Large," Vol. I., p. 80 (Virginia), CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 35 French pirates. His ship having been taken away, he him- self escaped alone, in an open boat, from the harbor of Rochelle. The severest privations in a new settlement would have been less wearisome than the labors which his zeal now prompted him to undertake. Having published a map and a description of New England, he spent many months in 1617 visiting the merchants and gentry of the West of England, to excite their enterprise. He proposed to the cities, mercantile profits to be realized in short and safe voyages ; to the noble- men, vast dominions; from men of small means, his earnest- ness concealed the hardships of emigrants, and upon the dark ground drew a lively pidlure of the rapid advancement of for- tune by colonial industry, of the abundance of game, the delights of unrestrained liberty, and the pleasures to be derived from ' ' angling and crossing the sweet air from isle to isle over the silent streams of a calm sea." The Company began now to form vast plans of colonization ; Smith was appointed Admiral of the country for life, and a renewal of the letters patent, with powers analogous to those possessed by the Southern Company, became an objecft of eager solicitation. But a new charter was not obtained without vigorous opposi- tion. After two years' entreaty, the ambitious adventurers gained ever^^thing which they had solicited, and in Novem- ber, 1620, King James issued to forty of his subjedls, some of them members of his household and his government, the most wealthy and powerful of the English nobility, a patent, which in American annals, and even in the history of the world, has scarcel}- a parallel. The adventvirers and their successors were incorporated as "The Council established at Plymouth, in the County of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering, and gov- erning New England, in America." Smith never lived to see, even partially realized, his hopes of colonization in South or North Virginia. He demonstrated the power of enthusiasm in accomplishing great ends, but like many another hero, he fell unhonored while his work went on. For twenty years he was a voluminous writer, and with his sword and pen laid the foundations of the noble commonwealth of Virginia, whose glor>' will ever shed luster on his name. 86 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. "Captain John Smith died unmarried, nor is there any record that he ever had wife or children. This disposes of the claim of subsequent John Smiths to be descended from him. He was the last of that race ; the others are imitations. He was wedded to glory. That he was not insensible to the charms of female beauty, and to the heavenly pity in their hearts, which is their chief grace, his writings abundantly evince ; but to taste the pleasures of dangerous adventure, to learn war, and to pick up his living with his sword, and to fight wherever piety showed recompense would follow, was the passion of his youth, while his manhood was given to the arduous ambition of enlarging the domains of England, and enrolling his name among those heroes who make an inefface- able impression upon their age. There was no time in his life when he had leisure to marry, or when it would have been consistent with his schemes to have tied himself to a home." He died in London, June 21, 1 631, in his fifty-second year, and was buried in St. Sepulcher's Church. The following record is taken from Stow's "Survey of London," 1633 : "This table is on the south side of the choir in St. Sepulcher's, with this inscription : To The Living Memory of his Deceased Friend, CAPTAINE JOHN SMITH, Who Departed this Mortall Life on the 2ist Day of June, 1631. with his arms and this motto : Accord a in us, viiicere est vivere. Here lies one conquer'd that hath conquer'd Kings, Subdu'd large Territories, and done things Which to the World impossible would seeme, But that the truth is held in more esteeme, CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 3t Shall I report His former service done In honour of his God and Christendome : How that he did divide from Pagans three. Their heads and Lives, types of his chivalry : For which great service in that Climate done, Brave Sigismundvis (King of Hungarion) Did give him as a Coat of Armes to weare, Those conquer 'd heads got by his Sword and Speare ? Or shall I tell of his adventures since. Done in Virginia, that large Continence? How that he subdu'd Kings unto his yoke, And made those heathen flie, as wind doth smoke : And made their Land, being of so large a Station, A habitation for our Christian Nation : Where God is glorifi'd, their wants suppli'd. Which else for necessaries might have di'd? But what avails his Conquest, now he lyes Inter'd in earth, a prey for Wormes and Flies ? O may his soule in sweet Elizium sleepe, Until the Keeper that all soules doth keepe, Return to judgement, and that after thence, With Angels he may have his recompence. "Captain John Smith, sometime Govenour of / 'iroinia, and Admirall New England." 38 THE GOVERNORS OE VlRCthUA. "The same day that he died, he made his last will, to which he ap- pended his mark, as he seems to have l^een too feeble to write his name. He commends his soul ' into the hands of Almighty God, my Maker, hoping through the merits of Christ Jesus, my Redeemer, to receive full remission of all my sins, and to inherit a place in the everlasting kingdom ' ; his body he commits to the earth whence it came, and ' of such worldly goods whereof it hath pleased God in His mercy to make me an unworthy receiver, ' he beqvieathes, first, to Thomas Packer, Esq., one of His Majesty's clerks of the Privy Seal, ' all my houses, lands, tenautements and hereditaments whatsoever, situate, lying and being in the parishes of Louthe and Great Carleton, in the county of Lincoln, together with m}^ coat of armes, etc., etc' He also leaves a legacy to his 'Sister Smith,' the widow of his brother, etc. This coat of arms is described in Burke's ' Encyclopedia of Heraldr)' ' as granted to Captain John Smith, of the Smiths of Crudley County, Lancaster, as follows: ' Vert, a chev. gu betw. three Turks' heads couped ppr turbaned or. Crest — An Ostrich or. holding in the mouth a horseshoe or. ' " So passed from the arena of life a man who has left his impress upon the world's histor3^ To contemplate his career as a whole, it presents only a view of marvelous exploits and heroic adventures, with scanty foreshadowings in his brief journey of two and fifty years, of the mighty con- sequences of his life-work. But, in the section of that pano- rama which shows Captain Smith as the founder of the James- town Colony, we see now beyond the canvas, and behold, a mighty empire has arisen where those brave settlers led the way. An organized and powerful home of freedom stretches from sea to sea; and with "one country, one constitution, and one destiny," the invitation has gone out to all the peo- ples of the earth to come and join in this great heritage ! The following extradls afford an interesting insight to a portion of early Virginia history, and also show the honor in which Captain John Smith was held by some distinguished Americans of the nineteenth century : On "the tenth of September, 1608, by the eledlion of the Councell and request of the Company, Captain Smith received the Letters Patents, which till then by no meanes he would accept, though he was often importuned thereunto. Now, the building of Ratcliffe's Pallace stayed as a thing need- lesse ; the Church was repaired ; the Store-house recouered ; buildings prepared for the Supplyes we expecSled ; the Fort reduced to a fine square CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 39 forme ; the order of the Watch renewed ; the squadrons (each setting of the Watch) trained ; the whole Company euery Saturday exercised in the plaine by the west Bulwarke, prepared for that purpose, we called Smith- field ; where sometimes more than an hundred Salvages would stand in an amazement to behold how a fyle would batter a tree, where he would make tliem a niarke to shoot at ; the boats trinmied for trade, which being sent out with Lieutenant Percy, in their Journey incountred the second Sup- ply, that brought them back to discover the Country of Monacan." — The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captain John Smith. "The summer of 1608 is remarkable in the Virginia annals for the first voyage towards the source of the Chesapeake. Captain John Smith, in an open barge, with fourteen persons and a very scanty stock of pro- visions, explored the whole of that great extent of water, from Cape Henry where it meets with the ocean to the river Susquehanna ; trading with some tribes of Indians, and fighting with others. He discovered and named many small islands, creeks, and inlets ; sailed up many of the great rivers ; and explored the inland parts of the country. Smith after sailing about 3,000 miles, returned to Jamestown. Having made careful observations during this excursion of discovery, he drew a map of Chesapeake Bay and of the rivers, annexing to it a description of the countries, and of the nations inhabiting them, and sent it to the Council in England ; and this map was made with such admirable exactness that it is the original from which all subsequent maps and descriptions of Virginia have been chiefly copied.. His superior abilities obtained the ascendenc}' over envy and fadlion. Although he had lately been refused a seat at the Council board, he was now, by the ele6tion of the Council and the request of the settlers, invested with the government, and received letters patent to be President of the Colony. The wisdom of his administration infused confidence ; its vigor commanded obedience." — Annals of America, by Abiel Holmes. " Captain Smith, who next to Sir Walter Ralegh may be considered as the founder of our Colony, has written its history from the first adven- tures to it, till the year 1624. He was a member of the Council and after- wards President of the Colony, and to his efforts principally may be ascribed its support against the opposition of the natives. He was honest, sensible, and well-informed, but his style is barbarous and uncouth. His history, however, is almost the only source from which we derive any knowledge of the infancy of our state." — Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State oj Virginia. "He united the highest spirit of adventure with eminent powers of adlion. His courage and self-possession accomplished what others es- teemed desperate. Fruitful in expedients, he was prompt in execution. He was accustomed to lead, not to send, his men to danger ; would suffer' want rather than borrow, and starve sooner than not to pay. He had a 40 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. just idea of the public good and his country's honor. To his vigor, indus- try, and resolution the survival of the Colony is due. He clearly discerned that it was the true interest of England not to seek in Virginia for gold and sudden wealth, but to enforce regular industry. ' Nothing,' said he, 'is to be expedted thence but by labor.' " — Bancroft's History of the United States of America. "Discord, anarchy, and confusion mark the early history of these colonists (1608), and but for the genius, courage, and skill of Smith, they had shared the fate of the Colony of Roanoke. Guided by his talents, influenced by his example, under the wise administration of Smith, the Colony of Virginia was founded." — Historical Sketches of North Caro- lina, by fohti H. Wheeler. " In proof of the religious charadter of Captain Smith, as a part of the history of James City Parish, I quote the following account of the first place of worship in the same, etc.: " ' Now, because I have spoken so much for the body, give me leave to say somewhat of the soul; and the rather, because I have been demanded by so many, how we began to preach the Gospel in Virginia, and by what authority, what churches we had, our order of service, and maintenance for our ministers; therefore, I think it not amiss to satisfie their demands, it being the mother of all our Plantations, entreating pride to spare laughter, to understand her simple beginnings and proceedings. When I went first to Virginia, I well remember, we did hang an awning (which is an old sail) to three or four trees, to shadow us from the sun ; our walls were rails of wood, our seats unhewed trees till we cut planks, our pulpit a bar of wood nailed to two neighboring trees ; in foul weather we shifted into an old rotten tent, for we had few better; and this came by way of adventure for new. This was our church till we built a homely thing like a barn, set upon crotchetts, covered with rafts, sedge, and earth ; so was also the walls. The best of our houses were of the like cur- iosity, but the most part far much worse workmanship, that could neither well defend wind nor rain, yet we had daily Common Prayer, morning and evening, every Sunday two sermons, and every three months the holy communion, till our minister died (the Rev. Mr. Hunt). But (after that) our prayers daily, with an homily on Sundays, we continued two or three years after, till more preachers came, and surely God did most mer- cyfuUy hear us, etc. Capt. John Smith.' "Of the piety of Captain Smith we have further evidence in the account given of the survey of Virginia, when he and his valiant com- rades fell into so many perils among the Indians. ' Our order was daily to have prayer with a psalm, at which solemnity the poor savages much wondered. ' CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 41 "On Smith's return to Jamestown, notwithstanding all former oppo- sition, such were his merits and such its difficulties that the Council eledled him President of the Colony ; and the first thing done was to repair the church, which, during his absence among the Indians, had, with other houses, been destroyed by fire. Characfleristic and evincive of piety in him is the statement of it : — ' Now the bviilding of the palace was stayed as a thing needless., and the church was repaired.'"''— '' Old Churches,'' etc., by Bishop Williani Meade, P. E. C. " He was one of the persons selected by the Company to govern the infant Colony of Virginia; he was entrusted with the charge of two expe- ditions to New England, and was appointed Admiral of that country. His maps of the countries he visited, and descriptions of their inhabit- ants, are acknowledged by all writers to be remarkably accurate, and the estimation in which he was held by those who knew him best is admira- bly expressed by one of the writers in the ' Oxford Tradl, ' upon the occa- sion of his departure from the Colony, in these words: 'What shall I saye, but thus we lost him ; that in all his proceedings made justice his first guide, and experience his second, ever hating basenesse, sloth, pride, and indignitie more than any dangers ; that never allowed more for him- selfe than for his soldiers with him ; that upon no danger would send them where he would not lead them himselfe ; that would never see us want what he either had or could by any means get us ; that would rather want than borrow, or starve than not pay ; that loved adlion more than wordes, and hated falsehood and covetousness worse than death ; whose adventures were our lives, and whose losse our deathes. ' "The London Company were prompted in sending out the Colony by the desire of immediate gain, and when disappointed threatened to aban- don the colonists to their fate ; and the hardships of colonial life made many desirous of abandoning the enterprise. But the far-reaching genius of Smith saw in the fertile soil and mild climate of Virginia the provision by Providence for a great people, and he set himself resolutely to the work of bringing into subjection the native tribes, and of making the Col- ony self-supporting. He rebuked the London Company for their threat to abandon the Colony, he defeated the efforts to abandon the settlement at the risk of his life, he forced the men to labor, and he taught them how to hold the Indians in subjedtion and to get from them needed provisions. In a word, he demonstrated the pracfticability of the enterprise. Years afterward, and when, through his exertions in a great measure, Virginia had been successfully planted, he picflured the miseries through which they had passed who planted it, and his entire devotion of himself to its interests, in these words: ' By that acquaintance I have with them, I call them my children, for they have been my wife, my hawks, hounds, my cards, my dice, and in totall my best content, as indifferent to my heart as my left hand to my right ; and notwithstanding all those miracles of dis- asters have crossed both them and me, yet were there not an Englishman 4S THE GOVERNORS OP VIRGINIA. remaining, as God be thanked, notwithstanding the massacre, there are some thousands, I would yet begin againe with as small meanes as I did at first.' As his companions freely accorded to him the honor of being the real founder of Virginia, now that his work has developed into such a power for the advancement of mankind, the world should freely accord him the great honor which is his due." — Williain Wirt Henry. "The site is a very handsome one. The river is three miles broad; and on the opposite shore the country presents a fine range of bold and beautiful hills. Where is the busy, bustling crowd which landed here two hundred years ago? Where is Smith, that pink of gallantry, that flower of chivalry ? I fanc}' that I can see their first slow and cautious approach to the shore ; their keen and vigilant eyes piercing the forest in every diredlion, to dete(5l the lurking Indian, with his tomahawk, bow and arrow. Good Heavens ! what an enterprise ! how full of the most fearful perils ! and yet, how entirely profitless to the daring men who personally undertook and achieved it ! Through what a series of the most spirit- chilling hardships had they to toil ! how often did they cast their eyes to England in vain ! and with what delusive hopes, day after day, did the little famished crew strain their sight to catch the white sail of comfort and relief! But day after day the sun set and darkness covered the earth, but no sail of comfort or relief came. How often in the pangs of hunger, sickness, solitude, and disconsolation did they think of London, her shops, her markets, groaning under the weight of plenty ; her streets swarming with gilded coaches, bustling hacks, with crowds of lords, dukes, and com- mons ; with healthy, busy, contented faces of every description ; and among them none more healthy or more contented than those of their ungrateful and improvident directors ! " — William Wirt, on Jamestoivn. "Thus on the arrival of Captain Smith, the first founder of the Colony of Virginia,'" etc. — Thomas fefferson. Notes on the State of Virginia. "Parson Weems," of Virginia (who wrote a "Life of Washington," which, according to the distinguished Vir- ginia historian, John Esten Cooke, has "gone through more editions and been read by more people than the Lives of Mar- shall, Ramsay, Bancroft, and Irving put together"), says: "the souls of Columbus, Raleigh, and Smith looking down from heaven with joy beheld the consummation of all their labors and wishes." The beautiful story of the devotion of the Indian princess, Pocahontas, to the English Colony, deserves here more than a passing mention. She was really the guardian angel of CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 43 those sad emigrants over whose destiny she often presided. Her rescue of Captain John Smith from a cruel death has been perpetuated by the historian, the poet, the painter, and the sculptor, and the thrilling pidlure of the Indian girl rush- ing between the vidlim and his fate, appealing to her impe- rial father to spare the fatal blow, will ever remain a part of the early history of this country. Pure and simple-hearted she often forgot her own danger in her desire to inform the colonists of impending trouble. She forsook the wild rites of her savage tribe, embraced the Christian religion and was baptized and received into the Church under the name of Rebecca. She was united in holy matrimony with one of the colonists, Mr. John Rolfe, a man of high charadter and of great usefulness in the plantation. It is worthy of note that he was the originator of the culture of Virginia's great staple, tobacco, and one of the most adtive in developing the various resources of the country. The marriage of Pocahon- tas with Rolfe brought peace with the Indians. Sir Thomas Dale, who was adting as Governor, carried her with her hus- band and child to England in 1616, where she was hand- somely entertained by the London Compan}^ and others, the Queen and the Court paying her marked attention. As she was about to return to Virginia, "The Lady Rebecca," as she was called in London, died on shipboard at Gravesend, after a brief illness, March 21, 1617. She left one son, Thomas Rolfe, who was educated in England and became afterwards a person of note in Virginia. He was the founder of a distinguished family of whom the celebrated John Ran- dolph was a descendant. " But as I traversed the ground over which Pocahontas had so often bounded and frolicked in the sprightly morning of her youth, I could not help recalling the principal features of her history, and heaving a sigh of mingled pity and veneration to her memory ! ' ' Unfortunate princess ! She deserved a happier fate ! But I am con- soled * * * * that she sees her descendants among the most respedl- able families in Virginia ; and that they are not only superior to the false shame of disowning her as their ancestor, but that they pride themselves, and with reason, too, on the honor of their descent."— W7///a;;/ Wirt, iti ''The nritis/i Spy." VIII. CAPTAIN GEORGE PERCY. President of the Council in Virginia. August, 1609, to May, 1610. President John Smith, enfeebled by an accident to his person from an explosion of powder, and requiring medical aid only to be obtained in England, returned thither towards the close of the year 1609, leaving three ships, seven boats, upwards of four hundred and ninety persons, twentj^-four pieces of ordnance, three hundred muskets, with other arms and ammunition, one hundred well-trained and expert soldiers, a competent supply of working tools, live stock, and ten weeks' provisions. Jamestown was strongly palisaded, and con- tained about sixty houses. Smith, for more than a year, had maintained his authority, and when forced to embark for England he delegated his office to Percy. But the colonists, no longer controlled b}- an acknowledged authority, abandoned themselves to improvident idleness. Nothing could have been more inauspicious for the Colony of Virginia than the departure of Captain Smith. The pro- visions having been wasted after he left, a dreadful famine ensued, and prevailed to such extremity that this period was ever afterwards distinguished by the name of ''the starving time.'" Of nearh' five hundred persons left in the Colony by the late President, sixty only remained at the expiration of six months. Captain George Percy passed through a trying experience. On the arrival of Sir Thomas Gates, May, 16 10, the colonists insisted upon sailing for Newfoundland and burning behind them the town in which they had been so wretched. Gates prevented this, but they started on their sad return, and " none dropped a tear, for none had enjoyed one day of happi- CAPTAIN GEORGE PERCY. 45 ness." On the 8th of June, 1610, they fell down the stream with the tide, but next morning they met Lord De la Warr, with emigrants and supplies, and he turned the faces of the fugitives once more towards the deserted Jamestown. It was on the loth of June that the restoration of the Colony began. Under the second charter granted the London Company for Virginia, May 23, 1609, it was empowered to choose the Supreme Council in England, and under its instructions and regulations a Governor was provided, invested with absolute civil and military authority, with the title of " Governor and Captain- General of Virginia." The resident council was still retained. Thomas West, Lord De la Warr, was appointed First Governor and Captain-General for life, May 23, 1609, but as he did not reach the Colony until June 10, 16 10, Sir Thomas Gates was authorized to administer the affairs of the colony until the arrival of Lord De la Warr. When, therefore, Sir Thomas Gates arrived in Virginia, May 24, 1610, he superseded Captain George Percy, whose term of office had been such an eventful one. George Percy, eighth son of Henry, eighth Earl of North- umberland, was born September 4, 1580; served for a time in the Low Countries; sailed for Virginia in the first expedition, December, 1606; was President of the Colony during "the starving time," from August, 1609, to May, 16 10, and when Lord De la Warr returned to England in March, 161 1, in recognition of Percy's former services, he was appointed Gov- ernor until the arrival of Dale in May following. Percy left Virginia, April, 1612, went again to the Low Countries, where he distinguished himself as a soldier, was captain of a com- pany in 1627, and died unmarried in 1632. He wrote "A Trewe Relacyon," in defense of his administration in Virginia. IX. SIR THOMAS GATES. Lieutena7it-General and t Deputy-Governor. May, 1610, to June 10, 1610. Sir Thomas Gates was born at Colyford, in Colyton Parish, Devonshire. He was one of the first petitioners for royal license to colonize America, and was an incorporator of the first charter, April 10, 1606. When Lord De la Warr was created Governor and Captain-General for life, in May, 1609, Sir Thomas Gates, with Newport and Sir George Somers, was authorized to administer the affairs of the Colony until the coming of L,ord De la Warr. He accordingly assumed command on his arrival in Ma}^ 1610, and prevented the burning of Jamestown by the desperate colonists. But having consulted with Sir George Somers, Captain Newport, and the Council of the former government, they determined to abandon the country. This was prevented by the provi- dential appearing of Lord De la Warr, who at once, June 10, 1610, assumed the reins of government. Sir Thomas Gates left Virginia, July, 1610, but returned again in May, 161 1. He remained nearly three years, and went back to England in April, 16 14. 46 X. LORD DE LA WARR. Governor and Captain- General. June lo, 1610, to March 28, 161 1. Sir Thomas West, third Lord De la Warr, the first resident Governor-in-Chief of the Colonj^ of Virginia, was born in 1579. He received this important appointment on ac- count of his virtues as well as in consideration of his rank, for he was descended from a long line of noble ancestry. He assumed control of the Colony June 10, 1610. Having pub- lished his commission, which invested him with the sole com- mand, he appointed a Council of six persons to assist him in the administration. An essential change now took place in the form of the ancient Virginia Constitution ; the original aristocracy was converted into a rule of one, over whose deliberations the people had no control. Securit)' returned to the Colony and prosperity appeared under the auspices of this intelligent and distinguished nobleman. But Lord De la Warr's health failing, he sailed March 28, 161 1, for the island of Nevis, for the benefit of the warm baths, leaving his Colony in the charge of Captain George Percy. His health improv- ing somewhat, he desired to return to Virginia, but was per- suaded to go to England. The settlement at this time con- sisted of about two hundred men, but the Governor's departure produced great despondency. Fortunately, Sir Thomas Dale, "an experienced soldier," had been dispatched from London with supplies for the Colony. He arrived in the Chesapeake, 48 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. May, 1611, and assumed the government, which he soon after- wards administered upon the basis of martial law. In this year, 161 1, Samuel Argall, exploring the neighbor- ing coast to the north, at nine o'clock in the morning of the 27th of July, cast anchor in a very great bay, with many affluents, and gave it the name of Delaware. "A short relation made by the Lord De la Warre, to the lyords and others of the Counsell of Virginia, touching his unexpedled return home, and afterwards delivered to the Generall Assembly of the said Company, at a court holden the twenty-five of June, 161 1, published by authority of the said Counsell," says: " In the next place, I am to give accompt in what estate I left the Collony for government in my absence. It may please your Lordships, therefore, to understand that upon my depart- ure thence, I made choise of Captaine George Pearcie (a gen- tleman of honour and resolution, and of no small experience in that place), to remaine Deputie-Governor untill the com- ming of the Marshall, Sir Thomas Dale, whose commission was likewise to be determined upon the arrivall of Sir Thomas Gates, according to the intent and order of your Lordships and the Councill here." The following, from the same, is an interesting allusion to the noble Potomac : "The last discover}', during my continuall sicknesse, was by Captaine Argall, who hath found a trade with Patomack (a king as great as Powhatan, who still remaines our enemie, though not able to doe us hurt). This is a goodly River, called Patomack, upon the borders whereof there are growne the goodliest Trees for Masts, that may be found else-where in the World ; Hempe better then English, growing wilde in abundance ; Mines of Antimonie and Leade. Without our Bay to the Northward is also found an excellent fishing Banke for Codde and Ling as good as can be eaten, and of a kinde that will keepe a whole yeare, in Shippe's hould, with little care, a try all whereof I have now brought over with me," etc., etc. During Lord De la Warr's stay in England at this time, LORD DE LA WARR. 49 he was largely instrumental in procuring ' ' A Third Charter of King James I. to the Treasurer and Company for Virginia."* This charter not only confirmed all their former privileges, and prolonged their term of exemption from payment of duties on the commodities exported by them, but granted them more extensive property and more ample jurisdi(5lion. By this charter, all the islands lying within three hundred leagues of the coast were annexed to the Province of Virginia. Lord De la Warr set sail from England to return to Virginia in March, 1618, but unfortunately died (near the bay which bears his name) on the 7th of June following. * (Dated March 12, 1611-12 — Stith's Appendix, No. 3.) — See Hening's " Statutes a Large," I'irginia, Vol. I., pp. gS-iio. IV XI. CAPTAIN GEORGE PERCY. Dep2ity-Govcnior. March 28, 161 1, to Maj^ 19, 161 1. Captain Gicorge Percy was appointed by Lord De la Warr "to remain Deputie-Governor untill the comming of the Marshall, Sir Thomas Dale." This honor he assumed on March 28, 161 1, and held until the arrival of Dale, May, 161 1. Again a period of great depression occurred in the colony, l)ut Dale, with his supplies and enthusiasm, stirred the embers of hope in the hearts of the desponding settlers. Percy left Virginia, April 22, 1612, and never returned. 50 XII. SIR THOMAS DALE. Hi^h Marshal and Actiiig (lovenior. May 19, 161 1, to August, 161 1. The Ivondon Company having sent Sir Thomas Dale with supplies for the relief of the Colony, he arrived in the Chesapeake duly in May, 161 1, and assumed charge of the government. The code which he adopted, and which had been sent to Virginia by the Treasurer of the London Com- pany, vSir Thomas Smith, was a severe one; but he sent let- ters to England which induced Gates to bring over six ships, with three hundred emigrants, and this was a happy move for the colonists, who rejoiced with joy unspeakable at the approach of this friendly fleet. Gates assumed command, and the Colony numbered seven hundred men. Dale now went up the river to found two new plantations, one of which was named in honor of Prince Henry. He carried with him the Rev. Alexander Whittaker and three hundred and fifty men. One of the new positions was called New Bermuda, or what is now known as Bermuda Hundred, and the other, five or six miles higher up on the James, on the opposite side of the river, was located on Farrar's Island. This last was called Henrico City. In each of these places a church was built, and Mr. Whittaker was placed in charge of them. These were the first establishments after James City. The elevation upon which Henrico City once stood, commands a most romantic view. Four beautiful river.s appear to lend their charms to the prospecfl, while in facfl it is only 52 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. through the graceful windings of one that this illusion is produced. Sir Thomas Dale's name is thus associated with some of the most interesting events in the early life of the Colony, particularly with the foundation of the churches above men- tioned. XIII. SIR THOMAS GATES. Acting Governor. August, 1611, to March, 1613. The return of Gates to Virginia at this time with recruits and supplies, brought a revival of hope to the colonists, who from that hour began to advance in strength and happiness. The greatest change in their condition resulted from the incipient establishment of private property. To each man a few acres of ground were assigned for his orchard and gar- den, and henceforward the sancflity of private property was recognized. Agriculture enriched Virginia, and the stability of the Colony was no longer a matter of doubt. At this point we may exclaim with Michael Angelo, who inscribed at the base of one of his greatest works : ' ' No man hath knowledge how much blood this cost ! ' ' Through much tribulation, the settlement of America was assured, and on this remote frontier the Episcopal Church, coeval with the settlement of Jamestown, was established. Sir Thomas Gates left Virginia in charge of Dale in March, 1613, and returned to England, where he employed himself in pressing forward the interests of the colonists. 53 XIV. SIR THOMAS DALE. Acting Governor. March, 1613, to April, 1616. When Sir Thomas Gates returned to England, in March, 1 6 13, he left the Colony in the keeping of Sir Thomas Dale. In April of this year John Rolfe married Pocahontas, the daughter of King Powhatan. This union brought peace with the Indians, and is mentioned with approbation by every historian of Virginia. The earliest land laws, though imperfe(5l and unequal, gave now the cultivator the means of becoming a proprietor of the soil. These changes were made by Sir Thomas Dale, who has gained much commendation for his zeal and good judgment in such matters. He returned to England in 1616, and took with him Mr. Rolfe and his wife, Pocahontas. Sir Thomas Dale died in India in 1620 — "whose valor, having shined in the We.sterne, was set in the Easterne India." 54 XV. CAPTAIN GEORGE YEARDLEY. Deputy^ or Lieutenant-Governor. April, 1616, to May, 1617. Sir Thomas Dai,e, having remained five years in Amer- ica, now departed for his native country, and left George Yeardley, as Deputy-Governor, in charge of the administra- tion. He indulged the people in the cultivation of tobacco in preference to corn, which he compelled the natives to fur- nish by way of tribute. An instance of Yeardley 's method of ' ' raising ' ' corn is as follows : Having sent to the Chickahominies for the tribute corn, and receiving an insolent answer, Governor Yeardley pro- ceeded with one hundred men to their principal settlement, where he was met with contempt and scorn. Perceiving the Indians to be in a hostile and menacing posture, he ordered his men to fire on them, and twelve were killed on the spot. Twelve also were taken prisoners, two of whom were elders; hit they paid one hundred btcshels of com for their ransom^ and, as the p7dce of peace, loaded three English boats with the coveted cereal ! Yeardlej-'s government was successful, but he was, through Sir Thomas Smith's influence, superseded by Captain Samuel Argall, who arrived in Virginia, Maj^ 161 7, and assumed control of affairs. It is worthy of notice that in this year, 16 16, died Richard Hakluyt, historian and geographer, a man whose enthusiasm and courage stimulated the American enterprise and influ- enced the early settlement of Virginia in a pre-eminent degree. 55 XVI. CAPTAIN SAMUEL ARGALL. Deputy^ or Lieutenant-Governor. May, 1617, to April, 1619. Samuel Argall came to Virginia as early as 1609, to trade and to fish for sturgeon. This traffic was in violation of the laws, but as the wine and provisions which he brought were much in demand, his condudt was connived at, and he continued to make voyages for his own advantage and in the service of the Colony. In 1613 he arrived at the island of Mount Desert, off the coast of Maine, for the purpose of fish- ing, and finding a settlement of French, which was made two years before, he attacked it and took most of the settlers pris- oners. A Jesuit priest was killed in the engagement. This was the commencement of hostilities between the French and English colonists in America. Captain Argall soon after- wards sailed from Virginia to Acadie, and destroyed the French settlements of St. Croix and Port Royal. In 1 6 14 he went to England, and returned in 161 7, clothed with the authority of Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony of Virginia. Being now beyond the reach of immediate control, he incurred the displeasure of the people and the proprietors by his tyrannical course. He was arrogant and greedy of gain, and by his arbitrary rule he "imported more hazard to the plantation than ever did any other thing that befel that adlion from the beginning." Before an account of Argall's despotic sway had reached Eondon, the authorities there had despatched Lord De la Warr, the Governor- General, to Vir- ginia with two hundred men and supplies for the Colony. Orders followed to send Argall to England, where he was "to answer everything that should be laid to his charge." 56 CAPTAIN SAMUEL ARC ALL. 57 But the good Lord De la Warr was doomed not to reach Vir- ginia. He died on this voyage, and Argall was left to oppress the colonists and defraud the Company to his heart's content. The condition of Virginia became insupportable, for life itself was insecure against the passionate whims of this unscrupu- lous tyrant. The Colony languished, and no emigrants could be found for this unhappy settlement ; but the news which checked the spirit of adventure also roused the indignation of some of the London Company. Argall was displaced, and the mild and popular Yeardley eledled* Governor in his stead, with higher rank. During Argall's term of ofhce, martial law, which had been proclaimed and executed during the turbulence of former times, was, in a season of peace, made the common law of the land. By this law a gentleman was tried for contemptuous words that he had spoken of the Governor, was found guilty, and condemned ; but his sentence was respited, and he appealed to the Treasurer and Council, who reversed the judgment of the court-martial. This is the first instance of an appeal carried from an American colony to England. Argall's first exploit in Virginia had been the abdu(5lion of Pocahontas, in 1612, from the care of a chief who had been intrusted by Powhatan with the charge of his daughter, but who surrendered her for the bribe of a brass kettle. Taking her to Jamestown, Argall gave her into the keeping of the Governor and the church. When he left the Colony he con- tinued to lead an adventurous life. On September 6, 1625, he sailed from Plymouth as Admiral of twenty-four English and four Dutch ships, and during the cruise took seven ves- sels, valued at ^100,000; he is also said to have commanded' the flag-ship during the attack on Cadiz. Beyond this, little is known of him, save that he was married and left children ; was knighted by James I. in 1623, and died in 1639. His partnership in trade with the Earl of Warwick had protecfled him in his colonial difficulties. It was during Argall's reign in the Colony that the old king, Powhatan, its former ruler, passed from the green woods and river shores of Virginia, to the happy hunting grounds .-)8 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. of the Indian belief. " He was a prince of eminent sense and abilities, and deeply versed in all the savage arts of govern- ment and polic}-. Penetrating, crafty, insidious, it was as difficult to deceive him as to elude his own strategems. But he was cruel in his temper, and showed little regard to truth or integrit}'." Argall's character has been variously interpreted, but he was without question a man of talents and of unrivaled industry in any pursuit into which either his greed or his ambition led him. XVII. CAPTAIN NATHANIEL POWELL. President of the Council in Virginia. April 9, i6ig, to April 19, 1619. Sir George Yeardley having been knighted by King James I., November 22, 1618, the vessels lay waiting in the Thames to bear him to Virginia, but before the new Governor could reach his destination, Argall had decamped, bearing his booty with him. Captain John Smith says: " For to begin with the yeere of our Lord 16 19, there arriued a little Pinnace priuately from England about Easter for Captaine Argall, who taking order for his affairs, within foure or fine daies returned in her and left for his Deputy, Captaine Nathaniell Powell. On the eighteenth of Aprill, which was but ten or twelue daies after, arriued Sir George Yeardley," etc., etc. Captain Powell was one of the first Virginia planters. He came over in April, 1607, and took an adlive part for sev- eral years in colonial affairs, contributing a good deal by his personal efforts and his pen to the benefit of the Plantation. Unhappily, he and his wife were killed by the Indians, March 22, 1622. Eleven others were also slain in this massacre at " Powle Brooke." 59 XVIII. vSIR GEORGE YEARDLEY. Governor and Captain- General. April 19, 161 9, to November 8, 1621. On the 19th of April, 1619, Sir George Yeardley entered upon the duties of his appointed office. The Colony was " in a poore estate" at this time, but from the moment of Yeard- ley's accession to power, the real life of Virginia began. Bringing with him "commissions and instructions from the Company for the better establishing of a Commonwealth," he declared "that those cruell lawes, by which the ancient plant- ers had soe longe been governed, were now abrogated, and that they were to be governed by those free lawes, which his Majestie's subjecftes lived under in Englande." ' ' That the planters might have a hande in the governing of themselves, yt was graunted that a Generall Assemblie shoulde be helde yearly once, whereat were to be present the Govenor and Counsell, with two burgesses from each planta- tion, freely to be elecfled by the inhabitantes thereof, this assemblie to have power to make and ordaine whatsoever lawes and orders should by them be thought good and profit- able for their subsistence." In conformity with these instruc- tions, Sir George Yeardley " sente his summons all over the country, as well to invite those of the Counsell of Estate that were ab.sente, as also for the election of the burgesses," and on Friday, the 30th day of July, 16 19, the first ele(5live legis- lative body of this continent assembled at James City. As " a perpetual interest attaches to the first elecftive body repre- senting the people of Virginia, more than a year before the 00 S//^ GEORGE YEARDLEY. 61 Mayflower ^ with the Pilgrims, left the harbor of Southamp- ton," its record is given here in full, from Senate Document (Extra), Colonial Records of \^irginia : Colonial Records of Virginia. STATE PAPERS. COLONIAL. Vol. I.— No. 45. [July 30, 16 19.]* A Reporte of the mangier of proceeding^ in the General assembly conventcd at James citty in Virginia, July jo, /6/g, consist- ing of the Governor, the Counsell of Es- tateX and two Burgesses eleBed out of cache Incorporation and PlaiTtation, and being dissolved the ^"' of August next ensuitig. Firft. Sir George Yeardlc}-, Knight Governo' & Captaine general of Virginia, having fente his funions all over the Country, as well to invite thofe of the Counfell of Eftate that were abfente as alfo for the election ol Burgefles, there were chofen and appeared E^or fames citty Captaine William Powell, Eufigne William Spense. Eor Charles citty Samuel Sharpe, Samuel Jordan. E'or the citty of Henricus Thomas Dowfe, John Polentine. Eor Kiccoivtan Captaine William Tucker, William Capp. Eor Martin Brandon — Capt. John Martin's Plantation M' Thomas Davis, M' Robert Stacy. *The caption is after the De Jarnette copy. Bancroft has " S. P. O." (State Paper OflRce.) "Am'a & W. Ind. Virg. : Indorsed, Mr. Povy out of Virginia. The Proceed- ings of the First Assembly of Virginia : July 1619." Sainsbury's Calendar o( Slate papers: Colonial, 1574-1660, has, "Endorsed by Mr. Carleton. Mr. Pory out of Vir- ginia."— p. 22. t Proceedings. Bancroft. {State. McDonald. 62 THE GOVERNORS OF riRC/XEl. Eor Siiiyt/ir's hiDidred Captain Thomas Graves, M' Walter Shelley. Eor Maititi's huudred M' John Boys,' John Jackson. Eor ArgalFs guiffe'- M' Pawlett, M' Oourgaing.' Eor Ehnverdieu luiiidrcd Ensigne^ RofRnghani, M' Jefferson. Eor Captai)! La-ivne'' s plajitalioii Captain Christopher Lawne, Knsignc^ Washer. Eor Ca/>tai)ie Wardens plan ta/ ion Captaine Wardc, Lieutenant Gibbes. The nioft convenient place we could finde to sitt in was the Quire of the Churche Where Sir George Yeardley, the Governour, being fett downe in his accuflomed place, thofe of the Counfel of Ertate fate nexte him on both handes, excepte onely the Secretary then appointed Speaker, who fate right before him, John Twine, clerke' of the Genera' ailembly, being placed nexte the Speaker, and Thomas Pierfe, the Ser- geant, ftanding at the barre, to be ready for any fervice the Allembly Ihoulde comaund" him. But forasmuche as men's affaires doe little prof- per where God's fervice is negle6led, all the Burgefles tooke their places in the Quire till a prayer was faid by Mr. Bucke, the Minifter, that it would pleafe God to gviide and fandlifie all our proceedings' to his owne glory and the good of this Plantation. Prayer being ended, to the intente that as we^ had begun at God Almighty, fo we^ might proceed w"' awful and due refpe6le towards the Lieutenant, our nioft gratious and dread Soveraigne, all the Burgelles were intreatted to retyre themfelves into the body of the Churche, w'' being done, before they were fully admitted they were called in order and by name, and fo every man (none dagger- ing at it) took the oathe of Supremacy, and then entred" the Allembly. At Captaine Warde the Speaker tooke exception, as at one that without any Comillion or authority had seatted himfelfe either upon the Compa- nies, and then his Plantation would not be lawfvill, or on Captain Martin's lande, and fo'" he was but a limbe or member of him, and there could be but two Burgelles for all. So Captaine Warde was comaunded to abfente ' Boyes, McDonald. -Ouilte, Bancroft. ^Gourgaiuy, McDonald and Bancroft. *' K.tisign, Bancroft. "'Clerk, McDonald. "Coniand, McDonald. ' I'roceedinges, Ban- croft, '■wee, McDonald, "entered, McDonald, '".soe, McDonald. SIR CEORCE VEARDLEV. 63 hiinfelfe till such time as the Allcinl:)ly had agreed what was fitt for him to doe. After muchc debate, they refolved on this order following: An order concluded by the General adembly concerning Captaine Warde, July 30"', 1619, at the opening of the faid Af- fembly. At the reading of the names ol the Burgeifes, Exception was taken againft Captaine Warde as having planted here in Virginia without any authority or comiffion from the Trefurer, Counfell and Company in Eng- lande. But confidering he had bene at so great chardge and paines to augmente this Colony, and had adventured his own perfon in the adlion, and fmce that time had brought home a good'- quantity of filhe, to relieve the Colony by way of trade, and above all, becaufe the Comiffion for authorifmg the General AlVembly admitteth of two BurgelTes out of every plantation w"'out reftrainte or exception. Upon all thefe conliderations, the AlVembly was contented to adniitt of him and his Lieutenant (as members of their body and BurgeHes) into their society. Provided, that the faid Captaine Warde, w"' all -expedition, that is to faye between this and the nexte general alTembly (all lawful impediments excepted) ihould procure from the Trefurer, '■■ Counfell and Company in England a comif- fion lawfully to eftablilli" and plant liimfelfe and his Company as the Chieffs'' of other Plantations have done. And in cafe he doe negledl this he is to ftande to the cenfure of the next general aflembly. To this Cap- taine Warde, in the prefence of us all, having given his confente and undertaken to perform the fame, was, together w"' his Lieutenant, by voices of the whole Alfembly firit admitted to take the oath of Suprem- acy', and then to make up their number and to litt amonglt them. This being done, the Govcrnour himselfe alledged that before we proceeded any further it behooved us to examine whither it were fitt, that Captaine Martin's Burgelles shoulde"' have any place in the AlVem- bly, forasmuche as he hath a claufe in his Patente w''' doth not oneh- exempte him from that equality and uniformity of lawes and orders ^,.rn ^iie great charter faith are to extende'^ over the whole Colony, but alfo from diverfe fuch lawes as we muft be enforced''' to make in the Gen- eral AlVembly. That claufe is as followeth : Item. That it Ihall and may be lawfull to and for the faid Captain John Martin, his heyers, executours and alVignes to governe and comaunde all fuche'" person or perfons as at this time he Ihall carry over with him, or that Ihalbe'-' fente him hereaf- ter, free from any comaunde of the Colony, excepte it be in ayding and alliiHng the fame agaiull'-' any forren or domeltical enemy. " 30, Bancroft, '-goode, McDonald. >■' Treasurer, McDonald, n estalilishe, Mc- Donald, Bancroft. '^ Chiefe-s, McDonald, "■.should, Bancroft. ' • W', McDonaUl and Bancroft, '^extend, Bancroft, '"inforced, McDonald, -"such, McDonaUl. -'shall lie, McDonald, --ag"', McDonald. 64 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. Upon the'-' ' motion of the Governour, difcufled the fame time in the aflembly, eufued this order following: An order of the General Ailembly touching a claufe in Captain'-'"' Martin's Patent at James Citty, July 30, 1619. After all the BurgeiVes had taken the oath of Supremacy and were admitted into the houfe, and all fett downe in their places, a Copie of Captain'-'' Martin's Patent-' was produced by the Govern" '■" out of a Claufe whereof it appeared that when the general'-' ailembly had made fome kinde of lawes requifite for the whole Colony, he and his Burgefles and people might deride the whole company and chufe whether they would obay'-^ the same or no.'* It was therefore ordered in Courte that the fore- faid two BurgeiVes ihould w"'drawe themfclves out of the alTembly till fuche time as Captaine Martin had made his perfonall appearance before them. At what time, if upon their motion, if he would be contente to quitte and give over that parte of his Patente, and contrary therunto woulde submitte himfelfe to the general forme of governemente as all others did, that then his Burgefles should be readmitted, otherwife they were utterly to be excluded as being fpies rather than'-' loyal BurgeiVes, becaufe they had offered themfelves to be affistant at the making of-'-' lawes w' '' both themfelves and thofe whom they reprefented might chufe whether they would obaye'"' or not. Then came there in a complaintc againlt Captain-' Martin, that hav- ing fente his Shallop to trade for corne into the baye, under the com- maunde of one Enfigue Harrifon, the faide Enfignc ihould aflfirme to one Thomas Davis, of Pafpaheighe,'''" Gent, (as the faid Thomas Davis depofed upon oathe,) that they had made a harde voiage, had they not niett w"' a Canoa coming out of a creekc where their iTiallop could not goe. For the Indians refuiing to fell their Corne, thofe of the Ihallop entered the Canoa w"' their arnies and tooke it by force, meafuring out the corne w"' a balkett they had into the Shallop and (as the faid Eniigne Harrifon faith) giving them fatisfaction in copper beadcs-" and other trucking IVuffe. Hitherto Mr. Davys upon his oath. Furthermore it was lignified from Opochancano to the Governour that thofe people had complained to him to procure them juftice.*' For w'*' confiderations and becaufe fuche^' outrages as this might breede dan- *The following passage is a side note on the margin of the McDonald and De Jarn- ette copies, but Bancroft includes it in the text :— The authority of Captaine -'•' Martin's Patent graunted by the Counfell & Company under their Comon :*" Seale, being of an higher condition -'i and of greatter ■'- force then any Acte of the General •'■' Aflembly. -^ this, McDonald and Bancroft. '-''' Captaine, McDonald. -•'' Patente, McDonald and Bancroft. "*'• Governour, McDonald and Bancroft. '-'Generall, McDonald and Bancroft, -"obey, McDonald; obaye, Bancroft. '-''Capt., McDonald. •'"Common, McDonald, -'i comi.ssion, McDonald, -'-greater, McDonald. -'^Generall. -'^then, McDonald, •'■•of the, McD. ■'"'obeye, McDonald; obaye, Bancroft. 3? captaine, Mc- Donald and Bancroft. ^h paspai^gjghg^ McDonald, Banc'ft. '"beads, McDonald, ^"iustice, McDonald, "such, McDonald. SIR GEORGE YEARDLEY. 65 ger and loll"-'- of life to others of the Colony w"'' fhould have leave to trade in the baye hereafter, and for prevention of the like violences againft the Indians in time to come, this order following was agreed on by the gen- eral allembly. A fecond order againft Captain Martin, at James citty, July 30, 1619. It was alfo ordered by the Aflembly the fame daye that in cafe Cap- taine Martin and the ging of his fhallop would'*^ not throughly anfwere an accufation of an outrage comitted againft a certaine Canoa of Indians in the baye, that then it was thought reafon (his Patent,^ notw"'ftanding the authority whereof, he had in that cafe abufed) he fhoulde*^ from henceforth take leave of the Governour*'^ as other men, and fhould putf' in fecurity, that his people fhall comitte no fucli'*'* outrage any more. Upon this a letter or warrant was drawen in the name of the whole alTembly to fumon Captaine Martin to appeare before them in forme fol- lowing : By the Governo"'^ and general aflembly of Virginia. Captaine Martine, we are to requeft"*" you vipon fight hereof, with all convenient fpeed to repaire hither to James citty to treatt and conferre w"' vis about fome matters of efpecial'' importance, W"'' concerns'''^ both us and the whole Colony and yourfelf. And of this we praye you not to faile. James citty, July 30, 1619. To our very loving friend, Captain John Martin, Efquire, Mafter of the ordinance. Thefe obftacles removed, the Speaker, who a long time had bene cxtreanie iickly, and therefore not able to pafle through long harangues, delivered in briefe to the whole aflembl)- the occafions of their meeting. Which'' done, he read unto them the comiiTion for eftablifhiug the Coun- fell of Eftate and the general'^ Aircmbh', wherein their duties were defcribed to the life. Having thus prepared them, he read over unto them the greate Charter, or comiflion of priviledges, orders and lawes, sent by Sir George Yeardley out of Englande.-'' Which'''' for the more eafe of the Commit- ties, having divided into fower books, he read the former two the fame forenoon for expeditious^' fake, a fecond time over, and fo they were referred to the perufall of twoe Comittics, w'"' did reciprocally confider of either, and accordingly brought in their opinions. But fome man may ■"'■^lofTe, McDonald, '"could, McDonald, Bancroft. '^ Patente, McDonald and Ban- croft. ''.') should, Bancroft. ■"' Governor, McDonald. ••' put, McDonald, -i" suche, Mc- Donald and Bancroft. '''Governour, Bancroft, ^"request, McDowell, i"' especiall, McDonald. •'- concerne, McDonald and Bancroft. i^^W''', McDonald. ''''Gen", Mc- lionald. •'^ The substance of these will he found in the paper, "A briefe Declaration," itc. See po.st. — . •'>'' W'', McDonald. ''" expeditions, Bancroft. 66 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. here objecte to what ende we lliould prefuuie to referre that to the exaiii- iuation of Comitties w'' the Counfell and Company iu England'"' had already refolved to be perfect, and did expecte nothing-' but our aflente thereunto?'^" To this we anfwere, that we did it not to the ende to cor- recte or controU anything therein contained, but onely in cafe we ihould finde ought not perfectly fquaring w''' the ftate of this Colony or any lawe w' '' did prelfe or binde too harde, that we might by waye of humble peti- tion, feeke to have it redreffed, efpecially becaufe this great Charter is to biude us and our heyers for ever. The names of the Comitties for peruling the first booke of the fower : I. Captain William Powell, 2. Eniigne Roliugham, 3. Captaine Warde, 4. Captaine Tucker, 5. Mr. Shelley, 6. Thomas Doufe, 7. Samuel Jordan , S. Mr. Boys. The names of the Comitties for peruiing the fecond booke : I. Captaine Dawne,* 2. Captaine Graves, 3. Enligne Spense, 4. Samuel Sharpe, 5. William Cap, 6. Mr. Pawlett, 7. Mr. Jefferfon, 8. Mr. Jackfon. Thefe Comitties thus appointed, we brake up the firft forenoon's aifembly. After dinner the Governo' and thofe that were not of the Comitties'^' fate a feconde time, while the faid Comitties'''' were employed in the perusall of thofe twoe bookes. And whereas the Speaker had propounded fower feverall objedts for the AlTembly to confider on : namely, firft, the great charter of orders, lawes and priviledges; Secondly, which of the inftructions given by the Coiinfel in England to my lo : la: warre,"^ Cap- tain Argall or Sir George Yeardley, might conveniently putt on the habite of lawes; Thirdly, what lawes might iiTne out of the private con- ceipte of any of the Burgelfes, or any other of the Colony; and laftly. what petitions were*^" fitt to be fente home for England. It pleafed the Governou' ''■* for expedition''^ fake to have the second objecte'"* of the fower to be examined & prepared by himfelfe and the Non-Comitties. Wherin after having fpcntc fome three howers'"' conference, the twoe Commit- ties**^ brought in their opinions concerning the twoe former bookes, (the fecond of which beginneth at thefe wordes of the Charter : And forafmuche 68 j;i]giande, McDonald, "i' nothinge, McDouald. ''"thereunto, McDonald and Bancroft, "i Comittees, McDonald. "-Lord le Warre, McDonald, "-'we, McDonald. •■"' Governor, McDonald. '■' expedition.s, McDonald, also Bancroft. "'• obiecte, McDon- ald. '■•' houres, McDonald. "^ two Coniittees, McDonald. *I.,awne, McDonald, and Bancroft the list of Burgesses on p. 10, showing this to be proper. SI A' CEO AGE YEARDLEY. 67 as our intente is to ertablilli one cquall and nuifonne kinde of government over all Virginia &c.,)'*" w'' the whole Allenibly, becaufc it was late, de- ferred to treatt •" of till the next morning. SATTrRDAV. July 31. The nexte daye, therefore, out of the opinions of the faid Comit- ties,"' it was agreed, thefe''' Petitions enfuing ihould be framed, to be pre- fented to the Treafurer, Counfel & Company in England. Upon the Comitties''-' perufall of the firft booke,'-' the General" AlVembly doe become moil: humble fuitours to their loi'" and to the reft of that lion'"'' Counfell and renowned Company, that albeit they have bene pleafed*'' to allotte unto the Governo' '^ to themfclves, together w"' the Counfell of Eftate here, and'** to the officers of Incorporations, certain lande'" portions oflandeto be layde out wi"'in the limites of the fame, yet that"" they woulde vouchfafe alfo,*" that"-' groundes as heretofore had bene granted by patent to the antient"' Planters by former Governours that had from the Company received comiffion"^ fo to doe, might not nowe after so muche labor and cofte, and fo many yeares habitation be taken from them. And to the ende that no man might doe or fufifer any wrong in this kinde, that they woulde favour us fo muche (if they meane to graunte this our peti- tion) as to fend us notice, what coniiflion or authority for graunting of landes they have given to cache"" particular Governour in times paste. The fecond petition of the (xeneral aftembly framed by the Comit- ties"" out of the fecond book is. That the Treafurer"' & Company in England would be pleafed w"' as muche convenient fpeed"" as may be to fende men hither to occupie their landes belonging to the fower Incorpor- ations, as well for their ownc^' behoofe and proffitt as for the maintenance of the Counfell'"' of Eftate, who are nowe'" to their extream hindrance often draw-en far from their private bufines and likewife that they will have a care to fende'- tenants to the minifters of the fower Incorporations to manure their gleab, to the intente that the allowance they have allotted them of 200 G.-'-' a yeare may the more eafily be raifed. The thirde Petition liuml)ly prcfented by this General Aftemblj' to the Treafurer, Counfell & Company is, that it may plainely be exprefted in the great Comiifion (as indeed it is not) that the antieut Planters of both fortes, viz., fuche as before Sir Thomas Dales' depart''^ were come hither upon their owne chardges,""' and fuche also as were brought hither upon ''"The McDonald copy includes in ( ) all of this trom "the second of which " to " Charter," and another single ) after &c. The l)e Jarnette copy has one ) only after &c. Bancroft includes what is adopted in this text. '" McDonald has breath. " Cotnit- tees, McDonald, '-these, McDonald. '■' Comittees, ISlcDonald. ■'•book, McDonald. •'•Generall, McDonald. ■" pleas'd, McDonald. "■ Govern', McDonald ; Gov, Bancroft. ""&, McDonald, "'large, McDonald. '"Bancroft omits "that." "' al.soe, Bancroft. "''■ McDonald has such and Bancroft suche after that. "^ ancient, McDonald. "^^ Comiss", Bancrofl. "•'■each, Bancroft. "'■ Comitte.ss, McDonald. "" Tresurer, McDonald. '*"speede, -McDonald, '"'own, Bancroft. '■"' Counsell, McDonald and Bancroft, '"now, McDon- ald, "'-'send, McDonald. "•'/"200, Bancroft. '""In the McDonald copy this was ju.st written departure, then " ure" crotTed out with a pen, and the word made de])artnieiit. Bancroft has departure. "■' Charges, McDonald. 68 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. the Companie's colte, may have their fecond, third aud more divifious fuc- ceflively in as lardge and free manner as sxxy other Planters. Alfo that they wilbe pleafed to allowe to the male children, of them and of all others begotten in Virginia, being the only hope of a pofterity, a fingle Ihare a piece, and Ihares for their iffues or^^ for themfelves, becaiife that in a newe plantation it is not knowen whether man or woman be the more necelTary. Their fourth Petition is to befeech the Treafiirer, Connfell & Company that they would be pleafed to appoint a Sub-Tresurer^" here to collefte their rents, ^* to the ende that'"' the Inhabitants of this Colony be not tyed to an impoffibility of paying tlie fame yearly to the Treafurer in England, and that they would enjoine the faid Sub-Treafurer not precifely according to the letter of the Charter to exacte niony of us (whereof we have none at all, as we have no minte), but the true value of the rente in comodity. The fifte Petition is to befeeche the Treafurer, Counsell & Company that, towards the erecting of the Univerfity and Colledge, they will fende, when they fhall thinke"* it moft convenient, workmen of all fortes, fitt for that purpofe. The sixte and laste is, they wilbe'"' pleased to change the favage name of Kiccowtan, and to give that Incorporation a newe name. Thefe are the general Petitions drawen by the Comitties out of the two former bookes w'^'^ the whole general affembly in maner and forme above'"'- fett downe do moft humbly offer up and prefent'"^ to the honoura- ble conftruction of the Treafurer, Counfell and Company in England. Thefe petitions thus concluded on, thofe twoe Comitties broughte me'"^ a reporte what they had observed in the two latter bookes, w''' was nothing elfe but that the perfection of them was fuche as that'"'' they could finde nothing tlierein fvtbject to exception, onl}' the Governo"^^ '"" particular opinion to my felfe in private hathe l^ene as touching a clause in the thirde booke, that in thefe doubtfull times between us and the Indians, it would beehoove'"'' us not to make as'"^ lardge distances between Plantation and Plantation as ten miles, but for otu: more ftrength ande fecurity to drawe nearer together. At the fame time, there remaining no'"-' farther scrviple in the mindes of the Affembly touching the faid great Charter of lawes, orders and privi- ledges, the Speaker putt the fame to the queftion, and fo it had both the general affent aud tlie applaufe of the whole affembly, who, as they pro- feffed themfelves in tlie firft place moft fubmiffively thankfull to almighty god, therefore fo they commaunded the Speaker to returne (as nowe he doth) their due and humble thaukes to the Treasurer, Counfell and com- pany for fo many priviledges and favours as well in their owne names as in the names of the whole Colony whom they reprefented. ^'f McDonald and Bancroft both have " wives as," instead of " iffues or," the former being evidently the proper words. "' Treasurer, McDonald, ""rentes, McDonald, Ban- croft. "" McDonald and Bancroft both omit that, i"" McDonald aud Bancroft omit it. '"'will be, McDonald. '"" sette, Bancroft, '"^preseute, McDonald and Bancroft. '"■•In, McDonald, Bancroft, i'"' McDonald and Bancroft omit that. '""Govn™, Mc- Donald; Gov", Bancroft. "'"Behoove, McDonald, Bancroft. '""So, McDonald, Ban- croft. '"" Noe, McDonald. S/A' GEORGE YEARDLEY. 69 This being difpatched we fell once more"" debating of fuclic inrtruc- tions given bv the CounfcU in England to feveral'" Govemo" "'•' as might be converted into lawes, the lall whereof was the Eftablilhmcnt of the price of Tobacco, nameh', of the beft at 3d"'' and the fecond at i8d the pounde. At the reading of this the AlVenibly thought good to fende for Mr. Abra- ham Perfey, the Cape marchant, to publilhe this inftniction to him, and to demaunde"^ of him if he knewe of any impediment why it might not be admitted of? His anfwere"'' was that he had not as yet received any fuche order from the Adventurers of the '"^ in England. And notw"'ftanding he fawe tlie aiithority was good, yet was he unwilling to yield, till fuche time as die Governo' "' and AHembly had layd their commandment upon him, out of the authority' of the forefaid Inftructions as foUoweth : By the General Ailembly. We will and require you, Mr. Abraham Perfey, Cape Marchant, from this daye forwarde to take notice, that, according to an article in the Inftructions confirmed by the Treasurer, Counfell"* and Company in Eng- lande at a general quarter courte, both by"^ voices and under their hands'-'" and the Comon feall,'-' and given to Sir George Yeardley, knight, this prefent governour, Decemb.'" 3, 1618, that yoix are bounde to accepte of tlie Tobacco of the Colony, either for commodities or upon billes,'-' at three Ihillings the befte'" and the fecond forte at i8d the poi;nde, and this Ihalbe'" your sufficient difchardge. James citty out of the faid General Aflembly, July 31,'-" 1619. At the fame''^' the Inllractions convertible into lawes were referred to the confideration of the above named Committies,'-* viz., the general Inftructions to the firft Committie'-'^ and the particular Inftriictions to the fecond, to be returned by them into the ailembly on Munday morning. Sunday, Aug. i. Mr. Shelley, one of the Burgeftcs, deceased. MUNDAV,'-"' Aug. 2. Captain John Martin (according to the fumons fent him on Friday, '••' July 30,) made his perfonall appearance at the barre, whcnas the Speaker having firit read unto him the orders of the Aftemblj? that concerned him, he pleaded lardgely for himfelf '■'- to them both and indevoured'-'-' to anfwere fome other thinges'^'' that were objected againft'"' his Patentc. In fine, ""McDonald and Bancroft insert to. '"Severall, McDonald. 'i-Govern'\ Mc- Donald ; Gov., Bancroft. "''The text, which follows the De Jarnette copy, is evidently wrong. The McDonald copy is blotted and illegible. Bancroft has 3.S. and Sainsbury's abstract the same, ""i Demand, McDonald. "^ Answ-er, McDonald, Bancroft. "'■Mc- Donald and Bancroft both fill the space with Magazin. "■ Govf, McDonald, Bancroft. "" Counsell, Treasurer, McDonald. "" McD. inserts the. '-"handes, McD. '-'scale, McD., Bft. '-'-Decs McDonald. '-:' bills, McDonald. '•■;■• beft, McDonald, '-^•ihallbe, McDonald. ''•'>' 31st, Bancroft. '-"McDonald and Bancroft infert time. '-"Commit- tees, McDonald. ''^"Committee, McDonald. ""'Monday, McDonald and Bancroft. '3' Friday, McDonald, '^^himfelfe, McDonald and Bancroft. '"•'& indeavoiired, Mc- Donald. '3^ things, McDonald, "'''ag"', McDonald. 70 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. l)eing demanded out of the former order whether he would quitte tliat claufe of his Patent'"" w''' (quite otherwifc then Sir William Throckmor- ton's, Captain Chriftopher Dawnes''^'' and other men's patentes) exempteth himfelffe and his people from all fervices of the Colonie excepte onely in cafe of warre againft'^* a forren or domefticall euemie. His anfwere''^* was negative, that he would not infringe any parte'^" of his Patente. Where- upon it was refolvcd by the AlVemhly that his BurgefTes ihould have no admittance. To the fecond order his anfwere was affirmative, namely, that (his Patent'"*' notwithftanding) whensoever he Ihould fend into the baye to trade, he would'^- be contente to putt in feciirity to the Governour'-*-' for the good behavioiir of his people towardes'^^ the Indians. It was at the fame time further ordered by the Affembly that the Speaker, in their names, fhould (as he nowe doth''''') humbly demaunde'"*" of the Treafurer, Counfell'^' and Company an expofition of this one claufe in Captaine'^** Martin's Patente, namely, where it is faide That he is to enjoye'^'* his landes in as lardge'"" and ample manner, to all intentes and'-'' purpofes, as anv lord of anj' manours in England dothe holde his grounde otit of w' '' some have collected that he might b}' the fame graunte protecte men from paying their debts and from diverfe other dangers of la we. The leaft the Ailembly can alledge againft this claufe is, tliat it is obfcure, and that it is a thing impoffible for us here to knowe the Prerogatives of all the manoiys in Englande. The Affembly tlierefore humblj- befeeche''^- their loPi"* ^■'■' and the reit of that hon''''' houfe'*^ that in cafe they Ihall finde any thing in this or in any other parte of his graunte whereby that claufe towardes the conckifion of the great charter, (viz., that all grauntes afwell of the one sorte as of the other refpcctively, be made w"' equall favour, & graunts'"'' of like liberties & imunitics'='' as neer as maybe, to the ende that all complainte''' of partiality and indiffcrency' '^ may be avoided,) might'^'' in any forte be contradicted or the uniformity and equality"" of lawes and"" orders extending over the whole Colony might be impeached. That they would be pleafed to remove any fuch hindrance as may diverte out of the true courfe the free and"'-' publique current of Juftice. Upon the fame grounde and"'-' reason their 1 "i"* together with the reft of the Counfell"'^ and Company, are humbly l)cfought"'' by this general'''" ailembly that if in that other claufe w''' exempteth Captainc"'' Martin and his people from all ferv'ices of the Colony &c., they lliall finde any refiil- ance againft""" that equality and"'-' unifonnity of lawes and orders intended i3''' Patente, McDouald and Bancroft. '■'' Lawnes, Kancroft, fee p. lo. i;i'>ag'", Mc- Donald. 13" anfwer, Bancroft, n" part, McDonald and Bancroft. '" patente, McDon- ald, '^'-woulde, McDonald. 'i-'Gov, Bancroft, i^ ' toward.s, Bancroft, "'"'doe, Mc- Donald, ■■"■•deniande, McDonald. ''' Council, McDonald. '"*Capt., Bancroft, "-'en- joy, McDonald and Bancrolt. '•'" large, McDonald, Bancroft. '"'i &, McDonald. '•'■>'- beieecheth, McDonald and Bancroft. '■'■*Lop", McDonald; I^oi'", Bancroft, '^"•bourde, McDonald and Bancroft. '"■"' grants, McDonald. '°'' immunities, McDon- ald. '•'"' complaintes, McDonald, IJancroft. '■'''' unindifferency, McDonald, Bancroft. ""''•' miKlite, McDonald, "''"equallity, McDonald. '"' &, McDonald. i'''-&, McDonald and Bancroft. "•■'&, McDonald, i''-' Councill, McDonald, '"^befoughte, McDonald. "■•■ theC.enerall, McDonald. "'' Captain, Bancroft. "•" ag"', McDonald. "''■' &, McDonald. SIR GEORGE YEARDLEY. 71 nowc by them to be ellablilhcd over the whole Colony, that they would be pleafed to refomie it. In fine, wheras''" Captaine''' Martin, for thofe ten ihares allowed him for his perfonal''^- adventure and'" for his adventure of ^,"70 belides, doth claim 500 acres a ihare, that the Treafurer, Counfell and Company wovilde vouchfafe to give notice to the Governour''^ here, what kinde'"-' of Ihares they meante he Ihould have when they gave him his Patent.'"'' The premilles about Captaine Martin thus refolved, the Committics''' appointed to conlider what instructions are fitt to be converted into lawes, brought in their opinions, and'" firft of fonie of the general'" inftnictions. Here begin the lawes drawen out of the In- itructions given by his Mat''" Counfell of Virginia in England to my lo: la warre,'"" Captain Argall and Sir George Yeardley, knight. By this prefent Generall AlVembly be it enacted, that no'""' injur}- or oppreffion be wrought by the Euglilhe'^'-' againit'"-* the Indians whereby the prefent peace might be dillurbcd and antient quarrells might be revived. And farther""* be it ordained, that the Chicohomini are not to be excepted out of this lawe ; until either that suche'^-' order come out of Englandc, or that they doe provoke us by some newe injury. Against Idlenes, Gaming, durunkenes & exceiTe in apparell the Affem- bly hath enacted as followeth : First, in deteitation of Idlenes""' be it enacted, that if any men be founde to live as an idler or renagate, though a freedman, it shalbe"*' lawfuU for that Incorporation or Plantation to w '' he belongeth to appoint him a M' to ferve for wages, till he shewe apparant signes of amendment. Againft gaming at dice"^'^ & Cardes be it ordained by this prefent aifem- bly that the winner or winners Ihall lofe all his or their winninges and'^'' both winners and loofers Ihall forfaicte'™ ten lliillings a man, one ten fhillings whereof to go to the discoverer, and the reil to charitable & pious ufes in the Incorporation where the faulte'^' is comitted. Againlt drunkennefs be it alfo decreed that if any private perfon be found culpable thereof, for the firil time he is to be reprooved privately by the Minifter, the fecond time publiqucly, the thirde time to lye in boltes 12 howers in the houfe of the Provost Marlhall & to paye his fee,'^- and if he (till continue in that vice, to undergo fuche fevere punilhment as the Gov- emo' '^■' and Counfell of Eftatc Ihall thinke fitt to be inflicted on him. But ""whereas, McDonald. '''Captaine, McDonald; Capt., Bancroft, i'- perfouall, McDonald. ''«&, McDonald. '"^ Govern', McDonald, '"^kind, McDonald. '""Pat- ente, McDonald. '"' Comittee, McDonald. '""&, McDonald, '""generall, McDonald. """1,0. La Warre, McDonald and Bancroft. '"' Noe, McDonald. "-'^ Knglifhe, Bancroft, ""^ag"', McDonald, "■'further, McDonald, "■•"'fuch, McDonald. """ Idler.s, McDon- ald. "■■ fhall be, McDonald. "■" and, Bancroft. "■"As the McDonald copy has & in every inftance where the other two have and, the reader will bear this in mind and it will not be again repealed. '"" (orfaite, McDonald. '■" faults are, McDonald. '"'-^ fees, McDonald. '"-'Gover'", McDonald; Govern", Bancroft. 72 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGIN El. if any officer offi;ude in this crime, the firft time he Ihall receive a reprooff from the Governour, the fecond time he Ihall openly be reprooved in the churche I:)y the minifter, and the third time he Ihall firlt be comitted and then degraded. Provided it be underftood that the Govern''-'^ hath al- wayes'"^ power to reftore him when he shall, in his difcretion thinke fitte. Againft excesse in"** apparell that every man be cefled in the churche for all publique contributions, if he be xinmarried according to his owne apparrell, if he be married, according to his OMne and his wives, or eithre of their apparell. As touching the iuftrudtion"'' of drawing fome of the better difpofedof the Indians to converfe w"' our people & to live and labour amongst'^*^ them, the Affembly who knowe"*^ well their difpolitions thinke it fitte to enjoine,'^"" leaft to counfell thofe of the Colony, neither utterly to rejedle them nor yet to drawe them to come in. But in cafe they will of themfelves come vol- untarily to places well peopled, there to doe fervice in killing of Deere, filh- ing, beatting of Corne and other workes, that then five or fix may be ad- mitted into every fvich place, and no more, and that w"' the confente'-'"' of the Governour. Provided that good'-"'^ guarde""' in the night be kept upon them, for generally (though fome amongft many may proove-""* good) they are a nioft trecherous people and quickly gone when they have done a vil- lany. And it were fitt'-'*^^ a houfewe builte for them to lodge in aparte*"" by themfelves, and lone inhabitants by no meaues'-"' to entertaine them. Be it enadled by this prefent aiTembly that for laying a surer founda- tion of the converfion of the Indians to Chriftian Religion, cache towne, citty, Borrough, and particular plantation do obtaine unto themfelves by juft means a certaine number of the natives' children to be educated by them in true religion and civile courfe of life — of w' '' children the moft towardly boyes in witt & graces of nature to be brought up by them in the firft elements of litterature, fo''"* to be fitted for the Colledge intended for them that from thence they may be fente''"^ to that worke of converfion. As touching the bvifines of planting corne this prefent Aflembly doth ordaine that yeare hy yeare all & ever^' houfcholder and houfeholders have in ftore for every fervant he or they Ihall keep, and alfo for his or their owne perfons, whether they have any Servants or no, one fpare barrell of corne, to be delivered out yearly, either upon fale or exchange as need fhall require. For the negledle'"" of w''' duty he ihalbe'-'" fubjec?te to the cenfure of the Govern'"-'- and Counfell of Eftate. Provided alwayes that the firft yeare of every newe man this lawe Ihall not be of '-'■^ force. About the plantation of Mulbery trees, be it enadled that every man as he is fcatted'-''' upon his divifion, doe for feven yeares together, every yeare is^Gover'", McDonald; Goveru', Bancroft. I'-'^alwaies, McDonald; always, Ban- croft, '"^of, McDonald, i"' inftructions, McDonald and Bancroft, i'"* among, Mc- Donald. i"n know, McDonald. -"" at inferted by Bancroft, -"i with confente, McDon- ald, -'"-goode, Bancroft, -"■'guard, McDonald. -"^ prove, McDonald. -"•'^ fitte, Ban- croft, ""''apart, McDonald. -"' means, Bancroft. -"" as, inierted by Bancroft. -"■' fetit, McDonald. 21" neglect, McDonald, -'i ihall be, McDonald, -i- Governour, McDonald and Bancroft. '-••'' in, McDonald. -" feated, McDonald. SIR GEORGE YEARDLEY. 73 plante aud maiutaine in growte^'^ fix^'* Mulberry trees at the leaft,'" and as many more as he iTiall thinke conveniente and as his virtue"* & Industry' ihall move him to plante, and that all fuche perfons as fhall negledle the 3'early planting and maintaining of that fmall proportion fhalbe'" fubje<5le to the cenfure of the Governour & the Couufell of Eftate. Be it farther"'''" ena<5led as concerning Silke-flaxe, that thofe men that are upon their divifion or fetled'-^' habitation doe this next"-^ yeare plante & dresse loo plantes, w'''' being founde a comedity,-''^ may farther be in- creafed. And whosoever do faill in the performance of this Ihalbe"'* fubjedl to this punifhment of the Governour'^''* & Counsell of Eftate. For hempe also both Engliflie & Indian, and for Engliflie^^'^ flax & Annifceds, we do'" require and enjoine all houfeholders of this Colony that have any of those seeds--** to make tryal thereofe the nexte feason. Moreover be it enadted by this present Aflembly, that every houfe- holder doe yearly plante and maintaine ten vines untill they have attained to the art and experience of dressing a Vineyard either by their owne in- duftry or by the Instruction of fome Vigneron. And that upon what pen- alty foever the Governo' ^-' and Counfell of Eftate fhall thinke fitt to impofe upon the negledlers of this adle. Be it alfo enadted that all neccftary tradefmen, or fo--^" many as need Ihall require, suche**' as are come over fince the departure of Sir Thomas Dale, or that Ihall hereafter come, ftiall worke at their trades for any other man, each^^'' one being payde according to the quality^^^ of his trade and worke, to be eftimated, if he Ihall not be contented, by the Governo'' and officers of the place where he workcth. Be it further ordained by this General Aflembly, and we doe by thefe prefents enadte, that all contradtes'-^'* made in England between the owners of lande and their Tenants and Servantes w'^'' they fhall fende'^* hither, may be caufed to be duely-^** performed, and that the offenders be punilhed as the Governour'-^'' and Counfell of Eftate Ihall thinke just and convenient. Be it eftablilhed alfo by this prefent Aflembly that no crafty or advan- tagious means be fiiffered to be putt in pradtife for the inticing awaye the Tenants or'^** Servants of any particular plantation from the place where they are seatted. And that it flialbe^^^ the duty of the Governo''^'**' & Counfell of Eftate moft feverely to puniflie both the feducers and the feduced, and to returne'^"*' thefe latter into their former places. Be it further enadted that the orders for the Magazin^'*' lately made be exadlly kepte, and that the Magazin be preferved from wrong'''^ and =»* Growth, McDonald. 2'" fixe, McDonald and Bancroft. 2" leafte, McDonald and Bancroft. 2>«vertue, McDonald, ^lo fhall be, McDonald. =20 further, McDonald. ^^ fet- tled, McDonald. 222 next, McDonald, ^^a comodity, McDonald and Bancroft. '»< fhall he, McDonald. 225 Oover""', McDonald, ^^n 5;j,giifh^ Bancroft. =27 ^ge doe, McDonald. »5*'feedes, Bancroft. 229 Governour, McDonald and Bancroft. 23" foe, McDonald. '•'31 fuch, Bancroft. 232 eache, McDonald and Bancroft. 233 quautyp Bancroft. -34 con- tracts, McDonald. 23.5 fe„(j, McDonald. -3.1 (jujy McDonald. "7 Govern^ McDonald 23« &_ McDonald. 23« fhall be, McDonald, '-iij Go'ver"', McDonald ; Governour, Bancroft.' 2*' return, Bancroft. 242 ,nagazine. McDonald. 243 ^^onge, McDonald. VI 74 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. finirter pradlifes, and that according to the orders of coiirte in Englande'''^ all Tobacco and faffafras be brought-'** by the Planters to the Cape mar- chant till fiiche time as all the goods^"*^ nowe or heretofore fent for the Magazin be taken off their handes at the prices agreed on. That by this meanes'^'' the fome"'** going for Englande"*^ with'"^' one hande, the price thereof may be uphelde'-*' the better. And to the ende that all the whole Colony may take notice of the laft order of Courte made in Englande and all thofe whom it concerneth may know''*^ howe'-^'' to obferve it, we^*" holde it fitt to publifhe it here for a lawe^*^ among the reft of our lawes. The •y,^ch256 order is as followeth : Upon the 26^*^ of October, 1618, it was ordered that the Magazin''*^ fhould continue during'*' the terme formerly prefixed, and that certaine-*'' abufes now complained of fhould be reformed, and that for preventing of all Impofitions fave the allowance of 25 in the hundred profifitt, the Governo'''^' fhall have an invoice as well as the Cape Marchant, that if any abiise in the fale of the^*** goods be offered, wee,-*'^ upon Intelligence and due examination thereof, iTiall fee it correctede. And for the incourage- ment"^* of particular hundreds, as Smythe's hundred, Martin's hundred, Lawnes' hundred, and the like, it is agreed that what comodities are reaped upon anie of thefe GeneraF** Colonies, it flialbe lawefall for them to returne the fame to their own adventurers. Provided that the fame'^^* comodity be of their owne growing, w"' out trading w"' any other, in one entyre lumpe and not difperfed, and that at the determination of the jointe ftocke, the goods then remaining in the Magazin^*'' Ihalbe'^*^ bought by the faid particular Colonies before any other goods w''' Ihall be fente by pri- vate men. And it was moreover ordered that if the lady la warre, the Lady Dale, Captain Bargrave and the reft, would unite themfelves into a fettled^**' Colony they might be capable of the same priviledges that are graunted to any of the forefaid hundreds. Hitherto the order. AlP™ the general Aflembly by voices concluded not only the accept- ance and obfervation of this order, but of the Inftruction alfo to Sir George Yeardley next preceding the fame. Provided firft, that the Cape Mar- chant do"' accepte of the Tobacco of all and everie the Planters here in Virginia, either for Goods or upon billes of Exchange at three fhillings the pounde the befte, and i8d the fecond sorte. Provided alfo that the billes be only payde in Englande. Provided, in the third place, that if any other befides the Magazin^''-* have at any time any neceftary comodity w'^'' the Magazine doth wante, it ftiall and may be lawfull for any of the 244 England, McDonald, ^^s Sasfafras brought, McDonald ; to be brought, Bancroft. 246 goodes, Bancroft. 247 means, Bancroft. 24s fame, McDonald and Bancroft. 249 Eng- land, McDonald. 260 jnto, McDonald and Bancroft, s.'ii upheld, Bancroft. "•'^2 know, McDonald. -''^ how, McDonald. 254 -jvee, McDonald, "^^law, McDonald, 'se^^ich, McDonald. ^67 26th, McDonald and Bancroft. '-5" Magazine, McDonald. 259 (jm-jugg^ McDonald, ^fio certain, Bancroft. -'^^ Governour, McDonald and Bancroft. ^62 the omitted by McDonald. 2«3 ^gg McDonald, Bancroft. 264eucouragement, McDonald. 2 66 feverall, McDonald ; feveral, Bancroft ; this word evidently the proper one. -66 faid, McDonald, Bancroft. ^67 magazine, McDonald, ^es fhall be, McDonald. ^69 fetled, Bancroft. 270 ^q^^ BaQ(.i-oft. 271 (joe, McDonald. 272 magazine, McDonald. S//? GEORGE YEARDLEY. 75 Colony to buye^'' the faid necefiary coniodity of the faid party, but upon the termes of the Magazin- "^ viz : allowing no more gaine then 25 in the hundred, and that with the leave of the Govemour. Provided, laftely,'*''* that it may be lawfull-'"'' for the Govern'"''" to give leave to any Mariner, or any other perfon, that Ihall have any fuche ueceiTary comodity wanting to the Magazin'-''^ to carrie home for England so muche''" Tobacco or other naturall comodities of the Country^**** as his Customers Ihall pay him for the faid necefiary com.odity or comodities. And to the ende we may not only persuade and incite men, but inforce them alfo thoroughly and loyally to aire their Tobacco before they bring it to the Magazine,*'^' be it enacted, and by these presents we doe enacte, that if upon the Judgement of power sufficient even of any incorporation where the Magazine'^^'- shall refide, (having first taken their oaths to give triie fentence, twoe wiiereof to be chofen by the Cape Marchant and twoe by the Incorporation,) any Tobacco whatfoever Ihall not proove'^**'' vendible at the fecond price, that it fhall there imediately be burnt before the owner's face. Hitherto fuche lawes as were drawen out of the Instructions. Tuesday, Aug. 3,^*^'i 1619. This morning a thirde'**^ forte of lawes (fuche as might proceed out of every man's private conceipt^'*") were read and referred by halves to the fame comitties'-'^' w''' were from the beginning. This done, Captaine'-'^ William Powell prefented to the AfTembly a petition to have juftice againft a lewde'^^' and trecherous servante of his who by falfe accufation given up in writing to the Govemo"'^^" fought not onely to gett-" him depofed from his government of James citty and utterly (according to the Proclamation) to be degraded from the place and title of a Captaine, but to take his life from him also. And fo out of the faid Petition fprang this order following : Captaine William Powell prefented a Petition to the generall'-'*'-' Aflfem- bly againft^^^ one Thomas Garnett, a servant of his, not onely for extreame neglect of his bufmefi" to the great lofT^^^ and prejudice of the faid Captaine, and for openly and impudently abufing his house, in light both of Mafter and Miftrefie, through wantonnes'-'^ w"' a woman fervant of theirs, a widdowe, but alfo for falsely accufing him to the Governo'^''^ both of Drunkenes &'■'" Thefte, and befides for bringing all-''* his fellow fervants to teftifie*'' on his side, wherein they juftly failled''°° him. It was thought '■^'^ Buj', McDonald, -"i magazine, McDonald, -'^lastly, McDonald, -"''lawful, McDonald. '"" Governour, McDonald and Bancroft. "^'~As this word is fpelt by Mc- Donald in every inftauce with the final e this note will not be repeated. -'" much, Mc- Donald, ^""countrey, McDonald. -"' Magazin, Bancroft, -"-do. do. ^^'^ prove, Ban- croft. ^"■' 3rd, Bancroft. 2**'' third, Bancroft. ^'*'' conceipte, McDonald and Bancroft. '"*' comitties, Bancroft. ^MHc^pt^ Bancroft, -""lewd, McDonald. '•''"' Governour, Mc- Donald and Bancroft, -'"get, McDonald. 2"- General, McDonald. 2»3 ag»i^ McDon- ald. -S'l loffe, McDonald and Bancroft. '■'"•'■' wantonnes, McDonald ; wantonnefs, Ban- croft. ^»'' Governour, McDonald and Bancroft. '■"*' McDonald omits the & ; Bancroft, nor and. ^un McDonald omits the all. '^"^ certifie, Bancroft. ^"" failed, McDonald, Bancroft. 76 THE COVERXORS OF VIRGINIA. fitt by the general aflembly (the Governour himfelfe^"' giving fentence), that he fliould ftand"'''^ fower dayes with his eares nay led to the Pillory, viz: Wednesday, Aug. 4"', and fo likewife Thurfday, fryday and Sattur- (jj^y303 next following, and every of thofe fower dayes Ihould be publiquely whipped. Now, as touching the negledle of his worke, what fatisfadlion ought to be made to his M' for that is referred to the Governour and CounfellofEftate. The fame morning the lawes above written, drawen out of the inftruc- tions, were read, and one by one thoroughly examined, and then paffed once again^"^ the generaP"'' confente of the whole Ailembly. This afternoon the committics brought in a reporte, what tliey had done as concerning the third forte of lawes, the difcufling whereof fpentc the refidue of that daye. Excepte onely the confideration of a petition of M'' John Rolfes againlte Captaine John Martine-'"* for writing a letter to him wherein (as M' Rolfe alledgeth) he taxeth him both unfeemly^"' and amilTe of certaine thinges""* wherein he was never faulty, and befides, caft- eth fome afperfion upon the prefent goverment, w"^*" is the moft temperate and jufte^'" that ever was in this country', too milde, indeed, for many of^'" this Colony, whom unwoonted^" liberty hath made infolente and not to knowe'"- themfelves. This Petition of M' Rolfes' was thought fitt to be referred to the Counfell of State. WedEnsday, Aug. 4"'. This daye (by reafon of extream heat, both parte and likely to eufue, and by that meanes of the alteration of the healthes of diverfe of the gen- eral Artembly) the Governour, who^'^ himfelfe alfo^'** was not well, refolved fhould be the laft of this firft feffion ; fo in the morning the Speaker (as he was required by the Aflembly) redd over all the lawes and orders that had formerly palfed the houfe, to give the fame yett one reviewed" more, and to fee whether there were any thing to be amended or that might be ex- cepted againfte. This being done, the third forte of lawes w'^'' I am now coming^"' to fette downe, were read over throughly''"' difcufled, w'='', together w"* the former, did now paife the lafte and finall confente of the GeneraP'* Aflembly. A third forte of lawes, fuche as may^'* irtue out of every man's private^*"" conceipte. It rtialbe free for every man to trade w'*" the Indians, fervants onely excepted, upon paine of whipping, unlefs the M"^ wilP'^' redeeme it off w"" the payment of an Angell, one-fourth parte whereofe to go^'^' to tlie Provoft 301 Himfelf, McDonald. 3"" ftande, McDonald, Bancroft, soa Saturday, Bancroft. 3»4 againe, McDonald, Bancroft, '"^generall, McDonald, Bancroft, s"' Martin, Mc- Donald. 3"' unfeemingly, Bancroft. 308 things, McDonald, Bancroft, '""juft, McDon- ald. 3'" in, McDonald, "'unwonted, McDonald. ^'^ know, McDonald. ^'^ who, omitted by McDonald. ^14 ^Jjq, inferted by McDonald, ^ib j-gview, McDonald, siscom- inge, McDonald, ^''thoroughly, McDonald, ^legenerall, McDonald. ^lOmayg^ Ban- croft, ''"'private McDonald, Bancroft. ^21 ^jjl, omitted by McDonald. ^22 goe, Mc- Donald. S//? GEORGE YEARDLEY. 77 Martliall, one fourth parte to the clifcovercr, and the other moyty to the publique ufes of the Incorporation/'-'" That no man doe"*'-'^ fell or give any of the greatter howes to the Indians, or any Engliihe dog of quality, as a niaftive,-''^" greyhound, blood- hounde, lande or water fpaniel, or any other dog or bitche whatfoever, of the Englilhe race, upon paine of forfaiting s'* ^'•■' sterling to the publique ufes of the Incorporation where he dwelleth. That no man do fell or give any Indians any piece, Ihott or poulder, or any other annes, offenfive or defenfive, upon paine of being held a Tray- tour to the Colony, and of being hanged as foon as the facte^*^ is proved, w"'out all redemption.''-'^ That no man may go above twenty miles from his dwelling-place, nor upon any voiage whatfoever Ihalbe abfent from thence for the fpace of feven dayes together w"'out firft having made the Governo'' ■'^'* or comaun- der of the fame place acquainted therew"',-'"' upon paine^^^ of paying twenty ihillinges"^^ to the publique ufes of the fame Incorporation where the party delinquent dwelleth. That noe man Ihall purpofely goe to any Indian townes, habitations or places of refort^^"* w"'out leave from the Governo'^ '^'^'■' or comaunder^^" of that place where he liveth, upon paine of paying 40" to publique ufes as aforefaid. That no man living in this Colony, but Ihall between this and the firft of January' next enfuing come or fende to the Secretary of Eftate ^^'' to enter his own and all his fervants' names, and for what temie or upon what conditions they are to ferve, upon penalty of paying 40" to the faid Secretary of Eftate. ^^** Alfo, whatfoever M'^" or people doe^^^ come over to this plantation that within^'"* one month of their arrivall (notice being firft given them of this very lawe) they ihall likewife reforte to the Secretary of Eftate'^' and Ihall certifie him upon what tennes or conditions they be come hither, to the ende that he may recorde their grauntes and comif- fions, and for how long time and upon what conditions^'*''' their fervants (in cafe they have any) are to ferve them, and that upon paine of the pen- alty nexte above mentioned. All Minifters in the Colony Ihall once a year, namely, in the moneth of Marche, bringe to the Secretary of Eftate a true account of all Chriften- ings, burials and marriages, i:pon paine, if the}' faill, to be ceufured for their negligence by the Governo' '^^'^ and CounfelP'*'* of Eftate ; likewife, where there h(t no minifters, that the comanders of the place doe fupply the fame duty. ^'•'^ 'Where he dwelleth, added in McDonald copy. •''-■' do, McDonald, Bancroft. 3-"Knglifh, McDonald. ^'-* niafliffe, McDonald. ^^'5'', McDonald; ^5, Bancroft. ''•"' fact, McDonald. ^'-"In the McDonald copy this and the paragraph next preceding are transposed. ■*■"' Covernour, McDonald, Bancroft. -'3' therewith, McDonald, Ban- croft. ^^'^ penalty, McDonald. 333 (]iii]i,]gs gam-roft. 3^' reforte, McDonald, Bancroft. ■"•'■ Cover'", McDonald; Governour, Bancroft. ^^" comander, McDonald; comand"^, Bancroft. "'State, McDonald. asHytatg^ McDonald. ^39 do., Bancroft. 340 ^thjn^ McDonald. 3^' State, McDonald. 3''- In the McDonald copy, from the word condi- tions, in the third line above, to this point are omitted. ^'^ Governour, McDonald, Bancroft. 344Councill, McDonald. 78 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. No mail, \v"'oiit leave of the Governo', lliall kill anj- Neatt cattle what- foever, young or olde, efpecially kinc, Heyfurs or cow-calves, and fliallbe^'** carefuU to preferve their fteeres^'*^ and oxen, and to bring tlieni to the plough and fuch profitable ufes, and \v"'out having obtained leave as afore- faid, Ihall not kill them, vipon penalty of forfaiting the value of the beaft fo killed. Whofoever fliall take any of his neighbours' boates, oares, or cauoas w"'out leave from the owner fhalbe held^^* and efteemed as a felon and fo proceeded againfle \^^ tho^^'' hee that thall take away by violence or ftelth any canoas or other thinges from the Indians lliall make valuable reftitu- tion to the faid Indians, and Ihall forfai6l, if he be a freeholder, five pound; if a fervant, 40% or endure a whipping; and anything under the value of j^J 351 fhall be accounted Petty larceny. All minifters Ihall duely read divine fervice, and exercise their min- ifterial fundlion according to the Ecclefiaftical lawes and orders of the churche^^'^ of Englande, and every Sunday in the afternoon^^^ fhall Cate- chize fuche as are not yet ripe to come to the Com.''^* And whofoever of them Ihalbe^^^ found negligent or faulty in this kinde fhalbe fubjedt to the cenfure of the Govern"^ and Counfell of Eftate. The Minifters and Churchwardens Ihall feeke to prefente^"*^ all ungodly diforders, the comitters wherofe^" if, upon goode^^*' admonitions and mild reprooff,^^'* they will not forbeare the faid fkandalous offenfes.^"" as fufpic- ions of whoredomes,^'*' diflioneft company keeping with weomen and fuche^®^ like, they are to be prefented and puniflied accordingly. If any perfon after two warnings, doe^^^ not amende^^'* his or her life in point^"^ of evident fufpicion of Incontincy^^^ or of the comilTion^^'' of any other enormous finnes,^''* that then he or Ihee be prefented by the Church- wardens and fufpended for a time from tlie churche by the minifter. In w*^*" Interim if the fame perfon do''*^ not amende and humbly fubmit^^" him or herfelfe to the churche, he is then fully to be excomunicate and foon after a writt or warrant to be fent^'" from the Govern'^''^ for the apprehend- ing of his perfon ande feizing on^'' all his goods. Provided alwayes, that aU the minifters doe meet^''^ once a quarter, namely, at the feaft of S Michael the Arkangell, of the nativity of our faviour, of the Annuntiation of the blelTcd Virgine, and aboiit midfomer, at^'° James citty or any other place where the Governo'"'"' Ihall refide, to determine whom it is fitt to excomunicate, and that they firft prefente their opinion to the Governo'' ^'^ ere they proceed to the acte of excomunication. ^■•^ Shall be, McDonald, Bancroft. ^^'> steers, McDonald. 34s helde, McDonald, Ban- croft. 349 againft, McDonald, Bancroft. 250 alfo, McDonald, Bancroft. ^^' 13 ob., Mc- Donald. ^''-Church, McDonald. ^^^ afternoone, McDonald. 3'''' comunion, McDon- ald. 3S5 fijai] ijg_ McDonald. ^^'^ prevente, McDonald. 3^" whereof, McDonald, Ban- croft. 3 5 •* good, McDonald, Bancroft, soa j.eproofe, McDonald. 2"" offences, McDon- ald. 3'' whoredoms, McDonald. 3"'- fuch, McDonald, ^''-'do., Bancroft, ^''-i amend, Bancroft, ^"^pointe, McDonald. ^'"^ Incontinency, McDonald, Bancroft, ^i*' commif- fion, McDonald. ■""' fuines, Bancroft, ^sa doe, McDonald. •'"" fubmitt, McDonald, Bancroft. ^'^ fente, McDonald, Bancroft. ^''^ Governour, Bancroft. '"'^ McDonald omits on. ^'^ meete, McDonald. ^'^ att., McDonald. 2"" Gover"', McDonald ; Govern- our, Bancroft. 3''' Governour, McDonald, Bancroft. S//^ GEORGE YEARDLEY. 79 For reformation of fwearing, every freeman and M'' of a family after thrife admonition Ihall give 5s or the value upon prcfent^'"* demaunde, to the ufe of the church where he dwelleth ; and every fervant after the like admonition, excepte his M'' difchardge^"' the fine, Ihalbe fubjedl to whip- ping. Provided, that the payment of the fine notw"'ftanding, the faid fer- vant fhall acknowledge his faulte publiquely in the Churche. No man whatfoever, coming by water from above, as from Henrico, Charles citty, or any place from the weftwarde of James citty, and being bound for Kiccowtan,^*" or any otlier parte on this fide,^*" the fame fhall prefume to pafs by, either by day or by night, w*''out touching firfte here at James citty to knowe'**'- whether the Governo' "*^ will comande him any fervice. And the like fhall they performe that come from Kicawtan^** ward, or from any place between this and that, to go vipwarde, upon paine of forfaiting ten pound fterling a time to the Governo'' ^*^ Provided, that if a fervant having had inftruilious from his Mafter to obferve this lawe,^^* doe, notw"'ftanding, tranfgrelTe the fame, that then the faid^^' fervant Ihalbe punilhed at the Governo''* difcretiou ; otherwife, that the mafter himfelfe fhall undergo the forefaid penalty. No man Ihall trade'*'*^ into the baye, either in fhallop, pinnace, or Ihip, w"'out the Govern'''" ^*^ licenfe, and w"'out putting in fecurity that neither himfelf nor his Company Ihall force or wrong the Indians, upon paine that, doing otherwife, they Ihalbe cenfured at their returne by the Gov- eru"-- 290 and CounfelP*" of Eftate. All perfons whatfoever upon the Sabaoth daye^'- fhall frequente divine fervice and fermous both forenoon and afternoon, and all fuche as beare annes fhall bring^'*^ their pieces, fwordes, poulder and Ihotte. And every one that fliall tranfgrefTe this lawe Ihall forfaidl^^^ three Ihillinges^^^ a time to the ufe of the churche, all lawful and necelfary impediments excepted. But if a fervant in this cafe Ihall wilfully negledle his M'' comande he Ihall fuffer bodily punilhmente. No maide or woman fervant, either now refident in the Colonic or hereafter to come, fhall contradl herfelfe in marriage w*''out either the con- fente of her parents, or of her M'^ or M", or of the magiftrat^'* and minifter of the place both together. And whatfoever minifter Ihall marry or con- tradle any fuche perfons w"'out fome of the forefaid confentes Ihalbe^^^ fub- jedle to the fevere cenfure of the Govern'' 2^- and Counfell-^^' of Eftate. Be it ena(5led by this^"" prefent alTembly that whatfoever fervant hath heretofore or fhall hereafter contradle himfelfe in England, either by way of Indenture or otherwife, to ferve any Mafter here in Virginia and Ihall 378 prefente, McDonald. ^79 cjif^harge, McDonald, ^so Kicowtan, Bancroft, ^'^'of, inferted by McDonald. •''*'■- know, McDonald. 3*^ Governour, McDonald, Bancroft, ^"■i Kiccowtan, McDonald, Bancroft. ^"^ Governor, McDonald, Bancroft. ^"^ McDon- ald read.s, obferve his fervice. ^*" s"", McDonald. ^"^^ Ihall have trade, Bancroft. ■'«" Gov- ernour's, McDonald, Bancroft, ^uu (jQypj-nour, McDonald ; Gov\ Bancroft, ^ai coun- cell, McDonald. 3».' cj^yg McDonald, Bancroft, ^''^bringe, McDonald, ^^'i forfaict, Bancroft. ^^^ Ihillings, Bancroft. 3"" magistrate, McDonald, s"' fhall be, McDonald, Bancroft. ^^^ Cover'", McDonald; Gov', Bancroft. •'"'Council, McDonald, -"'"the, McDonald. 80 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. afterward, againft**" his faid former coutracfle, depart from his M"^ w"^out leave, or, being once imbarked, fhall abandon the fhip he is appointed to come in, and fo, being lefte behinde, fhall piitf "- himfelfe into the fervice of any other man that will bring him hither, that then at the fame fer- vant's arrival here, he Ihall firft ferve out his time with that M"^ that brought him hither and afterward alfo fhall ferve out his time^"^ w"" his for- mer M' according to his covenant. Here ende the lawes. All thefe lawes being thus concluded and confented to as aforefaide''*'^ Captaine Henry Spellman-*''^ was called to the barre to anfwere to certaine mifdemeano'^* layde to his chardge by Robert Poole, interpretour, upon his oath (whofe examination the Governo'' fente into England in the Prof- perus), of w'"' accufations of Poole fome he acknowledged for true, but the greatteft^"'' part he denyed. Whereupon the General*"'' Afiembly, having throughly heard and confidered his fpeaches, did conftitvite this order fol- lowing againft him : Aug. 4"', 1619. This day Captaine Henry Spelman*'"* was convented before the Gen- eral Affembly and was examined by a relation upon oath of one Robert Poole, Interpreter, what conference had palTed between the faid Spelman*^ and Opochancano at Poole's meeting with him in Opochancano's courte. Poole chardgeth him he fpake very unreverently and malicioufly againft*'" this prefent Govern^*" wherby the honour and dignity of his place and perfon, and fo of the whole Colonic, might be brought into contempte, by w''' meanes what mifchiefs might enfue from the Indians by difturbance of the peace or othcrwife, luay eafil)- be conjectured. Some thinges of this relation Spelman confeffed, but the moft part he denyed, excepte onely one matter of importance, & that was that he hade informed Opochancano that w"'in a yeare there woixld come a Governo'' '"'■^ greatter then*'^ this that nowe is in place. By w'='^ and by other reportes it feemeth he hath alien- ated the minde of Opochancano from this prefent Governour, and brought him in much difefteem, both w"' Opochancano*'* and the Indians, and the whole Colony in danger of their flippery defignes. The general affembly upon Poole's teftimony onely not willing to putt Spelman to the rigour and extremity of the lawe, w''' might, perhaps botli fpeedily and defervedly, have taken his life from him (upon the witnefs*''' of one whom he muche excepted againft), were pleafed, for the prefent, to cenfure him rather out of that his confeffion above written then*'^ out of any other prooffe. Several and Iharpe ptinilhments were pronounced 401 Ag", McDonald. ^02 put_ McDonald, Bancroft. ^^^ McDonald omits the words, with that M'' that brought him hither and afterwards alfo fhall ferve out his time. ■"^■•Aforefaid, Bancroft. ■""^ Spelman, McDonald. ^"^ greatelt, McDonald. *°' gen', Ban- croft, ■'"sspellman, Bancroft, "i"' Spellman, Bancroft. ■»!" ag»', McDonald. *'i Gov- ernour, Bancroft. ■'1" Governour, McDonald, Bancroft. ■''^ than, McDonald, Bancroft. ■"■•Opachancanos, McDonald, ■"•'•witnes, McDonald, Bancroft, ■""than, Bancroft. SIR GEORGE YEARDLEY. 81 againft^''' him by diverfe of the Affembly, But in fine the whole courfe^'* by voices uuited did enclinc to Uie nioft favourable, W '' was that for this mifdemeanour^'" he fhould firft be degraded of his title of Captaine,^-" at the head of the troupe, aud fhould be condemned to perfomie feven yeares fervice to the Colony in the nature of Interpreter to the Governour. This fentence being read to Spelman he, as one that had in him more of the Savage then of the Chriftian, muttered certaine wordes to himfelfe neither fhewing any remorfe for his offences, nor yet any thankfulnefs to the Aflembly for theire fofavourable cenfure, w"*" he at one time or another (God's grace not wholly abandoning him) might w"' fome one fervice have been able to have redeemed.* This day alfo did the Inhabitants of Pafpaheigh, alias Argall's towne, prefent a petition to the general aifembly to give them an abfolute dif- chardge from certaine bondes wherin they ftand bound to Captain Samuell Argall for the paym' of 6oo'^,'''^' and to Captain William Powell, at Captain Argall's appointment, for the paym* of 50^ ^^'- more. To Captaine ArgaU for 15 Ikore acres of wooddy ground, called by the name of Argal's^-^ towne or Pafpaheigh ; to Captaine Powell in refpe6l of his paines in clearing the grounde and building the houfes, for w"'' Captaine^'-'' Argal ought to have given him fatisfadtiou. Nowe,'*'^^ the general aflembly being doubtful whether they have any power and authority to difchardge the faid bondes, doe by thefe prefents^-"^ (at the Inftance of the faid Inhaljitants^-"' of Pafpa- heighs, alias Martin's hundred people) become moft humble futours to the Trefurer, Counfell and Company in England that they wilbe'*"'* pleafed to gett the faid bondes for 600^* '''-^ to be cancelled ; forasmuche as in their great comilTiou they have expreflly and by name appointed that place of Pafpaheigh for parte of the Governo'''*''^" lande. And wheras Captain'*^' William Powell is payde*"^ his 50^ w"'' Captaine*^^ Argall enjoined the faide Inhabitantes to preferite him with, as parte*"'' of the bargaine, the general affembly, at their intreaty, do become futours on their behalfe, that Cap- taine Argall, by the Counfell & Company in England, may be compelled either to reftore the faid 50*^ ^'^'■' from thence, or elfe that reftitution therof be made here out of the goods of the faid Captain Argall. The laft acfle of the General Affembly was a contribution to gratifie their officers, as foUoweth :t * This paragraph appears onlj' in the McDonald copy, and in that it has two rows of lines at right angles to each other and diagonally across it, as if to indicate that this portion of the record was considered as being improperly made or, perhaps, was not official. t This paragraph is in the McDonald and Bancroft copies but not in De Jarnette's. 417 Ag"', McDonald. '"*' courte, McDonald, Bancroft. ■"" mifdemeanor, McDonald ; mifdemeanr, Bancroft. ■'^"Capt., McDonald. "I'-i 6ooL', McDonald; /'60, Bancroft. *22 5oii, McDonald; ^50, Bancroft. <" Argall's, McDonald. •''^■'Capt., Bancroft. <-^ now, McDonald, ^^''prefentes, McDonald, Bancroft. ''-■' Inhabit'", Bancroft. ■•'■"< will be, McDonald, Bancroft. ^''■'^ 600'', McDonald ; £(iO, Bancroft. •'3" Governours, McDon- ald, Bancroft. •'3' Captaine, McDonald, Bancrott. ''^'■'paide, Bancroft. '^^ Capt., Ban- croft. <3< part, Bancroft. *'^^ 50'', McDonald ; /"50, Bancroft. 82 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Aug. 4"', 1619. It is fully agreed at this generall''^" Affeiiiljly that iu regarde of the great^^' paiiies and labour of the*^* Speaker of this Affenibly (who not onely*^* firft formed the fame Affembly and to their great eafe & expedi- tion reduced all matters to be treatted of into a ready method, but alfo his indifpofition notw"'ftauding wrote or didlated all orders and other expedi- ents and is yet^''^' to write feverall bookes for all the GeneralP^' Incorpora- tions and plantations both of the great charter, and of all the lawes) and likewife in refpedle of the dilligence of the Gierke and fergeant, officers thereto belonging. That every man and manfervant of above 16 yeares of age Ihall pay into the handes and Cuftody of the BurgelTes of every Incor- poration and plantation one pound of the beft Tobacco, to be diftributed to the Speaker and likewife to the Gierke and fargeant of the Affembly, according to their degrees and rankes, the whole bulke whereof to be deliv- ered into the Speaker's handes, to be divided accordingly. And in regarde*^** the Provoft Marfhall of James citty hath alfo given fonie attend- ance upon the faid General! Affembly, he is alfo to have a Ihare out of the fame. And this is to begin to be gathered the 24"' of February nexte. In conclusion, the whole Affembly comauuded^^ the Speaker (as nowe he doth) to prefent their humble excufe to the Treafurer"^ Gounfell & Gompany in England for being conftrained by the intemperature of the weather and the falling fick of diverfe of the Burgeffes to breake up fo abruptly — before they had fo much as putt their lawes to the ingroffmg. This they wholly comited to""^ the fidelity of their fpeaker, who therin^^^ (his confcience telles him) hath done the parte'*^" of an honeft man, other- wife he would be eafily founde'*'*'* out by the Burgeffes themfelves, who w"' all expedition are to have fo many bookes of the fame lawes as there be both Incorporations and Plantations in the Golony. In the feconde place, the Affembly doth moft humbly crave pardon that in fo fhorte'"" a fpace thej"^ could bring their matter to no^^" more per- fedlion, being for the prefent enforced to fende home titles rather then lawes, Propofitions rather then refolutions, Attemptes then Acchievements, hoping their courtefy will accepte our poore indevour, and their wifdome wilbe^^' ready to fupporte the weaknes of this little flocke. Thirdly, the General Affembly doth humbly befeech^^'' the faid Treafurer,^^^ Gounfell & Gompany, that albeit it belongeth to them onely to allowe or to abrogate any lawes w''"' we Ihall here niake,^^^ and that it is their right fo to doe,'*^° yet that it would please them not to take it in ill parte if thefe lawes w'" we have nowe brought to light, do paffe currant*^"* isogeneral, McDonald. ■'^■' greate, Bancroft, ''^^this, McDonald. ■'^'' only, Mc- Donald. 'i'"'yett, Bancroft, ''•"feverall, McDonald, Bancroft, ''''■■^regard to, McDon- ald; regard, Bancroft. ^^^ comanded, McDonald, Bancroft. ''•''' Trefurer, McDonald, Bancroft. •'^^ in, Bancroft. ^^'' therein, McDonald, •'■"part, McDonald, ■""woulde eafily be found, McDonald ; woulde eaCly be founde, Bancroft, ^^"fhort, McDonald. •"'" no, omitted by McDonald, '"'i -will be, McDonald, Bancroft. ""^^ befeeche, McDonald. 4.13 Trefurer, McDonald. '^' inacte, McDonald, Bancroft. ■'^^ righte foe to do, McDonald ; right to of doe, Bancroft. ■'^'' current, Bancroft. SIJ^ GEORGE YEARDLEY. 83 & be of force till fuche time as wc*^' may knowe their farther pleafure out of Englande : for otherwife this people (who nowe at length have gotte*'* the raiues^^^ of former fervitude into their owne fwindge) would in fliorte time growe fo infolent, as they would lliake off all government, and there would be no living among them. Their laft humble fuite is,''*" that the faid Counfell & Company would be pleafed, so foon as they Ihall finde^'^' it convenient to make good their promife fett dowue""^- at the conclufion of their commiflion for eftablilhing the Counfel^**^ of Eftate & the General^'''* AiTembly, namely, that they will give us power to allowe or difallowe of their orders of Courte, as his ]yjai.v4(j5 iiath given them power to allowe or to rejedt'*'"' our lawes. In fume Sir George Yeardley, the Governo'"*" prorogued the faid GeneraP'^^ Aflembly till the firfte of Marche, which is to fall out this prefent yeare of 1619, and in the mean feafon dilfolved the fame. FINIS. I certify that the foregoing- is a true and authentic copy taken from the volume above named. JOHN McDONAGH, Record Agent. July 14th, 1871. The McDonald copy has the following after Finis : (in Dorfo.) 1619. The proceedings of the firft Aflembly of Virginia. July 1619. True Copy, AUGUSTUS AUSTEN BURT. The above document is taken from the Colonial Records of Virginia. This record was printed from copies of the original obtained from the Public Record Office of Great Britain; viz., the McDonald and De Jarnette copies, and an abstradl furnished by Mr. Sainsbury ; Bancroft, also, ob- tained a copy, but the De Jarnette copy being in loose sheets was selecfled as the most convenient for the printer. When- ever a difference in either of these versions occurs, the foot- notes make mention of it. ^^' wee, McDonald. ■""" gott, McDonald; got, Bancroft, '"'^reines, McDonald; raines, Bancroft. ^"" suit, McDonald, ^''i find, McDonald. ^'■- down, McDonald. ^''^Coun- i'ell, McDonald, Bancroft. ■"" Generall, McDonald. •'"^ Majefty, McDonald ; Ma'v, Ban- croft, ^''"rejecte, McDonald, Bancroft. "" Cover'"', McDonald; Goveruour, Bancroft. ^'"- Generall, McDonald. 84 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. A natural desire had long existed to know something of the proceedings of the first legislative Assembly ever held in Virginia, an event which inaugurated a new era in the his- tory of the hitherto disturbed and oppressed Colony. The historian, Stith, could find no trace of this paper; Jefferson searched for it in vain, and the patient, painstaking Hening believed it no longer extant. What a prize then, is this "Reporte," in its full and cir- cumstantial details of the baptism of representative govern- ment in the New World. Here, it will be seen that this first legislative Assembly in the wilds of America was opened with prayer, and that in its deliberations the Church of England was confirmed as the Church of Virginia. When Christopher Columbus ceased from the recital of his successful voyage of discovery before the Court of Spain, it is said that Ferdinand and Isabella, " together with all present, prostrated themselves on their knees in grateful thanksgiving, while the solemn strains of the Te Deum were poured forth by the choir of the royal chapel, as in commemoration of some glorious vi(ftory." And yet, this first Assembly in the land rescued from darkness by the liberality of Spain, was opened by a prayer which rose to Heaven, not in the liquid language of old Castile, but in the English tongue ! In the far past, the Creed held sway that the Pope of Rome, as vicar of Jesus Christ, had power to dispose of all countries inhabited by heathen nations, in favor of Christian potentates; and yet, the three papal bulls of Alexander VI., "out of his pure liberality, infallible knowledge, and pleni- tude of apostolic power," investing Spain with plenary authority over all countries discovered by it, and confirming its absolute possession of the same, all previous concessions to the contrary notwithstanding ; yet, with all the weight of adlual discovery, and the decrees of the pontifical throne in support of Spain, not the triple crown of Rome, but ''The Church of England,'' first raised its spire in these primeval forests. Here it laid broad and deep the foundations of that Holy Religion which has been the bulwark of Virginia's .SYA' GEORGE YEARDLEY. 85 liberties, the strength of her manhood, the glory of her womanhood ; the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, which for nearly three centuries has preserved the true and higher life of this noble old commonwealth ! The London Company approved the Colonial Assembly which had been convened by Sir George Yeardley, and on the 24th of July, 162 1, a memorable ordinance, established for the colony a written constitution. Its terms were few and simple, but the system of representative government and trial by jury became an acknowledged right in the New World. On this celebrated ordinance Virginia eredled the superstrudl- ure of her independence. "It constituted the plantation, in its infancy, a nursery of freemen," and its influences — some- times written in letters of living light, sometimes written in blood — may be traced through all her history.* As an evidence of the increasing prosperity of the colony, it may be stated that in 1619, 20,000 pounds of tobacco were exported to England from Virginia; in April, 1620, a special commission was issued by King James for the inspe(5lion of this weed, and in June following, a proclamation for restrain- ing the disorderly trading in the obnoxious article. Thus its uses and abuses began at an early period of colonial enter- prise. This year of 1620 is also memorable for the introduction of negro slaves into Virginia. A Dutch man-of-war landed twenty negroes for sale, and these were the first brought into the country — ' ' The direful spring Of woes unnumbered " to the far-off descendants of the colonists. *See Hening's " Statutes at Large," Laws ofVirginia, Vol. I., pp. 110-118. XIX. SIR FRANCIS WYATT. Governor and Captain-General. November 8, 162 1, to May 17, 1626. Sir Francis Wyatt came to Virginia in Odlober, 1621, at the request of Governor Yeardley, whose term of office was soon to expire. He succeeded Yeardley, November 8, 1621, and was in his turn succeeded by Sir George Yeardley, May 17, 1626. Wyatt brought with him the new Constitution for the Colony, and the opening clause of his instructions reads as follows : " To keep up religion of the Church of England as near as may be ; to be obedient to the King and do justice after the form of the laws of England ; and not to injure the na- tives; and to forget old quarrels now buried." During Wyatt's administration the Indian massacre of March 22, 1622, occurred, in which 347 of the colonists were killed, and " the 22d of March " was ordered by the General Assembly held March 5, 1623, to "be yearly solemnized as holliday," in commemoration of the escape of the Colony from entire extirpation at this time. The calamities which had befallen the Virginia Colony, and the dissensions which had agitated the Company having been represented to the King, he, after some measures of inquiry, had the matter brought to trial in the Court of King's Bench, where judg- ment was given against the Virginia Company, and the charter vacated in 1624. King James now issued a new commission for the government of Virginia, continuing Sir Francis Wyatt in his office, with 11 Counsellors, and empow- ering them to govern " as fully and aniplye as any Governor and Council resident there, at any time within the space of five years now last past." This term of five years was pre. .S7A' FRANCIS WVATT. 87 cisely the established period of representative government, and so the continuance of popular assemblies was formally sanc- tioned. But King James was denied the task of giving to the Colony a code of fundamental laws, for he died March 27, 1625, and was succeeded by Charles I. The demise of the Crown having annulled all former appointments for Virginia, Charles I. now reduced that Col- on}^ under the immediate direction of the throne, appointing a Governor and Council, and ordering all patents and processes to issue in his own name. His proclamation "for settling the plantation of Virginia," is dated May 13, 1625. When, however,- early in 1626, Wyatt retired, the re-appointment of Sir George Yeardley by Charles I. was a guarantee in itself that, as " the former interests of Virginia were to be kept in- violate," so the representative government would be con- tinued, for it was Yeardley who had introduced the system. King Charles, intent only on increasing his revenue, favored the wishes of the colonists, and in his commission to Yeard- ley expressed his desire to encourage and perfedl the planta- tion ' ' by the same means that were formerly thought fit for the maintenance of the Colony." He also limited the power of the Governor and Council, as had before been done in the commission of Wyatt, by a reference to the usages of the last five years. In that period representative liberty had become the custom of Virginia. A new heaven and a new earth had spread before the Virginia colonist, and time nor change has ever blotted from his race that love of freedom which he first tasted then. XX, SIR GEORGE YEARDLEY. • Governor and Captain-General. May 17, 1626, to November 14, 1627. When, earl}' in 1626, Wyatt retired from office (returning to Ireland on account of the death of his father), Charles I. appointed Sir George Yeardley his successor. Virginia rose, now, rapidly in public esteem. In 1627 one thousand emi- grants arrived, and there was an increasing demand for the rich products of this virgin soil. During Yeardley 's three administrations many and great events in the life of the Col- ony had taken place. Posterity retains a grateful recolledlion of the man who called together the first representative assem- bly in the New World. His career was closed by death, in November, 1627, and the colonists, in a letter to the Privy Council, pronounced a eulogy on his virtues. The day after his burial, and in the absence of John Harvey, who was named in Yeardley's commission as his eventual successor, Francis West was elected Governor, for the Council was authorized to elect the Governor " from time to time, as often as the case should require." XXI. CAPTAIN FRANCIS WEST. President of the Cotuicil and Governor. November 14, 1627, to March 5, 1629. Captain Francis West was a younger brother of lyord De la Warr. He came to the Colony early in its settlement. Here he married, and was long a member of the Council. In 1623 he went to Plymouth with a commission to be Admiral of New England. He was authorized to restrain vessels from fishing or trading on the coast without a license from the New England Council, but, meeting with difficulty in executing this part of his commission, he sailed for Virginia. When Governor Yeardley died, the administration de- volved on West. During his control of affairs the Colony received large accessions of emigrants from Europe. Captain West returned to England, March 5, 1629, when Dr. John Pott succeeded him in presiding over the fortunes of the Col- ony. Captain West is said to have come back again to Virginia, and to have met his death by drowning. 89 XXII. DOCTOR JOHN POTT. Pre side 71 1 of the Council ayid Governor. March 5, 1629, to March, 1630. Sir John Harvey was appointed Governor and Captain- General, March 26, 1628, but not coming to Virginia at once, Dr. John Pott succeeded Captain Francis West in the gov- ernment, and continued in office until the arrival of Sir John Harvey in March, 1630. During this period the Assembly was twice convened, and many regulations adopted for the defense of the Colony. Dr. Pott had accompanied Sir Francis Wyatt to Virginia as physician, in October, 1621, and was a member of the Council under the provisional government constituted by the King in 1624. He was esteemed the best surgeon and physician in the Colony. 90 XXIII. SIR JOHN HARVEY. Governor and Captain-General. March, 1630, to April, 1635. John Harvey was commissioned Governor of the Colony, March 26, 1628, and was knighted soon after by Charles I. He met his first Assembly of Burgesses, March 24, 1630. Harvey was one of the most rapacious, tyrannical, and un- popular of the royal Governors ; was suspended by an indig- nant Assembly in 1635, and impeached, but was restored by the King the next year, and continued in office until 1639. But, during the period of his oflfice, despite his partial judgments and cruel exercise of power, the accustomed legislative rights of the Colony were unimpaired. On June 20, 1632, Charles I. granted to Lord Baltimore a patent for a portion of Virginia, which he named " Mary- land " in honor of his Queen. This grant gave great umbrage to the planters of Virginia, and offers the first example in colonial history of the dismemberment of an ancient colony by the formation of a new province, with sep- arate and equal rights. Virginia regarded the severing of her territory with apprehension. She remonstrated against the grant "as an invasion of her commercial rights, an infringement on her domains, and a discouragement to her planters "; but she remonstrated in vain, John Han^ey courted the favor of lyord Baltimore and sympathized with Maryland in the dispute over Kent Island and trade in the Chesapeake, and he was odious to the colonists, whose territorial interests he betrayed. They rose in indignation at his abuse of power, and on the 28th of April, 1635, arrested him "for treason " and drove him out of the country. But the territory of Maryland they could not reclaim ; it had been taken from Virginia forever. XXIV. CAPTAIN JOHN WEST. President of the Coimcil. April 28, 1635, to April 2, 1636. Captain John West was a younger brother of Lord De la Warr. When Sir John Harvey was "thrust out of his government," April 28, 1635, John West was selecfled to suc- ceed him. He in turn was superseded by Hai-vey, April 2, 1636. In March, 1659-60, when Sir William Berkeley was Gov- ernor, the House of Burgesses passed the following adl : "Whereas, the many important favours and services ren- dered to the countrey of Virginia by the noble family of the West, predecessors to Mr. John West, their now only sur- vivor, claim at least that a grateful remembrance of their former merrits be still continued to their survivor, // is ordered That the levies of the said Master West and his family be remitted, and that he be exempted from payment thereof dur- ing life." Captain John West remained in Virginia until his death. XXV. SIR JOHN HARVEY. Governor and Captain-General. April 2, 1636, to November, 1639. Reinstated in his office by Charles the First, Sir John Harvey returned to Virginia. Without delay he met the Council at the church, at Elizabeth City, and published the King's proclamation pardoning, with a few exceptions, all persons who had given aid in the late uprising against him. In November, 1639, he was superseded by Sir Francis Wyatt. 93 XXVL SIR FRANCIS WYATT. Govej'nor and Captain-General. November, 1639, to February, 1642. In November, 1639, Sir Francis Wyatt succeeded to power, and convened a General Assembly in the fqllowing January. The Xlth A(5l of this Assembly reads: "James City to be the chief town and Governor is to have his resi- dence there." In consequence of laws restri (fling the culture of tobacco, this Assembly (A(5l VIII.) declared " Not to pay above two thirds of their debts during the stint." Beyond this, the administration of Wyatt, during this, his second term, passed quietly away. He died at Bexley, Kent, Eng- land, in 1644. 04 XXVII. SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY. Governor and Captain-General. February, 1642, to June, 1644. Sir William Berkeley was constituted Governor August 9, 1 64 1, but did not assume the government until February, 1642. Harmony prevailed, and the memory of ancient griefs was lost in the growing spirit of independence which thrilled through every vein of the new and growing Body Politic. Virginia now enjoyed all the liberties which a monarch could concede and retain his supremacy. The Indians, however, goaded on by grievous wrongs and a determination on the part of the settlers to make no terms of peace with them, resolved upon a general massacre of the pale-faced foe. This they attempted on April 18, 1644, but after slaying three hundred they abandoned their savage work and fled to the woods. So little was apprehended from them after this, that two months later Governor Berkeley embarked for England and left Richard Kempe as his substitute. Sir William Berkeley was born near London in 16 10. He was educated at Oxford, and by extensive travel and acquaint- ance with the world, was well fitted for the position of influ- ence to which he was appointed in the Colony. How sad that so fair an entrance into power should e'er have had so foul an ending ! 'J5 XXVIII. RICHARD KEMPE. President of the Coiincil mid Acting- Governor. June, 1644, to June, 1645. Richard Kempe comes before us first as a member of the Council of Virginia, in 1642, and in 1644 as Adling Gov- ernor during Sir William Berkeley's absence in England. Bishop Meade, in his "Old Churches, Ministers, and Fam- ilies of Virginia," says: " There is one name on the foregoing list* to which I must allude as having, at an early period in the history of Virginia, been charadlerized by a devotion to the welfare of the Church and religion — that of Kcnipe. The name often occurs on the vestry-book of Middlesex County in such a way as to show this. The high esteem in which one of the family was held, is seen from the fa(5l that he was the Governor of the Colony in 1644, and the following extract from the first volume of Hening's Statutes will show not only the religious character of those in authority at that day, but the probability that Governor Kempe sympathized in the movement, for the Governors had great powder either to promote or prevent such a meas- ure. In 1644 it was — 'Enadled by the Governor, Council, and Burgesses of this Grand Assembly, for God's glory and the public benefit of the Colony, to the end that God might avert his heavy judgments that are upon us, that the last Wednesday in every month be set apart for fast and humiliation, and that it be wholly dedicated to prayers and preaching, &c. 'Richard Kempe, Esq., Governor.' " I do not remember ever to have seen such an indefinite and pro- longed period appropriated by a public body to public humiliation. It speaks well for the religion of our public fun6tiouaries of that day." * Leading families from the earliest to the present times, in the parishes of Abing- ton and Ware. RICHARD KEMPE. 97 On Sir William Berkeley's return, Richard Kempe con- tinued to serve the Colony as a member of the Council until 1648, and perhaps later, and subsequently adled as the Secre- tary of that body. On a slab in the grave-3ard around the old church at Williamsburg, Bruton Parish, Virginia, and lying against the wall of the church in order to preserve it, might be seen, a few years ago, the following : " Under this marble lyeth the body of Thomas Ludwell, Esquire, Sec- retary of Va., who was born at Bruton, in the County of Somerset, in the Kingdom of England, and departed this life in the year 1678. And near this lye the bodies of Richard Kempe, Esquire, his predecessor in the Sec- retary's office, and Sir Thomas Lunsford, Knight. In memory of whom this marble is placed, by order of Philip Ludwell, Esq., nephew of said Thomas Ludwell, in the year 1727." XXIX. SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY. Govenwr. June, 1645, to April 30, 1652. WhiIvE the Colony of Virginia was acquiring the manage- ment of its own concerns, slowly but surely England was being distradled by a civil war. This war resulted in the dethrone- ment and capture of the King, who was afterwards beheaded in front of his palace at Whitehall, January 30, 1649. Justice was no longer to be administered in the King's name, and the title of the realm was exchanged for that of ' ' The Connnon- wealth of England." Oliver Cromwell was declared Captain- General of the troops of the state, and afterwards rose to the supreme power, with the title of Protedlor. During this civil war. Governor Berkeley took the royal side, and Virginia was the last of the English possessions which acknowledged the authority of Cromwell. Two years after Charles I. was beheaded. Parliament sent a fleet to Virginia to compel its submis,sion. Sir William Berkeley was obliged then to sur- render to superior power. Cromwell ruled England for eleven years, during which time peace and prosperity reigned in all the countries under his control. Although Virginia had been forced to submit to his authority, she never gave up her loyalty to the throne of England. She sent a vessel to Flanders, to the son of Charles I., who was in exile there, offering him her support, and invit- ing him to come to Virginia and set up his throne upon her territory. Charles accepted, and was actually preparing to embark when his subjects in England recalled him to the throne of his fathers. Once established in powder, Charles II., in gratitude to Virginia for her loyalty, caused her to be pro- claimed an independent member of his empire, which was to S/A' WILLIAM BERKELEY. 99 consist of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Virginia, and her coat-of-arnis was added to those of the other three countries comprised in his realm. Ever since that time Virginia has retained the title of "The Old Dominion." Sir William Berkeley was superseded in Virginia by Richard Bennet, April 30, 1652. XXX. RICHARD BENNET. Acting Goi'ernor Under the Commonweal t/i of Cromwell. April 30, 1652, to March, 1655. Richard Bennet first took part in colonial affairs as Burgess, in October, 1629, from " Warrosquoj^eake," which formed one of the eight original shires, in the j^ear 1634. This shire embraced a distance of ninety miles, but its name was soon changed to Isle of Wight, and in 1642 it was divided into two parishes, the upper and lower, or Newport and Warwicks- queake, each extending the full length of the county, or ninety miles. Under Berkeley's administration, Richard Bennet had been oppressed in Virginia, and he fled to Maryland to escape persecution. From thence he went to London, where, on September 26, 165 1, he was chosen as one of the commis- sioners appointed by the Commonwealth of England to reduce the royal Colony of Virginia to submission. The commis- sioners were constituted pacificators and benefadlors of the country. In case of resistance, war was threatened; if Vir- ginia would adhere to the Commonwealth, she might be the mistress of her own destiny. The following reports of ofiicial papers bearing on this period are taken from Hening's "Statutes at Large," Vol. I.: ARTICLES AT THE SURRENDER OF THE COUNTRIE. ARTICLES agreed 071 and concluded at James Cittie in Virginia for the surrendering and settling of that plantation under the obedience and govertnent of the Common Wealth of England, by the commis- sioners of the Coicncill of State, by aiithoritie of the Parliament of England atid by the Grand Assembly of the Governour, Councill and Burgesses of that countrey. First. It is agreed and cons'ted that the plantatiou of Virginia, and all the inhabitants thereof, shall be and rcniaine in due obedience and Kf CHARD RENNET. 101 subjedlion to the comnion wealth of England, according to the lawes there established, And that this submission and subscription bee acknowledged a voluntary a6t not forced nor constrained bj- a conquest upon the countrey. And that they shall have and enioy such freedomes and priviledges as belong to the free borne people of England, and that the former govern- ment by the comissions and instructions be void and null. 2dly. Secondly, that the Grand Assembly as formerly shall convene and transact the affairs of Virginia, wherein nothing is to be acted or done contrarie to the goverment of the common wealth of England and the lawes there established. 3dly. That there shall be a full and totall remission and indempnitie of all acts, words or writeings done or spoken against the parliament of England in relation of the same. 4thly. That Virginia shall have and enioy the antient bounds and lymitts granted by the charters of the former Kings, And that we shall seek a new charter from the parliament to the purpose against any that have intrencht upon the rights thereof. 5thly. That all the pattents of land granted vnder the coUony scale, by any of the precedent Governours, shall be and remaine in their full force and strength. 6thly. That the priviledge of haveing ffiftie acres of land for everj- person transported in the collony shall continue as formerly granted. 7thly. That the people of Virginia have free trade as the people of England do enjoy to all places and with all nations according to the lawes of that common wealth. And that Virginia shall enjoy all priviledges equall with any English plantations in America. 8thly. That Virginia shall be free from all taxes, customes and impo- sitions whatsoever, and none to be imposed on them without consent of the Grand Assembly, And soe that neither ffortes nor castles bee erected or garrisons maintained without their consent. 9thly. That noc charge shall be required from this countrc}' in respect of this present ffleet. lothly. That for the future settlement of the counti'ey in their due obedience, the engagement shall be tendrcd to all the inhabitants, accord- ing to act of parliament made to that purpose, that all persons who shall refuse to subscribe the said engagement, shall have a yeares time if they please to remove themselves and their estates out of Virginia, and in the meantime during the said yeare to have equall justice as formerly. iithly. That the vse of the booke of common prayer shall be per- mitted for one yeare ensucinge with referrence to the consent of the major part of the parishes. Provided that those things which relate to kingshipp or that government be not vsed publiquely ; and the continuance of min- isters in their places, they not misdemeaning themselves : And the pay- ment of their accustomed dues and agreements made with them respect- ively shall be left as they now stand during this ensueing yeare. 102 RICHARD RENNET. I2thly. That no man's cattell shall be questioned, as the companie rules such as have been entrusted with them or have disposed of them without order. I3thly. That all aniunition, powder and arms, other then for private vse shall be delivered up, securitie being given to make satisfaction for it. I4thly. That all goods allreadie brought hither by the Dutch or others which are now on shoar shall be free from surprizall. I5thly. That the quittrents granted vnto vs by the late Kiuge for seaven yeares bee confirmed. i6thly. That the commissioners for the parliament subscribing these articles engage themselves and the honour of the parliament for the full performance thereof : And that the present Governour and the Councill and the Burgesses do likewise subscribe and engage the whole collony on their parts. Rich: Bennett, Scale. Wm. Ci^aiborne, Scale. Edmond Curtis, Seale. Theise articles were signed and sealed by the commissionors of the Councill of State for the Common Wealth of England, the twelveth day of March, 1651. ARTICLES for the sicrrendriiig Virginia to the subjeflioii 0/ the Par- lia^nent of the Common Wealth of England agreed vppon by the honourable the Comissioners for the Parliament and the hon'ble, the Governour and Councill of State. First. That neither Governour nor councill shall be obliged to take any oath or engagement to the Common-Wealth of England for one whole yeare, And that neither Governor nor Councill be censured for praying for or speaking well of the King for one whole yeare in their private houses or neighbouring conference. adly. That there be one sent home at the present Governour's choice to give an accempt to his Ma'tie of the surrender of his countrey,the pres- ent Governour bearing his charges, that is Sir William Berkley. 3dly. That the present Governouf , that is Sir William Berkeley, and the Councill shall have leave to sell and dispose of their estates, and to transporte themselves whether they please. 4thly. That the Governour and Councill though they take not the engagement for one whole yeare shall yet have equall and free justice in all courts of Virginia until the expiration of one whole yeare. 5thly. That all the Governour's and Councill's land and houses, and whatsoever belongeth to them bee perticularly secured and provided for in these articles. 6thly. That all debts of the Governour's by adt of Assembly, and all debts due to officers made by the Assembly bee perfedlly made good to them. And that the Governour be paid out of the goods remaining in the RICHARD BEN NET. 103 couutrey of the Dutch ship that went away cleer for Holland without pay- ing his customs. ythl}-. That the Governoiir may have free leave to hire a shipp for England or Holland to carrie away the Governour's goods, and the Coun- cill's, and what he or they have to transporte for Holland or England without any lett or any molestation of any of the State's shipps att sea or in their rivers or elsewhere by any of the shipps in the common wealth of England whatsoever. Sthly. That the Capt. of the fforte be allowed satisfa6lion for the building of his house in fiForte Island. gthly. That all persons that are now in this coUonic of what qualit}- or condition soever that have served the King here or in England shall be free from all dangers, punishment or mulkt whatsoever, here or else- where, and this art'e as all other articles bee in as cleer termes as the learned in the law of arms can express. lothly. That the same instant that the commissions are resigned, an adl of indempnitie and oblivion be issued out vnder the hands and scales of the commissioners for the parliament. And that noe persons in any courte of justice in Virginia be questioned for their opinions given in any causes determined by them. iithly. That the Goveniour and Councill shall have their passes to go away from hence in anie shipps in any time within a year : And in case they goe for London or other place in England that they or anie of them shall be free from anie trouble or hindrance of arrest or such like in England, and that they may follow their occasions for the space of six months after their arrivall. Rich: Bennett, Scale. Wm. Claiborne, Scale. Edmond Curtis, Scale. Theise articles were signed, sealed, sworne vnto by vs the commission- ers for the parliament of the common wealth of England, the 12th of March, 165 1. AN ACT OF INDEMOUITIE MADE ATT THE SURRENDER OF THE CONTREY. Whereas by the authoritie of the parliament of England, wee the commissioners appointed by the Councill of State authorized thereto hav- ing brought a fleete and force before James Cittie in Virginia to reduce that collonie vnder the obedience of the common-wealth of England, and finding force raised by the Governour and countrey to make opposition against the said ffleet, whereby assured danger appcaringe of the mine and destrutflion of the plantation, for prevention whereof the Burgesses of all the severall plantations being called to advise and assist thei-ein, vppon long and serious debate, and in sad contemplation of the grate miseries and certaine destrudlion, which were soe nearly hovering over this whole 104 RICHARD BEN NET. countrey, Wee the said commissioners have thought fitt and con- descended and granted to signe and confirme under our hands, scales and by our oath, Articles bearinge date with theise presents. And do further declare, That by the authoritie of the parliament and commonwealth of England derived vnto vs theire commissioners. That according to the articles in generall. Wee have granted an a6l of indempuitie and oblivion to all the inhabitants of this colloney, from all words, adlions or writings that have been spoken, a(5led or writt against the parliament or common wealth of England or any other person from the beginning of the world to this daye, And this we have done, That all the inhabitants of the collonie may live quietly and securely vnder the comon-wealth of England, And wee do promise that the parliament and common wealth of England shall confirme and make good all those transacftions of ours, Wittnes our hands and scales this 12th day of March, 165 1. Richard Bennett, Scale. Wm. Claiborne, Scale. Edm. Curtis, Scale. Richard Bennet had the great satisfacftion of benefiting permanently the home of his adoption. Virginia now enjoyed large liberties. "The executive officers became eledlive, and so evident were the designs of all parties to promote an amicable settlement of the government, that Richard Bennet, himself a Commissioner of the Parliament, and, moreover, a merchant and a Roundhead, was, on the recommendation of the other Commissioners, unanimously chosen Governor." Cromwell never made any appointments for Virginia; not one Governor acfted under his commission. When Bennet retired from office, the Assembly elecfted his sirccessor, and Edward Digges, who had before been chosen of the Council, and who "had given a signal testimony of his fidelity to Virginia and to the Commonwealth of Eng- land," received the suffrages. In 1666 Bennet commanded the militia of three of the four military distridls into which Virginia was divided, with the rank of Major- General, and was a member of the Council as late as 1674. He owned the plantations of " Weyanoak " and "Kicotan," on the James River, and has many dis- tinguished descendants in Virginia. XXXI. EDWARD DIGGES. Preside7it of the Cotuicil and Governor Under the Commonwealth of Cromwell. March, 1655, to March 13, 1658. "Att a Grand Assembly Held at James Citty, March 31, 1655, Or- dered the Governor and Conncill be as followeth : Edward Digges, Esqr. , Governor, Coll. Wm. Clayborne, Secretary, and next in Council, etc." According to Hening, "this is the second eledlion of Governor and Council which appears to have been made since the existence of the Commonwealth in England." Governor Digges took much interest in the manufadlure of silk in the Colony, it being found "the most profitable comoditie for the countrey," and during his term an adl was passed for "ten mulberry trees to be planted for every 100 acres of land held in fee-simple, and sufficiently fenced and tended." Later it was enacted "that what person soever shall first make one hundred pounds of wound silke in one yeare within this Colloney, shall in his so doing be paid ffive thousand pounds of tobacco out of the publique levie." Although the cultivation of this industry was at a later date abandoned, it is said that part of the coronation robe of Charles II. was composed of Virginia silk, sent to him from the Colony. This particular mark of favor from the King was in acknowledgment of the firmness which the Virginians had expressed in the royal cause. Governor Digges was a younger son of Sir Dudley Digges, of Chilham, County Kent, England, and was born in 1620. He died March 15, 1675, and was buried at his seat, " Belle- field," about eight miles from Williamsburg, Va. His descendants took an a(5live part in the affairs of the Colony for many years. VIII 10,'-, XXXII. CAPTAIN SAMUEL MATTHEWS. President of the Council under t/ie Coinnwmvealth of E^igland. March 13, 1657, to January, 1659. This was the third election of Governor and Council during the Commonwealth of England. The Burgesses being elected and returned b}^ the Sheriffs for the several plantations, they proceeded to recite as follows : March 13th, 1657-8. Major John Smith, Speaker. "Whereas it appeares by act of Assembly held at James Cittie in May, 1652, That it was agreed vpon and thought best by the then commissioners for the parliament, and the Burgesses of the then assembly. That the right of election of all officers of this collony should be and appertaine to the Burgesses, the representatives of the people. Now know yee, That wee the present Burgesses of this Grand Assembly have accordingly constituted and ordained the severall persons vnder written to be the Governour, Councill & Commissioners of this country of Virginia vntil the next Assembly or vntil the further pleasure of the supreme power in England shall be known. The Honourable Samuel Matthews, Esq., Governour and Captain- General of Virginia, etc., etc. "* The right of electing the Governor, it will be seen, con- tinued to be exercised by the representatives of the people. Samuel Matthews, son of an old planter, was chosen to fill the office. From too exalted ideas of his station, he, with the Council, became involved in an unequal contest with the Assembly by which he had been elected. But it is interest- ing to obser\^e in the following extracts (taken from Hening's Statutes at Large, Vol. i.) how the spirit of popular liberty * See Hening's Statutes at I^arge, Vol. I., pp. 431-2. IOC CAPTAIN SAMUEL MATTHEWS. 107 established all its claims and that "the House of Burgesses " had a complete triumph.* James City, April the ist, 1658. The Governour and Councill for many important causes do think fitt hereby to declare, That they do now disolve this present Assembly. And that the Speaker accordingly do dismiss the Burgesses. Samuei. Matthewes. W. Claiborne. Subscribed, Thomas Pettus, Obedience Robins, Henrj' Perry, John Walker, Nathaniel Bacon, Geo: Reade, Ffrancis Willis. William Bernard. The Answer of the Burgesses to the declaration of the Honourable Governour and Coun- cill. The House humbly presenteth, That the said disolution as the case now standeth is not presidentall neither legall according to the lawes, now ill force, Therefore wee humbly desire a revocation of the said declaration, especially seeing wee doubt not but speedily to finish the present affaires to the satisfadtion of your honour and the whole country. Subscribed, John Smith, Speaker. Vpon which transactions being but three monthes , xlVOT^lC Otlt) absente. It was voted vnanimously. That no Biirgesse and if any shall depart, That he shall be censured as a person betraying the trust reposed in him by his country, And the remaining to a<5t in all things and to all intents and purposes as a whole and entire house. And ffurther, That Mr. Speaker signe nothing without the consent of the major part of the house. Voted further. That an oath of secresy be adfninistred to the Burgesses which was done as followeth : The Oath. You shall sweare that as a Burgesse of this House you shall not either diredlly or indirectly repeate nor discover the present or future transac- tions, debates or discourses that are now or hereafter shall be transacted or debated on in the House to any person or persons whatsoever except to a Burgesse of this Assembly now present dureing the time of this present session. So help you God and the contents of this Booke. This oath taken by all the Burgesses present. * Heniiig refers this contest to the session of March, 1657-8. 108 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. The reply of the houourable the Governour and Councill. Vpon your assurance of a speedy issue to conclude the a6ls so near brought to a confirmation in this Assenibl}-, wee are willing to come to a speedy conclusion, And to referrc the dispute of the power of disolving and the legality thereof to his Highnesse, the Lord Protestor : Subscribed, Samueli* Mathewes. Wm. Claiborne, Sec. Ja: Cittie, April 2d, 1658. The Answer of the Burgesses. The House is vnanimously of opinion that the answer returned is vnsatisfa6tory, and desire with as much earnestnes as the honourable Governour and Councill have expressed, a speedy dispatch, and propose That the Governour and Councill please to declare. The House remaines vndisolved that a speedy period may be putt to the publique affaires. Subscribed, John Smith, Speaker. James, Ap: the 2d, 1658. The Reply of the Governour and Councill. Vpon your promise received of the speedy and happy conclusion, wee revoke the declaration for the dissolution of tlie Assembly, and referre the dispute of the power of dissolving and the legality thereof to his Highnesse the Lord Protc6tor. Subscribed, Samuel Mathewes. Wm. Claiborne, Sec. The House vusatisfied with these answers, appointed a comittee to draw vp a report for manifestation and vindication of the Assembly's power which after presentation to the House to be sent to the Governour and Councill. These vnderwritten being appointed the commitee : Coll. John Carter, Mr. Warham Horsmendon, Coll. John vSidnc}-, Lev't Coll. Thomas Swann, Major Richard Webster, Mr. Jerom Ham, Capt. Wm. Michell. The same committee is by the House impowered to draw vp all such propositions as any way tend to or conccrne the settling the present affaires of the country and govenmient. The Report of the Comittee nominated for vindication and manifestation of the As- semblyes power. Wee have considered the present constitution of the government CAPTAIN SAMUEL MATTHEIVS. 109 of Virginia and do propose, That wee find by the records The present power of government to reside in such persons as shall be impow- ercd by the Bnrgesses (the representatives of the people) who are not dissolvable by any power now extant in Virginia, but the House of Bur- gesses. They humbly thinke fitt that the House do propose, vSamuel Mathewes, Esquire, to remaine Governour and Capt. Gen '11 of Virginia, with the full powers of that trust, And that a Couucill be nominated, appointed and confirmed by the present BurgevSses convened, with the assistance of the Governour for his advice. Vpon which Report was drawne vp this Declaration. The Burgesses takeing into consideration the many letts and obstruc- tions in the affaires of this Assembly and conceiveing that some persons of the present councell endeavour by setting vp their own power to destroy the apparent power resident only in the burgesses, representatives of the people, as is manifest by the records of the Assembly: Wee the said Burgesses do declare. That we have in our selves the full power of the eledtion and appointment of all officers in this country vntil such time as wee shall have order to the contrary from the supreme power in England ; All which is evident vpon the Assembly records. And for the better manifestation thereof and the present dispatch of the affaires of this countrey we declare as followeth : That wee are not dissolvable by any power yet extant in Virginia but our owne ; That all former election of Governour and Couucill be void and null ; That the power of governour for the future shall be conferred on Coll. Samuell Mathewes, Esq. who by vs shall be invested with all the just rights and priviledges belonging to the Governour and Capt. Generall of Virginia, and that a couucill shall be nominated, appointed and confirmed by the present burgesses convened (with the advice of the Governour for his assistance) ; And that for the future none bee admitted a councellor Ijut such who shall be nominated, appointed and confirmed by the house of Burgesses as aforesaid, vntill further order from the supreame power in England. Subscribed, John Smith, Speaker. By the Grand Assembly. These are in the name of his Highnesse the Lord Protedlor to will and require you not to a6l or execute any warrant, precept or command dire<5led to you from any other power or person then the Speaker of this hon'ble. House, whose commands you are hereby required to obey and not to decline therefrom vntill further order from vs the Burgesses of this no THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. present Grand Assembly, hereof faile not as yon will answer the contrary at your perill. Given 2d. Apr. 58. Signed John Smith, Speak'r. Directed to Capt. Robert Ellison, High Sheriff of James City County and Serjeant at Armes for this present Grand Assembly. It is ordered, That whereas the supreanie power of this covmtry of Virginia is by this Grand Assembly declared to be resident in the Bur- gesses, the representatives of the people, That in referrence and obedience thereto Coll. William Claiborne, late secretarie of state, forthwith sur- render and deliver the records of the country into the hands of the Speaker of this present Grand Assembly. Coll. Claiborne being sent for by the sergeant at armes, there was drawen vp the next ensueing order. Whereas it hath been ordered by this present Grand Assembl}', That Coll. William Claiborne late secretarie of state should deliver, vppon oath, all the records concerning this country of Virginia or any perticular mem- ber thereof vnto this Grand Assembly, These are to impower & authorize Coll. John Carter and Mr. Warham Horsmenden to receive the same in the name and behalfe of the aforsaid Grand Assembly, and for such records as they shall receive to give the said Coll. Claiborne a full receipt and discharge. April the 3d, 1658. The comittee appointed for manifestation of the countreys power did this day by order of the house present to the Governor the forme of the oath to be taken by him and the Councill, which by him was approved and a list of those he desired to be of his councill presented by him to the house. The Oath. I doe sweare that as Governour and Capt. Gen'U of Virginia, I will, from time to time to the best of my vuderstanding and conscience deliver my opinion in all cases for the good and wellfare of this plantation of Vir- ginia, And I do also swear that as a minister of justice in Virginia, I will, to the best of my judgement and conscience, do equall right and justice vnto all persons in all causes when I shall bee therevnto called according to the knowne laws of England or acts of Assembly which are or shall be in force for the time being without favour, affection, partiality or malice or any by respect whatsoever ; Neither will I, directly or indirectly give councell or advice in any cavxse depending before me. So help me God. CAPTAIN SAMUEL MATTHEWS. Ill The uames of the Councellors nominated by the Governour and approved by the House. vS : Coll. Samuell Matthcwes, Esq'r Governour and Capt. Gen'll of Vir- ginia. Richard Bennett Coll. John West S: Coll. Wni. Claiborne, S: Coll. Tho's Pettus Secretary of State Coll. Hill S: Coll. Obedience Robins Coll. Thomas Dew Capt. Henry Perry '''■ Coll. Wm. Bernard I^c'tt Coll. John Walker. , S: Coll. George Reade. Coll. Abraham Wood. Coll. John Carter. Mr. Warham Horsmeuden. Le'tt Coll. Anto. EUyotte. These 3 last not to be sworne vntill the dissolution of the Assembly. These marked in the margent with the letter S : where then sworne in the forme expressed, their titles onely changed. At a Grand Assembly held at James Cittie, March 7, 1658-9. Aa I. It is enacted and confirmed by the Governour, Council and Burgesses of this present Grand Assembly, That the honourable Coll. Samuell Mathews, Esquire, Bee the Governour and Capt. Gennerall of Virginia for two yeeres ensueing, and then the Grand Assembly to elect a Gov- ernour as they shall think fitt, the person elect being then one of the Councell ; And it is further enadled. That the present Councell shall be the Councell of State, the Assembly reserveing to themselves a just excep- tion against any one perticular Councellor : But for the future the Coun- cellors to be fixt dureing life except in case of high misdemanors, And of this the Grand Assembly to be the onely judge, And it is moreover ordained by the authoritie aforesaid. That the Governour shall have priviledge to nominate the future councellors, and the Burgesses according to tlieir discretion to elecft. And this a6i: to be of force vutil his Highness pleasure be further signified. On the 3d of September, 1658, the great Cromwell died. He passed away ' ' peaceably in his bed at his palace of White- hall, and was buried with more than regal pomp in the sep- ulchre of our monarchs. " 112 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Cromwell was one whom even his enemies cannot name wilhonl acknowledging his greatness. The farmer of Huntingdon, accustomed only to rural occupations, unnoticed till he was more than forty years old, engaged in no higher plots than how to improve the returns of his land and fill his orchard with choice fruit, of a sudden became the best officer in the British army, and the greatest statesman of his time; subverted the English constitution, which had been the work of centuries ; held in his own grasp the liberties which formed a part of the nature of the English people, and cast the kingdoms into a new mould. Religious peace, such as England till now has never again seen, flourished under his calm medi- ation ; justice found its way even among the remotest Highlands of Scot- land ; commerce filled the English marts with prosperous activity ; his fleets rode triumphant in the West Indies ; Nova Scotia submitted to his orders without a struggle ; the Dutch begged of him for peace as for a boon; Ivouis XIV. was humiliated; the Protestants of Piedmont breathed their prayers in security. His squadron made sure of Jamaica; he had strong thoughts of Hispaniola and Cuba; and, to use his own words, resolved "to strive with the Spaniard for the mastery of all those seas." The glory of the English was spread throughout the world. "Under the tropic was their language spoke." — Bancroft. Unmolested by Cromwell in internal affairs, during the Protectorate, "the People of Virginia" had really governed themselves. Tranquility and a rapid increase of population promised a permanent existence to the Colony, and life was sweetened and industry quickened by the enjoyment of equal franchises. Every officer in the government was chosen, directly or indirectly, by the people. Gov. Matthews filled his position with honesty and ability, and was greatly regretted when he died, in January, 1659. He was succeeded by Sir William Berkeley. XXXIII. SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY. Governor. March 13, 1659-60, to April 30, 1661. Virginia had now so nearly completed her institutions that until her final separation from England she made little further advance towards freedom. The love of liberty had grown in the hearts and lives of the colonists, and the struggling band had increased and flourished as they felt ' ' the glorious priv- ilege of being independent." The country for which they had suffered so much had become dear to them. It was theirs through famine, pestilence, and the sword — wrested from the grasp of no common foe, and bought by the blood of no common sacrifice. Thus, at the advent of Sir William Berkeley again to office, the Colony was estimated from eight to twelve thousand in population, growing rich, free, and in favor with the world. It is said by Hening that no portion of the history of Virginia has been so palpably misunderstood as that which relates to the re-appointment of Sir William Berkeley at this time. Colonel Samuel Matthews having died in January, 1659, the next Assembly, which sat on the 13th of March, 1659-60, eledled Sir William Berkeley, Governor. The Gov- ernors of Virginia during the Commonwealth of England were all elecfted by the House of Burgesses, and it was not until after the Restoration, which took place May 29, 1660, that the word " King" or " Majesty " occurred in the proceedings of the Assembly. " Att a Grand Assemblie held at James Cittie in Virginia, the nth Oct., 1660, these orders following were made in the Government of The Right Hon. Sir William Berkeley, his Majesties Governor," etc. Berkeley had been re-elecled Governor by the Assembly 113 114 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. in Virginia on March 13, 1659-60, and was commissioned to adl by Charles II., July 31, 1660. The Navigation Act having made the colonists uneasy as to a violation of their rights, they sent Governor Berkeley to England to protest against its enforcement. ' ' By the Grand Assembly held at James City March 23, 1 660-1. Act I. "Whereas the necessity of the country being in danger of the oppres- sion company and the losse of onr liberties for want of sitch an agent in England as is able to oppose the invaders of our freedomes and truly to represent our condition to his sacred majestic enforceth the employing a person of quality to present our grievances to his majesty's gracioiis con- sideration and endeavour the redresse which the right honorable Sir Wil- liam Berkeley his majestyes governor hath been pleased to vindeitake. Bee itt therefore enacted that tliere be raysed Ijy the country the some of two hundred thousand pounds of tobacco and cask for his the said Sir Wil- liam Berkeley's support in his voyage ; and that pajaiient be made thereof by the 20th of January in Yorke river and James river to such persons as his honor shall appoint and that the secretary of state and speaker of the assembly signe a manifesto to the governor of the country's engagement for payment thereof. ' ' * Whilst Governor Berkeley was absent on this mission, Colonel Francis Moryson was elected by the Council to be Governor and Captain-General of Virginia. During the Commonwealth of England there were four Governors appointed under the provisional government of Virginia, viz.: Richard Bennet, April, 1652 ; Edward Digges, March, 1655 ; Samuel Matthews, March, 1657-8. Samuel Matthews was elected March, 1657-8, and at the same session, a contest arising between the Governor and Council and the House of Burgesses, as to the constitutional power of dissolving the Assembly, the Burgesses declared all former elections of Governor and Council void and null, but, immediately after, re-elected Matthews. By the first act of March, 1658-9 Matthews was again elected, and by the second act of March, 1659-60, Sir William Berkeley was re-elected by the Assembly in Virginia, and was commissioned to act by Charles II., July 31, 1660. Thus the power to appoint the Governors reverted to the Crown of England. ♦Hening's Statutes at Large, Vol. II., page 17. XXXIV. COLONEL FRANCIS MORYSON, OR MOR- RISON. Deputy or LiciUcnant-Govcrnor. March 23, 1661, to December 23, 1662. Colonel Mory,son had arrived in the Colony in the au- tumn of 1649. He was a loyalist and as such received a warm welcome from Sir William Berkeley, who, it is said, gave Moryson the command of the fort at Point Comfort. He became a member of the Council, was Speaker of the House of Burgesses in 1656, and was finally selecfled Deputy- Governor during Sir William Berkeley's absence in England. During Colonel Moryson's term of office, at a Grand As- sembly held at James City, March 23, 1661-62, the whole body of the laws of the Colony was reviewed and a copy sent to England to Sir William Berkeley, "to procure his Majesty's royal confirmation." These A(5ls, numbering 142, began with the following : Act I. ^^ Bee at enacted, for the advancement of Gods glory, and the more decent celebration of his divine ordinances, that there be a church decently built in each parish of this country, unles any parish as now setled by reason of the fewnes or poverty of the inhabitants be incapable of sus- teyning soe greate a charge, in which case it is enadled that such parishes shall be joyned to the next greate parish, of the same county, and that a chappell of ease be built, in such places, at the particular charge of that place." Thus it will be seen that all through the history of the early settlement of this country a reverence for the Church is constantly recognized, and though this " outward and vis- ible sign ' ' may not always have evidenced ' ' an inward and spiritual grace," still it is edifying to observe that God was 116 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. acknowledged first in all the temporal affairs of the first Vir- ginians. Bishop Meade relates, in connedlion with the Parish of James City, that there exists in the Library of the Theo- logical Seminary of Virginia ' ' a large silver chalice and paten, with the inscription on each, " Ex Dono Jacobi Morrison Armigeri A D 1661." Also a silver alms-basin with the inscription, " For the use of James City Parish Church." It is an interesting specu- lation as to whether Governor Moryson had any connedlion wdth these gifts. Colonel Moryson, at the expiration of his term as Gov- ernor, was sent to England as the agent of the Colony, with an annual salary of ^200. Whether he ever returned to Vir- ginia is not recorded, but he left substantial tokens with the people he had served, of great fidelity to their welfare. XXXV. SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY. Governor. December 23, 1662, to April 27, 1677. Att a Grand Assemblie, Holdeu at James Cittie by prorogatiou from the twentie third of March, 1660, to the twentie third of March 1661 ; aud thence to the twentie third of December 1662, in the fourteenth year of the raigne of our soveraigne Lord, Charles the Second, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, France aud Ireland, King, defender of the faith, etc. To Uie glorie of Almightie God and the publique good of this his Majesties colonic of Virginia : These following acts were made and established. The Honorable Sir William Berkeley Knt. Govenor.* By the foregoing it will be seen that Governor Berkeley now entered upon his fourth term of ofHce in Virginia. He had fostered the Colony in its infancy, and during his rule, though it had seen many changes, it had steadily advanced in the path of prosperity. But clouds were rising to burst in fury on the venerable Governor's path. The low price of tobacco, and the ill-treatment of the planters in the exchange of goods for it ; the splitting of the Colony into proprietaries, contrary to the original charters, the heavy restraints and burdens laid upon their trade by Act of Parliament, and last, though not least, the troubles with the unsleeping Indian foe ; all these wrongs stirred the souls of many Virginia Fathers, who were soon to show their discontent in that historic period known as "Bacon's Rebellion." This suf- fering time, which cost much blood and treasure, which broke up the local government for a time, and laid the first-born city * Ileniny's Statutes at Iey}ior. April 1 6, 1684, to Odlober 20, 1688. Lord Effingham opened his career in Virginia with instrudtions from England ' ' to allow no person to use a print- ing press on any occasion whatsoever. ' ' This was ' ' agreeably to the prayers of Sir W. Berkeley." Being equally as a/aricious as lyord Culpeper, he soon, by his overbearing n.easures, made himself generally detested. Trouble with the Indians again assailing the tranquility of the Colony, Lord Effingham went to Albany, and there, with the Gov- ernor of New York, met the chiefs of the Five Nations and effecfled with them a Treaty of Peace. The.se Five Nations, the Oneidas, Onondagos, Cayugas, Mohawks, and Senecas, had absorbed all the other Indians in the country, and formed a very powerful combination. During Effingham's absence in New York, Nathaniel Bacon, Senior, President of the Council, assumed his duties. ' Lord Howard was not present in the General Court after 22d April, 1687, and then, Nathaniel Bacon was President; but Lord Howard did not leave the country, for he signed patents till 20th 0(ftober, 1688." At this time he embarked for England, being recalled at the request of the colonists. His course in Virginia had been cruel and tyran- nical, and he perverted the noble opportunities of his po.sition to personal emolument and benefit. He was the son and heir of Sir Charles Howard, and succeeded to his title in 16S1. He died in England in 1694. XLl. NATHANIEL BACON. President of the Council. October 20, 1688, to October 16, 1690. " Nathaniki. Bacon, a near kinsman of him who was called 'The Rebel,' and who was high in office during the period of the rebellion, as he was before and after, married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Richard Kingswell, of James City County. His residence was on King's Creek, near York River and not far from Williamsburg." Near the bank of this river, on a tombstone, the following inscription may be seen, viz.: " Here lyeth the body of Elizabeth, wife of the Honourable Nathaniel Bacon, who departed this life the second da}' of November, one thousand six hundred and ninety-one, in the sixty-seventh year of her age. ' ' Nathaniel Bacon's tombstone is said by Bishop Meade to lie " in a field on Dr. Tinsley's farm," near Williamsburg, at which point it is supposed that Bacon had another residence. Nathaniel Bacon was long prominent in public affairs, having been among other offices of trust, a member of the Council for over forty years. When Eord Effingham returned to England in Odlc- ber, 1688, Bacon, as President of the Council, became the Adling Governor of Virginia, until the arrival of Francis Nicholson, Ocflober 16, 1690. Bacon must have been adtive in Church as well as State, as it was announced in the Virginia Gazette for March, 1746, that \.\\e. plate given by Colonel Nathaniel Bacon to York-Hampton parish had been stolen. Hening narrates that "Nathaniel Bacon continued President all April Court 1690 : and the i6th of Odlober, 1690, Francis Nicholson, Esquire, lyieutenant- Governor, was present." 128 NATHANIEL BACON. 139 Many changes meanwhile had taken place in England. Charles II. died on the i6th February, 1685, and was suc- ceeded by his brother, James II. King James II. abdicated the throne, 23d December, 1688, and William, Prince of Orange, and Mary, the daughter of James, were proclaimed Joint-sovereigns of England. It was during the short presidency of Colonel Bacon, that the projedl for a college was first agreed upon and approved by the President and Council of Virginia, and the charter was granted on the 8th February, 1692, in the fourth year of the reign of William and Mary. This venerable institution of learning, called in honor of them, has ever since been inter- woven with the annals of Virginia. Nathaniel Bacon died March 16, 1693, and as he left no children bequeathed his estate to his niece, Abigail Smith, who married Major Lewis Burwell. XLII. SIR FRANCIS NICHOLSON. Liaitenaiit- Governor. Odtober i6, 1690, to Odlober 16, 1693. Although Effingham had been recalled to England, Odlober 20, 1688, Nicholson was appointed lyieutenant- Governor tinder hmi, and in svich capacity arrived in the Colony in 1690. In this same year the name of Sir Lionel Copley appears as Governor of Virginia. This, however, is not substantiated, though we know that Sir Lionel arrived in 1692 in Maryland with a royal commission, during the Catholic and Protestant troubles there. He dissolved the convention, assumed the government, convened an Assem- bly, whose first a(5l was to recognize as Sovereigns, William and Mary of England. Sir Francis Nicholson, having relieved President Nathan- iel Bacon in Virginia, held the reins of government until Odlober 16, 1693, when he was, in his turn, relieved bj' Sir Edmund Andros, Governor-in-Chief. Nicholson was by pro- fession a soldier, and had been Lieutenant- Governor of New York under Andros, and at the head of the administration from 1687 to 1689. During the early part of his administra- tion in Virginia he was very popular, as he endeavored to ingratiate himself in public favor. He instituted athletic games, and offered prizes in riding, running, shooting, wres- tling, and fencing. He also proposed the establishment of a post-office, and had the great honor of securing the charter of the first college in the oldest Colony in the New World. The preamble states that ' ' to the end that the Church of Virginia may be furnished with a Seminary of Ministers of the Gospel, and that the youth may be piously educated in good letters and manners, and that the Christian Faith may be propagated SIR FRAA^CIS NICHOLSON. 131 among the Western Indians, to the glorj^ of Ahnight}- God," etc. Francis Nicholson and seventeen other persons, nominated and appointed by tlie Assembl}^ were confirmed as Trustees, etc. In grateful acknowledgment of the royal patronage and l^enefacflion, the college was called " William and Mary." XLIII. SIR EDMUND ANDROS. Governor'. Odlober i6, 1693, to December 9, i6g8. Lord Effingham being removed from the government of Virginia, Sir Edmund Andros, of obnoxious memory in New England, was appointed Governor in his stead. Andros is generally accepted as having been not a bad Governor for Virginia, but in consideration of his previous lawless career in New England, his advancement occasioned the amazement of the public. He was born in London, December 6, 1637, and arrived in the Colony of Virginia, 0(51 ober 16, 1693. He had been, at an earlier period, appointed Governor of New York, in 1674, and continued in that office until 1682. In December, 1686, he arrived at Boston with a commission from King James for the government of New England. Here his administration was most tyrannical and oppressive. The press was restrained, and exorbitant taxes levied. It was pretended that all titles to land were destroyed, and the farm- ers were obliged to take new patents, for which they paid large fees. He prohibited marriage unless celebrated by Ministers of the Church of England, and at that time there was said to be but one Episcopal clergyman in the country ; and by this and various other a(5ts of lawless usurpation, he inflamed the spirits of the people whom he governed. Ani- mated with the love of liberty which they had bought in the wilds of America, on the morning of April 18, 1689, the inhab- itants of Boston took up arms. The people poured in from the country, and the Governor, with about fifty of his obnoxious followers, was seized and confined. The old magistrates were restored, and the next month the joyful news of the Revolution in England reached this country, quieting all apprehensions for 132 S//^ EDMUND ANDROS. 1:33 the consequences of what had been done. After having been kept at the castle a prisoner until the February following, Sir Edmund was sent to Engjland for trial. The government failed to censure him, and in 1692 he was appointed Governor of Virginia. Before he assumed this ofhce. Sir Edmund had seen a good deal of military and civil service in England and in New England, and had, so to speak, "sowed his wild oats ' ' when he took charge of the government of the Ancient Dominion. During his administration, William and Mary College was established, an A6t was passed by the General Assembly ascertaining the place for its eredlion, and also an A(5l laying an imposition upon ' ' skins and furs ' ' for its better support. Governor Andros had a great love of order, and to his care the historical inquirer is indebted for the preservation of the early papers of Virginia. He went into the public reposi- tories of official documents, and finding them in confusion — torn, soiled, and neglecfled — he ordered steps to be taken for their re-arrangement and better presei'vation. He encouraged manufadlures, suggested the cultivation of cotton, and stimu- lated the life of the Colony by his own eager and industrious spirit. Unhappily, he fell into strife with James Blair, Presi- dent of William and Mary College, which resulted in the removal of Andros from ofhce. During the term of Andros, an A(5t was passed appointing Rangers at the heads of the four great rivers in Virginia. These were to consist of one lieutenant, eleven soldiers, and two Indians, to be well furnished with horses and arms, to be called Rangers, and to be constantly on duty. Also, in 1695, the General Assembly of Virginia passed ' ' An A(5t impower- ing the Governor, with the advice of the Councell, to apply five hundred pounds sterling, out of the imposition of liquors, raised by this Assembly, to the assistance and preservation of New York, if found necessary." This step was taken at a time when the peace of New York was threatened by internal dissensions between the Governor and his Assembly, and is an interesting piece of history to recall in the close of the nineteenth century. 134 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Sir Edmund Andros died in London, February, 17 14, at an advanced age, and is, perhaps, best recolle(5led in the annals of the United States as the man who demanded, at the head of his troops, the charter of Conne(5licut, which was hidden from him in the famous oak at Hartford, Conn. XLIV. GEORGE HAMILTON DOUGLAS. (EARL OF ORKNEY.) Governor-in- Chief. 1697-1737. George Hamilton, Earl of Orkney, was fifth son of Lord Selkirk. He entered the army earl3^ and distinguished himself at the battle of the Boyne and on other occasions, for which he was raised to the peerage, and created by William III. Earl of Orkney, in consideration of his gallantry. His valor was equally displayed under Marlborough at Blenheim and Malplaquet. In 1697 he was appointed Governor-in- Chief of Virginia, and enjoyed the honor and emoluments of the position for forty years, although the adlual condudl of the government was delegated to others. Out of an annual salary of ^2000 he received ^"i 200, though he never once set foot upon the soil of Virginia. But he was as great a favorite of Queen Anne as he had been of William III. She bestowed honors upon him, and he served with distindtion in the wars of her reign. He was made a Major-General and a Knight of the Thistle, and as one of the sixteen peers of Scotland he was a member of the House of Lords for many years. He married in 1695, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edward Villiers, and left descendants. He died January 29, 1737, and was succeeded as Governor-in-Chief of Virginia by the Earl of Albemarle. 135 XLV. SIPv FRANCIS NICHOLSON. Lieiitenant- Governor. December 9, 1698, to August 15, 1705. Sir Francis Nicholson, having served a term as Gov- ernor of Maryland, was for a second time appointed to the administration of affairs in Virginia. One of his earliest measures was to remove the seat of government from James- town to "Middle Plantation," afterwards called, "Williams- burg." An instrudlive provision in Adl II. of his first Assem- bly, April 27, 1699, reads as follows: " If any money, meat, drink, or provision be given or promised to a voter, in order to be eledled, the eledlion declared void. ' ' The XIV. Acft of this same Assembly was ' ' diredting the building the Capitoll and the City of Williamsbiirg." Governor Nicholson did much to encourage the immigration of settlers. They had a certain quantity of land allotted to them, were to be exempt from taxes or levies for twenty years, and from military service except in their own defense. But in the midst of his plans for the benefit of the Colony he became involved unpleasantly with the clergy, and upon their complaint he was recalled to England, and was succeeded August 15, 1705, by Edward Nott. After this, Nicholson saw some military service ; was Governor of Nova Scotia for five years, was knighted, and served as Governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. On his return to England he was made Lieutenant- General. He died in London, March 5, 1728, and his career may be said to have been a distinguished one. During Governor Nicholson's administration in Virginia, King William III. of England died, in his 52d year, and was succeeded by Anne, Princess of Denmark, daughter of James II. 136 XLVI. EDWARD NOTT. Lieutenant-Governor . August 15, 1705, to August, 1706. Edward Nott succeeded Governor Nicholson, and arrived in the Colony in August, 1705. He died in August, 1706, and although he was in office one year only, he enjoyed the esteem and affecSlion of the people in the highest degree. In some measure he was subordinate to the Earl of Orkney, but his official adls were always for the benefit of the Colony over which he presided. In the first year of his government William and Mary College was burnt to the ground. The building was first modeled by Sir Christopher Wren ; it was afterwards rebuilt by the ingenious direction of Governor Spotswood. During Governor Nott's administration an Act was passed ' ' dire(5ling the building an house for the Governor of this Colony and dominion," appropriating land for that purpose, stating dimensions and materials for house, and authorizing the Governor to draw on the Treasurer for the sum of ^3000. An A(ft also was passed at this time, continuing the Adl di- recting the building of the Capitol and City of Williamsburg at Middle Plantation. The specifications of this Act are very interesting, when in the light of later days we review the plans laid for the Capitol of Virginia. Special provision was also made now for the French refugees, whose settlement was above the Falls of James River, and their parish was known as " King William Parish in the County of Henrico." Virginia in 1703 contained 60,606 souls, not including the French refugees, and it numbered 25 counties. Such had been the outgrowth of the landing of 1606, nearly one hundred years before. X 137 138 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Governor Nott died in Virginia August 23, 1706, and was, buried in the churchyard of Old Bruton Church, in Williams- burg. In the graveyard surrounding the Old Church at Williamsburg, Bruton Parish, Virginia, the following inscrip- tion was found on a time-worn slab : " Under tliis marble rest y'' ashes of his excellency, Edward Nott, late Governor of this Colony, who, in his private character, was a good Chris- tian, and in his public, a good Governor. He was a lover of mankind, and bonntiful to his friends. By the prudence and jvistice of his adminis- tration he was deservedly esteemed a public blessing while he lived, and when he died it was a public calamity. He departed this life the 23d day of August, 1706, aged 49 years. In grateful remembrance of whose many virtues, the General Assembly of this Colony have erected this monument." XLVII. EDMUND JENINGS. President of the Council. August, 1706, to June 23, 1710. Upon the untimely death of Governor Nott, Edmund Jenings, then President of the Council, succeeded to the administration of the government, and remained in olhce until the accession of Lieutenant-Governor Spotswood, June 23, 1 710. The Colony at this period enjoyed tranquility and increasing prosperity. The safeguard of the liberties of Vir- ginia la}^ in the individual freedom of mind which was the fruit of independent and .somewhat isolated living. In seclusion men thought for themselves, and "pernicious notions, fatal to the royal prerogative, were improving daily." From the time of Bacon's Rebellion, Virginia had known only the undisturbed blessings of peace, and with steady advance she was becoming stronger and stronger in her own individ- uality. Governor Jenings was prominent in the affairs of Virginia for many years, first as Attorney-General of the Colony, in 1684, and afterwards in various important positions. He married Frances, daughter of Henry Corbin, and his descend, ants are among some of the most distinguished families in the Old Dominion. 15? XLVIII. ROBERT HUNTER. Lieutena7it-Gover?tor. April 4, 1707. Robert Hunter on his voyage to Virginia to assume the reins of government, was captured by the French, who were then at war with England. He was taken a prisoner to Paris, and never adled as executive under this commission. The vellum document conveying his authority is still pre- served among the archives of the Virginia Historical Society. In 1 7 10, Hunter was made Governor of New York, and arrived in that Colony with 2700 expatriated Palatines. He returned to England in 17 19, but on the accession of George II. he was re-instated in the government of New York and New Jersey. In 1728 he was appointed Governor of Jamaica, and died there, 31st March, 1734. His epitaph, in elegant L/atin, was written by the Rev. Mr. Flemming. Robert Hunter was the author of the famous ' ' Letter on Enthusiasm," attributed by some to Swift, arid by others to Shaftesbury; he also wrote a farce entitled " Androboros." 140 XLIX. ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD. Lieutenant-Governor. June 23, 1710, to September 27, 1722. We now approach a very interesting period in the history of the Virginia Colony. Up to this time, both Governors and people had been content with the territorial restrictions which hostile Indians on the border, and multiplied difficul- ties at home had enforced. They knew nothing of the coun- try which lay hidden by that billowy range of mountains which ever on the sunset sky would trace suggestions of a great Beyond. It had been a capital maxim of the French in their American policy, to conceal all knowledge of the coun- try between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, so that the English knew only such uncertain accounts as had been given by straggling travelers and by Indians. Yet now, the hour had struck when these mountains were no longer to be a barrier to advancing civilization, but rather, "a stepping-stone to higher things." On June 23, 17 10, there arrived in the Colony a man whose coming marked a new era in its history. Colonel Alexander Spotswood had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor to George Hamilton, Earl of Orkney, the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Virginia. He was a man of uncommon enterprise and public spirit, a friend to learning and to religion. He came of a long line of distinguished ancestry and was a noble son of noble sires. His great-grandfather was John Spotswood, Archbishop of St. Andrew's and author of the "History of the Church of Scotland" ; his grandfather was Robert Spots- wood, Lord President of the College of Justice, and author of the " Pracflicks of the Laws of Scotland." Sir Walter Scott narrates that this Robert Spotswood (who was one of the 141 142 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. eight eminent lawyers executed by the Parliament of Scot- land, which consisted wholly of Covenanters), while at pri- vate prayer on the scaffold, was interrupted by the Presbyte- rian minister in attendance and asked if he did not desire his prayers and those of the people. Sir Robert replied, that he earnestly desired the prayers of the people, but not those of the preacher, for that, in his opinion, God had expressed his displeasure against Scotland by sending a lying spirit into the mouths of the prophets. Governor Spotswood's father was Dr. Robert Spotswood, physician to the Governor of Tangier, an English Colony in Africa. His mother was the widow, Catherine Elliott, when she married Dr. Spots- wood. The portrait of Mrs. Catherine Elliott's son, Gen- eral Elliott, now hangs in the State Library at Richmond, Virginia. Alexander Spotswood was the only son of Robert and Catherine Spotswood. He was born in Tangier in in 1676 ; was reared among soldiers and educated for a military life. He became aide to the Duke of Marlborough, and was badly wounded in the breast at the battle of Blenheim. Exchanging, however, now, the hardships and honors of military life in the Old World, for the high position of lyieutenant-Governor of Virginia, he turned the current of his energies to the promotion of her welfare. His soldierly experience and genius enabled him to wield the militia with great effedt against the hostile Indians, and his interest in matters civil and religious is evidenced by many adls during his administration. A number of German Protestants having about this time settled above the Falls of the Rappahannock River, at a place afterwards named Germanna, to the great advantage of the Colony, and the security of the frontiers from the incursions of the Indians, the Assembly passed an Act to exempt them from levies for seven years, and for eredting Germanna into a distincft parish, by the name of ' ' St. George. ' ' Here Governor Spotswood established a furnace and built a "Castle," in which he occasionally resided. He endeavored to develop the mineral resources of this secftion, and the Rev. Hugh Jones, one of the colonial clergy, says : ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD. 143 "Beyond Governor Spotsvvood's furnace, within view of the vast mountains, he has founded a town called Germanna, from some Germans sent over by Queen Ann, who are now removed up further. Here he has servants and workmen of most handicraft trades, and he is building a church, court house, and dwelling house for himself, and with his servants and negroes he has cleared plantations aljout it, proposing great encour- agement for people to come and settle in that uninhabited part of the world, lately divided into a county." At this time pig and bar iron were first made in Virginia. The dangerous extent of the French claims upon the Continent had for a long time attracted the attention of the Colonies. To resist it, was one of the earliest efforts of Spotswood, who hoped to extend the line of the Virginia settlements far enough to the West to interrupt the chain of communication between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1 716, Governor Spotswood, with some of the first gentle- men in the Colony, led personall}^ an expedition to search for a passage or gap through "the great mountains." Campbell says: " The whole company was about fifty persons. They had a large number of riding and pack-horses, an abundant supply of provisions, and an extraordinary variety of liquors." This gay party of adventurers started from Germanna, and after leisurely advancing through the country reached ' ' Swift Run Gap," which is supposed to be the now historic "pass." Governor Spotswood is said to have cut his Majesty's name upon a rock on the highest mountain they ascended, naming it " Mt. George," and the gentlemen of the party called the peak next to it, in honor of the Governor, "Mt. Spotswood." What must have been the exultation and the triumph which thrilled the hearts and brains of those explorers as they beheld the goodly heritage which spread before them ! At their feet lay an unconquered realm, untrodden and unknown ! Here was a time, indeed, to pause and dream of glories "yet to be." Thoughts such as Columbus had in his supreme moment of discovery must have shaken those sturdy forms and filled those wondering eyes with a prophetic meaning. Now, that those visions are realities, that those hopes have faded in fruition ; now, that the Atlantic and Pacific surges 144 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. wash the shores of 07ie country and one people, well may we " Honor the charge they made," as this knightly companj^ breaking through Swift Run Gap, planted their daring standard on the Appalachian Range, and grasped in that momentous hour an imperial hope — ' ' The baby figure of the giant mass Of things to come." On this eventful Quest, these cavaliers were compelled to carry a large number of horseshoes, things seldom used in the eastern part of Virginia, where there were few stones. In commemoration of the journey, the Governor on his return presented each of his companions with a golden horseshoe, bearing the inscription, ''Sic jtivat transce7idere Mo7ites.'' By this he intended to stimulate them to return to this wild region and open the countrj^ to future settlers. Any one entitled to wear this golden badge could prove that he be- longed to ' ' The Tramontane Order, ' ' and had drunk his Majesty's health on wild Mt. George. King George, when he heard of the expedition, bestowed upon Governor Spots- wood the honors of knighthood, and sent him a golden horse- shoe set with jewels. All who took part in this memorable trip were recognized by the title of ' ' The Knight of the Golden Horseshoe." The following journal of one of the party on this expedition cannot fail to be of lasting interest. It was written by Mr. John Fontaine, who came to Virginia, in 17 13, for the purpose of exploring the country and choosing lands for the settlement of his family. He was an Ensign in the British army, and shows by his journal that he had the indomitable spirit of the British soldier. He made the acquaintance of Governor Spotswood, who no doubt gladly enrolled him in his band of discoverers : Journal of Mr. Fontaine. August 27th. — Got our tents in order and our horses shod. 29th. — In the morning we got all things in readiness, and about one we left the German-town, to set out on our intended journey. At five in the afternoon the Governor gave orders to encamp near a small river three miles from Germanna, which we call Expedition Run, and here we ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD. 145 lay all night. The first encampment was called Beverly Camp, in honor of one of the gentlemen of our party. We made great fires, and supped, and drank good punch. By ten of the clock I had taken all of my ounce of Jesuit's bark, but my head was much out of order. 30th. — In the morning about seven of the clock the trumpet sounded to awake all the company, and we got up. One Austin Smith, one of the gentlemen with us, having a fever, returned home. We had lain upon the ground under cover of our tents, and we found by the pains in our bones that we had not had good beds to lie upon. At nine in the morn- ing we sent our servants and baggage forward, and we remained, be- cause two of the Governor's horses had strayed. At half-past two we got the horses, at three we mounted, and at half an hour after four we came up with our baggage at a small river three miles on the way, which we call Mine River, because there was an appearance of a silver mine by it. We made about three miles more, and came to another small river, which is at the foot of a small mountain, so we encamped here and called it Mountain Run, and our camp we called Todd's Camp. We had good pasturage for our horses, and venison in abundance for ourselves, which we roasted before the fire on wooden forks, and so we went to bed in our tents. We made six miles this day. 31st. — At eight in the morning we set out from Mountain Run, and after going five miles we came upon the upper part Rappahannock River. One of the gentlemen and I, we kept out on one side of the company about a mile, to have the better hunting. I saw a deer and shot him from my horse, but the horse threw me a terrible fall and ran away ; we ran after him, and with a great deal of difficulty got him again ; but we could not find the deer I had shot, and we lost ourselves, and it was two hours before we could come upon the track of our company. About five miles farther we crossed the same river again, and two miles farther we met with a large. bear, which one of our company shot, and I got the skin. We killed several deer, and about two miles from the place where we killed the bear we encamped, upon the Rappahannock River. From our encampment we could see the Appalachian Hills very plain. We made large fires, pitched our tents, and cut boughs to lie upon, had good liquor, and at ten we went to sleep. We always kept a sentry at the Governor's door. We called this Smith's Camp. Made this day fourteen miles. 1st September. — At eight we mounted our horses and made the first five miles of our way through a very pleasant plain, which lies where Rappahannock River forks. I saw there the largest timber, the finest and deepest mould, and the best grass that I ever did see. We had some of our baggage put out of order, and our company dismounted, by hornets stinging the horses. This was some hindrance and did a little damage, but afforded a great deal of diversion. We killed three bears this day, which exercised the horses as well as the men. We saw two foxes, but did not pursue them ; we killed several deer. About five of the clock we 146 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. came to a run of water at the foot of a hill where we pitched our tents. We called the encampment Dr. Robinson's Camp, and the River, Blind Run. We had good pasturage for our horses, and every one was cook for himself. We made our beds with bushes as before. This day we made thirteen miles. 2d. — At nine we were all on horseback, and after riding about five miles we crossed the Rappahannock River almost at the head, where it is very small. We had a rugged way ; we passed over a great many small runs of water, some of which were very deep and others very miry. Sev. cral of our company were dismounted, some were down with their horses, and some thrown oif. We saw a bear running down a tree, but it being Sunday we did not endeavor to kill anything. We encamped at five, by a small river we called White Oak River, and called our camp, Taylor's Camp. 3d. — About eight we were on horseback, and about ten we came to a thicket so tightly laced together that we had a great deal of trouble to get through. Our baggage was injured, our clothes torn all to rags, and the saddles and holsters also torn. About live of the clock we encamped almost at the head of James River, just below the great mountains. We called this camp, Col. Robertson's Camp. We made all this day Imt eight miles. 4th. — We had two of our men sick with the measles and one of our horses poisoned with a rattlesnake. We took the heaviest of our baggage, ovir tired horses, and the sick men, and made as convenient a lodge for them as we could, and left people to guard them, and to hunt for them. We had finished this work by twelve, and so we set out. The sides of the mountains were so full of vines and briers, that we were forced to clear most of the way before us. We crossed one of the small mountains on this side the Appalachian, and from the top of it we had a fine view of the plains below. We were obliged to walk up the most of the way, there being abundance of loose stones on the side of the hill. I killed a large rattlesnake here, and the other people killed three more. We made about four miles, and so came to the side of James River where a man may jump over it, and there we pitched our tents. As the people were light- ing the fire, there came out of a large log of wood, a prodigious snake, which they killed, so this camp was called Rattlesnake Camp, but other- wise, it was called Brooke's Camp. 5th. — A fair day. At five we were moimted. We were obliged to have axemen to clear the way in some places. We followed the windings of James River, observing that it came from the very top of the mount- ains. We killed two rattlesnakes during our ascent. In some places it was very steep, in others it was so that we could ride up. About one of the clock we got to the top of the mountain ; about^four miles and a half and we came to the very head-spring of James River, where it runs no bigger than a man's arm from under a big stone. We drank King ALEXANDER SPOTS WOOD. 147 George's health and all the royal family's at the very top of the Appa- lachian mountains. About a musket-shot from the spring there is another, which rises and runs down to the other side. It goes westward, and we thought we could go down that way, biit we met with such pro- digious precipices, that we were obliged to return to the top again. Wc found some trees which had been formerly marked, I suppose I)y the Northern Indians, and following these trees we found a good, safe descent. Several of the company were for returning, but the Governor persuaded them to continue on. About five, we were down on the other side, and continued our way until about seven miles further, when we came to a large river, by the side of which we encamped. We made this day four- teen miles. I, being somewhat more curious than the rest, went on a high rock on the top of the mountain to see fine prospects, and I lost my gun. We saw when we wei-c over the mountain, the footing of elk and buffaloes and their beds. We saw a vine which bore a sort of wild cucum- ber, and a shrub with a fniit like unto a currant. W^e ate very good wild grapes. We called this place Spotswood's Camp, after our Governor. 6th. — We crossed tire river, which we called Euphrates. K is verj^ deep ; the main course of the water is north ; it is fourscore yards wide in the narrowest part. We drank some health on the other side and returned, after which I went a-swimming in it. We could not find any fordable place except the one by which we crossed, and it was deep in several places. I got some grasshoppers and fished, and another and I, we catchcd a dish of fish, some perch, and a kind of fish they called "chub." The others went a-hunting, and killed deer and turkeys. The Governor had graving irons, but could not grave anything, the stone was so hard. I graved my name on a tree by the river side, and the Governor buried a l)ottle with a paper enclosed, on which he writ that he took possession of this place, in the name and for King George First of England. Wc had a good dinner, and after it wc got the men together and loaded all their arms, and we drank the King's health in champagne and fired a volley, the Princess's health in Burgundy and fired a volley, and all the rest of the royal family in claret and a volley. We drank the Governor's health and fired another volley. We had several sorts of liquors, viz., Virginia red wine and white wine, Irish usquebaugh, brandy, shrub, two sorts of rum, champagne, canary, cherry punch, water, cider, &c. I sent two of the rangers to look for my gun which I dropped in the mountain ; they found it and brought it to me at night, and I gave them a pistol for their trouble. We called the highest mountain " Mount George," and the one we crossed over, "Mount Spotswood." yth. — At seven in the morning we mounted our horses and parted with the rangers who were to go farther on, and we returned homewards. Wc repassed the mountains, and at five in the afternoon, we came to Hospital Camp, where we left our sick men and heav3'l)aggage, and we found all things well and safe. We encamped here and called it, Captain Clonder's Camp. 148 THE GOVERNORS OF VIROINIA. 8th. — At nine, we were all on horseback. We saw several bears and deer, and killed some wild turkeys. We encamped at the side of a run and called the place Mason's Camp. We had good forage for our horses, and we lay as usual. Made twenty miles this day. 9th. — We set out at nine of the clock, and before twelve, we saw several bears, and killed three. One of them attacked one of our men that was riding after him, and narrowly missed him ; he tore his things that he had behind him from off the horse, and would have destroyed him had he not had immediate help from the other men and our dogs. Some of the dogs suf- fered severely in this engagement. At two we crossed one of the branches of the Rappahannock River, and at five we encamped on the side of the Rapid Ann, on a trail of land that Mr. Beverly* hath design to take up. We made this day twenty-three miles, and called this Captain Smith's Camp. We ate part of one of the bears, which tasted very well, and would be good and might pass for veal if one did not know what it was. We were very merry, and diverted ourselves with our adventures. loth. — At eight we were on horseback, and about ten, as we were going up a small hill, Mr. Beverly and his horse fell down, and they both rolled to the bottom ; but there were no bones broken on either side. At twelve, as we were crossing a run of water, Mr. Clonder fell in, so we called this place Clonder's Run. At one we arrived at a large spring, where we dined and drank a bowl of punch. We called this, Fontaine's Spring. About two we got on horse-back, and at four we reached Ger- manna. Governor Spotswood is recognized as one of Virginia's wisest Governors, combining many noble virtues with that fine executive ability which gave the best direcftion to the highest efforts. He it was who pressed the passage of an A(5l for improving the staple of tobacco and making tobacco-notes the medium of circulation. Being a thorough soldier, he kept the militia in excellent discipline. He was master of mathematics, built the odlagon magazine at Williamsburg, which still stands, and rebuilt William and Mary College. At his request, a grant of ^1,000 was made by the college in 17 18, and a fund created for instructing Indian children in Christianity. A school for this purpose was established at Fort Christiana, on the south side of Meherrin River, in what is now Southampton County. Under his wise leader- ship, Virginia paid her taxes in tobacco, and alone of all the Colonies had no public debt, no banks, no bills of credit, and * Mr. B. Johnson Barbour's title to his beautiful river-farm goes back to Beverly's patent. ALEXANDER SPOTSIVOOD. 149 no paper money ! He urged upon the mother country the policy of establishing a chain of posts beyond the mountains, from the lakes to the Mississippi, to restrain the encroach- ments of the French, but his voice fell upon a deaf ear, though, years afterwards, his scheme was carried out. The authors of Universal History say, that about the year 1716 Governor Spotswood of Virginia proposed to purchase some of the lands belonging to the Outaowais (since called the Twightees) on the river Ohio, and to eredl a company for opening a trade to the southward, westward, and northward of that river; and that this proposal gave rise to the Ohio Company. "This noble project," they proceed to observe, "clashing with the views of the French, who had by this time formed their great schemes on the Mississippi, and the ministry of George I. having reasons for keeping well with that Court, the scheme was not merely relinquished, but the French were encouraged to build the fort of Crown Point on the territory of New York." Long after this suggestion of Governor Spotswood, in 1716, after the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Ocftober 7, 1748, in the year 1749, some influential persons in Virginia and Eng- land associated under the name of ' ' The Ohio Company ' ' and obtained from the Crown a grant of 600,000 acres of land about the Ohio River. This grant alarmed the French as being calculated to prevent the juncftion of Canada and Louisiana, and was the first link in a chain of causes which produced the ensuing wars between England and France . Had Governor Spotswood 's timely warning been listened to, a bloody war might have been averted ; but his advice was unheeded by England, and the Colonies had in later times to suffer for this negledled opportunity. Many and great were the benefits which Governor Spots- wood sought to bestow upon the home of his adoption, but, in the midst of his wise and spirited exertions for the advancement of the Colony, he fell into disfavor with the clergy, who effedled his removal as Governor, in September, 1722. Possessing a tradl of 45,000 acres of land in Spotsyl- vania County (which was named after him), he retired there 150 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. and engaged largely in the manufadlure of iron, as the ore largely abounded in this region. In 1730 he was made Dep- uty Postmaster- General for the American Colonies, and held the office until 1739, and it was he who made Benjamin Franklin postmaster for the province of Pennsylvania. He married in 1724, Anne Butler, daughter of Richard Brayane, Esq., of England, and this lady subsequently married Rev. John Thompson. Governor Spotswood had four children, John, Robert, Anne Catherine, and Dorothea. Anne Cath- erine married Bernard Moore, of Chelsea, in King William County; their daughter married Charles Carter, of Shirley, and was the grandmother of General Robert Edward Lee. Governor Spotswood died at Annapolis, Md., June 7, 1740, on the eve of embarking in command of the four battalions raised in the Colonies to assist England in the attack upon Carthagena. He was buried at "Temple Farm," his coun- try-seat, near Yorktown. The place derived its name from a house in the garden built by Spotswood as a cemetery, and was destined to become famous in histor3^ It was in the mansion at ' ' Temple Farm ' ' that Lord Cornwallis met Gen- eral Washington and signed those world-renowned ' ' Arti- cles of Capitulation," which secured to America her blood- bought independence ! L. HUGH DRYSDALH. L ieutenan t- Gover7ioi\ September 27, 1722, to July 22, 1726. Hugh Drysdale succeeded Governor Spotswood as Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia, September 27, 1722. Although his administration was a brief one, he left his mark upon the "body of the times." His correspondence with the Bishop of lyondon on the subject of the colonial clergy, shows the high standard he had for ministers of the Gospel, and his position upon the slave trade is equally well defined. In order to relieve the colonists from a poll-tax, a duty was laid by the Assembly on the importation of liquors and slaves, but owing to the opposition of the African Company, the A(5l was annulled by the British Board of Trade. Governor Drysdale announced to the House of Burgesses that "the interfering interest of the African Company had obtained the repeal of that law." The planters beheld with dismay the alarming increase of negroes, but, as was said by one unbiased by hostility to England, ''the British government constantly checked the attempts of Virginia to put a stop to this infernal traffic.'' In June, 171 2, Queen Anne, in her speech to Par- liament, boasts of her success in securing to Englishmen a new market for slaves in Spanish America. George II. favored the custom, and soon every obstrudlion to private enterprise was removed and the ports of Africa laid open to English competition. The statute declared that "the slave trade is very advantageous to Great Britain," and so, this great sin, though forced upon Virginia, became in the lapse of years its own avenger. Governor Drysdale died and was gathered to his fathers, but in the light of the nineteenth century, his opposition to bringing slaves into Virginia will make his term memorable. J51 LI. ROBERT CARTER. President of the Coimcil. July 22, 1726, to Odlober 13, 1727. According to Hening, "Hugh Drysdale died the 22d July, 1726, and Colo. Jennings being suspended, Colo. Robert Carter took upon himself the administration of the government, as President of the Council. Robert Carter continued President of the Council till some time between the 17th of August and 13th of October, 1727, when William Gooch was appointed Govenor." Robert Carter was born in 1667. He was the son of John Carter, an emigrant from England, who settled first in upper Norfolk County and held many important positions under the colonial government. Robert Carter was for many years the agent of L,ord Fairfax, the Proprietor of the Northern Neck grant. He was Speaker of the House of Burgesses for six 3'ears, long a member of the Council, and as President of that body presided over the government of Virginia until the arrival of Governor Gooch. By his large landed possessions he obtained the title of " King Carter," and those who have read his letters and studied his charadler declare that he pos- sessed some kingly attributes. The old Christ church in Lancaster County was built by him, and his remains lie under the tombstone at the east end of the church, which yet stands, a memorial of the past. The following is a translation of Governor Carter's Latin epitaph : "Here lies buried Robert Carter, Esqr. , an honorable man, who by noble endowments and pure morals gave lustre to his gentle birth. " Rector of 'William knd Mary,' he sustained that institution in its most trying times. He was Speaker of the House of Burgesses, and Treasurer under the most serene Princes, William, Anne, George I. and II. ROBERT CARTER. 153 "Elected by the House its vSpeaker six years, and Govenor of the Colony for more than a j^ear, he upheld equally the regal dignity and the public freedom. " Possessed of am pie wealth, blamelessly acquired, he built and endowed, at his own expense, this sacred edifice — a signal monument of his piety toward God. He furnished it richly. "Entertaining his friends kindly, he was neither a prodigal nor a par- simonious host. "His first wife was Judith, daughter of John Armistead, Esq.; his second, Betty, a descendant of the noble family of Landons. By these wives he had many children, on whose education he expended large sums of money. " At length, full of honors and of years, when he had well performed all the duties of an exemplary life, he departed from this world on the 4th day of August, 1732, in the 69th year of his age. " The unhappy lament their lost comforter, the widows their lost pro- tector, and the orphans their lost father." XI LII. WILLIAM GOOCH. Lieutenant-Governor. 0(5lober 13, 1727, to June, 1740. King George I. of England having died, nth June, 1727, William Gooch assumed the reins of government in Virginia, in the first year of the reign of George II. Governor Gooch was born at Yarmouth, England, 21st Odlober, 1681 . He was educated for the army, served under Marlborough, and was an officer of superior military ability. His course as Chief Magis- trate in Virginia has always met with unqualified commenda- tion, and so wise was the policy he adopted, that he is said to have been the only colonial Governor in America against whom, at home and abroad, there was never a shadow of complaint. Virginia enjoyed prosperity and repose under his adminis- tration. In 1728 the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina was satisfadlorily settled, an a(5l of great importance to the inhabitants of these Colonies who lived on their respedlive borders. In 1740 troops were transported from the Colonies for the first time, to assist the soldiers of the Mother-country. Major-General Alexander Spotswood had been appointed to the command of the four colonial bat- talions (four hundred men of which, being Virginia's quota), raised to join in an attack on Carthagena, but dying unex- pedledly, on the eve of embarkation. Governor Gooch assumed command of the expedition. During his absence, the govern- ment of Virginia devolved upon Commissary James Blair, President of the Council. LIII. WILLIAM ANNE KBPPBL. (SKCOND EARI, OF ALBEMARLE.) Governor-in- Chief. September 6, 1737, to December 23, 1754. William Anne Keppel, second Earl of Albemarle, was born at Whitehall, in 1702, and received his second Christian name from Queen Anne, who was present at his baptism, adling as sponsor on the occasion. In 1717, he was appointed by George I. a Captain in the British Army, and was continuously promoted for gallant and meritorious con- dudl until 1743, when he was made a lyieutenant-General. He was distinguished in many battles and won many honors ; was Embassador to France in 1 748 ; created a Knight of the Garter, 1750; a member of the Privy Council, 1751; and enjoyed many other high positions of trust and confidence, among them, that of " Governor-in-Chief of Virginia." To this, he succeeded George Ha^iilton, Earl of Orkney, on the death of the latter, September 6, 1737, being appointed thereto by George II. Lord Albemarle died in Paris, 1754, but his name still lives in a county in Virginia, and in a sound on the coast of North Carolina. He married Anne, daughter of Charles, first Duke of Richmond, and the celebrated Viscount Augustus Keppel was his son. 155 LIV. COMMISSARY JAMES BLAIR. President of the Conncil. June, 1740, to July, 1741. James Blair was born in Scotland, in 1655. Having been educated for the Church, he became one of its most zealous champions, and was sent by the Bishop of L,ondon, in 1685, as a missionary to Virginia. He was the minister of Henrico parish for nine years, and then moved to Jamestown in order to be more convenient to the college which he was raising up. He had been made Commissary of the Bishop of lyondon, and in 17 10 he became the Minister of Bruton parish. He was largely instrumental in procuring the charter for William and Mary College, and a grant of twenty thousand acres of land for its support. The King himself subscribed ;^2,ooo towards its building, out of the quit-rents. Seymour, the Attorney- General of Great Britain, remon- strated against such liberality, urging that the nation was engaged in an expensive war. Commissary Blair in reply said, that the institution was for the education of young men to be ministers of the gospel, and suggested that the people of Virginia had souls to be saved, as well as the people of England. "Souls!" exclaimed Seymour, "damn your souls ! make tobacco ! ' ' But notwithstanding this command, the college was built, and owed its existence in large measure to Mr. Blair. The history of Mr. Blair during the last forty-three out of the fifty-three years of his ministry, is inseparably con- nected with the history of Williamsburg, the College,' the Governors, Council, Assembly, and Church of Virginia. He filled a large space about him, and battled manfully in sup- port of his convictions of right. As a faithful soldier of 156 COMMISSARY JAMES BLAIR. 157 Christ, his trumpet had no uncertain sound. That a man of his active character and superior mind should for more than half a centur}' have been as.sociated in matters of high impor- tance to church and state without man}- contests, was not possible. He was engaged in controversies with Governors and clergy during the whole period of his Presidency of the College, and few men ever contended with more difficulties or surmounted them better than Dr. Blair. In addition to his daily and varied duties, he found time to write one hun- dred and seventeen sermons expositor}^ of the ' ' Sermon on the Mount." Bishop William Meade says, in 1872: "As an accurate commentary on that most blessed portion of Scripture, I should think it can never have been surpassed." Dr. Blair was long a member of the Council, and as Pres- ident of that body, was the Acting Governor of Virginia during the absence of Governor Gooch on the Carthagena expedition, from June, 1740, to July 25, 1741. He died August 3, 1743, aged 88, and was buried at Jamestown. By his will he left his library and ;^5oo to the College, and ^10,000 to his nephew and the children of his nephew, l^esides some smaller legacies. His nephew, John Blair, was long President of the Council, and a man of high character. His son, John Blair, "was distinguished as a patriot, states- man, and jurist. He represented the College of William and Mary in the House of Burgesses for a long time, took an active part in all the Revolutionary' movements, was a mem- ber of the great convention which met to revise the Articles of Confederation, and finally, was one of the Supreme Federal Court." The following is a translation of the lyatin inscription on Commissary Blair's toml:)Stone, in the old graveyard at Jamestown, Va.: Here lies buried The Reverend and the Honorable JAMES BLAIR, A. M., Who was born in Scotland, was educated in the College of Edinburg, and emigrated to England, and thence to Virginia, in which Colony he spent fifty-eight years as an Evangelist, Deacon, and Priest of the Church of England, and fifty-four years as Commissary of the Bishop of London. 158 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. He was the Founder and first President of William and Mary College, a member of the Council, and, subsequently, its President ; and, as such, in the absence of the representative of the King, the Governor of the Colony. " He sustained his various offices with the apjirobation of his fellow- men, while he illustrated in his life those graces which adorn the Chris- tian character. He had a handsome person, and in the family circle blended cheerfiilness with piety. " He was a generous friend of the poor, and was prompt in lending assistance to all who needed it. " He was a liberal benefactor of the College during his life, and at his death bequeathed to it his library, with the hope that his books, which were mostly religious, might lead the student to those things that pertain to salvation. " He died on the 3d day of the Calends of May, (August, rather,) in the year 1743, aged eighty-eight years, exhibiting to the last those graces which make old age lovely, and lamented by all, especially by his nephews, who have reared this stone to commemorate those virtues which will long survive the marble that records them." LV. SIR WILLIAM GOOCH. Lieutenant-Governor. July, 1741, to June 20, 1749. Upon the accession of George I., King of England, 17 14, the Continental Colonies counted 375,750 white inhabitants and 58,850 black, and were increasing with unexampled rapidity. The love of popular power was alive everywhere, and a period of tranquility necessary to healthy progress was vouchsafed the country. In the different Colonies the spirit of liberty and desire for self-government prevailed, and Amer- ica, by a slow but steady growth, was unconsciously ripening for independence. But neither the threatening troubles of England on the North with France, nor her wars on the South with Spain, neither the invasion by the mother coun- try of colonial rights, nor the growing and palpable necessity for co-operation, had yd moved the Colonies to common action. During this time of advance and prosperity, William Gooch, returning from the expedition against Carthagena, assumed again the government of Virginia. During his administration the settlement of the beautiful valley of Vir- ginia was effected, in 1734. Through reports brought back by Governor Spotswood and party of this fertile region, settlers were induced to visit it, and this led to its permanent occupation. It is narrated that one of these settlers carried a young buffalo calf to Williamsburg and presented it to Governor Gooch. In return the Governor gave him a grant for five thousand acres of land in the valley, upon condition that he would, within ten years, settle one hundred families upon it. Governor Gooch returned to England in 1749, having been previously created a Baronet, and in 1747 was made a Major-General. On his departure he left John Rob- inson, President of the Council, as Acting Governor of the Colony. Sir William Gooch died December 17, 1751. LVI. JOHN ROBINSON. President of the Coimcil. June 20, 1749, to September 5, 1749. The first of the Robinson family of whom we have knowl- edge was John Robinson, of Cleasby, Yorkshire, England, who married Elizabeth Potter, of Cleasby, daughter of Christopher Potter, from whom, no doubt, the name of Chris- topher, so common in the family, was derived. The fourth son of John Robinson was Dr. John Robinson, Bishop of Bristol, and while Bishop, was British Envoy for some years at the Court of Sweden, writing while there, a history of Sweden. He was also British Plenipotentiary at the Treaty of Utrecht, being, it is supposed, the last bishop or clergy- man employed in a public service of that kind. He after- wards became Bishop of lyondon, in which office he continued until his death, in 1723. Having no children, he devised his real estate to the eldest son of his brother Christopher, who had emigrated to Virginia and settled on the Rappahan- nock River. This Christopher was a vestryman in the church in Middlesex County, in 1664. He married Miss Bertram, and their oldest son (who inherited the Bishop of London's estate) was John Robinson, born in 1683. He married Catherine Beverley, daughter of Robert Beverley, author of "The History of Virginia," and "Speaker Robinson," or John Robinson, who was Speaker of the House of Burgesses and Treasurer of the Colony, was their son. John Robinson (born in 1683) occupied many important positions in the Colony. He was Speaker of the House of Bur- gesses under Sir William Gooch, and was the first on the list of gentlemen named by Governor Gooch to disburse the ^4000 appropriated by the General Assembly for an expedition 160 JOHN ROBINSON. 161 against Canada. This Adl reads, " Whereas his most sacred Majesty, for vindicating the honor of his crown, and for restoring the peace and tranquilit)' of Europe, is engaged in a just and necessary war against the French King ; and with a fervent and paternal vigilance ever meditating the advance- ment of his people's happiness, and the confusion of our common enemy, hath resolved on an important expedition to the Northward, and required his American Colonies to second it with their united forces and abilities ; and hath instrudted his lyieutenant-Governor of this Colon}^ to enlist men with all possible speed, who with the levies made in the other govern- ments are to rendezvous at Albany, in New York, and thence proceed to adt in conjuncftion with the troops from Great Britain, in the Conquest of Canada," etc., etc. The most important feature of Governor Robinson's brief administration was the passage of several Adls by the Assembly, touching the government of the Colony, which were afterwards, in 1752, repealed by the King. "This," says Hening, "made a very important change in our system of jurisprudence, and it became necessary to publish a new edition of our laws." LVII. THOMAS LEE. President of the Council. September 5, 1749, to February 12, 1751. Thomas IvEE, President of the Council, succeeded Presi- dent Robinson in the administration of the government of Virginia, in 1749. In this station he continued for some time, until the King thought proper to appoint him Governor of the Colony ; but he died before his commission reached him. Thomas lyce was the fourth son of Richard and lyCttice (Corbin) lyce, and was descended in the third generation from Richard lyce, who emigrated from Shropshire, England, and settled in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1641. This Richard lyce, known as " The Emigrant," had several children ; the eldest two, John and Richard, were educated at Oxford, England, where John took his degree as Doctor of Physic, and, returning to Virginia, died before his father. Richard, the eldest son then living, born 1647, spent most of his life in study, and usually wrote his notes in Greek, He- brew, or L,atin, many of which are now in Virginia. He was a member of the Council in Virginia, and held other offices of honor and profit. He married lyCttice Corbin, daughter of Henry Corbin, Gentleman. She died Odlober 6, 1706, aged 49 years, and left the following children, viz.: Richard, Philip, Francis, Thomas, Henry, and Mary. Pliilip is the progenitor of Francis L,ee Smith, to whom this book, in deep veneration, is dedicated. TJiomas is the subjedl of the pres- ent article, and Henry is the progenitor of General Robert Edward Lee. In Cople Parish, in the Burnt-House fields, at Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Virginia, is a tombstone with Latin inscriptions, of which the following are transla- tions, viz.: First: 1G2 THOMAS LEE. 163 "Here lieth the l)ody of Richard Lee, Esq'r, born in Virginia, son of Richard Lee, Gentleman, descended of an ancient family ofMerton-Regis, in Shropshire." ' ' While he exercised the office of a magistrate he was a zealous pro- moter of the public good. He was very skillful in the Greek and Latin languages, and other parts of polite learning. He quietly resigned his soul to God, whom he always devoutly worshipped, on the i2tli day of March, in the year 1714, in the 68th year of his age." Second : " Near by is interred tlie liody of Lettuce, his faithful wife, daughter of Henry Corbin, Gentleman. A most affectionate mother, she was also distinguished l)y piety toward God, charity to the poor, and kindness to all. She died on the 6th day of October, 1706, in the 49th year of her age. The will of W\& first Richard Lee, dated 1663, can he seen in Mr. Charles Campbell's History of Virginia, p. 157. He was devoted to Virginia, and was bent on settling all of his family in the Colony. So firm was he in this purpose that by his will he ordered an estate he had in England, near Stratford-by-Bow, in Middlesex, at that time worth eight or nine hundred pounds per annum, to be sold and the money to be divided among his children. The value of this settle- ment in the Colony of Virginia is read in the pages of her history. Thomas Lee was born about the year 1680, and (as says his son William) " though with none but a common Virginia education, yet having .strong natural parts, long after he was a man he learned the languages without any assistance but his own genius, and became a tolerable adept in the Greek and Latin. By his industry and parts he acquired a consid- erable fortune, and though he had very few acquaintances in England, he was so well known by his reputation that upon his receiving a loss by fire the late Queen Caroline sent him over a bountiful present out of her own privy purse." This establishes the source from whence came the means of building the present house at Stratford, in Westmoreland County, Vir- ginia. In the thickness of its walls and excellency of its architecture it is not .surpas.sed in Virginia. It has some- times been called "The Governor's House," because the owner and builder was Thomas Lee. He married in 1721, 164 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. Hannah, daughter of Philip Ivudwell, and granddaughter of Ivady Berkeley (widow of Sir William Berkeley), who mar- ried, thirdly, 1680, Philip Ludwell. Thomas Lee left by his marriage with Miss lyudwell six sons and two daughters. These sons, Philip Ludwell, Thomas Ludwell, Richard Henry, Francis Lightfoot, Wil- liam, and Arthur, are names, familiar to every student of Virginia history. Thomas Lee was long a member of the House of Burgesses and of the Council, and as President of that body, on the untimely death of Governor Robinson, became the A(5ling Governor of the Colony. He was a member of the famous Ohio Company, and a man of enterprise and wisdom. He died early in the year 1 75 1 . The following inscription is on a slab in the family vault at Stratford : " 111 niciiiory of the HON. THOMAS I.EE, whose body was buried at Pope's Creek Church, five miles above his country seat, Stratford-Hall, in 1751. It was near Pope's Creek Church, on the road from West- moreland Court-House to King George County, that Gen. Geo. Washington was born, and here he was baptized. His- toric ground. Of the six sons of Thomas Lee, of Stratford, mention must be made here, that the father may participate in the greatness of his children : Philip Liidwell Lee, the eldest, succeeded his father at Strat- ford. He married a Miss Steptoe, and their daughter, Matilda, married General Henry Lee, of the Revolutionary Army. Thomas Liidwell Lee settled in Stafford, and married a Miss Aylett. Richard Henry Lee was educated in England, returned to Virginia in his 19th year, and married first a Miss Aylett, and second a Mrs. Pinkard, who was a Miss Gaskins. He took an active part in the Revolution, and his interesting life has been written and preserved to us by his grandson, Rich- ard Henry Lee. THOMAS LEE. 165 Francis Lighijooi Lcc also participated largely in the stirring events of the Revolution, and was regarded as one of the ablest orators and statesmen of that day. Williatn Lee became Sheriff and an Alderman of lyondon, and subsequently "commercial agent for Congress, in Europe and their Commissioner at the Courts of Berlin and Vienna." Arthur Lee, the sixth and youngest son, as a scholar, a writer, a philosopher, and a diplomatist, was equalled by few of his contemporaries. He studied Physic in Edinburgh, where he took his degree, but disliking the profession, he studied Eaw. " The services rendered by him to his country as her Minister at foreign Courts were most valuable." LVIII. LEWIS BURWEIvL. President of the Council. February 12, 1751, to November 20, 1751. The ancient seat of the Burwell family in Virginia was in Gloucester County, in full view of York River. A portion of the house w^as recently standing and appeared by figures on the walls to have been built some time in the latter part of the 17th century. This place at one time was called " Fairfield," but of recent date has been known as "Carter's Creek. ' ' The proprietor of this seat and the original settler was Major Lewis Burwell, who came to the Colony and located on Carter's Creek in 1640, and who died in 1658. His wife was a Miss Higginson, whose father had signalized himself in the wars with the Indians. On a tomb at Carter's Creek is found this inscription : "To the lasting memorj' of Major Lewis Burwell, of tlie County of Gloucester, in Virginia, gentleman, who descended from the ancient fam- ily of the Burwells of the Counties of Bedford and Northampton, in Eng- land, who nothing more worthy in his birth than virtuous in his life, exchanged this life for a better, on the 19th day of November, in the 33d year of his age, A. D. 1658." His fourth son, Nathaniel Burwell, married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Robert Carter ( ' ' King Carter " ) , and this lady, after the death of Major Burwell, married Dr. George Nicholas, and was the mother of Robert Carter Nicholas, long the Treasurer of Virginia. The eldest son of Major Nathan- iel and Elizabeth (Carter) Burwell was Eewis Burwell (of "The Grove"), born 1 7 10. He was educated in England, and on his return to the Colony, being a man of high char- acter and much learning, was called to fill many important offices in Virginia. He was a Burgess from Gloucester LEWIS BUR WELL. 167 County in 1736; later, he became a member of the Council, and as President of that body succeeded Thomas Lee in the administration of affairs in Virginia. During the time that Lewis Burwell presided at the head of the government, Hen- ing in his ' ' Statutes at Large ' ' records no meeting of the General Assembly, though he mentions patents as having been signed by Burwell when President of the Council. Major Bur- well married in Odlober, 1736, Mary, daughter of Colonel Francis and Ann Willis. This Mary Willis was made heiress by John Smith, Gentleman, of Gloucester County, Pets worth Parish, to the estates of Old and New Purton, by will dated May 10, 1735. (See Hening's "Statutes at Large," Vol. 8, page 663.) Major Lewis Burwell was relieved from his post as chief executive of Virginia by the arrival of Lieutenant- Governor Robert Dinwiddie, November 20, 1751. He died in 1752. LIX. ROBERT DINWIDDIE. Lieutefiant- Governor. November 20, 1751, to January, 1758, Robert Dinwiddie was of Scotch descent and the name appears in history as far back as 1296. The immediate ancestors of Governor Dinwiddie had lived in Glasgow, and his father, Robert Dinwiddie, was a merchant of that city. His mother was Sarah, daughter of Matthew Gumming, who was Bailie of Glasgow in 1691, 1696, and 1699. Governor Dinwiddie was born at his father's seat, "Germiston," in 1693. In December, 1727, he was appointed colle(5lor of the customs in the Island of Bermuda, which position he filled until 1738, when, in acknowledgment of his valuable services in ex- posing a long pradliced system of fraud in the colledlion of the customs of the West India Islands, he was made " Surveyor General of the Customs of the southern ports of the Continent of America." This appointment gave rise to some complica- tions between Dinwiddie and Virginia. In August, 1743, he was specially commissioned to examine into the duties of the Colle(5lor of Customs of the Island of Barbadoes, and here he exposed to his Government enormous defalcations. In July, 1 75 1, he was appointed lyieutenant-Governor of Virginia, which high position he filled honorabl}' and wisely in a time of great anxiety and critical importance. He it was who first called young Washington to the public service of his country. Hearing that the French had made treaties with all the West- ern tribes of Indians, and were building forts on the Ohio River, he determined to send a messenger to remonstrate against these encroachments. For this difficult and perilous enterprise George Washington offered himself to the Gover- nor, and it proved to be the flood in the tide of his career which ROBERT DINllTDDIE. 169 led ' ' on to fortune. ' ' Undaunted by the wild.s which had only resounded to the war-whoop of the savage or the roar of the scarceh' less savage beast, unchecked by rushing mountain currents or frozen streams, with nature in all her aspedls sternly opposing his onward way, he achieved his mission and brought to his Governor a clear and intelligent report of the situation on the Ohio. It was decisive of war. The services of this young Virginian were highly appreciated. Being one day in Williamsburg, he went into the gallery of the House of Burgesses, w^here soon he heard the Speaker say, " Gentle- men, it is proposed that the thanks of this House be given to Major Washington, who now sits in the gallery, for the very gallant manner in which he has executed the important trust lately imposed in him by his Excellency, Governor Dinwid- die." In a moment the House rose as one man, and turning towards the blushing young officer, saluted him ; he tried to repl}^ but so completely overcome w^as this young hero, who had not feared to brave any danger in pursuit of duty, that he stood speechless with emotion. At last he found voice to say, "Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker!" and then was silent. The Speaker called out laughingly, "Major Washington, Major Washington, sit down. Your modesty alone is equal to 3'our merit." In reviewing the situation of America at this interesting and trying period, Bancroft thus beautifully introduces upon the pages of his history, the man destined to wear the triple crown of "First in War, First in Peace, and First in the hearts of his Countrymen ' ' : "Thus, after long years of strife, of repose, and of strife renewed, Eng- land and France solemnly agreed to be at peace. The treaties of Aix-la- Chapelle had been negotiated by the ablest statesmen of Europe, in the forms of monarchial diplomacy. They believed themselves the arbiters of mankind, the pacificators of the world ; rcconstrufking the colonial sys- tem on a basis which should endure for ages, and confirming tlie peace of Europe by the nice adjustment of material forces. At the very time of the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, the woods of Virginia sheltered the youth- ful George Washington, who had been born by the side of the Potomac, beneath the roof of a Westmoreland planter, and whose lot almost from infancy had been that of an orphan. No academy had welcomed him to its shades, no college crowned him with its honors; to read, to write, to XII 170 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. cipher, these had liccii his degrees in knowledge. And now, at sixteen years of age, in quest of an honest maintenance, encountering the severest toil ; cheered onward by being able to write to a school-boy friend, 'Dear Richard, a doubloon is my constant gain every day, and sometimes six pistoles'; himself his own cook, 'having no spit but a forked stick, no plate but a large chip ' ; roaming over spurs of the AUeghanies, and along the banks of the Shenandoah ; alive to nature and sometimes ' spending the best of the day in admiring the trees and richness of the land ' ; among skin-clad savages with their scalps and rattles, or uncovith emigrants 'that would never speak English ' ; rarely sleeping in a bed ; holding a bearskin a splendid couch ; glad of a resting-place for the night upon a little hay, straw, or fodder, and often camping in the forests, where the place nearest the fire was a happy luxury, — this stripling surveyor in the woods, with no companion but his unlettered associates, and no implements of science but his compass and chain, contrasted strangely with the imperial magnifi- cence of the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. And yet God had selected, not Kannitz nor Newcastle, not a monarch of the House of Hapsburg, nor of Hanover, but the Virginia stripling, to give an impulse to human affairs ; and as far as events can depend on an individual, had placed the rights and the destinies of countless millions in the keeping of the widow's son." The English Ministry having now determined on an offensive policy by sea and land against France, in 1755 a fleet was sent into the North American waters, and General Braddock arrived in Virginia accompanied by two regiments of the regular army, with the appointment of Commander-in- Chief. Braddock was unhappily defeated, and it is narrated that Washington, who was his volunteer aid-de-camp, though in danger of pursuit by Indians, did, on the night after this memorable defeat, in the absence of a chaplain, himself per- form the last funeral rites over the body of Braddock, a soldier holding the candle or lighted torch while the solemn words were read. The situation of affairs had now become so alarming that the Colonists began to organize local companies. The As- sembly voted ^40,000 for the service, the Virginia Regiment was enlarged to sixteen companies, and the command of the same given to George Washington. Governor Dinwiddle, after having met the many and heavy responsibilities of his position, through failing health requested to be relieved from his trust as Governor of Vir- kOBER T DIN WW DIE. 1 7 1 ginia. He sailed for England in January, 1758, after receiv- ing voted testimonials of the regard of the Council and of the municipal authorities of Williamsburg, the seat of Gov- ernment of the Colony. He died at Clifton, Bristol, whither he had gone in quest of health, on July 27, 1770, and was interred in the Parish church there. LX. JOHN CAMPBELL. Earl of London. July, 1756, to 1768. John Campbell, son of Hugh, Earl of Loudon, was born in 1705, and succeeded to his title in November, 1731. He was in 1 756 appointed Commander-in-Chief of the troops in North America, but, being detained in England, Major-Gen- eral Abercrombie was ordered to proceed immediately to America to take command of the troops until his lordship should arrive. The Earl was likewise constituted Governor of Virginia, and was also invested with such powers as were thought necessary to enable him to promote a union among the English Colonies. The Earl of Loudon arrived in America, July 29, 1756, and assumed command of the Army. In the month of Jan- uary, 1757, a Council was held at Boston, composed of Lord Loudon and the Governors of the New England provinces and of Nova Scotia. At this Council his lordship proposed that New England should raise 4,000 men for the ensuing campaign ; and that requisitions proportionately large should be made on New York and New Jersey. The requisitions were complied with, and his lordship found himself, in the spring, at the head of a very considerable army. In 1758 Lord Loudon returned to England, and General Abercrombie, on whom the chief command of the entire forces for the American war had devolved, was now at the-head of 50,000 men ; the most powerful army ever seen in America. It does not appear that the Earl of Loudon ever came to Virginia. He was succeeded by Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt, as Governor-in-Chief of this Colony, in 1768. He died April 27, 1782. 173 LXI. j6hN BLAIR. President of the Council. January, 1758, to June 7, 1758. The successes of the French over the English during the year 1757 had left the Colonies in a somewhat despondent state, Init the animating spirit of Pitt infused hope in Amer- ica, and the Colonies, rising in full proportion to the occasion, prepared for the coming contest. Notwithstanding the pres- sure of events at this juncture, the Colony of Virginia export- ed, in 1758, the largest quantit}' of tobacco ever yet pro- duced in that Colony in one year ; 70,000 hogsheads of this staple were shipped to foreign ports. As Governor Dinwiddle had, at his own request, been relieved from the post of Governor of Virginia, his place was taken in that important office by John Blair, President of the Council. John Blair was the son of Dr. Archibald Blair, and a nephew of the Rev. James Blair, former President of William and Mary College. He was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1689. He occupied many important positions in the gov- ernment ; was a Burgess from James City County, in 1736, later, a member of the Council, and as President of that body, succeeded to the diredlion of affairs on the departure of Gov- ernor Dinwiddie for England, in January, 1758, and held the position until the arrival of Lieutenant-Governor Francis Fauquier, June 7th, 1758. During Governor Blair's administration an Adl was passed, "augmenting the forces in the pay of this Colony to two thousand men," and further recites that " whereas by reason of the great scarcit}' of gold and silver in this Colony, the taxes imposed by this A(5l cannot l)e colle(5led in time to 174 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. answer the purposes hereby intended : Be it enadled, by the authority aforesaid, That it shall and may be lawfvil for the said Treasurer, or the Treasurer for the time being, appointed as aforesaid, to issue and emit treasury notes, to answer the demands that shall be made upon him for the purposes afore- said, so as the whole sum of such notes, so to be issued, shall not exceed the sum of thirty-two thousand pounds ; which notes, so to be issued, shall be prepared, printed, engraved, and numbered, in such form and after such method as the said Treasurer shall judge most safe from counterfeits and forgeries," etc., etc. Thus, while Virginia was bracing herself for the conflidl, whereby she might establish Great Britain's claim to sover- eignty in the New World, little did she realize that she was calling into play forces, which would, ere long, make her the untrammeled arbiter of her own destiny. LXII. FRANCIS FAUQUIER. Lieutenant-Governor. June 7, 1758, to March 3, 1768. Francis Fauquier was born in 1703, and was appointed lyieutenant-Governor of Virginia, February ro, 1758. He arrived in the Colony on June 7, following. Though he is sometimes described as having been a man of fashion, with frivolous tastes, he is by others reputed as one of the wisest of the colonial governors. Thomas Jefferson says of Gov- ernor Fauquier, that he was ' ' the ablest man who had ever filled that office." In the first year of his administration, the coveted French fortress of Fort du Quesne fell into the hands of the English, and Governor Fauquier has the credit of having coincided with Washington in his views as to the importance of gaining this stronghold. It fell, finally, into the hands of the English, without a blow, and with its fall ended the war between the French and English, upon the frontiers of Virginia. lyouisburg had been conquered by the English, who, on July 26, 1758, took entire possession of the Island of Cape Breton ; Fort du Quesne fell on Novem- ber 25, following, and Ticonderoga, Niagara, and Quebec, resulted in the final conquest of Canada. The story of the bat- tle upon the Plains of Abraham affords a thrilling picture in American history. Wolfe and Montcalm, the central figures in that bloody scene, each fell, as only heroes fall. The one, the conqueror Wolfe, died in the arms of victory, saying with his expiring breath, "Then I die happy"; the other, the conquered Montcalm, when told his wound was mortal, exclaimed, "I am glad of it; so much the better ; I shall not then live to see the surrender of Quebec." 176 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. In the midst of these triumphs to the British arms, the King of England, George II., died suddenly, October 25, 1760, and was succeeded by George III., his grandson. Affairs in Virginia now progressed quietly, and her popu- lation increased rapidly. Washington, after several years of active service against the Indians and the French, had laid down his sword and retired for a season to the shades of Mount Vernon. Virginia was slowly preparing herself, all uncon- scious of her destiny, for those high duties which the future held in store for her. In 1765, the passage of "The Stamp Adl," in lyondon, waked the Slogan in America. It was viewed as a violation of the British Constitution, and as destrudlive of the first principles of liberty. At this momen- tous period, there arose in Virginia a man whose burning eloquence fired the souls and nerved the arms of the Colo- nists to strike for "liberty or death." It was a memorable day, when in the House of Burgesses, Patrick Henry stood holding in his hand the Resolutions (against submitting to the Stamp Adl,) which he had traced with a pencil upon the leaf of an old book. Portentous hour ! Quivering in the balance — a race of vassals, or a great and liberated people ! Henry was unknown to fame, and with his plain, coarse garb and awkward mien, gave to the world no outward sign of the veiled genius hidden there. But, like Olympian Jove, he shook his ^gis and the tempest rolled ! Felt were the thunder and the lightning of his power, and the Resolutions passed. It is much to be regretted that this burst of pas- sionate appeal has not been preserved, and that only its conclusion has come down to us. " Caesar," he cried, " had his Brutus, Charles I. his Cromwell, and George III." Here he was interrupted by loud cries of ' ' Treason ! treason ! ' ' Henry knew that he stood upon the edge of a precipice, that the daring words he would have uttered would reveal too much ; so with a prudence as masterful as was his valor, he continued, " and George III. may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it ! " The news of the adoption of these celebrated Resolutions spread like wildfire throughout the whole country. The}' set FRANCIS FAUQUIER. 177 forth the facts that Virginians had a right to all the privileges of English subjects ; that, having no representatives in Parliament, they should not be taxed by Parliament; that the right of these Colonies to tax themselves had always been recognized by the Kings and Parliaments of England ; and that no one had a right to tax Virginians but the General Assembly of Virginia, and to submit to anything else would destroy American freedom. The other Colonies adopted similar resolutions, and determined that nothing bearing the stamp of England should come into the country. This had the effect of encouraging home institutions, and was another step in the gradual cutting loose from old relations. Governor Fauquier, in the progress of all these stirring events, preser^-ed the respect of the people over whom he presided. He died March 3, 1768, and until the arrival of Eord Botetourt in October following, the government again devolved on John Blair, President of the Council. The following address and resolutions of the patriots of the Northern Neck of Virginia, in the year 1765, immediately after the passage of the Stamp Act, were drawn up by Richard Henry Eee. It is said to have been the first public associa- tion in the land for resistance to that Act, and fittingly finds a place under this brief review of Governor Fauquier's term of office. " Roused by danger, and alanned at attempts, foreign and domestic, to reduce the people of this country' to a state of abjedl and detestable slavery, l3y destroying that free and happy constitution of government under which they have hitherto lived ; We, who subscribe this paper, have associated, and do bind ourselves to each other, to God, and to our country, by the firmest ties that religion and virtue can frame, most sacredly and punctu- ally to stand by, and with our lives and fortunes to support, maintain, and defend each other in the observance and execution of these following Articles : ''First. — We declare all due allegiance and obedience to our lawful Sovereign, George the Third, King of Great Britain. And we determine to the utmost of our power to preserve the laws, the peace, and good order of this Colony, as far as is consistent with the preservation of ovu- constitu- tional rights and liberty. ''Secondly. — As we know it to be the birthright privilege of every British subjedl, (and of the people of Virginia as being such,) founded on 178 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. reason, law, and conipadl, that he cannot be legally tried, but by his peers, and that he cannot be taxed but by the consent of a Parliament, in which he is represented by persons chosen by the people, and who themselves pay a part of the tax they impose on others : If, therefore, any person or persons shall attempt, by any action or proceeding, to deprive this Colony of those fundamental rights, we will immediately regard him or them as the most dangerous enemy of the communitj- ; and we will go to any extremity, not only to prevent the success of such attempts, but to stig- matize and punish the offender. " Thirdly. — As the Stamp A(5l does absolutely diredl the property oi the people to be taken from them without their consent expressed by their representatives, and as in many cases it deprives the British American subject of his right to trial by jury, we do determine, at every hazard, and pa3ang no regard to danger or to death, we will exert every faculty to prevent the execution of the said Stamp A6t, in an)' instance whatsoever, within this Colony. And every abandoned wretch, who shall l)e so lost to virtue and public good, as wickedly to contribute to the introduction or fixture of the Stamp A6t in this Colony by using stamp paper, or by any other means, we will, with the utmost expedition, convince all such prof- ligates that immediate danger and disgrace shall attend their prostitute purposes. '■'Fourthly. — That the last Article may most surely and effectually be executed, we engage to each other, that whenever it shall be known to any of this Association that any person is so conducting himself as to favor the introduction of the Stamp Act, that immediate notice shall be given to as many of the Association as possil^le, and that every individual so in- formed shall, with expedition, repair to a place of meeting to be appointed as near the scene of action as may be. " Fifthly. — Each Associator shall do his true endeavor to obtain as many signers to this Association as he possibly can. " Sixthly. — If any attempt shall be made on the liberty or property ot any Associator, for any action or thing done in consequence of this Agree- ment, we do most solenmlj- bind ourselves liy the sacred engagements above entered into, at the utmost risk of our lives and fortunes, to restore such As- sociate to his liberty, and to protect him in the enjoyment of his property. " In testimony of the good faith with which we resolve to execute this Association, we have this 27th day of February, 1766, in Virginia, put our hands and seals hereto. Richard Henry L,ee. William Sydnor. Will. Robinson. John Monroe. Lewis Willis. William Cocke. Thos. Lud. Ivce. Willm. Grayson. Samuel Washington. Wm. Brockenl)rough. Charles Washington. Saml. Selden. Moore Fauutleroy. Richd. L,ee. Francis lyightfoot Lee. Daniel Tibbs. FRANCrS FAUQUIER. 179 Thomas Jones. Rodham Kenner. Spencer M. Ball. Richard Mitchell. Joseph Murdock. Richd. Parker. Spence Monroe. John Watts. Robt. Lovell. John Blagge. Charles Weeks. Willm. Booth. Geo. Turberville. Alvin Moxley. Wni. Flood. John Ballantine, Junr. William Lee. Thos. Chilton. Richard Buckuer. Jos. Pierce. Will. Chilton. John Williams. John Blackwell. Winder S. Kenner. Wm. Bronaugh. Win. Peirce. John Berryman. John Dickson. John Broone. Edwd. Sanford. Charles Chilton. Edwd. Sanford. Daniel McCarty. Jer. Rush. Edwd. Ransdcll. Townshend Dade. John Ash ton. W. Brent. Francis Foushee. John Smith, Junr. Wm. Ball. Thos. Barnes. Jos. Blackwell. Reuben Meriwether. Edw. Mountjoy. Francis Thornton, Junr. Peter Russt. John L,ee, Jr. Francis Waring. John Upshaw. Meriwether Smith. Thos. Roane. Jas. Edmondson. Jas. Webb, Junr. John Edmondson. Jas. Banks. Smith Young. Laur. Washington. W. Roane. Rich. Hodges. Jas. Upshaw. Jas. Booker. A. Montague. Rich'd Jeffries. John Suggett. John S. Woodcock. Robt. Wormeley Carter. John Beale, Jimr. John Newton. Will. Beale, Junr. Chs. Mortimer. John Edmondson, Jr. Charles Beale. Peter Grant. Thompson Mason. Jona. Beckwith. Jas. Samford. John Belfield. W. Smith. John Augt. Washington. Thos. Belfield. Edgecomb Suggett. Henry Francks. John Bland, Junr. Jas. Emerson. Thos. Logan. Jo. Milliken. Ebenezer Fisher. Hancock Eustace. John Richards. 180 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. Wm. J. Mountjoy. Thos. Jett. Thos. Mouutjoy. Thos. Douglas. John Moviiitjoy. Max. Rol^inson. Gilbt. Campbell. John Orr. Jos. I,ane. LXIII. SIR JEFFREY AMHERST. Governor-i7i- Chief. 1763-1768. Perhaps none of the Colonial Governors appears in the list of Virginia's executives with such a distinguished mili- tary record as Sir Jeffrey Amherst ; none certainly had his dreams of ambition more fully realized, and none reaped in ampler measure the honorable rewards of a grateful country. He had the honor of laying Canada at the foot of the British throne, and of destroying French supremacy in this coveted possession. Lord Jeffrey Amherst was descended from an ancient Kentish family near Seven-Oaks, where he was born in 1 7 17. He early devoted himself to the profession of Arms, receiving an Ensign's commission when only fourteen years of age. When twenty-five years old, he a(5ted as aide-de- camp to Lord lyigonier in the battles of Dettingen and Fon- tenoy, and afterwards served on the staff of the Duke of Cumberland at Laffield and Hastenbeck. In 1756 he received the colonelcy of a regiment, and was appointed Major-General, and in the summer of 1758 commanded the expedition against Louisburg, which, together with the whole island of Cape Breton, surrendered to his arms. The capture of Fort du Quesne, Niagara, Ticonderoga, and Que- bec in due time followed, and in 1760, the whole of Canada being reduced. General Amherst received for his share in these exploits the thanks of the House of Commons and the Order of the Bath. In 1763, he was made Governor of Vir- ginia ; in 1770, Governor of the Isle of Jersey, and in 1772, Lieutenant-General of the ordnance, and officiating Com- mander-in-Chief of the English forces. Besides these and several other military honors, he was in 1776 created a peer, 181 182 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. by the title of Baron Amherst of Holmesdale, in the County of Kent. On the breaking up of the ' ' North ' ' administration, Lord Amherst was removed from the commandership-in- chief and the lieutenancy of the ordnance, but in 1787 received another patent of peerage as Baron Amherst of Mon- treal, with remainder to his nephew, William Pitt Amherst. On the staff being reappointed in 1793, he was once more called upon to acft as Commander-in-Chief. In 1795 he resigned the commandership-in-chief to the Duke of York, and in 1796 received the rank of Field Marshal. He died in 1797, in the eighty-first year of his age. lyord Amherst was twice married, but left no children. He was made Governor of Virginia in 1763, but when, in 1768, it was desired by the Ministry that he should reside in the Col- ony, he resigned the office and was succeeded in July, by Lord Botetourt. Amherst County, Virginia, was named in honor of Lord Amherst. He is represented as a man of colledled and temperate mind, not given to parade or ostentation, a stri(5l officer, yet the soldier's friend. It is also written in history that " Sir Jeffrey Amherst, in his advice to the Ministry, stren- uously opposed the repeal of the Stamp Adl." How different was it with the noble Pitt ! In this present age of the glory and power of America, when the public mind turns to commemorate the virtues and valor and talents of her earliest and best friends, should William Pitt be quite forgotten ? Foreseeing the sep- aration of the American Colonies from the mother country, if the arbitrary measures then adopted should be continued, he advocated in the House of Commons, especially in 1766, a conciliatory policy and the repeal of the Stamp Adl. In the House of Lords, as Lord Chatham, he continued to recom- mend the abandonment of the coercive measures employed against America, particularly in 1774; but his warning was rejedled, and in 1776 the Colonies declared themselves inde- pendent. He still, however, labored in the cause, and used all his efforts to induce the government to effedt a reconcili- ation with the American states ; and as he was speaking with his accustomed energy on the subje(5l in the House of Lords, April 7, 1778, he fell. He died on the nth of the following SIR JEFFREY AMHERST. 183 inontli. Who that has followed his burning appeals for Amer- ica can doubt, if he had lived on this side of the Atlantic, that his name today would be a household word, as deeply rever- enced as anj^ of the Revolutionary heroes? With deep emo- tion do we read these words of one of England's most illus- trious statesmen, orators, and patriots, and gratefully remem- ber him, who turned from his high estate of power and grandeur to become a party in the distant colonial struggle : " On a question that may mortally wound the freedom of three mil- lions of virtuous and brave subjects beyond the Atlantic Ocean, I cannot be silent. America, being neither really nor virtually represented in Westminster, cannot be held legally, or constitutionally, or reasonably, subject to obedience to any money bill of this kingdom. The Colonies are equally entitled with yourselves to all the natural rights of mankind, and the peculiar privileges of Englishmen ; equally bound b}- the laws, and equally participating of the Constitution of this free country." * "Taxation is no part of the governing power. The taxes are a voluntary gift and grant of the Commons alone. In an American tax, what do we do ? We, your Majesty's Commons of Great Britain, give and grant to your Majesty — what ? Our own property ? No. We give and grant to your Majesty the property of your Majesty's Commons in America. It is an absurditj' in terms. ' ' * " * * * * "The Commons of America, represented in their several Assemblies, have ever been in possession of the exercise of this, their Constitutional right, of giving and granting their own mone)-. They would have been slaves if they had not enjoyed it." * * * * * * * * " I neuer shall own the justice of taxing America internally, until she enjoys the right of representation." '•'" * * '•" * * " No man more highly esteems and honors the British troops than I do ; I know their virtues and their valor ; I know they can achieve any- thing but impossibilities ; and I know that the conquest of British America is an impossibility. You cannot, my lords, you cannot conquer America. * * * * ■•' * * "■■' * * * "You may swell every expense, and accumulate every assistance, and extend your traffic to the shambles of every German despot ; your attempts will be forever vain and impotent — doubly so, indeed, from this mercenary aid on which you rely ; for it irritates to an incurable resent- ment the minds of your adversaries, to overrun them with the mercenary sons of rapine and plunder, devoting them and their possessions to the rapacity of hireling cruelt)'. If I were an American, as I am an English- man, while a foreign troop remained in my country I never would lay down my arms ; no, never, never, never ! " He fought for the Colonies afar, upon the battle-field of 184 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. parliamentary debate, and in the fervor of his demand for justice to the oppressed, glowing with thoughts that had for years weighed heavy on his heart — he fell, all suddenly, into the arms of death — but, from his pinnacle of fame, his dying plea was for — America ! Macaulay thus describes him when at the zenith of his power : " The situation which Pitt occupied at the close of the reign of George the Second was the most enviable ever occupied by any public man in English history. He had conciliated the King ; he domineered over the House of Commons ; he was adored by the people ; he was admired by all Europe. He was the first Englishman of his time, and he had made England the first country in the world. The Great Commoner — the name by which he was often designated — might look down with scorn on coro- nets and garters. The nation was drunk with joy and pride. The Parlia- ment was as qiiiet as it had been under Pelham. The old party distinctions were almost effaced ; nor was their place yet si;pplicd by distinctions of a yet more important kind. A new generation of country squires and rectors had arisen, who knew not the vStuarts. The Dissenters were tolerated ; the Catholics not cruelly persecuted ; the Church was drowsy and indul- gent. The great civil and religious conflict which began at the Reforma- tion seemed to have terminated in vmiversal repose. Whigs and Tories, Churchmen and Puritans, spoke with equal reverence of the Constitution, and with equal enthusiasm of the talents, virtues, and services of the Minister." And now that in this country, the Washington monument towers all other shafts beyond ; now that Virginia has raised her triumphal memorial at Old Yorktown, and Vermont has lifted her battle column at Bennington ; now that Columbus will be remembered in the greatest exhibition of the world's progress ever seen, should America forget the noble Pitt, he who defied kings and princes and the sweet voice of popular applause, to tell the story of her wrongs, and who planted his name on the side of her constitutional liberties ? "No, never, never, never ! '^ LXIV. JOHN BLAIR. President oj the Council. March 3, 1768, to Ocftober, 176S. Lord Botktourt was appointed Govenior-iu-Chief of Virginia in July, 1768, though he did not arrive in the Col- ony until the Odlober following. Governor Fauquier having died March 3, 1768, until the arrival of Lord Botetourt in the following Ocflober, John Blair, "President of the Council," was the adling Governor of the Colony. During the trying- period of the incumbency of President Blair, his ability and fidelity were conspicuously displayed. Although Parliament had repealed the obnoxious Stamp A(5l in 1766, the next year witnessed their imposing duties to be paid by the Colon^'sts on paper, glass, painters' colors, and teas imported into the Col- onies. This, with the attempt to enforce the Adl to provide quarters for British soldiers in the Colonies, at the expense of the Colonies, again excited public indignation and alarm. Massachusetts guardedly and relucftantly consented, but New York declined making the provision demanded. For this offence, Parliament pas.sed an Adl for restraining the Assembly of New York from passing any Act until they should comply with this requisition. This arbitrar}^ Acft fanned the flame of suspicion and discontent among all the Colonies. "An Act for suspending the Legislature of that province," said Richard Henry Lee, "hangs like a flaming sword over our heads, and requires, by all means, to be removed." Again Parliament passed an Acfl for establishing a Custom House in America in 1767. The discussions occasioned by the Stamp Acl had convinced the Coloni.sts of their exemption from par- liamentary taxation, and so they were on the alert at every attempt of Ivngland in this direction. This new occasion of .\III 18.5 186 THE GOVERNORS OE I'lRCEXIA. dissatisfaclion roused afresh the suspicions of the Colonists and some Essays on Colonial rights under the name of ' ' Let- ters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies" had a rapid and extensive circulation in America. The souls of men here were being prepared for the deadly confli<5l — the conflidl for "liberty or death!" Massachusetts sent a petition to the King against these recent a(5ls of Parliament and issued a circular letter to the other Colonies to unite in suitable measures to obtain redress. Virginia sent a memorial to the Hou.se of Lords and a remon- strance to the House of Commons, complaining of the taxes imposed, and her acflion and that of Massachusetts were fully endorsed by the House of Assembly in Georgia. During this stormy period Governor Blair held the reins of government in Virginia from March to October of 1768, the la.st patent signed by him bearing date the 24th 0(5lober, 1768. He had .served for several years as Deputy Auditor of the Colony and had also been a visitor of William and Mary College. His life was one of varied usefulness in a time that tried men's souls. He died November 5, 1771, and some of his descendants have been distinguished in the annals of Vir- <:inia. LXV. NORBORNE BERKELEY. (baron DE BOTETOURT.) Governor-in-CJiief. 0<5lober 28, 1768, to Ocflober 15, 1770. It is said by Bancroft that " Botetourt, the new Governor of Virginia, arrived on the James River in the delicious season of the fall of the leaf, when that region enjoys a nian3'-tinted sky and a soft, but invigorating air. He was channed with the scenes on which he entered ; his house seemed admirable, the grounds around it well planted and watered by beautiful rills. Everything was just as he could have wished. Coming up without state to an unprovided residence, he was asked abroad every day, and, asa guest, gave pleasure and was pleased. He thought nothing could be better than the disposition of the Colony, and augured well of everything that was to happen. " He was persuaded that the new Assemljl}' would come together in good humor, which he was resolved not wantonly to disturb." But the year after Lord Botetourt arrived, the Assembly passed two resolutions: First, that Virginia would no longer submit to be taxed by England; and, second, that she would not send her criminals to England to be tried. Lord Bote- tourt knew that Virginia was right in this, but he thought that his duty to his King compelled him to check what seemed rebellion. He said to the Assembly : "I have heard of your resolves, and augur ill of their effe<5ls ; you have made it my duty to dissolve you, and you are dissolved accordingly." But, though the Governor dissolved the Assembly, he could not disperse its members. The spirit of freedom was aroused in every patriot breast, and instead of returning (juietly to their homes, the Burgesses met at a private house in Williamsburg and adopted resolutions which Washington had l)r()ught with him from Mount Vernon, and 187 188 rilE COVER \ORS OF VIROISIA. "which formed a well-digested, stringent, and pracflicable scheme of non-importation, until all the ' unconstitutional ' revenue adls should be repealed." They also made a special covenant with one another not to import any slaves, nor purchase any imported. These compa(5ls were signed by Peyton Randolph, Richard Bland, Archibald Cary, Robert Carter Nicholas, Richard Henry Lee, Washington, Jefferson, Henry, Carter Braxton, Nelson, and all the Burgesses there assembled, and were then sent throughout the Colony for every man to sign. Virginia stirred the smouldering spirit of Pennsylvania to endorse her acflion ; Delaware adopted the resolutions of the Old Dominion, and every Colony south of her followed her example. So determined were the colonists, that when some time later a vessel loaded with tea entered Boston Harbor, a number of citizens disguised as Indians went on board of the ship at night, and threw overboard three hun- dred and forty-two chests of tea. America confined its issue with Great Britain to the repeal of the Acft imposing a duty on Tea, because of the prin- ciple of the Adl, expressed in the preamble. England was, at this time, in a most perplexed condition as to her policy. Junius, with his firebrands, had heated the atmosphere of society ; the Ministry often divided, and the King, unequal to the situation, had almost filled the measure of colonial dissatisfadlion, and Revolution in America, hover- ing on the confines of Tyranny-, was steadily taking form, and pa.ssing from an idea into an a(5lion. Governor Botetourt having received assurances from the Earl of Hillsborough, Secretary of State for the Colonies, that the Ministry would advocate a repeal of the obnoxious taxes, the relations between the Governor and the colonial legislative bodies were fully restored ; but, soon finding that he had been misled, Botetourt indignantly demanded his recall. vShortly after, and it is asserted, on account of his peculiar embarrassments, he fell sick, and died on Ocflober 15' ^11^- H^is death doubtless was hastened by his troubles. Governor Botetourt was admired and respe(5led l)y \'irgin- NO h' BORNE HhlRKELEY. 189 ians, and their appreciation of his worth is shown by their erecfling a monument to his memory at Williamsburg, and naming one of their most beautiful counties after him. His example of courtes}' and patience in public life, his genial affability in the social sphere, and of high honor everywhere, his fidelity to his people, and his noble Christian charadler, are still cherished memories among the people he loved so well. LXVI. WILLIAM NELSON. Prcsidoit of tlie Council. Odlober 15, rjyo, to August, 1771. After having l)een President of the Council for a long- term of years, on the decease of Lord Botetourt, William Nelson became the Acfling Governor of the Colony. He was the son of Thomas Nelson, who came to America from Pen- riff, near the border of Scotland, and hence was known as " Scotch Tom." The same settled at York, in Virginia, and was the founder of that towai, which was laid out in 1705. His eldest son, Thomas, was known as " Secretary' Nelson," because so long Secretary of the Co\incil ; and the second son, William, or " President Nelson," is the subjecft of this notice. He was born in 1711, and was the father of the patriotic General Thomas Nelson, of Revolutionary fame. William Nelson is said to have laid the corner-stone of the historic Nelson House at Yorktown. Though an infant, he was held by his nurse, and the brick laid in his apron and passed through his little hands. This mansion de- vScended to President Nelson's eldest son, General Thomas Nelson, and was his residence until the threatened siege of York by the English, induced him to remove his family to " Offle3%" in Hanover County. During this siege the Nelson House was occupied by Lord Cornwallis, and General Nel- son's unselfish desire for its destrudlion is a fitting illustration of the spirit which made \'irginia free. To quote from another, in describing the situation of this now celebrated town : " The river is full a mile wide at York, which is clc\cn miles from its mouth, and is seen strelchiii.t^ ilself away until il merges itself into the 190 WILLIAM XLLSON. 191 Chesapeake Bay. The sun rises imnicdialcly over the mouth of the river, and the water is tinged with the rainbow hues of heaven. We have watched with much interest the decline of day from the New York Battery, but we doubt if New York Harbor— com pared, as it is, with the Bay of Naples — ever presented to the eve a more enchanting spectacle than York River in its morning glory. Beautiful for .situation is old York, stretching east and west on as noble a sheet of water as rolls beneath the sun." How such a scene as this must have nerved the arm of patriots, and warmed the heart of ever}- son of liberty in the fight for freedom. And hozv well they fought, that monument at Yorktown, which commemorates the hundred years of liberty they bought, now tells the tale. President NeLson presided over the affairs of Virginia (hiring an exciting period, but the life of the Colony seems to have progressed under his judicious sway. He died No- vember 19, 1772, and the following extracfl from a printed sermon on his death, by Mr. Camm, President of William and Mary College, will give some idea of his chara(5ter and of the position he held among his fellow-men. He was "The kind and indulgent father, without suffering the excess of fondness to take off his eye from the true and best interests of his children ; the tender husband, the affectionate brother, the useful and entertaining friend, the kind and generous master. His hospitality was extensive and liberal, yet judicious, and not set free from the restraints of reason and religion. It was not a blind propensity to profuseness, or a passion for a name, l)y which he corrupted the morals of his friends and neighbors. He was no encourager of intemperance or riot, or any practice tending to injure the health, the repiitation, the fortunes, or the religious attainments of his company. His charities were many, and disjjcnsed with choice and discretion, and so as to be most serviceable to the receivers and the least oppressive to their modesty. As one of the first and most respectable merchants in this dominion, he had great opportunity of being acquainted with the circumstances of man}- people whose cases otherwise would have escaped his knowledge. This knowledge was often turned to their advan- tage whose affairs fell under his consideration. I think 1 shall have the concurring voice of the public with me when I say, that his own gain by trade was not more sweet to him than the help which he hereby received toward becoming a general benefactor. He was an instance of what abundance of good may be done by a prudent and conscientious man, without impoverishing himself or his connections — nay, while his fortunes arc improving. An estate r:nscd with an unblemished rp])utation, and 192 THE GOVERWORS OE I'TRGINfA. diffused from humane and devout motives in the service of multitudes as well as the owner's, it may reasonably be expected will wear well, and have the blessing of Providence to attend and protect it from generation to generation." Among the tombstones in the old churchyard at York, Virginia, may be seen one with the following inscription : " Here lies the body of the Honorable William Nelson, Esquire, late President of his Majesty's Council in this Dominion, in whom the love of man and the love of God so restrained and enforced each other, and so invigorated the mental powers in general, as not only to defend him from the vices and follies of his age and country, but, also to render it a matter of difficult decision in what part of laudable condiict he most excelled ; whether in the tender and endearing accomplishments of domestic life, or in the more arduous duties of a wider circiiit ; whether as a neighbor, a gentleman, or a magistrate ; whether in the graces of hospitality or piety. Reader, if you feel the spirit of that exalted ardour which aspires to the felicity of conscious virtue, animated by those consolations and divine admonitions, perform the task, and expect the distinction of the righteous man. He died the 19th day of NovemVjer, Anno Domini 1772, aged 61." LXVII. JOHN MURRAY. (?:ari. dunmore.) Govenior-in- Cliiff. July, 1771, to June, 1775. Earl Dunmore had been appointed Governor of New York, January, 1770, and of Virginia in July, 1771. He was born in 1732, and was descended in the female line from the ro3^al house of Stuart. He succeeded to the peerage in 1756, and is described as a man of culture — this, indeed, seems to be the only commendation which history accords him. The people of Virginia, conciliated by Lord Dunmore's apparent friendliness, desired through their Assembl}' to honor permanently his name, and that of his eldest son, George, Lord Fincastle. By Acfts passed February, 1772, the Counties of Berkeley and Dunmore were created from Frederick County, and the County of Fincastle, created from the County of Botetourt. But as time went on, the relations between the Governor and his people changed, and Dunmore and Fincastle became extincft names in the list of Virginia Counties. Dunmore was changed to Shenandoah, and Finca.stle was divided into Kentucky, Washington, and Montgomery. Bancroft describes Dunmore as a man who came to Amer- ica "to amass a fortune, and in his passion for sudden gain, cared as little for the policy of the Ministers or his instruc- tions from the Crown, as for the rights of property, the respe(5live limits of jurisdi(5lion of the Colonies, or their civil and political privileges. To get money for himself was his whole system." He became arl)itr:ir\- in his rule in \'irginia r.u 194 THE GOVERNORS OF I'IRCINIA. —prorogued the House of Burgesses from time to time as it suited his pleasure, until at last, a forgery of the paper cur- rency of the Colony compelled him to call the Assembly together again, by proclamation, March 4, 1773. An Knglish armed revenue vessel having been burned in Narragansett Bay, an A(5l of Parliament passed, making such offences punishable with death, and ordering the accused to be sent to England for trial. This was in diredl ^•iolation of Virginia's remonstrance in 1769, and thus was another torch added to the fire of liberty which was spreading far and wide over the continent. During these dark and threatening da^^s, some of the \'ir- ginia patriots were in the habit of meeting together in the evening, in a private room in the Old Ralegh Tavern at Williamsburg. Here they laid their plans and here the}- pledged a common vow to make tlieir country free. Whether that vow should become a realit}-, rested on Virginia. Her Assembly came together on the 4th of March, 1773. Says Bancroft : "Its members had authentic information of the proceedings of the Town of Boston, and public rumors had reached them of the commission for incjuiring into the affairs of Rhode Island. They had read and approved of the answers which the Council and the House, of Massachusetts, had made in January, to the speech of Hutchinson, their execrated Cjovernor. They formed themselves, therefore, into a committee of the whole House, on the state of the Colony, and in that committee, Dabney Carr. of Charlotte, a young statesman of brilliant genius as well as fervid patriotism, moved a series of Resolutions for a system of intercolonial committees of correspondence. His plan included a thorough union of Councils throughout the continent. If it should succeed and be ado])ted by the other Colonies, America would stand before the world as a Confed- eracy- The measure was supported 1)\- Richard Henry Lee, with an eloquence which never passed awa}' from the memory of his hearers; l)y Patrick Henry, with more commanding majesty. The Assembl}- did what greatness of mind counselled ; and they did it quietly, as if it were but natural to them to a(?t with magnanimity. On Friday, the twelfth of March, the Resolutions were reported to the House and unanimously adopted. They appointed their committee, on which appear the names of Rland and Lee. of Henry and Carr and Jefferson. Their resolves were sent to every Colony, with a request that each would appoint its Com- mittee to communicate from time to time with that of\'irginia. In this JOHN mi^RRAV. 195 manner, Virginia laid the foundation of our Union." '•■ * * " The associates of Dabney Carr were spared for further service to humanity. He, himself, was cut down in his prime, and passed away like a shadow ; l)nt the name of him who, at this moment of crisis, heckoncd the Colonies onward to union, must not perish from the memory of his countrymen."" Richard Henrj' Lee is said by others to have been the au- thor of the plan of inter-colonial committees of correspondence, and that it was in the Old Ralegh Tavern agreed that Can- should present the matter to the House of Burgesses. On the day after the dissolution of this Assembly the Committee ap- pointed by it addressed a circular to the other American Colo- nies. Thus, steadily were the battalions of freedom forming ! "Glorious Virginia," cried the Assembly of Rhode Island, glowing with admiration for ' ' its patriotic and illustrious House of Burgesses," and this brave little New England Colony was the first to follow the example of the Old Domin- ion, "by elecfting its committee and sending its circular through the land." We now enter upon a i:)eriod of misrule which soon event- uated in the acflivities of a Revolution. In 1773, the last la'cvs were passed in Virginia under the colonial government. In 1774, no laws were passed. At the As.sembly which met June I, 1775, no laws were enadled. Governor Dunmore dissolved on the 26th May, 1774, an Assembly, because the House of Burgesses had by a resolution on the 24th of May, set apart the i.st day of June (the day on which the Boston Port Bill took effedl) as a day of "fasting, humiliation, and prayer, ' ' and ordered a sermon to be preached suitable to the occasion. On the di.ssolution of the As.sembly by Dun- more, the Burgesses repaired immediately to the Ralegh Tavern, and in the "Apollo" room adopted resolutions against the use of tea and other imported commodities, and recommended an annual Congress of representatives of the Colonies. On the 29th of May, the Burgesses held a meeting, at which Peyton Randolph presided, and they is- sued a Circular calling an assembly of deputies to meet in convention in \\'illiaiiisl)nrg, the i st of .Xnuusl follow- 106 THE COl'liRNl-iRS OF llRCTXfA. ing. This was the first pul)lic Revolutionary assemblage. And now, in the midst of turmoil and distress at the seat of government, the war-whoop of the savage was again heard on the frontiers of the Colony. The white men seem to have commenced the trouble, or rather to have pun- ished small offences of the Indians, by the .spilling of blood. This roused the tribes to fury and they wreaked their ven- geance on the frontier settlements. An arm 3^ was raised and placed under the command of General Lewis, who marched to Point Pleasant, where the Kanawha River empties into the Ohio. Here ensued a bloody battle. The Indians were led on by a gigantic warrior named "Cornstalk," and the}' fought with great de.speration. When all seemed lost for the Virginians, a reinforcement arrived under Colonel Fleming, who, adopting the Indian method of shooting from behind trees, turned the tide of battle, which finally resulted in a complete, though dearh' bought, vidtor}-. The Virginians lost 140 men, among whom were many valuable officers. Governor Dunmore, who had promised to join General Lewis, took another diredl;ion, and some eighty miles distant, made his camp. Not to his prowess as a .soldier, but to his position as Governor, do we read that "Lord Dunmore secured a treaty of peace with the savages." Dunmore now concluded a treaty with the various Indian tribes, and at this pacification the celebrated speech of Logan, the Caj'Uga chief, was delivered. The circumstances relating to this subjecft are, according to Thomas Jefferson, as follows: "In the s])ring of the jcar 1774, !i i'ohl)ery was coiiimitted by some Indians on certain land-adventurers on the river Ohio. The whites in that quarter, according to their custom, undertook to punish this outrage in a summary way. Captain Michael Cresap, and a certain Daniel Great- house, leading on these parties, surprised, at different times, travelling and hunting parties of the Indians, having their women and children with them, and murdered many. Among these were unfortunately the family of I^ogan, a chief celel)rated in peace and war, and long distinguished as a friend of the whites. This unworthy return provoked his vengeance. He accordingly signalized himself in the war which ensvied. In the autunm of the same year a decisive battle was fought at the mouth of the Circat Kahawav, l)ct\\ecn the collected forces of the Shawaucsc, Mingocs JOIIX MlRhWY. 197 and Dclawarcs, and a detachment of the \'irginia militia. The Indians were defeated and sued for peace. Logan, however, disdained to be seen among the suppliants. But, lest the sincerity of a treaty should be dis- trusted, from which so distinguished a chief absented himself, he sent, by a messenger, the following speech to be delivered to Lord Dunmorc : " 'I appeal to any white man to say, if ever he entered Logan's cabin hungry and he gave him not meat ; if ever he came cold and naked and he clothed him not. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as they passed, and said, " Logan is the friend of white men." I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not even sparing my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This called on me for revenge. I have sought it ; I have killed many ; I have fidl}- glutted my vengeance ; for ni}- countr}' I rejoice at the beams of peace ; but do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan ? Not one.' " Karly in 1775, the people of Virginia called another Con- vention, which met in Richmond on the 20th March. ITpon an eminence which is now called "Church Hill," stands an old wooden church, and it was in this " St. John's Church " that the Convention met to deliberate upon the situation. Here Patrick Henry voiced the people's hopes and sounded that tocsin of liberty whose peals resounded over all the land. Lord Dunmore, alarmed at the threatening aspecft of affairs, caused the removal of the powder from the magazine at Wil- liamsburg to an English ship. The people fiew^ to arms tinder Patrick Henry, and Dunmore was forced to pay for the powder. On the 6th of June he fled with his family and took refuge on board the Fo'a'cy, a man-of-war. What a contrast does Lord Dunmore's exit from Virginia, present to his entrance, only three short years before ! Behold him on his coming, received with expressions of warmth and affec- tion by the Assembly ; later, two counties called in honor of his family; a daughter born in the Colony and named "Vir- ginia." formally adopted by the Assembl)- as the Daughter of the Dominion, with pro\-ision for her life sup])()rt ; and then belK^ld Lord Dunmore, seeking to deprive \'irginians of 198 11 IE COVIiR.XORS OF / VA'C'/AA-/. tliL- means of self-defence, and in the dead of nighl. removing; all the powder from the magazine in Williamsburg ; behold him fleeing in conscious guilt to the Fozvey; behold him plundering the inhabitants along the James and York Rivers and carrying off their slaves ; behold him making battle at Great Bridge, and with a last, fell stroke, firing and destroy- ing Norfolk, the most flourishing town in Virginia ! History records these painful fadls, and it is wise for the descend- ants of the Revolutionary Fathers to remember through what deep seas of suffering these heroes struggled to their freedom ! Lord Dunmore returned to England in the latter part of the summer of 1776, and in 1786 was appointed Governor of Ber- muda. He died at Ramsgate, England, in May, 1809. >- «-• h- cc cc ^ UJ CQ js _1 u U- ca •-' j: UJ Q CIS < T) a o U LU c X o o H oi LXVIII. PEYTON RANDOLPH. President of The l^irginia Conveuliou of August^ ^77 h The Virginia Conveiitiou of Marc h^ n75i The ]^irgiuia Convention ofjnly, 1775. Never since the foundation of Virginia had there been greater need of wisdom and courage in her people than was necessary in the critical junr/:h'.\()h's (U- \ik(.i.\i.i. every year, and shall be called the General Asseinl)ly of Virginia. V. One of these shall be called the House of Delegates, and consist of two representatives to be chosen for each county, and for the district of West Augusta, annually, of such men as actually reside in and are free- holders of the same, or duly qualified according to law, and also one dele- gate or representative to be chosen annually for the citv of Williamsburg, and one for the borough of Norlolk, and a representative for each of such other cities and boroughs as maj- hereafter be allowed particular representa- tion by the legislature ; but when any city or borough shall so decrease as that the number of persons having right of suffrage therein shall have been for the space of seven years successively less than half the number of voters in some one county in Virginia, such city or borough thenceforward shall cease to send a delegate or representative to the assembly. VI. The other shall be called the Senate, and consist of twenty-four members, of whom thirteen shall constitute a House to proceed on business, for whose election the different counties shall be divided into twenty-four districts, and each county of the respective district, at the time of the elec- tion of its delegates, shall vote for one Senator, who is actually a resident and freeholder within the district, or dul}' qualified according to law, and is upwards of twenty-five years of age ; and the sheriffs of each county within five days at farthest after the last county election in the district, shall meet at some convenient place, and from the poll so taken in their respective counties return as a Senator the man who shall have the great- est number of votes in the whole district. To keep up this Assembly by rotation, the districts shall be equally divided into four classes, and num- bered by lot. At the end of one year after the general election , the six mem- bers elected by the first division shall be displaced, and the vacancies thereby occasioned supplied from such class or division, by new election, in the manner aforesaid. This rotation shall be applied to each division, accord- ing to its immber, and continued in due oider annually. VH. The right of suffrage in the election of n'.cmbers for both Houses shall remain as exercised at present, and each House shall choi.se its own speaker, appoint its own officers, settle its own rules of jirocecding, and direct writs of election for supplying intermediate vacancies. VHI. AH laws originate in the House of Delegates, to be a])proved or rejected by the Senate, or to be amended with the consent of the House of Delegates; except money bills, which in no instance shall be altered by the vSenate, but wholly approved or rejected. IX. A Governour, or chief magistrate, shall be chosen annually, by joint ballot of both Houses, to be taken in each house respectively, depos- ited in the conference room, the boxes examined jointly by a commitee of each house, and the numbers severally reported lo them, that the appoint- ments may be entered, (which shall be the mode of taking the joint ballot of both Houses in all cases) who shall not continue in that office longer than three years successively, nor be eligil)lc until the expiration of four IWI KICK IIESRY. 229 rears after he sluill liave been out of that office. An adcciuate, l)ul mod- erate salary, shall be settled on him during his continnance in office ; and he shall, with advice of a Council of Slate, exercise the executive powers of government according to the laws of this commonwealth ; and shall not, under any pretence, exercise any power or prerogative by virtue of any law, statute, or custom, of ENGLAND : But he shall, with the advice of the Council of State, have the power of granting reprieves or pardons, except where prosecution shall have been carried on by the House of Del- egates, or the law shall otherwise particularly direct ; in which cases, no reprieve or pardon shall be granted, but by resolve of the House of Dele- gates. X. Either House of the General Assembly may adjourn themselves respcctivelv. The Govcrnour shall not prorogue or adjourn the Assemljly during their sitting, nor dissolve them at any time; but he shall, if neces- sary, either by advice of the Council of State, or on application of a majority of the House of Delegates, call them l)cfore the time to which they shall stand prorogued or adjourned. XI. A Privy Council, or Council of State, consisting of eight mem- l)ers, shall be chosen Vjy joint ballot of both Houses of Assembly, either from their own members or the people at large, to assist in the administra- tion of government. They shall annually choose out oi their own mem- bers a president, who, in case of the death, inability, or necessary absence of the Governour from the government, shall act as Lieutenant-Govern- our. Four members shall be sufficient to act, and their advice and pro- ceedings shall be entered of record, and signed by the members present (to any part whereof any member may enter his dissent) to be laid before the General Assembly, when called for by them. This Council may appoint their own clerk, who shall have a salary settled by law, and take an oath of secrecy in such matters as he shall be directed by the board to conceal. A sum of money appropriated to that purpose shall be divided annually among the members, in proportion to their attendance ; and they shall be incapable, during their continuance in office, of sitting in either House of Assembly. Two members shall be removed by joint ballot of Ijoth Houses of Assembly at the end of every three years, and be ineligible for the three next years. These vacancies, as well as those occasioned by death or incapacity, shall be supplied by new elections, in the same manner. XH. The delegates for Virginia to the Continental Congress shall be chosen annually, or superseded in the meantime bj- joint ballot of both Houses of Assembl}-. XHI. The present militia officers shall be continued, and vacancies supplied by appointment of the Governour, with the advice of the Privy Council, or recommendations from the respective county courts ; but the Governour and Council shall have a power of suspending any officer, and ordering a court-martial on complaint of misbehaviour or inaliility, or to supply vacancies of officers happening when in actual service. The Gov- 2;]U THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. criiour ma}- cniljody the militia, with the advice of the Privy Council ; and, when embodied, shall alone have the direction of the militia under the laws of the country. The two Houses of Assembly shall, by joint ballot, appoint Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals, and General Court, Judges in Chancery, Judges of Admiralty, Secretary, and the Attorney-General, to be commis- sioned by the Governour, and continue in office during good behaviour. In case of death, incapacity, or resignation, the Governour, with the advice of the Privy Council, shall appoint persons to succeed in office, to be approved or displaced by both Houses. These officers shall have fixed and adequate salaries, and, together with all others holding lucrative offices, and all ministers of the Gospel of every denomination, be incapa- ble of being elected members of either House of Assembly, or the Privy Council. XV. The Governour, with the advice of the Privy Council, shall appoint Justices of the Peace for the counties; and in case of vacancies, or a necessity of increasing the number hereafter, such appointments to be made upon the recommendation of the respective county courts. The present acting Secretary in Virginia, and Clerks of all the County Courts, shall continue in office. In case of vacancies, either by death, incapacity, or resignation, a Secretary shall be appointed as before directed, and the Clerks, by the respective courts. The present and future Clerks shall hold their offices during good behaviour, to be judged of and determined in the General Court. The Sheriff's and Coroners shall be nominated by the respective courts, approved by the Governour, with the advice of the Privy Council, and commissioned by the Governour. The Justices shall appoint Constables and all fees of the aforesaid officers be regulated by law. XVI. The Governour, when he is out of office, and others offending against the state, either by mal-administration, corruption, or other means by which the safety of the state may be endangered, shall be impeachable by the House of Delegates; Such impeachment to be prosecuted by the Attorney-General, or such other person or persons as the House may appoint in the General Court, according to the laws of the land. If found guilty, he or they shall be either forever disabled to hold any office under government, or removed from such office pro tempore, or subjected to such pains or penalties as the law shall direct. XVII. If all, or any of the Judges of the General Court, shall, on good grounds (to be judged of by the House Delegates) be accused of any of the crimes or off'ences before-mentioned, such House of Delegates may in like manner, impeach the Judge or Judges so accused, to be prosecuted in the Court of Appeals; and he or they, if found guilty, shall be punished in the same manner as is prescribed in the preceding clause. XVIII. Commissions and grants shall run, IN THE NAME OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and bear test by the Governour with p.} TRICK HENR ) '. 23 1 the seal of tlie comiiioinvealth annexed. Writs shall run in the same man- ner, and hear test by the clerks of the several courts. Indictments shall con- clude, AGAINvST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THE COMMON- WEALTH. XIX. A treasurer shall be appointed annually by joint ballot of both Houses. XX. All escheats, penalties, and forfeitures, heretofore going to the King, shall go to the Commonwealth, save only such as the legislature may abolish, or otherwise provide for. XXI. The territories contained within the charters erecting the colo- nics, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, are hereby ceded, released, and forever confirmed to the people of those colonies respectively, with all the rights of property, jurisdiction, and govern- ment, and all other rights whatsoever which might at any time heretofore have been claimed by Virginia, except the free navigation and use of the rivers Potonniiaik and Pohomokc, with the property of the Virginia shores or strands bordering on either of the said rivers, and all improve- ments which have been or shall be made thereon. The western and northern extent of Virginia shall in all other respects stand as fixed by the charter of king James the first, in the year one thousand six hundred and nine, and by the publick treaty of peace between the courts of Great Britain and France in the year one thousand seven hundred and sixty three ; unless, by act of legislature, one or more territories shall hereafter t)e laid off, and governments established westward of the Allegheny mountains. And no purchase of lands shall be made of the Indian natives but on behalf of the publick, by authority of the General Assembly. XXII. In order to introduce this government, the representatives of the people met in Convention, shall choose a Governor and Privy Council, also such other officers directed to be chosen by both Houses as may be judged necessary to be immediately appointed. The vSenate to be first chosen by the people, to continue until the last day of March next, and the other officers until the end of the succeeding session of Assembly. In case of vacancies, the speaker of either House shall issue writs for new elections. The .salary of the Governor to be appointed under the new Constitution, was immediately fixed by a resolution of the Convention, at one thousand pounds per annum, and the House proceeded to eledl forthwith the first Republican Governor for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The question was decided on the first ballot, and Patrick Henry was the choice of these representatives of the people. In his reply "To the Honourable, the President and House of Conven- tion," in concluding his letter of acceptance, he says : 2?j2 the cover mors OE VIRCUNIA. " I sh;ill enter ii])on the duties of my office, whenever you, gentlemen, shall be pleased to direct ; relying upon the known wisdom and virtue of your honourable house to supply my defecfts, and to give permanency and success to that system of government which you have formed and which is so wisely calculated to secure equal liberty, and advance human happi- ness." On the day that Virginia adopted her Constitution, she raised her chosen son to the highest office within her gift. And so, Patrick Henry, turned by an unseen Hand from the path to military fame, must wear the civic wreath with which his people crowned him. The brilliant orator, the daring soldier, had now the statesman's honors to bear before the world, and as a minister of the public weal, must prove worthy of the high confidence of his compatriots. The following extradt from the Williamsburg Gazette affords a realistic picfture of colonial life at this perilous time. On the 15th of May, 1776, the Convention of Virginia passed Resolutions instructing their delegates in Congress to propose to that body "to declare the United Colonies free and independent state^." Extra(5l from Williamsburg Gazette, of May 17th, 1776 : "In consequence of the above resolutions, universally regarded as the only door which will lead to safety and prosperity, some gentlemen made a handsome collection for the purpose of treating the soldiery, who next day (May i6th) were paraded in Waller's Grove, before Brigadier-General Lewis, attended by the gentlemen of the Committee of Safety, the mem- bers of the General Convention, the inhabitants of this City, etc., etc. The resolutions being read aloud to the Army, the following toasts were given, each of them accompanied by a discharge of the Artillery and small arms, and the acclamations of all present : " I. The American Independent States. "2. The Grand Congress of the United States and their respective Legislatures. "3. General Washington and victory to the American arms. "The Union Flag of the American States waved upon the Capitol during the whole of this ceremony ; which being ended the soldiers par- took of the refreshments prepared for them by the affection of their coun- trymen, and the evening concluded with illuminations and other demon- strations of joy ; every one seeming pleased that the domination of Great Britain was now at an end, so wickedly and tyrannically exercised for these twelve or thirteen years past, notwithstanding our repeated prayers and remonstrances for recbress. PA TRICK HENR Y. 233 ' ' The Union Flag of the American States ' ' here spoken of, was probabl)^ one of the ' ' Union flags ' ' so frequently mentioned in the newspapers of those days, viz.: An ordinary English red ensign, bearing the Union jack, and carrying some patriotic motto, such as "Liberty," "Liberty and Property," " Liberty and Union," etc., etc. In investigating the chara(5ter of the earliest banners borne by the revolutionary colonists in the South, we find that the one adopted in South Carolina, September, 1775, was a large blue flag, made with a white crescent in the dexter corner. William Moultrie, Colonel of the Second South Carolina Regiment, seledled this design, as the First and Second Sovith Carolina Regiments wore in front of their caps a silver crescent. The flag bore also the word "Liberty" across its centre. The first armed ves- sels commissioned by Washington sailed under a white flag with a green pine-tree. A yellow ensign bearing the device of a rattlesnake in the attitude of striking, with the motto, " Don't tread on me," had also been pre- viously used. This emblem was suggested, probably, by the cuts displayed at the head of many newspapers of the time, which represented a snake divided into thirteen parts, each bearing the abbreviation of a Colony with the motto beneath, "Join or Die," typifying the necessity of union. On the ist January, 1776, the tri-colored American banner, not yet spangled with stars, but showing thirteen alternate stripes of red and white, with the united red and white crosses of St. George and St. Andrew on a blue ground in the corner, was unfurled over the new Continental Army around Boston. It was given to the breeze at a critical moment, for this untried army consisted of but 9650 men. The first recorded legislative adlion for the adoption of a national flag, was on June 14, 1777, when Congress resolved "that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white ; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." It is not known by whom the stars were originally suggested. x\fter the Constitution of Virginia had been adopted, her XVI 334 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGE\IA. Statesmen next proceeded to seledl a device and motto for her seal. It seems like turning our eyes back to the first crimson streak upon the horizon of America, as we recall that earliest seal used upon Virginia soil when King James I. ordered April ID, 1606, that his portraiture should be engraven on the one side with the inscription, " Sigilvm Regis Magnae Britaniae, Francise et Hibernige," and on the other side, his Arms, with the inscription, " Pro Concilio Primse Colonise Virginiae." To Queen Elizabeth's titles had been added that of " Queen of Virginia," and James I., who was already the titular sovereign of four realms, now accepted as the motto for the London Company's coat-of-arms, " Lo ! Virginia gives a fifth crown." Although the accession of James VI. of Scotland, in 1603, to the throne of England as James I. really joined the two nations in one, still the countries were not legislatively united until 1707. After this union the motto of the Virginia arms consisted of the English shield, with the inscription, " En Dat Virginia Quartam." During the reign of Queen Anne, 17 10, the broad seal of the Colony of Virginia represented a crowned female figure extending the symbol of the cross to an Indian, who, kneeling, offers her the first fruits of the land. The inscription on this seal was " Sigillvm Provinciae Virginia in America," " En Dat Virginia Quartam." And now, last and best, we have the seal as proposed in the Convention of 1776, by Mr. George Wythe, and chosen by that body. On the obverse side is a female figure resting on a spear with one hand and holding a sword in the other, representing Virtue ; her foot is pressed upon the neck of Tyranny, indicated by a prostrate man, with a crown falling from his head, a broken chain in his left hand and a scourge in his right. Over the head of Virtue is engraved, "Vir- ginia," and beneath her feet is inscribed, "Sic Semper Tyrannis." In 1779, when Thomas Jefferson was Governor, the General Assembly ordered ' ' Perseverando " to be en- graved on the reverse side of the great seal of Virginia. Better than the portraiture of Kings, or the emblazoned PA TRICK HENR Y. 235 shields of heraldry, is this sacred emblem of our liberty. Through it we read the souls of those who stamped their image on it, and learn that human happiness has no security but in freedom ; and that freedom has no foundation but in virtue. To return now to the consideration of Patrick ' Henry's life, we find that as soon as he was eledled Governor prepara- tions were made to provide a suitable residence for him at the Capital. The Governor's palace, together with the out- buildings belonging to it, in Williamsburg, having by a previous Resolution of the Convention, been appropriated as a public hospital, was, by a Resolution of the first of July, restored to its original purpose, and the committee who had been appointed to notify the Governor of his ele(5lion, was now direcfted to inform him of the desire of the Conven- tion that he would make the palace his future home. On the fifth of July, the sum of one thousand pounds was directed by the House to be laid out in furniture for the palace, including the furniture already there belonging to the coun- try ; and, on the same day, the Governor and members of the Privy Council took their respedlive oaths of office, and entered at once upon the discharge of their constitutional duties. The autumn of 1776, the j^ear in which Patrick Henry was made Governor of Virginia, was one of the desperate periods of the Revolutions, "Men's hearts failing them for fear," and darkness seemed to have settled over the patriotic struggle. The disaster at Long Island had occurred, by which a considerable portion of the American Army had been cut off — a garrison of between three and four thousand men had been taken at Fort Washington — and the American General, with the small remainder, disheartened and in want of every necessary, was retreating through the Jerseys before an overwhelming power. It was of this time that Thomas Paine wrote in ' ' The American Crisis, No. i," " These are the times that try men's souls." But, in the midst of the storm which raged around him, George Washington stood unmoved. Relying upon the 23(5 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGIN El. justness of his cause, which had been submitted to the arbitrament of the sword, he was resolved to do — or die. In these moments of supreme trial, the Legislature of Virginia swerved for a brief season from its fealty to Repub- lican principles. According to Thomas Jefferson : "In December, 1776, our circumstances being much distressed, it was proposed in the house of delegates to create a DiHator, invested with every power, legislative, executive, andjudiciar)', civil and military, of life and of death, over our persons and over our properties ; and in June, 1781, again under calamity, the same proposition was repeated, and wanted a few votes only of being passed." That Mr. Henry was thought of for this office at both of these critical jun(5lures, there seems to be little doubt, but those who have studied his noble charadler are well assured that no temptation to personal elevation would ever have led him to deny that watchword, " Liberty or Death,'" which he had given to his people. In the year 1777, Patrick Henry married for his second wife, Dorothea Dandridge, granddaughter of Governor Alex- ander Spotswood, and daughter of Nathaniel West Dan- dridge, a descendant of Captain John West, the brother of L/Ord Delaware, once colonial Governor, also, of Virginia. Patrick Henry was re-eledted to the office of Governor until the May session of 1779, when no longer eligible, according to the Constitution, he retired, not, however, without an effort on the part of his friends to retain him in his responsible position upon some legal technicality touching his appoint- ment for the first term. But, he set the matter at rest by a letter to the Speaker, and retired at the expiration of his third term to his estate, " Leatherwood," in Henry County. In 1780 he was again in the State Assembly, serving adlively in that body until 1784. On the 17th November, 1784, Mr. Henry was again eledled Governor of Virginia, his term of three years to commence on the 30th of that month. On the 29th of November, 1786, he resigned his position as Gov- ernor while yet a year remained of his constitutional term. Although simple and unostentatious in his style of living, he found himself involved in debt at this moment, and private p. I TRICK HENR } '. 337 honor rose superior to public duty. He determined to seek in the adlive pracftice of the law means adequate to dispel his financial obligations, and during the next six years he attended regularly the distridl courts of Prince Edward and New London. His success was abundant, and relieved him from the financial pressure so galling to his lofty soul. On the 4th of December, 1786, Mr. Henry was appointed by the Legislature one of seven deputies from the Commonwealth, to meet a Convention proposed to be held in Philadelphia on the following May, for the purpose of revising the Federal Constitution. His name follows Washington's on the list, viz.: George Washington, Patrick Henry, Edmund Ran- dolph, John Blair, James Madison, George Mason, and George Wythe. The same cause, however, which compelled Mr. Henry's retirement from the executive chair of his state, disabled him now from obeying this almost imperative call of his country, and well may be imagined the confli(5l in that honorable breast between private and public duty. The Federal Constitution, the result of the Philadelphia Conven- tion, was not viewed with favor by Mr. Henry, although it had the sandlion of the revered name of Washington. He feared that it threatened the liberties of his country and endangered the rights of the sovereign states. A Convention was called to decide the fate of this instrument in Virginia, and Mr. Henry was chosen a member for the County of Prince Edward. It met in Richmond, on the 2d June, 1788, and rarely has so much talent ever been exhibited in a deliberative body in this country. Says William Wirt: "We may mention, therefore, Mr. Madison, the late president of the United States; Mr. Marshall, the chief Justice ; and Mr. Monroe, now the President. What will the reader think of a body in which men like these were only among their equals? Yet such is the fact; for there were those sages of other days, Pendleton and Wythe ; there was seen displayed the Spartan vigour and compa<5tness of George Nicholas; and there shone the radiant genius and sensibility of Grayson ; the Roman energy and the Attic wit of George Mason was there ; and there also, the classic taste and harmony of P^dmund Randolph ; ' the splendid conflagration ' of the high- minded Innis ; and the matchless eloquence of the immortal Henry." In this meeting of intelledlual giants the course of discus- 238 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. sion ran high, and for ahiiost the only time in public life, Patrick Henry failed to carry his point. After the Constitu- tion of the United States had been formally adopted, the government organized, and Washington eledled President, Mr. Henry gradually became reconciled to the situation. His opposition in the Convention had not been wholly in vain, for he secured a variety of amendments, afterwards incorporated into the Constitution. In 1794 he retired from the bar, with an ample estate, and removed to his seat, " Red Hill," in Charlotte County. In 1794 he was eledled United States Senator, and in 1796 Governor of Virginia, but declined both offices, as he did in 1795, the appointment by Washington as Secretary of State, and subsequently that of Minister to PVance, by President Adams. After Mr. Henry had declined the position of Secretary of State, in 1795, it appears that General Washington desired his acceptance of the Chief-Justiceship of the Supreme Court of the United States. But having bid a final adieu to his profession, in 1794, he retired to the bosom of his family and never again made his appearance in a public characfler. It is true that in March, 1799, yielding to the request of Washington and other distinguished persons, and desirous of doing his part to avert what he feared would be the disastrous results of the " Resolutions of '98," passed by Virginia, he offered himself for the State Senate in his distrid,. It was only necessary for him to indicate his wish to fill any public position and he was only too gladly eledled. His speech at Charlotte Court House in this connedlion was his last, and is said to have been worthy of his fame. After he had spoken the polls were opened and he was chosen by his accustomed com- manding majority. "As he finished he literally descended into the arms of the uncontrollable throng and was borne about in triumph." Perhaps, with a prescience sometimes given to humanity, they felt that his sun had set in all its glory. Too true was this prophetic instindl, for in three brief months thereafter, their idol's voice was hushed forever. He died on the 6th of June, 1799, and his ashes were tearfully laid to rest at " Red Hill," his seat in Charlotte County. PA TRICK HENR Y. 339 William Wirt thus beautifully describes Mr. Henry when he bade a final adieu to his profession and sought a season of repose, so well earned in a long period of devotion to public needs and private duties : "He retired, loaded with honors, public and professional; and car- ried with him the admiration, the gratitude, the confidence, and the love of his country. No man had ever passed through so long a life of public service with a reputation more perfedlly unspotted. Nor had Mr. Henry, on any occasion, sought security from censure, by that kind of prudent silence and temporizing neutrality, which politicians so frequently ob- serve. On the contrary, his course had been uniformly active, bold, intrepid, and independent. On every great subjedl of public interest, the part which he had taken was open, decided, manly; his country saw his motives, heard his reasons, approved his conduct, rested upon his virtue, and his vigour; and contemplated with amazement, the evolution and unremitted display of his transcendent talents. For more than thirty years he had now stood before that country — open to the scrutiny and the censure of the invidious — yet he retired, not only without spot or blemish, but with all his laurels blooming full and fresh upon him — followed by the blessings of his almost adoring countrymen, and cheered by that most exquisite of all earthly possessions — the consciousness of having, in deed and in truth, played well his part. He had now too, become disembar- rassed of debt; his fortune was affluent; and he enjoyed, in his retire- ment, that ease and dignity, which no man ever more richly deserved." Although Patrick Henry began life in the school of pov- erty, in his later years he enjoyed an independence which resulted partly from a remunerative profession, and partly from judicious purchases of lands. In his habits of life he was remarkably simple, always frugal and abstemious, and his example as the head of a family, as well as the Chief Executive of his native state, is without reproach. His conversation was remarkably pure and chaste, and he was never heard to take the name of his Maker in vain. Well ma}^ be repeated with undiminished fervor the conclusion of General Henry Lee's touching obituary : "As long as our rivers flow and mountains stand, so long will your excellence and worth be the theme of our homage and endeanuents; and Virginia, bearing in mind her loss, will say to rising generations, ' Imi- tate Heurj-.' " LXXI. THOMAS JEFFERSON. Governor. June I, 1779, to June, 1781. Upon the retirement of Patrick Henry from the executive chair, Thomas Jefferson was chosen by the General Assem- bly Governor of Virginia, on June i, 1779. He was the son of Peter and Jane Randolph Jefferson, and was born at "Shadwell," Albemarle County, Virginia, on April 2, 1742. His father, a pradlical surveyor, had been chosen with Joshua Fry, (Professor of mathematics at William and Mary College), to continue the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina, a work already begun by Colonel Byrd. Colonel Jefferson and Mr. Fry were also employed together in mak- ing a map of Virginia. This association perhaps had a con- trolling influence on Thomas Jefferson's life, as it inspired his father to bestow upon him the inestimable benefit of a lib- eral education. He was sent to William and Mary College, at Williamsburg, Virginia, in the spring of 1760, and re- mained there two years. In alluding to this period, in his autobiography, he says : "It was my great, good fortune, and what probably fixed the desti- nies of my life, that Dr. William Small, of Scotland, was then Professor of Mathematics, a man profound in most of the useful branches of science, with a happy talent of communication, correct and gentlemanly manners, and an enlarged and liberal mind. He, most happily for me, became soon attached to me, and made me his daily companion when not engaged in the school ; and from his conversation I got my first views of the ex- pansion of science, and of the system of things in which we are placed. Fortunately, the philosophical chair became vacant soon after my arrival at College, and he was appointed to fill it, per interim ; and he was the first who ever gave, in that College, regular lectures in Ethics, Rhetoric, and Belles-Lettres. He returned to Europe in 1762, having previousl}' filled up the measure of his goodness to me by procuring for me, from his most 240 THOMAS JEFFERSON. 241 intimate frieud, George Wythe, a reception as a student of Law under his direction, and introduced me to the acquaintance and familiar table of Governor Fauquier, the ablest man who had ever filled that office. With him, and at his table, Dr. Small and Mr. Wythe, his amid omnium hora- rum, and myself, formed a partie quarree, and to the habitual conversa- tions on these occasions I owed much instruction. Mr. Wythe continued to be my faithful and beloved mentor in yotith, and my most affectionate friend through life. In 1767 he led me into the practice of the Law at the bar of the General Court, at which I continued until the Revolution shut up the Courts of Justice." In 1769, at the age of twenty-six, Thomas Jefferson was chosen to represent his county in the House of Burgesses, where he at once took a stand with the opponents of parlia- mentary encroachment. At this, his first session, he intro- duced a bill empowering the owners of slaves to manumit them if they thought proper; but it was defeated, and its policy not full}- embraced until 1782. It is calculated that upwards of 10,000 slaves obtained freedom in Virginia between 1782 and 1791, after the passage of a law, in 1782, authorizing the manumission of slaves.* After serving his term in the House of Burgesses, Jefferson returned to his pradtice, and in the following year removed from "Shad- well," his early home, to a residence destined to be the famous " Monticello " — the Mecca of many a pilgrim since. On Jantiary i, 1772, he married Martha Skelton, widow of Bathurst Skelton and daughter of John Wayles, an influen- tial lawyer of Charles City. This lady was young and beau- tiful, and with a handsome patrimony added largely to Mr. Jefferson's happiness and fortune. In the spring of 1773, he was appointed by the House of Burgesses a member of the "Committee of Correspondence and Inquiry, for the dissemi- nation of intelligence between the Colonies," the plan of which he had himself aided in devising. In 1774 he published his defense of the Colonists in a paper entitled, " Summary View of the Rights of British America." This document, as Jeffer- son believed, procured the enrollment of his name on a Bill of Treason introduced into Parliament. But, it had a marked influence on the career of its author; it brought him before * See Walsh's Appeal, I., 392. 242 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. the public in England and America as a bold advocate of con- stitutional freedom, and as a brilliant and thoughtful writer. On June i, 1775, Lord Dunmore, the then "Dissolving View" of royal authority in the Colony of Virginia, pre- sented to the House of Burgesses certain resolutions of the British Parliament, to which Jefferson, as chairman of the committee appointed for that purpose, replied in a ver>' able manner. This forcible response to Lord North's "concilia- tory proposition," Jefferson laid before Congress in Phila- delphia, a few days later. There it met with the warmest approval and placed Jefferson at once among the leaders in that important assemblage. When Congress proceeded to a(5t upon Lord North's proposition, Jefferson as author of the answer of Virginia, was requested by the committee of which he was a member, to prepare the reply. This he did in Res- olutions which were immediately adopted. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee offered in Congress the memorable resolution from which the Declaration of Independence was formulated. Being called suddenly home by the illness of his wife, he left to others the work which he had begun, returning however to his post, in time to append his name to the historic document. On the 9th of June, 1776, Jefferson was appointed chair- man of that committee to which was delegated the stupendous responsibility of drawing up a paper explaining the causes of the taking up of arms, and proposing a declaration of the independence of the Colonies. Jefferson was "unanimously pressed to undertake the draft ' ' by his associates in the com- mittee. He yielded to their wish, and gave in that great Instrument his name to freedom and to fame, bestowing upon his country a state paper which rivals in renown that " Keystone of English liberty," the Magna Charta of Runny- mede. The "Declaration of Independence" was so com- plete in every detail, that only two or three verbal alterations were made in it. It cannot be claimed, however, that this won- derful Chart of Liberty was the result of the inspiration of the hour. It was the produdl of days of questioning and nights of study ; it was the calm and sober declaration that God, THOMAS JEFFERSON. 243 who had bestowed the blessing of human life, had also given with that life certain inalienable rights which this people dared maintain ; it was the final protest of the chainless mind against oppression ; the high resolve of many men nobly portrayed by one. Having served a6lively and efficiently in Congress during the session of 1776, Thomas Jefferson returned to his home in Virginia. He was re-chosen a delegate to Congress, but declined the appointment, devoting himself during the re- maining years of the Revolutionary War to the service of his native state. He took his seat in the General Assembly of Virginia, Odtober, 1776, and commenced at once that vig- orous attempt at fundamental reform in the organic laws of his state which he felt that the new era demanded. He began by obtaining leave to bring in bills for cutting off entails, and for a general revision of the laws of the Com- monwealth. This was a great work of reconstrucflion, which had its advocates and opponents, but the reorgani- zation was in time complete. Jefferson in his autobiography says : ' ' I considered four of these bills as forming a system by which every fibre would be eradicated of ancient or future aristocracy. * * * The repeal of the laws of entail would prevent the accumulation and perpetuation of wealth in select families. ****** The abolition of primogeniture, and equal partition of inheritances, removed the feudal and unnatural distinctions which made one member of every family rich and all the rest poor. ****** The restoration of the rights of conscience relieved the people from taxation for the support of a religion not theirs, for the Establishment was truly the religion of the rich." Jefferson continued to sit in the General Assembly during 1777 and 1778, and battled successfully for these radical changes, the importance of which had so long engaged his attention. On June i, 1779, he was eledled Governor of Virginia, and ably and honorably discharged that office. At this time Virginia was laid under very heavy contri- butions for the support of the campaign in Georgia and the 244 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. Carolinas. She had nearly 10,000 troops in the Continental Army, and a steady drain had been made upon her resources for men, arms, horses, and provisions, so that she was nearly exhausted and utterly unprepared to resist the enemy upon her own soil. Her long extent of sea-coast, and noble rivers leading thereto, made her an easy prey to hostile fleets; there- fore, when the hour for her invasion came. General Leslie readily took possession of Hampton Roads and Portsmouth, and Arnold, with less than 2,000 men, quietly ascended James River. Arnold entered Richmond, which had recently become the capital of the state, on January 5, 1781. The city was evacuated, the public functionaries retiring before the foe to avoid certain capture — but Jefferson remained until the enemy had adlually possessed the lower part of the city, and until the last moment busied himself in attempts to protedl the public stores. Arnold ravaged the place, burned some buildings, then took to his boats and departed. Although the name of Benedidl Arnold is almost a syno- nym for ' ' traitor, ' ' we would pause for a moment here and recall the many noble deeds of valor, which he at an earlier day performed for his bleeding countr)-. He was born in Connedlicut and died in London, and the story of his cheq- uered life is the sad recital of that ever vain endeavor to avenge personal wrongs at the expense of personal honor. A distinguished officer in the patriot cause of the Rev- olution, wearing the honors of a Major-General, he allowed fancied slights on the part of Congress to turn the current of his fealty, and in an evil hour of wild temptation he became that fallen thing men call — a traitor. After betraying his country, he received a commission as Major-General in the British Army, and after the surrender of Corn- wallis, he went to England and was paid in gold the reckon- ing of his infamy. But the English Crown itself could not outweigh his sin, or hide the mark of Cain now stamped upon his brow ! Arnold was shunned by men of honor everywhere, and died far from his native land, in want, neglect, and fell despair. 'Tis told, that in his dying hour he THOMAS JEFFERSON. 245 clasped an old blue coat ; the remnant of a tattered flag with here and there a silver star ; and pressed to his failing heart a parchment which bore his commission as Colonel in the Con- tinental Ami}- ! That coat he had worn as he planted the American banner on Ticonderoga — it had been torn by a bullet in the fight at Quebec — and that commission, as it lay in his nerveless hands, seemed like a benediction to his pass- ing soul. Might it be, perchance, a passport to the silent pity of his countrymen ! After the abandonment of Richmond the legislators assembled in Charlottesville, where Cornwallis determined to attempt their capture. Tarleton was selecfled for this raid, but onl}^ succeeded in dispersing the Legislature and in driving Jefferson from his home at Monticello, from which place he escaped on horseback just in time to avoid capture. Jefferson's term of office had expired two days before Tarleton entered Charlottesville, and he had determined to decline a re-eledlion. In his autobiography he says that he came to this conclusion ' ' from a belief that under the pressure of the invasion under which we were then laboring, the public would have more confidence in a military chief." Of course this step gave rise to criticism, but it was silenced by a Resolu- tion passed " In the House of Delegates, Wednesday, 12th December, 1781, and agreed to by the Senate, December 15, 1 781," viz.: "Resolved, That the siucere thanks of the General Assembly be given to our former Governor, Thomas Jefferson, Esquire, for his impartial, upright, and attentive administration whilst in office. The Assembly wish in the strongest manner to declare the high opinion which they entertain of Mr. Jefferson's ability, rectitude and integrity as Chief Magistrate of this Common-wealth," etc. It was during Mr. Jefferson's administration as Governor, that Virginia, in the interests of harmony among the sister states of the untried Republic, made an imperial gift to her country. She had already bestowed her patriotism, intelle(5t, blood, and treasure, and now she laid her princely domain of lands on the northwest side of the Ohio River at the foot of the Union. 246 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. RESOIvUTlONvS. January 2'd, ijSi. For a Ckssion of the Lands on thk North West side of Ohio, TO THE United States. Copy sent the Governor, ( Thomas Jejferson) on the i^th January, ijSi. IN THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES, Tuesday, the 2' nd January, lyS/. The general assembly of Virginia being well satisfied that the happi- ness, strength and safety of the United States, depend, under Providence, upon the ratification of the articles for a federal union between the United States, heretofore proposed by congress for the consideration of the said states, and preferring the good of their country to every object of smaller importance. Do Resolve, That this commonwealth will yield to the con- gress of the United States, for the benefit of the said United States, all right, title, and claim that the said commonwealth hath to the lands northwest of the river Ohio, upon the following conditions, to wit : That the territory so ceded shall be laid out and formed into states con- taining a suitable extent of territory, and shall not be less than one hun- dred nor more than one hundred and fifty miles square, or as near thereto as circumstances will admit: That the states so formed shall be distinct republican states, and be admitted members of the federal union, having the same rights of sovereignty, freedom and independence as the other states. That Virginia shall be allowed and fully reimbursed by the United States her adlual expenses in reducing the British posts of the Kaskaskies and St. Vincents, the expense of maintaining garrisons and supporting civil government there since the reduction of the said posts, and in general all the charge she has incurred on account of the country on the north west side of the Ohio river since the commencement of the present war. That the French and Canadian inhabitants and other settlers at the Kaskaskies, St. Vincents, and the neighbouring villages who have pro- fessed themselves citizens of Virginia, shall have their possessions and titles confirmed to them and shall be protected in the enjoyment of their rights and liberty, for which puipose troops shall be stationed there at the charge of the United States to protect them from the encroachments of the British forces at Detroit or elsewhere, unless the events of war shall render it impracticable. As colonel George Rogers Clarke planned and executed the secret expedition by which the British posts were reduced, and was promised if the enterprise succeeded a lilieral gratuity in lands in that country for the officers and soldiers who first marched thither with him^ that a quantity THOMAS JEFFERSOX. 247 of land not exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand acres be allowed and granted to the said officers and soldiers, and the other officers and sol- diers that have been since incorporated into the said regiment ; to be laid off in one tract, the length of which not to exceed double the breadth, in such place on the north west side of the Ohio as the majority of the offi- cers shall choose, and to be afterwards divided among the said officers and soldiers in due proportion according to the laws of Virginia. That in case the quantity of good lands of the south-east side of the Ohio upon the waters of Cumberland river, and between the Green river and the Tennessee river, which have been reserved by law for the Virginia troops upon continental establishment, and upon their own state estab- lishment should (from the North Carolina line bearing in further upon the Cumberland lands than was expected) prove insufficient for their legal bounties, the deticiency shall be made up to the said troops in good lands, to l)e laid off between the rivers Scioti and little Miamis on the north-west side of the river Ohio, in siicli proportions as have been engaged to them by the laws of Virginia. That all the lauds within the territory so ceded to the United States, and not reserved for or appropriated to any of the herein before mentioned purposes, or disposed of in bounties to the officers and soldiers of the American army, shall be considered as a common fund for the use and benefit of such of the United American vStates, as have become or shall become members of the confederation or federal alliance of the said states (Virginia inclusive) according to their usual respective proportions in the general charge and expenditure, and shall be faithfully and bona fide dis- posed of for that purpose, and for no other use or purpose whatsoever. And therefore, that all purchases and deeds from any Indian or In- dians, or from any Indian nation or nations, for any lands within any part of the said territory, which have been or shall be made for the use or ben- efit of any private person or persons whatsoever, and royal grants within the ceded territory inconsistent with the chartered rights, laws and cus- toms of Virginia, shall be deemed and declared absolutely void and of no effect, in the same manner as if the said territory' had still remained sub- ject to and part of the commonwealth of Virginia. That all the remaining territory of Virginia included between the Atlantic ocean and the south-east side of the river Ohio, and the Mary- land, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina boundaries, shall be guaranteed to the Commonwealth of Virginia by the said United States. That the aljove cession of territory by Virginia to the United States shall be void and of none effe(5t, unless all the states in the American Union shall ratify the articles of confederation heretofore transmitted by congress for the consideration of the said states. Virginia having thus, for the sake of the general good proposed to cede a great extent of valuable territory of the continent, it is expected in return tliat every other state in the Union, under similar circumstances as 248 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. to vacant territory, will make similar cessions of the same to the United States for the general emolument. Teste, John Beckley, C. H. D. 1 78 1, January and. Agreed to by the Senate. Will. Drew, C. S. According to our highest authority, William Waller Heniiig, Thomas Jefferson was Governor of Virginia "until June, 1781, when he resigned, and on the twelfth day of June, 1 781, Thomas Nelson, Junior, Esquire, was eledled." In the interim, the executive fun(5lions of the government fell upon William Fleming, of Botetourt, and the General Assembly passed the following Resolution, indemnifying him for the administration of the same : IN THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. Saturday, the 2jrd of June, ijSi. It appearing to the General Assembly tliat Colonel William Fleming, being the only acting member of council for some time before the appoint- ment of chief magistrate, did give orders for the calling out the militia, and also pursued such other measures as were essential to good govern- ment, and it is just and reasonable that he should be indemnified therein : Resolved, therefore, that the said William Fleming, Esqr. be indem- nified for his conduct as before mentioned, and the Assembly do approve of the same. Teste, John Becklev, C. H. D, 1 781, June 23rd. Agreed to by the Senate. Will Drew, C. S. William Fleming was a Scotchman by birth, but emi- grated earl}' in life to Virginia, and was among the first settlers in that portion of Augusta County which was formed into Botetourt. In 1774 he raised a Regiment, which he gallantly commanded in the battle of Point Pleasant, where he was severely wounded. He had also served in the French and Indian War in 1755 and 1756. He was a member of the Council of Virginia in 1781, and represented the County of Botetourt in the Viiginia Convention of 1788, which rati- THOMAS JEFFERSON. 249 fied the Federal Constitution. He was said to have been of noble extra dtion, had received a liberal education, and was of a bold and adventurous spirit. In the close of the year 1782, Mr. Jefferson was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to join the representatives already in Europe, to negotiate the terms of a treaty of peace, but the treaty was concluded in Paris in 1783, before he was ready to sail. As chairman of the committee to which this matter had been referred in the Congress of 1783, he had the pleasure of reporting a definitive treaty of peace with England. On March 30, 1784, he was chosen to preside in Congress, and was chiefly instrumental in revising and perfe(5ling the Treasury Department of the government. On May 7, 1784, Thomas Jefferson was ap- pointed to join John Adams and Benjamin Franklin in Paris, and to negotiate treaties of commerce for the United States with foreign nations. On March 10, 1785, he was chosen by Congress to succeed Franklin as Minister to France, and being re-appointed in Odlober, 1787, he remained there until Odlo- ber, 1789, during which time he condu6led many important negotiations for his country. Immediately upon his return to America, Mr. Jefferson w^as appointed by President Wash- ington, Secretary of State, and filled the office with marked ability through the four years of Washington's first adminis- tration. The Cabinet meetings were often very stormy, and this period is marked by the origin of an acftive struggle between the two great political parties into which the Amer- icans had divided themselves. Alexander Hamilton was the leader of the Federalists, and Thomas Jefferson stood at the head of the Republicans. But, wishing at this time to retire for a season from public life, Jefferson resigned his office as Secretary of State, on December 31, 1793, and spent some three years in quiet at Monticello, devoting himself to per- sonal affairs, which, through attention to public matters, he had somewhat neglecfted. The close of the eighteenth century should not be recorded without allusion to one of the most affiidtive events which had XVII 250 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. yet befallen America. On the 14th of December, 1799, GEORGE WASHINGTON died at Mount Vernon, Vir- ginia, aged 68 years, in favor with God and man. Said Mr. Adams in a letter to the Senate : " His example is now complete, and it will teach wisdom and virtue to magistrates, citizens, and men, not only in the present age, but in future generations as long as any history shall be read." In September, 1796, Washington had announced that he would not again be a candidate for the presidency, and there- upon the political parties of the country settled upon John Adams, of Massachusetts, as the candidate of the Federalists, and Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, as the standard bearer of the Republicans. Mr. Adams was elecfled President, and Mr. Jefferson, as was then the law, became the Vice-President of the United States. On March 4, 1797, Jefferson took the oath of office as pre- siding officer in the Senate, and delivered before that body a short address, in which he expressed in a masterly way his attachment to the laws and his desire to fulfill his duty. This he did amply, and when the time rolled around for another presidential election, he was again the candidate of his party for that high office. Aaron Burr was the Demo- cratic nominee for Vice-President. The Federalists sup- ported Adams and Pinckney. When the votes were opened, it was found that Jefferson and Burr were elected by an equal number of voices. This threw the election upon the House of Representatives, where, after thirty-five ineffectual ballots, a member from Maryland, authorized by Mr. Burr, withdrew that gentleman's name, and on the thirty-sixth ballot Mr. Jefferson was eledled President, and Colonel Burr became Vice-President. Jefferson delivered his inaugural address in Washington (to which City the Capital had been removed some months before), on March 4, 1801, in the presence of both Houses of Congress. A new social as well as political era had burst upon the country. Jefferson, the philosopher of democracy, who THOMAS JEFFERSON. 251 had proclaimed and extolled its principles, was now, as the political head of the country, about to apply them. A change in dress and manners appeared ; the old regime had suddenly passed away, and the stately dignity and ceremony of Washington's administration were supplanted by a republi- can simplicity. Jefferson himself headed the movement, and sent his message to Congress by a common messenger ; before his day, the President had in person made the communication, to which the Speaker, in behalf of Congress, had at once replied in a formal address. This term of Mr. Jefferson was distinguished by the purchase from France of the entire territory of Louisiana, in 1803, for the sum of $15,000,000. In 1803, Commodore Preble vindicated American rights in the Mediterranean against the Emperor of Morocco. With an American fleet he bombarded the town and forts of Tripoli. The United States, it has been remarked, set the first example to the world, of obliging the Barbary powers to respe<5l its flag by the force of arms, instead of a disgraceful tribute. In 1803, the frigate Philadelphia, belonging to Preble's squad- ron and commanded by Captain Bainbridge, struck on a rock in the harbor of Tripoli, and was taken by the Tripolitans ; her officers and crew, amounting to 300 men, were made prisoners. In 1804, Stephen Decatur, a lieuten- ant in the American nav}', with Preble's approval sailed from Syracuse in a small schooner, with seventy men, accompanied by the brig Syren, with the design of retaking or destroying the captured frigate Philadelphia, at Tripoli. He succeeded in setting fire to her, February 16, 1804, amidst a tremen- dous assault from two corsairs and the batteries on shore. Having accomplished his mission, he retired with his brave and daring companions. Tripoli was afterwards bombarded, in August, by the Americans, compelled to sue for peace, and the treaty for same was concluded June 3, 1805. The acquisition of Louisiana, the naval vi(5lories, and general prosperity of the country added no little to the popularity of the new order of things, and Jefferson was reeledled President, with George Clinton, of New York, as 253 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. Vice-President, for the term commencing March 4, 1805. The Democratic majority was 148, out of 176 eledloral votes. In 1806 the President was called upon to arrest Aaron Burr for suspecfled treasonable operations in the Southwest. He was accused of prosecuting a scheme for the separa- tion of the Western States from the Union, was brought to trial in Richmond, Virginia, but no overt a(5l of treason could be proved, and the jur}^ rendered the verdidl, ' ' Aaron Burr is not proved to be guilty under the in- dictment by any evidence submitted to us." This trial, on account of the high position of the accused, became a matter of national concern. The people trembled to see a man who had been a distinguished soldier and statesman, and candidate for the Presidency (which high office he came within one vote of obtaining, and then voluntarily withdrew from the contest) ; a man who had been Vice-President of the United States for four years, and whose name had become identified with the honor of the nation — the people trembled to see this man arrested for high treason, and the country felt relieved when the great trial was at an end. About this time, trouble with Great Britain again threat- ened the tranquility of the United States. England was engaged in war with France, and was contending with a nation stimulated by the ambition of the Emperor Napoleon. She needed men for her navy, and she allowed her naval offi- cers to impress British seamen from merchant vessels, and force them to serv^e on men-of-war. She also claimed the right to impress her own subjects when found on ships of other nations. This led to the confli(5t between the Ameri- can frigate Chesapeake, sailing from Hampton Roads, and the British ship Eeopard, one of a squadron then at anchor within the limits of the United States, in which the Chesa- peake, unprepared for armed resistance to the arbitrary demand of the commander of the Leopard, was compelled to surrender. She remained under fire twenty or thirty min- utes, suffered much damage, lost three men killed and eight- een wounded, when Commodore Barron ordered his colors to be struck and handed over his ship to the enemy. The com- THOMAS JEFFERSON. 253 mander of the Leopard sent an officer on board, who took possession of the Chesapeake, mustered her crew, and carry- ing off four of her men, abandoned the ship, which Commo- dore Barron took back to Hampton Roads. On receiving information of this outrage, Jefferson, by proclamation, inter- didled the harbors and waters of the United States to all armed British vessels, forbade intercourse with them, and made such other preparations as the occasion appeared to require. An armed vessel of the United States was dis- patched with instructions to the American minister at Lon- don to call on the British government for the satisfaction and security which the outrage demanded. Whilst now the war between England and France was agi- tating the Old World, America sought to preserve a proper neutrality. But England, all-powerful on the seas, tried to interrupt our trade with France or her dependencies, and Na- poleon issued orders to prevent our trade with England. In this trying situation, Jefferson thought that the United States might get the offensive decrees repealed, by stopping all its trade with the outside world. In pursuance of these views an Act was passed in December, 1807, forbidding the departure of vessels from American ports; it was known as "Jefferson's Embargo." This law gave great offence to the Federalists, but it was only intended as a temporary resort, and was repealed in February, 1809, by Congress, who substituted for it an Act of non-intercourse with France and England. At this interesting point in the history of his country, Jefferson retired from public life and terminated his political career. But a long period of varied and extended usefulness was yet in store for this distinguished son of Virginia. Though personally removed from the turmoil of public life, his interest in the affairs of his country was undiminished. From his home at Monticello, he still, through others, largely controlled the diredlion of events at the Capital, and the sovereignty of his intelledl was still as decisive as when he himself held office. In matters of internal concern he now busied himself, and diredled his talents and influence to the promotion of University education in his native state. He 254 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. was largely instrumental in establishing the ' ' University of Virginia," near Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1817, and in 1819 superintended the erection of the buildings himself. His connedlion with this institution of learning was a source of pleasure and of pride to him, and when he drew up the epitaph to be inscribed upon his tomb, he added to the words, " Author of the Declaration of Independence, and of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom," these others : " and father of the University of Virginia." What a canopy to cover a single grave ! It should be here noted that Jefferson's first desire in connedlion with University education in Virginia, was to transform William and Mary College, his alma viater, into a state university. For this he struggled long and well, but insurmountable obje(5tions to this plan turned his views to the establishment of a separate institution. It is deeply in- teresting to observe how keenly alive were both Washington and Jefferson to the importance of higher education at home. Washington, in a letter to Governor Brooke, of Virginia, says : " It is with indescribable regret that I have seen the youth of the United States migrating to foreign countries, in order to acquire the higher branches of erudition and to obtain a knowledge of the sciences. Although it would be injustice to many to pronounce the certainty of their imbibing maxims not congenial with Republicanism, it must never- theless be admitted that a seriotis danger is encountered by sending abroad among other political systems those who have not well learned the value of their own. The time is, therefore, come when a plan of universal education oiight to be adopted in the United States. Not only do the exigencies of public and private life demand it, but, if it should ever be apprehended that prejudice would be entertained in one part of the Union against another, an efficacious remedy will be to assemble the )'outh of every part, under such circumstances as will, by the freedom of intercourse and collision of sentiment, give to their minds the direction of truth, philanthropy, and mutual conciliation." These views were substantiated by the generous endow- ment of a National University made in Washington's last Will and Testament. So, with eyes cast upon the future of this unfolding empire of freedom, both Washington and Jefferson hoped and planned for University education. THOMAS JEFFERSON. 355 But the story of Jefferson's life is drawing to a close. A little past noon on July 4, 1826, his spirit passed from earth and left a great void in his home, and state, and countr3^ At almost the same hour, John Adams, the venerable and dis- tinguished son of Massachusetts, breathed his last, and this double blow was deeply felt through the length and breadth of the Union. Among Jefferson's valuable written contributions to his state maybe cited his "Notes on Virginia," his "Manual of Parliamentary Practice," and his manuscripts, under the title of ' ' The Writings of Thomas Jefferson ; being his Auto- biography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and other writings." With his own hand he wrote what men should read upon his urn — but, as the years roll by, the scope of his life-work broadens. The forces which he helped to set in motion have in their onward progress, " unhasting, yet unresting," borne his name, with those of the patriot fathers, to a pinnacle of fame — to that high point of greatness won by a country which was their nursling once, but which, through their endeavor and the grace of God, stands one of the first powers of the Christian world. LXXII. THOMAS NELSON, JR. Governor. June 12, 1781, to November 30, 1781. It surely demanded the heart of a hero to assume charge of affairs in Virginia at the critical period when Thomas Nelson consented to become her Governor. The tide of war had rolled from North to South, and now was rolling back again to engulf, if possible, the revolutionary cause upon the soil of the Old Dominion. The British successes in the North had been followed by more decided vidlories in the South, and the conquest of the whole country seemed to be but a question of time to the elated English. Virginia, ever regarded as the centre of the Revolution, was now sele(5led as the most salient poiiit at which to bring the whole matter to a conclusion. So, by sea and land, the British began to concentrate their forces about her devoted territory. In the midst of all the discouragements which environed the Rev- olutionists, one gleam of light shone on the darkness — it flashed from the treaty of February 6, 1778, with France. The surrender in 1777 of Burgoyne's whole army to General Gates at Saratoga, had so advanced the cause of America in the sympathies of France, that her wavering policy then became fixed, and on the 6th February, lyouis XVI. entered into treaties of amity and commerce, and of alliance with the United States, on the footing of the most perfedl equality and reciprocity. This alliance under Providence was certainly one of the great causes of the final triumph at Yorktown, and of the permanent establishment of American independ- ence. And now, in 1781, when hemmed in on every side, the hope which sustained the patriots came mostly from their THOMAS NELSON, JR. 257 French allies. The British were closing in upon Virginia, and desperate seemed the cause of liberty. It was in such an hour as this that Thomas Nelson assumed the rudder of the ship of state, to guide it through the gathering storm, not knowing what the end might be. Thomas Nelson, junior, was born in York County, Vir- ginia, December 26, 1738, and died in Hanover County, Virginia, January 4, 1789. But between " the coming " and "the going " he wrought a noble work, and left his footprints in the sands of time. He was the son of William Nelson, for many years President of the Colonial Council of Vir- ginia, and at one time Adling Governor of the Colony, and grandson of Thomas Nelson, the first of the name in Virginia. This last Thomas Nelson, came from Penriff, near the border of Scotland, and was called "Scotch Tom" on that account. Thomas Nelson, the subjedt of this sketch, was early placed by his father under the care of the Reverend Mr. Yates, of Gloucester County, Virginia (afterwards Presi- dent of William and Mary College), in order to prepare him for an English university. At the age of fourteen he was sent to England, and was for some time at a preparatory school of Dr. Newcome, at Hackney, and afterwards under the special care and tutorship of Dr. Porteus. He graduated with distindlion from Trinity College, Cambridge, and after an absence of seven years, he returned to Virginia. Being just twenty-one years of age, he was ele(5led to the House of Burgesses on his voyage home, as an evidence of the esteem in which his father was held, and of the hopes entertained of the son. In 1762 Thomas Nelson married Lucy Grymes, of Mid- dlesex County, Virginia, eldest daughter of Philip and Mary Randolph Grymes ; settled at Yorktown, and, being associated with his father as a merchant, was in affluent private circum- stances. At his father's death he came into the possession of a handsome patrimony. Thomas Nelson early became a decided partisan in the patriot cause, and rendered efficient services in the House of 258 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Burgesses. He was a member of the revolutionary Conven- tions of 1774 and 1775, and was appointed by the Convention in July, 1775, Colonel of the Second Virginia Regiment, which post he resigned on being eledled to the Continental Congress in the same year. He was again called to administer in home affairs, and was a prominent member of the Virginia Convention of 1776, which met in May to frame a Constitution for her government. Here he offered the Resolution instrudl- ing the Virginia delegates in Congress to propose a Declara- tion of Independence. Having been elecfted one of these delegates, he had the satisfaction of seeing the hopes and wishes of his people embodied in a crystallized form, and with unfaltering faith in its declarations, set his seal to the historic instrument, July 4, 1776. In the following 3^ear he was com- pelled, through indisposition, to resign his seat in Congress. In August, 1777, on the approach of the British fleet within the capes of Virginia, Thomas Nelson was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the state forces, and soon after, in response to an appeal from Congress, he raised a troop of cav- alry which he led to Philadelphia, the point which had now become the theatre of war. During this campaign around Philadelphia, an illustration of the devoted heroism of the col- onists may be seen in the following incident related by Gen- eral Henry Lee, in his " Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States." In speaking of the battle of Germantown and the scene at Chew's house, he paj^s a handsome tribute to young Captain Matthew Smith, a son of John Smith and Mary Jaquelin, of " Shooter's Hill," Middle- sex County, Virginia, and a descendant of some of the earli- est and most distinguished settlers of that Colony. General Lee says : " The halt at Chew's house was taken after some deliberation, as the writer well recollects, being for that day in the suite of the Commander- in-Chief, with a troop of dragoons charged with duty near his person. Many junior officers, at the head of whom were Colonel Pickering and Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton, iirged with zeal the propriety of passing the house. Brigadier Knox opposed the measure with earnestness, de- nouncing the idea of leaving an armed force in the rear, and being always THOMAS NELSON, JR. 259 high in the General's confidence, his opinion prevailed. A flag of truce was instantly dispatched to summon the British Colonel, while appropriate bodies of troops were prepared to compel his submission. As had been suggested, the summons was disregarded by Musgrave, who persevered in his judicious defence, and Captain Smith, of the First Virginia Regiment, Deputy Adjutant-General, bearing the flag, fell with it waving in his hands. Thirsting after military fame, and devoted to his country, he obeyed with joy the perilous order, advanced through the deadly fire pouring from the house, presviming that the sanctitj' of his flag would at length be respected ; vain expectation ! He fell before his admiring comrades, a victim to this generous presumption." The danger from Sir William Howe's movements against the Colonists having been averted, Thomas Nelson's corps was disbanded, and he resumed his duties as a member of the General Assembly of Virginia. Here, he strongly opposed the proposition to sequestrate British property, on the ground that it would be an unjust retaliation of public wrongs on pri- vate individuals. In February, 1779, Nelson again took his seat in Congress, but was soon obliged by illness to resign. In May, 1779, he was suddenly called upon to organize the militia of his State, to repel an invasion of Virginia by the enemj^ and when early in June, 1780, Virginia resolved to borrow $2,000,000 to be deposited in the Continental Treasury by the middle of the month, Thomas NeIvSON, in that period of despondency and distrust, did, by his own personal efforts and on his own personal security, raise a large portion of the amount. This loan was in obedience to a call from Congress for contributions to provide for the French fleet and arma- ment. General Nelson, also, about this time, advanced money to pay two Virginia Regiments ordered to the South, whose arrears were not discharged. Thus were his ample fortune and credit freely and liberally expended for the public good. And now, at a period almost of despair, he took the helm of State, being chosen by the people, Governor of Virginia, June 12, i78i,and in person, with the militia he could sum- mon, opposed, with sleepless vigilance and wonderful military sagacity, the enemy invading his State. It was in no small degree owing to his exertions that the American Army was 260 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. kept together during its stay in Virginia. Participating in the siege of Yorktown, as 'Commander of the Virginia militia, and having charge of the first battery which opened upon the enemy in the town, he pointed the first gun at his own dwelling, offering to the gunner a reward of five guineas for every shot fired into it. This house had been taken by Lord Cornwallis as his headquarters. During these days of trial and of peril, Governor Nelson had been compelled to assume dictatorial powers. Obeying the higher law of stern necessity, he did not hesitate to step beyond the written code, assuming here, as everywhere, any perilous consequence to himself, if thereby he could save his country. For these assumed powers, he was, however, fully indemnified by the following A(5t of Assembly : CHAPTER XXIV.* AN ACT To indemnify Thomas Nelson, Junior, Esquire, late Governor of this Commonwealth, and to legalize certain Acts of his administra- tion. I. Whereas upon an examination it appears, that previous to, and during the siege of York, Thomas Nelson, Junior, Esquire, late Governor of this Commonwealth, was compelled by the peciiliar circumstances of the State and Army, to perform many acts of government without the advice of the Council of State, for the purpose of procuring subsistence and other necessaries for the allied Army under the connnand of his Excellency, General Washington : ^ II. Be it enacted. That all such acts of government, evidently pro- ductive of general good and warranted by necessity, be judged and held of the same validity, and the like proceedings be had on them as if they had been executed by and with the advice of Council, and with all the formalities prescribed by law. III. And be it farther enacted, That the said Thomas Nelson, Junior, Esquire, be, and he hereby is, in the fullest manner, indenmified and exonerated from all penalties and damages which might have accrued to him from the same. It seemed a fitting recompense, that General Nelson should have the honor of being Governor of Virginia when Cornwallis surrendered, Ocftober 19, 1781 ; when upon Vir- ♦Hening's Statutes at Large, Vol lo, page 47S, November, 17S1, 6th of Common- wealth of Virginia. THO.IfAS NELSON, JR. 261 ginia soil the British gave up 7,247 regular troops, 840 sailors, and 106 guns; when beneath Virginia skies the broken sword of the Commander of the English Army sealed the independence of America. Owing to failing health Gov- ernor Nelson was now compelled to retire from public duty ; not, however, until he had seen the morning break upon the cause he loved so well. He resigned the office of Governor in November, 1781, and passed the remnant of his days in the retirement of a country' home. General Nelson had entered upon the Revolutionary War a rich man ; he came out of it so poor, that after a few years had passed away, and he was laid in the old graveyard at York, without a headstone or slab to mark the spot, his prop- erty, save the old house in deserted York, and some broom- straw fields in Hanover, was put up at public sale to pay the debts contradled in his country's cause. Even the old family Bible with the births and baptisms of the family, with the little table on which it stood, was sold on that occasion. When the illustrious Virginia leaders of this period pass in review before us, we can dwell in admiration upon the lofty principles, the varied talents, the prudence and the courage which made ' ' The Father of his Country ' ' great ; our .souls can glow and burn when we remember the ser\dces of Patrick Henr}', Thomas Jefferson, Peyton Randolph, Edmund Pen- dleton, George Wythe, George Mason, and Richard Henry Lee ; but the name of Thomas NeLson challenges a tenderer recolledlion. The tear will spring as we behold that grand old man, the embodiment of Christian and patriotic virtue, resting from his labors in the evening of life. We see him crowned, 'tis true, with the love and blessing of his emanci- pated country, but we behold him bent beneath the weary disease of asthma, contradled in the soldier's camp, having the gaunt figure of poverty as the companion of his fireside, and the hungry spe(5lre of debt as his con.stant .shadow. He died at his seat, " Offiey," a small wooden house in Hanover County, Virginia, January 4, 1789. A bronze statue, one of 262 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. the six which adorn the Washington Monument at Richmond, Virginia, commemorates his services. " But his Fame, consigned to the keeping of that Time which, Happily, is not so much the Tomb of Virtue as its vShrine, Shall, in the years to come, fire modest Worth to noble Ends." A century has winged its flight since Thomas Nelson died, but in the presence of his history the inspiration of sacrifice is as fresh today as when renewed Virginia first wept above this buried Curtius of the Revolution. N PART II. History of the Executives of Virginia from the close of the Revolutionary War i?i ijSi , to i8g2 HENRY LEE, Or, LIGHT HORSE HARRY." INTRODUCTION. Although the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, O(5lober ig, 1781, had virtually terminated the struggle for the independ- ence of America, still the cessation of hostilities was not for- mally proclaimed by Congress until April 11, 1783. War with its desolating train had now given place to the tranquil reign of peace ; but, that war, with its history written in blood from Lexington to Yorktown, had had its world-wide uses. It had created a race of patriots, the story of whose valor would never die ; it had given birth to leaders who had proved self-government a possibility ; it had opened the way for freedom of thought and a(5lion, and had snapped the cords asunder that had bound America to a Throne. Last and best, it had shown that the foundation of the infant 'Republic, cemented with the crimson current of human life, was the ground-work of a structure destined to be more enduring than any fabric that could be reared by peaceful arbitration. Nearly a hundred years had looked down upon its growth when this " Union," tried in the throes of a tremendous civil convulsion, emerged from a ravaging war of four long years' duration, " One and inseparable." What could have accom- plished this, in its completeness, but the "mystic tie" of Lexington, Concord, Ticonderoga. Crown Point, Bunker Hill, Quebec, Boston and New York; of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine. Germantown gnd Valley Forge; of »Savannah, XVHI 265 266 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Charleston, Camden, Cowpens, Richmond and Yorktown — names, which like an amulet, had been hung around the in- fant breast by every patriot mother, in every state, for well- nigh a century ! Upon the cessation of hostilities with England, in April, 1783, and the return of peace, it was found that the " Articles of Confederation ' ' between the states were not quite adequate to meet the new issues then arising. The necessity of vesting in a Congress, (differently organized from that under the Con- federation) powers competent to provide for the national wel- fare gave rise to permanent changes in the government. As a matter of interest it may be noted that, from the beginning of the War of the Revolution until the end, Virginia never ceased in her exertions to furnish her full quota of men and money in compliance with the requisitions of Congress, and when, in 1783, certain commercial restri(5lions were proposed, (made necessary by the acftion of England, ) Virginia passed her A61 conferring the power on Congress to adopt such reg- ulations, suspending its operation, however, until all the states in the Union should concur. She also passed "An Adl to provide certain and adequate funds for the payment of this State's quota of the debts contradled by the United States" (Odlober, 1783), by conferring such powers on Congress as would best tend to raise a revenue essential to the restoration of public credit and the discharge of the public debts. This Adl was also suspended until similar laws should be passed by every other state in the Union. The difficulties surrounding these and other questions gave rise to a change in the organ- ization of the government, and to the adoption of the present Constitution of the United States. The territorial limits of Virginia have varied many times since the hour when England's Queen traced with her royal hand the name the new-found country was to bear. The limits of Virginia under the Patent of Queen Eliza- beth to Sir Walter Ralegh, 1584, were vague and vast, but they assumed a more definite shape under her successor, James I., and the various changes in her boundaries have resulted from : INTRODUCTION. 267 I. The ancient charters from the Crown of England. II. The grant of Maryland to Lord Baltimore, and the subsequent determinations of the British Court as to the extent of that grant. III. The grant of Pennsylvania to William Penn, and a com- padl between the General Assemblies of the Commonwealths of Virginia and Pennsylvania as to the extent of that grant. IV. The grant of Carolina and actual location of its north- ern boundary, by consent of both parties. V. The Treaty of Paris, of 1763. VI. The confirmation of the charters of the neighboring states by the Convention of Virginia at the time of constitut- ing her Commonwealth. VII. The cession made by Virginia to Congress of all the lands to which she had title on the north-west side of the Ohio. VIII. By an a(5l approved December 31, 1862, Congress provided for the admission of "West Virginia" into the Union, upon certain conditions, which conditions being com- plied with, the state government was formally inaugurated, June 20, 1863. By this Adl, an area of 23,000 square miles was sepa- rated from " The Old Dominion." In tracing thus the changes wrought by time in the outer limits of Virginia, it is likewise instrucflive to review some of the mutations withhi her boundaries. On February i6th, 1623, the " L,ist of the Livinge" was returned from the following places, and in this wise, viz.: At the Colledg Land. Att the Neak of Laud. Att West & vSherlow Hundred. Att Jordan's Jorney. Att Flourdieu Hundred. The rest at West and Sherlow Hundred Island. At Chaplain's Choise. .\tt James Citie and within the corporation thqreof. In the Maine. In James Island. 208 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. The Neck of Land. Over the River. At the Plautatiou over agaiust James Cittie. The Glase Howse. At Archur's Hoop. At Hogg Island. At Martin's Hundred. At Warwick Squrake. At the Indian Thickett. At Elizabeth Cittye. At Bricke Row. At Bass's Choice. More. at Elizabeth Cittie. At the Eastern Shore. 1277. The End of the List of the Living.* And now, compare this list of 1277 inhabitants with the return from the Census Office for Virginia in 1890, showing her total population to be 1,655,980, in her one hundred flourishing counties, which are as follows : Accomac Albemarle Alexandria Alleghany Amelia Amherst Appomattox Augu,sta Bath Bedford Bland Botetourt Brunswick Buchanan Buckingham Campbell Caroline Carroll Charles City Charlotte Chesterfield Clarke Craig Culpeper Cumberland Dickenson Dinwiddle Elizabeth City Essex Fairfax Fauquier Floyd Fluvanna Franklin Frederick Giles Gloucester Goochland Grayson Greene Greenville Halifax Hanover Henrico Henry Highland Isle of Wight James City King and Queen King George King William Lancaster Lee Loudoun Louisa Lunenberg Madison Matthews Mecklenburg Middlesex Montgomery Nansemond Nelson New Kent Norfolk Northampton Northumberland Nottoway Orange Page Patrick Pittsylvania Powhatan Prince Edward Prince George Princess Anne Prince William Pulaski Rappahannock Richmond Roanoke Rockljridge Rockingham Russell vScott Shenandoah Smyth Southampton *See Colonial Records of Virginia, Vol. 3, No. 2. IKTRODUCTION. 36& Spotts^'lvania Sussex Warwick Wise Stafford Tazewell Washington Wythe Surrv Warreti Westmoreland York Though shorn of her vast territorial possessions, a greater future spreads before Virginia than when her borders were washed by the Atlantic on the east and the Pacific on the west. With her mild and healthful climate, her fertile soil, her splendid fisheries, her forest wealth ; with her mineral resources, her agricultural produdls, her commercial advan- tages; with her increasing, intelligent, industrious, and patriotic population, her greatness seems assured. With such a land and such a people, the problem of Vir- ginia's possibilities, suggested by Lord Bacon in 1621, "Who can tell?" is finding year by year, through all the changes and chances of Time, a broader and higher inter- pretation. " Noiselessly as the daylight comes when the night is done," is she now advancing from the ravages of war* and the blight of debt, to a fuller and more glorious life than she has ever known before. *i86i-i865. LXXIII. BENJAMIN HARRISON. Governor. November 30, 1781, to November 29, 1784. Upon the resignation of Thomas Nelson, Junior, Novem- ber.30, 1 78 1, Benjamin Harrison was eledled Governor of Vir- ginia, and continued in this office until November 29, 1784. He was born in Berkeley, Charles City County, Virginia, about 1740, his family having settled in the Colony as early as 1640. Mr. Harrison entered public life, in 1764, by becoming a member of the House of Burgesses, and .soon by his ability and social prominence became a leader in the stirring scenes in which he lived. He was a member of the First Continental Congress, of the Virginia Convention of 1775, and of the second General Congress, 1775. This body having adjourned, August i, the Virginia Convention on the nth of that month returned Mr. Harrison a third time as their representative, and on Septem- ber 13 he took his seat. Here he filled many positions of responsibility, struggling always for the best interests of his state and country. His term ofservice having expired, August II, 1776, he came back to Virginia, but not before he had enjoyed the satisfa(5lion of putting his name to the Declaration of Independence ; an acft which won for every ' ' Signer ' ' a patent of nobility far worthier than any that royal hand could give ; whose title was beyond the fictitious excellence of Star, or Garter, or Cross, or all the insignia of heraldry. In the autumn of 1776, Thomas Jefferson having resigned his seat in the Senate, Mr. Harrison was chosen to fill out his term, and after a brief absence of less than three months returned to Congress. He was immediately restored to his former place on all standing conmiittees. On May 22, 1777, Virginia returned him for the fourth time to Congress, where 270 BENJAMIN HARRISON. 271 he, as before, adlively and successfully engaged in matters pertaining to the highest interests of the young Republic. About the close of this j-ear Mr. Harrison retired permanently from the halls of Congress and devoted himself to the promo- tion of his native State. He was soon sent from his county to the House of Burgesses, and eledled Speaker of that body, which office he held uninterruptedly until chosen Governor of Virginia, on November 30, 1781. Through the trying duties which accompanied this high office at the close of the Revolu- tion, he bore himself with dignity and ability, remaining the Chief Executive of the State until November 29, 1784, when he retired to private life. But his friends, unwilling to lose his valuable counsels, ele(5led him, in April, 1791, to the Legislature. A severe attack of gout seized him just at this time, and in a few daj-s his useful career was ended by death. Benjamin Harrison married Elizabeth, daughter of Col- onel William Bassett, of New Kent County, Va. Mr. Griggsly, in his book on the Convention of 1776, says, " Of all the ancient families in the Colony, that of Harri- son, if not the oldest, is one of the oldest," and adds, "That from the year 1645, to this date, a period of more than two cen- turies, the name has been distinguished for the patriotism, the intelligence, and the moral worth of those who have borne it." The third son of Benjamin Harrison and Elizabeth Bas- sett, viz., William Henry Harrison, was the ninth President of the United States, and the distinguished gentleman who now occupies that exalted position, and who bears the name of the old Virginia Governor, is the honored grandson of the hero of Tippecanoe. The following are copies of interesting state papers con- nedted with Governor Harrison's administration : By His Excellency, BENJAMIN HARRISON, ESQUIRE, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas, the Honoral)lc the Continental Congress have published their proclamation, announcing the signature and ratification of the pre- 272 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. Hniinar}- articles of peace between the several powers at war, and com- manding the citizens of these United States to cease from any farther hostilities against his Britannic Majesty and his subjects, both bj' sea and land : I have, therefore, thought fit, by and with the advice of the Council of State, to issue this, my proclamation, hereby enjoining all officers, l)Oth civil and military, together with all and every other person of even*- rank and denomination within this Commonwealth, to pay due obedience to the said proclamation of Congress. Given under mv hand, and the seal of the Commonwealth, at Rich- mond, in the Council Chamber, this twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty three, and seventh of the Commonwealth. Bknj.'^min Harrison. Attest, Arch. Bi^air, Clk. of the Council. October, 1783. AN ACT to authorize the Congress of the United States to adopt certain regulations respecting the British trade. I. Whereas, it appears by an order of the King of Great Britain in coimcil bearing date the second day of July last, made under the express authority of his Parliament, that the growth or produce of any of the United States of America, are prohibited from being carried to any of the British West India Islands, by any other than British subjects, in British built ships, owned by British subjects, and navigated according to the laws of that kingdom. II. And whereas this proceeding, though but a temporary expedient, exhibits a disposition in Great Britain to gain partial advantages injurious to the rights of free commerce, and is repugnant to the principles of recip- rocal interest and convenience, which are found by experience to form the only permanent foundation of friendly intercourse between states : Be it therefore enacted. That the United States in Congress assembled, shall be, and they are hereby authorized and empowered to prohibit the importa- tion of the growth or produce of the British West India Islands into these United States, in British vessels, or to adopt any other mode which may most effectually tend to counteract the designs of Great Britain, with respect to the American commerce, so long as the said restriction shall be continued on the part of (ireat Britain. Provided, that this Act shall not Ite in force until all the states in the Union shall have passed similar laws. LXXIV. . PATRICK HENRY. Crovenior. Deceiii])er. 1784, to December, 1786. Patrick Henry was ele<5led a second time, Governor of \Mrginia, in December, 1784, and continued in office until December, 1786. A sketch of his life having been already given in this work, we avail ourselves of this opportunity to relate some matters pertaining to his personal appearance and characfter not before mentioned, as well as to note some important events in his second administration. William Wirt, of Virginia, in his "Sketches of the Life and Chara(5ler of Patrick Henry," says: "He was nearly six feel high, spare, and what may be called raw- boned, with a slight stoop of the shoulders — his complexion was dark, sunburnt, and sallow, without any appearance of blood in his cheeks — his countenance grave, thoughtful, penetrating, and strongly marked with the lineaments of deep reflection — the earnestness of his manner, united with an habitual contraction or knitting of his brows, and those lines of thought with which his face was profusely furrowed, gave to his countenance at some times, the appearance of severity — yet such was the power which he had over its expression, that he could shake off from it in an instant, all the sternness of winter, and robe it in the brightest smiles of spring. His forehead was high and straight ; yet forming a sufficient angle with the lower part of his face — his nose somewhat of the Roman stamp, though like that which we see in the bust of Cicero, it was rather long, than remarkable for its Ctesarean form — of the colour of his eyes, the accounts are almost as various as those which we have of the colour of the chame- leon — they are said to have been l)lue, grey, what Lavater calls green, hazel, brown, and black — the fact seems to have been that they were of a bluish grey, not large ; and being deeply fixed in his head, overhung by tlark, long, and full cyc-brows, and farther shaded by lashes that were both long and black, their apparent colour was as variable as the lights in which they were seen — but all concur in saying that they were uncjues- 274 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. tionably the finest feature in his face, ])rilliant, full of spirit, and capable of the most rapidly shifting and powerful expression, at one time piercing and terrible as those of Mars, and then again soft and tender as those of Pity herself — his cheeks were hollow, his chin long, but well formed, and rounded at the end, so as to form a proper counterpart to the upper pari; of his face. ' I find it difficult,' says the correspondent from whom I have borrowed this portrait, ' to describe his mouth in which there was nothing remarkable, except when about to express a modest dis- sent from some opinion on which he was commenting — he then had a sort of half-smile, in which the zvant of conviction was perhaps more strongly expressed, than the satirical emotion, which probably prompted it. His manner and address to the court and jury might be deemed the excess of humility, diffidence, and modesty. If, as rarel}- happened, he had occasion to answer any remark from the bench, it was impossible for Meekness herself to assume a manner less presumptuous — but in the smile of w^hich I have been speaking, you might anticipate the want of conviction, expressed in his answer, at the moment that he submitted to the superior zvisdovi of the court, with a grace that would have done honour to Westminster hall. In his reply to counsel, his remarks on the evidence, and on the conduct of the parties, he preserved the same distinguished deference and politeness, still accompanied how- ever by the never-failing index of this sceptical smile, where the occa- sion prompted.' In short, his features were manlj', bold, and well proportioned, full of intelligence, and adapting themselves intuitively to every sentiment of his mind, and every feeling of his heart. His voice was not remarkable for its sweetness; but it was firm, of full volume, and rather melodious than otherwise. Its chaniis con- sisted in the mellowness and fulness of its note, the ease and variety of its inflections, the distinctness of its articulation, the fine effect of its emphasis, the felicity with which it attuned itself to every emotion, and the vast compass which enabled it to range through the whole empire of human passion, from the deep and tragic half- whisper of horror to the wildest exclamation of overwhelming rage. In mild persuasion, it was as soft and gentle as the zephyr of spring ; while in rousing his country- men to arms, the winter storm that roars along the troubled Baltic, was not more awfully sublime. It was at all times perfectly under his com- mand ; or rather, indeed, it seemed to command itself, and to modulate its notes, most happily to the sentiment he was uttering. It never ex- ceeded, or fell short of the occasion. There was none of that long contin- ued and deafening vociferation, which always takes place when an ardent speaker has lost possession of himself — no monotonous clanguor, no dis- cordant shriek. Without being strained, it had that body and enuncia- tion which filled the most distant ear, without distressing those which were nearest him ; hence it never became cracked or hoarse, even in his longest speeches, but retained to the last all its clearness and fulness of PATRICK HENRY. 275 intonation, all the delicacy of its inflection, all the charms of its emphasis and enchanting variety of its cadence. "His delivery was perfectly natural and well timed. It has indeed been said, that on his iirst rising, there was a species of sub-cantiis very observal)le by a stranger, and rather disagreeable to him ; but that in a verv few moments even this itself l)ccame agreeable, and seemed, in- deed, indispensable to the full efl"ect of his peculiar diction and concep- tions. In point of time, he was very happy; there was no slow and heavy dragging, no quaint and measured drawling, with equidistant pace, no stumbling and floundering among the fractured members of deranged and broken periods, no undigniiied hurry and trepidation, no recalling and recasting of sentences as he went along, no retraction of one word and substitution of another not better, and none of those affected bursts of almost inarticulate impetuosity, which betray the rhetorician rather than display the orator. On the contrary, ever self-collected, deliberate, and dignified, he seemed to have looked through the whole period before he commenced its delivery ; and hence his delivery was smooth, and firm, and well accented; slow enough to take along with him the dullest hearer, and yet so commanding, that the quick had neither the power nor the dis- position to get the start of him. Thus he gave to every thought its full and appropriate force ; and to every image all its radiance and beauty. No speaker ever understood better than Mr. Henry the true use and power of the pause; and no one ever practiced it witli happier effect. His pauses were never resorted to for the purpose of investing an insignifi- cant thought with false importance ; much less were they ever resorted to as a. finesse, to gain time for thinking. The hearer was never disposed to ask, ' why that pause? ' nor to measure its duration by a reference to his watch. On the contrary, it always came, at the very moment when he would himself have wished it, in order to weigh the striking and import- ant thought which had just been uttered ; and the interval was always filled by the speaker with a matchless energy of look, which drove the thought home through the mind and through the heart. His gesture, and this varying play of his features and voice, were so excellent, so exqviisite, that many have referred his power as an orator prin- cipally to that cause ; yet this was all his own, and his gesture, particularly, of so peculiar a cast, that it is said it would have become no other man. I do not learn that it was very abundant ; for there was no trash about it ; none of those false motions to which i;ndisciplined speakers are so generally addicted; no chopping nor sawing of the air; no thumping of the bar to express an earnestness, which was much more powerfully, as well as more elegantly, expressed by his eye and his countenance. Whenever he moved his arm, or his hand, or even his finger, or changed the position of his body, it was always to some purjjose ; nothing was inefficient ; every thing told; every gesture, every attitude, every look, was emphatic; all was animation, energy, and dignity. Its great advantage consisted in this 27« ■/■///■■ <,<)1'/-:A'.\'(>A'S (>/■ \ Ik'CIMA. thill various, holtl, iiixl oi ij^iiial as it was, it iic\'ci apjjcarcd to l)e sliulietl affcdled, or theatrical, or 'to overstep,' in the siiiallcst degree, 'the mod- esty of nature ' ; for he never made a gesture, or assumed an attitude, which did not seem imperiously demanded by the occasion. Every look, every motion, every pause, every start, was completely fdled and dilated by the thought which he was uttering, and seemed indeed to form a jiart of the thought itself. His action, however strong, was never vehement. He was never seen rushing forward, shoulder foremost, fury in his coun- tenance, and fren/.y in his voice, as if to overturn the bar, and charge his audience sword in hand. His judgment was too manly and too solid, and his taste too true, to ])ermit him to indulge in any such extravagance. His good sense and his self- possession never deserted him. In the loudest storm of declamation, in the fiercest blaze of passion, there was a dignity and temperance which gave it seeming. He had the rare faculty of im- parting to his hearers all the excess of his own feelings, and all the vio- lence and tumult of his emotions, all the dauntless sj)irit of his resoluti<»n, and all the energy of his soul, without any sacrifice of his own ])crsonal dignity, an's : "He ever had, I am informed, a very great abhorrence of infidelity, and aiHually wrote an answer to ' Paine's Age of Reason,' but ilestroyed it before his death. His widow has informed me that he received the communion as often as an o])portunity was offere- a vast concourse of people. Daniel Webster delivered an address with thrilling effect. "By ascending," .said the orator, " to an association with our ances- tors; by contemplating their example, and studying their characfter; by partaking their sentiments, and imbibing their spirit ; by accompanying them in their toils, by sj-mpathizing in their sufferings, and rejoicing in their successes and their triumphs, we mingle our own existence with theirs and seem to belong to their age. We t)ecome their contemporaries, live the lives which they lived, endure! wliat they endured, and partake in the rewards which they enjoyed." By such fervid words can Americans of a later age gather strength in the contemplation of the history of their great, glorious, and free country. 333 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. The year 1821 witnessed the inauguration of James Mon- roe, of Virginia, as President of the United States for a second term. Referring to the progress of the country, he said : "Twenty-five years ago, the river Mississippi was shut up, and our Western brethren had no outlet for their commerce. What has been the progress since that time? The river has not only become the property of the United States from its source to the ocean, with all its tributani- streams (with the exception of the upper part of the Red River only), but, Louisiana, with a fair and liberal boundary, on the western side, and the Floridas on the eastern , have been ceded to us. The United States now enjoy the complete and uninterrupted sovereignty over the whole terri- tory from St. Croix to the Sabine." In this year of 182 1 Missouri was admitted as a state into the Union, being the eleventh state annexed to the finst "Thirteen Confederated States" since the Declaration of Independence. The year of 1822 is memorable as the date of the incorpo- ration of the City of Boston, a place whose historic interest reaches as far back as 1630; who.se power today as a com- mercial and political centre in a great country is unquestioned, and whose influence as a literary capital .stands unrivaled in the land. In reviewing thus briefly these matters of general interest occurring in the United States during Thomas Mann Ran- dolph's administration in Virginia, we behold the Old Dominion still powerful in the councils of the nation, and see one of her chosen sons occupying the highest office in the gift of the American people. Perhaps no Act pas.sed by the General Assembly of Virginia (when Governor Ran- dolph was the chief executive of the state), is of more pres- ent interest than the following : "AN ACT ceding to the United States tlie lands on Old Point Comfort, and the shoal called the Rip Raps. "Passed March ist, 182 1. "Whereas it is shewn to the present General Assembly, that the gov- ernment of the United States is solicitous that certain lands at Old Point Comfort, and at the shoal called the Rip Raps, should be, with the right of property and entire jurisdidlion thereon, vested in the said United States for the purpose of fortification, and other objedls of national defence, THOMAS MANN RANDOLPH. 333 " I. Be it emiiled by the General Assembly, That it shall be lawful and proper for the governor of this Cointuonwealth, by conveyance or deeds in writing under his hand and the seal of the state, to transfer, assign and make over unto the said United States the right of property and title, as well as all the jurisdidtion which this Commonwealth pos- sesses over the lands and shoal at Old Point Comfort and the Rip Raps ; provided, the cession at Old Point Comfort shall not exceed two hundred and fifty acres, and the cession of the shoal at the Rip Raps shall not exceed fifteen acres ; and provided also, that the said cession shall not be construed or taken, so as to prevent the officers of this state from execut- ing any process, or discharging any other legal functions, within the jur- isdiction or territory herein direc'ted to be ceded, nor to prevent, abolish or restrain the right and privilege of fishery hitherto enjoyed and used by the citizens of this Commonwealth within the limits aforesaid ; and pro- vided further, that nothing in the deed of conveyance, required by the first section of this act, shall authorize the discontinuance of the present road to the Fort, or in any manner prevent the pilots from eredting such marks and beacons as may be deemed necessary. " 2. A)ui be it further enaRed, That, should the said United States at any time abandon the said lands and shoal, or appropriate them to any other purposes than those indicated in the preamble to this act, that, then and in that case, the same shall revert to, and revest in this Common wealth. " 3. This act shall commence and be in force from and after the pass- ing thereof. " ' Thus, was this historic portion of Virginia territory des- tined to become the seat of " Fortress Monroe," one of the strongest citadels of national defense in the United States of America. XCI. JAMES PLEASANTS, JR. Governor. December i, 1822, to December i, 1825. John Pleasants, the founder of the Pleasants family in Virginia, was a native of Norwich, England, from which point he emigrated to the Colony of Virginia, settling in Henrico County, in 166S. Here he received large grants of land, and established his name as among the earliest and most respe(5led of British pioneers. James Pleasants, Jr., the subject of this sketch, was one of his most distinguished descendants. He was the son of James and Anne Pleasants, and was born in 1769. After receiving a good education he embraced the profes.sion of law, and entered upon its pra(5tice with a zeal and ability that were attended with marked suc- cess. The long periods for which he held the public offices to which he was subsequently chosen, are the best evidences of his popularity. In 1796 he was elecfled to represent Goochland County in the ^'irginia House of Delegates, and in 1803 he was chosen Clerk of that body. For seven years he filled this position most acceptably, when he was ele(5led to the United vStates House of Representatives, and here he remained until 1819, in faithful and efhcieut service. On December t, 1822, he was chosen by the General Assembly the Governor of Virginia, and occupied that station by annual re-ele(5tion until by the Constitution he was no longer eligible. He subsequently .served as a member of the important State Con.stitutional Convention of 1829-1S30. Although twice appointed to judicial position, he declined the honors offered him and retired to Goochland County, where on November 9, 1836, he closed a well-spent life. He 334 JAMES PLEASANTS, JR. 385 died universally regretted and greatly esteemed for his many public and private virtues. Governor Pleasants married Susanna Rose, and their worthy descendants are widely connecfted with prominent families in the Old Dominion. XCII. JOHN TYLER. Governor. December i, 1825, to March, 1827. A SECOND time in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a citizen bearing the honored name of John Tyler called to the highest office within her gift. John Tyler, made Governor in 1825, was the son of Governor John and Mary (Armistead) Tyler. He was born at "Greenway," his father's seat, in Charles City County, \'irginia, March 29, 1790. Early in life, he exhibited a taste for books, and entering William and Mary College at the age of twelve years, he graduated at that institution when seventeen, deliv- ering on that occasion an address which w^as pronounced to be singularly full of thought and of unusual merit. Leaving college, he now devoted himself to the study of law, in which he made such rapid progress that at the age of nineteen he appeared at the bar of his native county as a pradliciug lawyer. His success was now untjualified, and his popularity evinced by an early summons to public ofhce. In December, 181 1, he represented Charles Cit>- County in the House of Del- egates, and was re-elecled for five successive }ears. In 18 16 he was elecfled to the United vStates Congress, and was here twice re-ele(5led. Tow^ards the close of the term of 1821, ill-health compelled his resignation, and he retired for a brief season to his farm, ".Sherwood Forest," in Charles City County ; but in 1823 we see him again in the Virginia I^egis- lature, taking prominent part in all matters of public interest. In 1825 he was ele(5led by the (leneral Assembly Governor of Virginia. He was re-elecfted the following year by a unani- mous vote, but being ele(5led January iS, 1827, to succeed John Randolph in the United States Senate, he resigned the office of Governor on the 4th of March following. Thus, JOHN TYLER. 837 step by step, was this distinguished son of Virginia advancing to that highest honor which can be conferred upon an Amer- ican citizen. Whilst efhciently representing Virginia in the United States Senate, Mr. Tyler also was a member of her memorable Constitutional Convention of 1829-30. After several years of important and exciting service in the United States Senate, Mr. Tyler was in 1833 re-eledled to this body for six years. In the spring of 1838, Mr. Tyler was eledted again to the Virginia I^egislature, and in 1839 was sent a delegate to the Convention that met at Harrisburg, Pennsyl- vania, to nominate a candidate for President of the United States. He was cho.sen Vice-President of the Convention. The choice of this body having fallen upon General William Henry Harrison for President, Mr. Tyler was chosen Vice-President. They were both ele(5led, and were inaugurated March 4, 1841. President Harrison dying April 4, after one brief month's ad- ministration, Mr. Tyler became President of the ITnited States. President Tyler's term was full of interest and impor- tance. During this period the valuable territory of Texas was annexed to the United States and became an influential addition to the Union ; the acft establishing a uniform system of proceedings in bankruptcy was passed in August, 1 84 1, and the protective tariff law created in 1842. During the excitement of the Democratic Convention at Baltimore, Maryland, assembled to nominate candidates for President and Vice-President in 1844, Mr. Tyler was the first choice of a large following for the ofhce of President, but he with- drew from the contest and retired after many well-spent years of public service to the leisure of private life. From this repose he was again called by the stirring events of 1861. He presided with great dignity over the momentous deliber- ations of the Peace Conference, which was proposed by the Virginia Legislature at his suggestion, and which met in Willard's Hall, at Washington, D. C, February 4. 1861. Subsequently he was a member of the first Confederate vStates Congress, and died at Richmond, X'irginia, January 17. 1862, while holding that office. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery, and was laid to rest in the bosom of his native state, deeply and wiiiely mourned. XCIII. WILLIAM B. GILES. Governoi'. March, 1827, to March, 1830. Wiij.iAM Branch Gilks, an American statesman, de- scended from early colonial settlers, was born in Amelia Count}', Virginia, August 12,1762. Beginning his education at William and Mary College, he pursued his studies at Princeton College, New Jersey, from whence he graduated with distincflion in 1781. Embracing the profession of law he soon obtained a lucrative pra(5lice in Petersburg, Virginia, and in August, 1790, his ability for public life was shown by his ele(5lion to the United vStates House of Representatives. He began his entrance upon politics as a Federalist, but sepa- rated himself from his party upon the question of establishing a United States Bank, and allied his future fortunes to the Democratic standard. In 1798 he declined a seat in Congress that he might aid James Madison in the General Assembly of X'irginia (where he represented Amelia County), in passing the celebrated Resolutions of 1798. In iSoo he was again ele(5led to Congress, where he was one of President Jefferson's most zealous supporters. In 1803 Mr. Giles declined a re-election to Congress, and in August. 1804, was ele(5led by the Ivxecutive Council of Virginia to the United States Senate, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Wilson Cary Nicholas. Here he took at once the position of Democratic leader, and held it until 181 1, when he openl}- manifested his opposition to the administration of President Madison. On January 2, 181 1, he was re-ele(5f;ed to the United States Senate by the Virginia Assembly, but resigned his seat, November 23, 1815, before completing this term, which did not expire until March WlLLlAI\r p.. GILES. 339 4, 1817. Remaining in retirement from 1815 to 1826, he was induced to become a member of the lyCgislature as a delegate from Amelia County. In this year he was ele(5led by the General Assembly, Governor of Virginia, which ofhce he held by annual re-election until 1830. He was a meml)er of the State Constitutional Convention of 1829-30, and engaged prominently in the absorbing and momentous de- bates of that body. He died December 4, 1830, at his seat, " The Wigwam." in Amelia County, in the 69th year of his age. ,Mr. Giles married, March 3, 1810, Miss Frances Anne Gwynn, and their son, Thomas T. Giles, became a distin- guished member of the Richmond Bar; their other children, connecfted with various prominent families in Virginia, have left able and honorable descendants. Giles Count}', Virginia, formed in 1806 from the Counties of Monroe and Tazewell, was named in honor of William Branch Giles. XCIV. JOHN FLOYD. Governor. March, 1830, to March, 1834. John Floyd, Governor of Virginia, was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, April 24, 1783. He was the son of John Floyd, a man conspicuous in the stirring scenes in which he lived, and memorable as a surveyor, a legislator, and a sol- dier in the interesting annals of Kentucky and Virginia, from I 769 to 1783. John Floyd, Jr., was educated at Dickenson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and at the age of twenty-one married, in Kentucky, his cousin Letitia, daughter of Colonel William Preston. Later, he graduated in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and settled in Montgomery County, Virginia. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in June. 1807 ; com- missioned as Major of Militia in 1808; ser\'ed as surgeon in the Virginia Line in 181 2, in the second war with Great Britain, and in the same year was elected a member of the House of Delegates of Virginia. In 1817 he was eledted to the United States House of Representatives, and efficiently served in that body until 1829. In 1830 Mr. Floyd was ele(5led Governor of Virginia hy the General Assembly, and filled this office most acceptably until 1834. His health having become very delicate he retired from public life, and died suddenly at the vSweet Springs, Montgomery County, August 15, 1837. In the second year of Governor Floyd's administration as chief executive of Virginia, occurred the notable event known as the "Southampton Insurrection." This was a futile up- rising of a few negroes led on to deeds of blood by a master-spirit, whose desire it was to exterminate the white 34U I JOHN FLOYD. '341 race. This tragic event took place in the County of South- ampton, south of James River, in the summer of 1831. Unlike Gabriel (the negro leader of the servile insurrecflion of 1800), who was twenty-four years of age, tall and powerful in person, with a grim and repulsive face scarred by fighting, the leader of the Southampton Insurrecftion was a negro of feeble person, but of great cunning. He passed among his people as a prophet, and by his powerful influence over them filled them with a thirst for blood. Nat Turner, this swarthy leader, attacked his master's house, killed him. his wife, and children with the axe, and with his band put to sudden and violent death fifty-five whites, almost all of whom were women and children. The men of the county, aroused by these atrocities, pursued the insurgents, killed many and captured others, thirteen of whom were hung with Nat Turner, their wicked "prophet." These events caused great excitement throughout Vir- ginia, but the man at the head of affairs in the Old Dominion was read}' for the emergency. It was said of him : " None who knew Governor Floyd well could have failed to receive the impression that nature had endued him with the qualities of the hero, and that the .stage and the opportunity only, were wanting to have enabled him to shine among those who daz- zled mankind with deeds of chivalry and prowess." He was a man of unusually handsome and commanding appearance, and in those days of anxiety during the " Southampton Insur- rection," the people of Virginia felt that in their Governor they possessed a tower of strength — a man whose wisdom and valor were equal to anj- emergency. He took efficient means to suppress this insurrecffionary spirit, but the tragic story of Nat Turner and his murderous allies still lends a painful interest to this administration. Floyd County, Virginia, formed in 1831 from Montgomery County, was named in honor of Governor Floyd, and his record is that of a man gifted with the noblest qualities of human nature, who finished his course untouched by blame, and died as he had lived, the inflexibly upright and devoted patriot. xcv. LITTLETON WALLER TAZEWELL. Governor. March, 1834, to April 30, 1836. LiTTLKTON Waller Tazkwell. son of Judge Henry Tazewell and Dorothea Waller Tazewell, was born December 17, 1774. The founder of his family was of English origin. William Tazewell, lawyer, the first settler in \'irginia. arrived in the Colony in 17 15, and made his home in Accomac County. His second son, Littleton, was the father of Judge Henry Tazewell, in whose honor the County of Tazewell. Virginia (formed in 1799 from Russell and Wythe), was named. Lit- tleton Waller Tazewell, his son, enjoyed peculiar advantages in childhood, having lived with his grandfather. Judge Ben- jamin Waller, who superintended his studies and taught him English and Latin himself. When Judge Waller was dying he committed young Tazewell to the care of his life-long friend, the distinguished George Wythe. This threw him into very intimate and improving relations with the man who presided over the courts which Tazewell attended in later years in Richmond. Littleton Waller Tazewell graduated at William and Mar}^ College, and subsequently studied law, receiving his license to pradlice. May 14, 1796. He at once developed great ability in his profession. In the spring of 1796 he was returned to the House of Delegates from James Cit}- County, and continued a member of that body until 1800, when, at the age of twenty-five, he was eledled to the United States House of Representatives. At the close of his Congressional term, Mr. Tazewell returned to his home and entered upon the acftive pradlice of his profession in the City of Norfolk, which 34;; LITTLETON WALLER TAZEWELL. 343 he now made his residence, and where, in 1802, he married Anne Stratton, daughter of Colonel John Nivison. In 1816, during an absence from home, and without his knowledge, Mr. Tazewell was elecfled by the people of Nor- folk to the House of Delegates. In 1820, he was one of the Commissioners under the Florida treaty, and in 1824, he was ele(5led to the United States Senate. Here he took his seat in January, 1825, and performed an adtive and conspicuous part in senatorial affairs. In 1829 he was re-elected to the same high and responsible ofhce, and whilst in attendance on the Senate, was elecfted by the Norfolk district a member of the Convention which assembled in Richmond, Ocftober 5, 1829, to revise the first Constitution of Virginia. Here Mr. Tazewell made the opening speech and took a leading part in that memorable body. In 1829, he was also tendered the mission to England, but declined the honor. He continued in the Senate until 1833, serving as Chairman of the Com- mittee on Foreign Relations, and as President /;v? ton. of the body during a portion of the twenty-second Congress. In January, 1834, he was elected Governor of Virginia, and entered upon the duties of this office March 31 ensuing. He resigned April },o, 1836, before the expiration of the term, upon a disagreement with the State Legislature. That body had passed resolutions instru(fting the Senators from Virginia to vote for the resolutions to expunge from the journal of the Senate the resolutions censuring General Jackson. These instructions Governor Tazewell declined to approve, and he resigned his office, never afterwards appearing in public ser- vice. He is said to have been a very finished speaker, adding to consummate logic, the force of an address that was singu- larly pleasing and effective. His appearance in youth was handsome, in middle age striking, but in his latter days it might have been called almost majestic, with his commanding stature, his massive features, and hair of silvery whiteness, which fell in ringlets about his neck. He died in Norfolk, May 6, i860. He was the author of a "Review of the Negotiations between the United States and Great Britain respecting the commerce between the two countries." XCVI. WYNDHAM ROBERTSON. Lieuirnajit-CJovenio)-. April 30, 1836, to March, 1837. Wyndha:m Robertson was the grandson of William Robertson, who emigrated from Edinburgh, Scotland, in the early part of the eighteenth century, and settled in Bristol parish near the present location of Petersburg, Virginia. The son of this first settler Robertson, William the second, was born in 1750, was a vestryman, warden, and deputy of Bristol parish from 1779 to 1789, and a member of the Coun- cil of Virginia, and its Secretary for many }ears. He married Elizabeth Boiling, and Wyndham Rol^ertson, the subjedl of this sketch, was their seventh child. Wyndham first attended school in his native cit} , Rich- mond, and completed his education at William and Mary College (under the presidency of the brilliant John Augustine Smith,), from whence he graduated in 1821. Sele(5ling the profession of law, he was admitted to the bar in 1824, and became a popular .speaker and successful pracflitioner. In 1833 he was ele(5led a member of the Council of State, and was prominent in matters of internal improvement in Virginia. Being senior member of the Council, and as such, Lieu- tenant-Governor, upon the resignation of Governor Tazewell, April 30, 1836, Mr. Robertson was called to the Executive Chair. The period is very memorable as ushering in those initial movements which were the prelude to a great and bloody drama. Governor Robertson, upon the expiration of his guber- natorial term, retired to private life, and as his health had become impaired he now followed more .specially the inter- esting pursuits of agriculture. But in 1858 he returned to 344 WYNDHADI ROBERTSON. 345 Richmond, and in i860 was eledled to the House of Delegates. A friend to peace and the Union, he urged moderation in this epoch of excitement, and even after South Carolina and other southern states had seceded, he still earnestly advocated a refusal on the part of Virginia to follow their example. On January 7, 1861, he introduced a Resolution into the House of Delegates, known as the Anti-Coercion Resolution, denying the existence of present cause for secession, but declaring the purpose of Virginia, if a war of coercion was undertaken by the Federal Government on the seceded states, to fight with the South. The resolution was adopted, and the sequel needs no comment here. Ever a faithful son to his native state, Governor Robertson shared her trials and sorrows along the ' ' via dolorosa " of a four years' war, and after the struggle was over he addressed himself with ardor to the study of Virginia history. To this subjecfl he contributed many interesting articles, among the most valuable being a genealogical account of "The Descendants of Pocahontas." XCVII. DAVID CAMPBELL. Governor. March, 1837, to March, 1840. David Campbell was descended from a distinguished Scottish family. His father, John Campbell, was one of those Justices who, after the County of Washington had been formed, in 1776, met at Abingdon, Virginia, and organized and held the first County Court, January 28, 1776. In 1778, John Campbell married Elizabeth McDonald, and their eldest son, David, the subjecfl of this sketch, was born August 2, 1779, at "Royal Oak," in the valley of the Holstein, about one mile west of Marion, the county seat of Smyth County. When about eight years of age, his father removed to "Hall's Bottom," in Washington County, and here young David Campbell received that early education which ever forms the groundwork of future charadler. Nurtured upon the frontier of Virginia amid scenes that developed self-reliance, and among the men who had taken part in the establishment of the country, David Campbell in his fifteenth year was ready to shoulder his musket and assume the duties of a soldier. In 1794, when a mere boy, he was appointed an ensign in Captain John Davis's Company of Militia, in the 2d Battalion of the 70th Regiment. When, in 1799, the 70th Regiment was divided and the 105th formed, in the 2d Battalion of this Regiment, David Campbell was commissioned as Captain of a company of lyight Infantry assigned to it, which company he raised and organized. In this same year he married his cousin, Mary Hamilton. He now studied law and obtained a license, but never practiced his chosen profession, though he employed much time in use- 346 DAVID CAMPBELL. 347 ful reading and enriched his store of information by communion with the best authors. In this way he cultivated a naturally vigorous mind, and acquired a style for written composition which was peculiarly pleasing and forcible. Having a taste for military life he gave up the clerkship of the County Court of Washington County, which he had held from 1802 to 18 12, and on the 6th of July, 181 2, accepted a commission as Major in the 12th Infantr3^ United States Army. He marched with his command to the lakes of Canada in August following, and efficiently served there under the command successively of Generals Smyth and Van Rensselaer. On 12th March, 18 13, he was promoted to the rank of lyieutenant-Colonel of the 20th Regiment, United States Army, and participated in the trying campaigns of that regiment on the St. Lawrence and towards Lake Champlain. The exposure which Colonel Campbell here suffered seriously impaired his health, and in consequence, on Januar}- 28, 1814, he was compelled to resign his commission. Returning home he soon entered the service of Virginia as Aide-de-Camp to Governor Barbour, and gave valuable assistance in organ- izing the Militia force, called into ser\dce in the neighborhood of Richmond and Petersburg, in the summer of 18 14. In the session of the Virginia Assembl}' of 1814-15, a law was passed for raising 10,000 troops, and under it Colonel Camp- bell was ele(5led General of the 3d Brigade. On the 25th January, he was appointed Colonel of the 3d Virginia Cavalr}-, but was afterwards transferred to the 5th Regiment of Cav- alry. Upon his return to Abingdon, Virginia, he again entered the clerk's ofhce, where he continued until 1820, when he was elecfled to the Senate of Virginia. In 1824, he was elected clerk of the County Court of Washington County, and held this office until 1836, when he became Governor of Virginia. A review of the A(5ls of the General Assembly during Governor Campbell's administration, will show the great strides Virginia was now making in the march of internal development — her Railroads, Mining Companies, Manufac- tories, Foundries, Banks, and Colleges, all sharing legislative 348 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. attention and attesting the steady growth of a state whose progress, was ever "onward and upward." Governor Campbell retired to his home in Abingdon after the expiration of his term as Governor ; there he accepted the office of Justice of the Peace, which position he filled until 1852. Declining health now compelled him to withdraw from public life, where for nearly half a century he had in various capacities served his country. He died March 19, 1859, bringing to a close a well-spent life, and bearing to the grave the veneration and gratitude of his fellow-citizens. XCVIII. THOMAS WALKER GILMER. Govevfior. March, 1840, to March, 1841. Thomas Walker Gilmer, son of George Gilmer, was born at " Gilmerton," his father's seat, in Albemarle County, Virginia, April 6, 1802. The founder of the Gilmer family in Virginia, Dr. George Gilmer, was a native of Scotland and a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. Early in the iSth century he migrated to America and settled in Williamsburg, Virginia, where for fifty years he successfully combined the professions of physician, surgeon, and druggist. He married three times, each time into a family of high position, and died leaving to his numerous descendants a truly honored name. His great-grandson, Thomas Walker Gilmer, began life under very favorable auspices, receiving an extensive education from tutors and at private .schools. Later he enjoyed the instruc- tion and training of two very intellecftual uncles, and when he began the study of law his progress was rapid and sub- stantial. Entering upon his chosen profession, he was for a time allured to the growing West, tempted by the wider field there offered to aspiring industry and talent. He remained for a season in St. Louis, Missouri, where flattering prospedls spread before him, but, finding his presence missed at home, he returned to the bosom of his family. In this step he was influenced by a noble desire to aid those he loved best, by his own personal exertions. He soon took a high position at the bar in Charlottesville and in the adjacent counties, and became at once prominent in the discussion of the legal and political questions of the day. During the canvass which resulted in the elecftion of Gen- eral Andrew Jackson to his first term as President, Mr. 349 350 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Gilmer was one of the editors of the " Virginia Advocate," a newspaper published in Charlottesville and devoted to the interests of General Jackson. He also contributed to other newspapers and acquired a fine reputation as a writer. In the spring of 1829 Mr. Gilmer was sent by the County of Albemarle to the Virginia House of Delegates, and at the expiration of his first term was returned by an increased majority to this position. In 1831 Governor John Floyd appointed him Commissioner of the State to prosecute the Revolutionary claims of Virginia against the United States. In the spring of 1832 Mr. Gilmer was again eledted to the House of Delegates, and re-eledted thereto in 1833, 1835, and 1838. His time when not engaged in legislative duties was spent in traveling through the United States and contributing valuable papers to leading journals upon the various States with which he thus became familiar. In 1838 he was made Speaker of the House of Delegates, and was re-elecfted to this body in 1839. On February 14, 1840, he was eledled Governor of Virginia, to take the executive chair on the fol- lowing 31st of March. - Governor Gilmer entered upon his new duties with the zeal natural to him. Being deeply interested in the material development of Virginia, he made a careful personal inspec- tion of nearly all the important public works of the state. This tour gave him the information necessar}^ to an able elucidation of the subjecfl which he laid before the General Assembly soon after. He had now to meet a complicated and irritating question with Governor Seward, of New York, relative to the surrender of some men (charged with slave- stealing in Virginia) who were fugitives from justice. Gover- nor Gilmer demanded their unconditional surrender, deeming the refusal to do so a palpable and dangerous violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States. (See Resolutions of General Assembly of Virginia. Adopted March 17, 1840.) But New York did not respond to the demand, and the Leg- islature of Virginia receding from its position failed to sustain Governor Gilmer. Dissatisfied at this want of har- mony and proper co-operation, Governor Gilmer sent in his THOMAS WALKER GILMER. 351 resignation. Feeling ran high in the Legislature, and they were unable to ele(5l a successor, so the body adjourned, leaving the office of Governor to be filled by the Senior Coun- cillor of State, as provided by law. Governor Gilmer was thus succeeded, until the 31st of March following, by John Mercer Patton. Governor Gilmer now offered himself as a candidate for Congress from the Albemarle distri(5t, and was eledled by a handsome majority, taking his seat in the Congress which had been convened by the proclamation of President Harri- son, dated March 17th. Mr. Gilmer, in this new field of acflivity, labored zealously for reform and retrenchment, and was placed at the head of the important Standing Committee of Ways and Means. In 1843 he was re-eledled to Congress, and on February 15th, 1844, was nominated by President Tyler to be Secretary of the Navy. The nomination was unanimously confirmed and Mr. Gilmer entered upon the discharge of his duties with accustomed industry. But his labors were soon terminated by his tragic end in the catas- trophe on the steamer Princeton, February, 28, 1844. He died in the forty-second year of his age, " stricken down on the very harvest-field of his faithful labors, and with the sheaves of gathered honors standing thick around him." He had married Miss Ann E. Baker, of Staunton, and left to mourn his loss four sons and two daughters. A handsome portrait of Governor Gilmer is in the State Librar}' at Richmond, and a marble slab marks his grave at " Mt. Air," Albemarle County, Virginia. XCIX. JOHN MERCER PATTON. Senior Councillor mid A fling Governor. March i8, 1841, to March 31, 1841. John Mercer Patton was the son of the worthy Rob- ert Patton, a native of Scotland, who emigrated to America some time before the Revolution. He settled first in Charles- ton, South Carolina, but eventually moved to Fredericks- burg, Virginia, where he established himself as a merchant. Robert Patton married Anna Gordon, daughter of the distin- guished General Hugh Mercer, who fell mortally wounded at thebattleof Princeton, January 3, 1777. Theirthird son, John Mercer, is the interesting subje(5l of this sketch. He was born August 10, 1797, and enjoyed a liberal education. Adopting the profession of law, he entered upon its practice in his native town, Fredericksburg, and soon acquired an enviable distin(5tion at the bar. This being the usual path to political preferment, he was in 1830 ele(5led to the United States Congress, and continued to serve there with conspicu- ous ability until 1838, when he removed to Richmond, and was ele(?ted a member of the Council of State. Upon the resignation of Governor Gilmer, March 18, 1841, Mr. Patton, Senior Councillor, succeeded him as chief executive of Virginia until the expiration of his yearly term as Senior Councillor on the 31st March following. At that date he was succeeded by Senior Councillor John Rutherfoord in this highly important office. In ability and legal acquirement, Mr. Patton took rank among the first minds in his sedlion of country. In 1849 he 353 JOHN MERCER PATTON. 358 assisted in a revision of the Code of Virginia, and his high reputation as a lawyer was acknowledged amidst an arraj' of talent which has been scarcely surpassed at any period in the Old Dominion. Mr. Patton died at Richmond, Virginia, Ocftober 28, 1858, and his remains were interred in Shockoe Hill Cemeterj' there. A handsome fluted column of white marble, emblem- atically crowned with several volumes, marks his last resting place. He left a large and interesting family to mourn his loss and to perpetuate his name and virtues. c. JOHN RUTHERFOORD. Se7iior Coiirictllor and A fling Governor. March, 1841, to March, 1842. Thomas Rutherfoord, a native of Kircaldy, Scotland, was born in Glasgow, January 9, 1766. Having received good educational advantages and a subsequent mercantile training, he was entrusted by the firm in whose employment he was, with a cargo of goods valued at ^10,000, for dispo- sition in Virginia. The young and trusted apprentice set sail from Dublin, 0(ftober 10, 1784, furnished with a letter of recommendation to General Washington from Sir Kdward Neversham, member of Parliament from the County of Dub- lin. Thomas Rutherfoord met with deserved success, was admitted as a partner with his employers, and soon acquired the entire business as merchant, miller, importer, and ex- porter. Having at first located in Richmond, he became in time one of the largest real estate owners in the city. He developed a marked individuality of character and grew to be a clear and vigorous writer. His papers on various sub- jedls connedled with connnerce and the tariff question were considered very exhaustive and met with widespread com- mendation. He married Sarah Winston, and left thirteen children, among whom was "John," their eldest son, the subje(5l of this notice. John Rutherfoord was born in Richmond, Virginia, De- cember 6, 1792. After a thorough preliminary course at school he finished his education at Princeton, New Jersey, and adopting the profession of law, entered upon its praiftice 354 JOHN RUTHERFOORD. 355 most successfully. In 1826 he was eledled to the House of Delegates from the City of Richmond, and served, with some intervals, in that body until 1839, when he was appointed one of the Councillors of State, as provided by the amended Constitution of 1830. As Senior Councillor, Mr. Ruther- foord, on the 31st of March, 1841, succeeded John Mercer Patton as Adting Governor of Virginia, and continued to serve until March 31, 1842. Governor Rutherfoord continued as a member of the State Council until the year 1846. In 1836 he was elecfted president of the Mutual Assurance Soci- ety of Virginia, in which position he served efficiently for thirty years. He was also much interested in the volunteer military organizations of the state, and was the originator and first Captain of the Richmond Fayette Artillery organized June 20, 1 82 1. He obtained the rank of Colonel, by which title he was familiarly known. Governor Rutherfoord married, April 24, 18 16, Emily Anne Coles, and left numerous descendants. He died at Richmond, Virginia, August 3, 1866, and is buried in Shockoe Hill Cemetery, leaving the memory of a man of strong intelledt and vigorous character, combined with those enduring charms which ever attach to a modest, virtuous, unassuming gentleman. CI. JOHN M. GREGORY. Senior Councillor and ABing Governor. March, 1842, to January, 1843. John Munford Gregory, the son of John Munford and I^etitia Gregory, was born in Charles City County, Virginia, July 8, 1804. He was the descendant of early settlers in the Colony, and his progenitors had borne honorable part in the "War of the Revolution, his grandfather having been killed in adlion on the Jersey line, at a place called Quibbleton. John Munford Gregory's early education was, after the rudiments acquired at an "old field" school, pretty much self-education. He taught himself, and learned at the same time the important lesson of the dignity of labor. As a farm hand he had his toil sweetened by aspirations of a higher life, and removing to James City County, began his upward course by teaching. He then pursued the study of law, and entered William and Mary College, from which institu- tion he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of I^aw in 1830. He was, in the same 5'ear, elecfted the delegate from James City County to the Legislature, in which ofhce he served continuously until 1841, when he was ele(5led a mem- ber of the Council of State. Becoming Senior Councillor, by rotation, on March 31, 1842, he succeeded John Rutherfoord as A(5ling Governor of Virginia, and continued the chief executive of the state until Januar}^ i, 1843, when he was succeeded by Governor James McDowell. In accordance with an A(5l of the General Assembly, passed December 14, 1842, the term now for which the Governors of Virginia were 356 JOHN M. GREGORY. 357 eledied began on the first day of January next succeeding their elecflion. As an instance of Governor Gregory's modesty, it is worthy of note that he refused to occupy the gubernatorial mansion whilst filling temporarily the executive chair. His tenure of office being short he addressed himself rather to the a(ftive discharge of his official duties, ignoring the outward and visible signs, the "pomp and circumstance " of a Gov- ernor's usual surroundings. In 1853 John Munford Gregory was appointed United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, which position he held until the year i860, when he was eledled Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Virginia, serving in this capacity until 1866. At this date he was removed from office by the Federal authorities, and resuming the pradlice of his profession was soon eledled Commonwealth's Attorney for Charles City County. This post he held until 1880, when feeble health compelled his retirement from acflive labor. He removed in 1881 to Williamsburg, Virginia, to enjoy in a serene old age the rewards of a virtuous, well-spent life. The honors which he had gathered were the recompense of natural ability, steadfastness of purpose, and sterling integ- rity, than which no nobler combination can be found in all that goes to make up — a man. Governor Gregory married Miss Amanda Wallace, of Petersburg, Virginia, and a large family perpetuates his ancient and honorable name. CII. JAMES Mcdowell. Governor. January, 1843, to Jaiiuar5% 1S46. JamEvS McDowell was born at the family seat, " Cherry Grove," Rockbridge County, Virginia, Odlober 11, 1795. He was the son of James and Sarah Preston McDowell, and was descended from Ephraim McDowell, the founder of this distinguished name in Virginia. Having enjoyed peculiar advantages in elementary instrudlion, he entered Washington College, then attended Yale, and finally completed his edu- cation at Princeton, New Jersey, from which college he graduated as Master of Arts in 18 16. So pleased was young McDowell's father with his son's success at college, that upon his return home he presented him with a valuable trad; of land, about 2500 acres, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. In September, 1818, James McDowell married his cousin, Susan Preston, and removed to his plantation in Kentucky, but, his father's health failing about this time, he returned to Virginia and settled on a farm in the neighborhood of Lexington. This, he made his permanent home, and here he reared his children. In 1 83 1 Mr. McDowell was sent by Rockbridge County to the House of Delegates of Virginia, and returned again for the session of 1832-3. F'rom this time onward Mr. McDowell was continuously in public life, in the service of his state and in the National Council. In December, 1842, he was eleded by the Legislature, Governor of Virginia, and on the ist of January following entered upon the duties of his ofhce. His term was conspicuous for the piety and temperance which reigned at the gubernatorial mansion. Being an ardent Presbyterian and an advocate of the cause of temperance, he 358- JAMES McDowell. 359 left his impress upon the social world of his day as their zeal- ous champion. In every way he upheld the dignity of his high and responsible position. Whilst yet Governor of Vir- ginia he was eledled to the United States House of Repre- sentatives, and served in Congress with marked ability until 1 85 1, when death closed his adlive, useful, and distinguished career. He died at Lexington, August 24, 1851, in the fifty- sixth year of his life, leaving nine children to mourn his loss and a wide circle of friends to honor his memory. Governor McDowell's ability was of a superior order, and his grave and moderate course strengthened the influence which his intelle(ftual power secured. As a speaker he is said to have been eloquent and effe(5tive, and by his high and noble bearing he adorned every situation he was called upon to fill. cm. WILLIAM SMITH. Goverjwr. January i, 1846, to January i, 1849. William Smith, son of William and Mary Waugh Smith, descended from some of the earliest settlers of Virginia, was born September 6, 1797, in King George County. Here he received his first instru(5lion in the "old field" schools, around which primitive cradles of learning so much romantic interest now settles. Later, young Smith enjoyed tuition in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Plainfield, Connedlicut, and subsequently was sent to a classical school at " Wingfield," Hanover County, Virginia. Adopting the profession of law, William Smith obtained his license and qualified in the Court of Culpeper County, August, 1819. His ardor and ability soon gained for him success, and his taste for politics opened a wide field for his ambitious spirit. In 1836 he was eledled to the Virginia State Senate, and served through the term of four years ; was re-ele(fted, but resigned after serving one session. Early in Mr. Smith's public career he had been convinced of the necessity for improved mail facilities in Virginia and the South. In 1827 he obtained from the United States government a contracfl for carrying the mails once a week from Fairfax Court House to Warrenton, and thence to Cul- peper Court House. This contracft was renewed in 1831, and led to the establishment, in four years, of a daily four-horse post-coach line from Washington City to Milledgeville, Georgia. In 1 84 1 Mr. Smith was elected to Congress, and served in that body until 1843, and in December, 1845, he was eledled 360 WILLIAM SMITH. 361 Governor of Virginia for the term of three years, succeeding James McDowell, January i, 1846. Among the interesting Adls passed during Governor Smith's administration is that of March 13, 1847, viz.: " ^^ it cnaRcd by the General Assembly 0/ the Coinmonzvcalth oj Virginia, That the territory comprising the County of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia, heretofore ceded by this Commonwealth to the United States, and by an Act of Congress, approved on the ninth day of July, eighteen hundred and forty-six, retroceded to this Commonwealth, and by it accepted, is hereby declared to be an integral portion of this Commonwealth, and the citizens thereof are hereby declared to be subject to all the provisions and entitled to all the benefits, rights, and privileges of the Bill of Rights and Constitution of this Commonwealth." Governor Smith's term is also to be remembered as the period of the war with Mexico and the excited discussion of the admission of California as a state into the Union. This new country of the golden fleece was drawing men from every quarter of the globe, and thither Governor Smith now (1850) turned his steps. He engaged at once in the pradlice of his profession in San Francisco, w^as returned b}^ that city as its delegate to the Constitutional Convention which met at Beni- cia in the fall of 1850, and was unanimously elecfled the permanent President of that body. In the State Assembly which convened soon after. Governor Smith was nominated for United States Senator, but was not eledled. In 1852 he determined to return to Virginia, bringing a handsome addi- tion to his means and increased reputation as the result of a two years' residence upon the Pacific slope. In May, 1853, Governor Smith was ele(5led to Congress from Virginia, and served in this body by successive re-ele(5lion until March 4, 1861. At this period, the late war betw-een the se(5lions was approaching, and Governor Smith, though in his sixty- fourth year, entered the army in the Southern cause. Offer- ing his services to the Governor of Virginia he was commis- sioned Colonel and assigned to the command of the 49th Regiment of Virginia Infantry. In the autumn of 1861 Colonel Smith was elecfted to the Confederate States Congress, XXIV 362 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. He attended this body when 'it convened at Richmond in P'ebruary, 1862, leaving his Regiment in the command of the Lieutenant-Colonel. Upon the adjournment of Congress, April 16, he rejoined his command. At the reorganization of the Regiment, May ist, he was re-eledled its Colonel, upon which he resigned his seat in Congress, participating there- after, with his command, in the historic operations on the Peninsula, about Yorktown, and later in those near Rich- mond. In the battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland, September 17, 1862, Colonel Smith was severely wounded, but before the wounds were healed he returned to the field and took command of the 4th Brigade, having been promoted to the rank of Brig- adier-General. General Smith now announced himself as a candidate for Governor of Virginia, was eledted by a large majority, and entered upon his duties as chief executive, Jan- uary I, 1864. Early in August, 1863, he had been promoted to the rank of Major-General. In a later chapter in this work will be recorded some of Governor Smith's valuable services in this desperate period of Virginia's history. CIV. JOHN BUCHANAN FLOYD. Governor. January i, 1849, to January i, 1S52. John Buchanan Fi,oyd was the eldest son of Governor John and Letitia Preston Floyd, and was born at Smithfield, Montgomery (now Pulaski) County, June i, 1806. Receiv- ing his early education through private tutors, he entered the College of South Carolina, from which institution he graduated in 1826. Choosing law as his profession, he was admitted to the bar in 1828, and commenced pracftice in his native county. In 1836 he removed to Helena, Arkansas, where for three years he pra(5liced his profession successfully, but in 1839 he determined to return to Virginia and locate in Washington County. Being an ardent Democrat and a fluent, impressive speaker, Mr. Floyd now became a prominent politician, and in 1847 was returned by Washington County to the House of Delegates of Virginia, and whilst a member of the Assembly was ele(5ted by it Governor of Virginia, to succeed Governor William Smith, January i, 1849. It is a matter of interest, that Crawford's monument, known as the "Washington Monument," which adorns the public square around the capitol, in Richmond, was com- menced during Governor Floyd's term. This noble work of art consi.sts of a bronze equestrian statue of Wa.shington, rising from a granite pedestal, surrounded by bronze figures of Thomas Nelson, Jr., Andrew Lewis, John Marshall, Pat- rick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and George Ma.son. When the equestrian .statue arrived in Richmond, Virginia, November, 1 857 , it was drawn through the streets of the city, from the river- landing to the Capitol vSquare, Ijy the enthusiastic citizens. The allegorical figures on this monument greatly enhance :JC.-5 364 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. its beauty and its value as an historical compendium of the deeds and virtues of many other unrecorded Virginians whose memory it honors. The following indicates the position of the statuary and the inscriptions on the shields of the allegor- ical figures : /^/;/««f^, opposite, Thomas Nelson, Jr. a^^^^'^^"" Colonial Times, opposite, Andrerv Leivis.-, y ,, p ' Justice, opposite, 7(7/% « DIarshall. [ ^^^^ ?ih?f ' Revoltition, opposite, Patrick Henry. ] x^ent^tf^'^"'^^" Independence, opposite, Thomas Jefferson. | prftJeton^"""^'"'"' Bill oj Rights, opposite, George Mason. -| Bunker ^mii^' Upon the expiration of Governor Floyd's gubernatorial term, he was succeeded by Governor Joseph Johnson, January I, 1852. In 1855, Governor Floyd was again returned to the House of Delegates, by Washington County, and entering adlively and efficiently into the political affairs of the day, he became a prominent Democratic leader in Virginia. In March, 1857, he was appointed by President Buchanan as Secretary of War, and applied himself with great diligence to the fulfill- ment of the duties of this office. But, as the late, unhappy war between the secftions was now drawing on, questions arose which induced Governor Floyd to resign his Cabinet position and return to his native state. On May 23, 1861, he was appointed a Brigadier-General in the Confederate States Army. He received later, for his honorable services, the commission of Major-General, but constant exposure in a(flive military operations had so affedled his health, that he was compelled to return home, where he shortly after died, on August 26, 1863. Governor Flo^^d married in early life his cousin, Sarah Buchanan Preston, but left no children. cv. JOSEPH JOHNSON. Governor. January i, 1852, to January r, 1856. In reviewing the career of Joseph Johnson, the triumph of natural ability and lofty charadler over the inauspicious circumstances of his early life is very striking. He was born in New York, but moved with his family to Harrison County, Virginia, at the age of fifteen years. Here he was the sup- port of his widowed mother and younger brother, with no advantages for learning other than his own self-help. Grad- ually his industry and probity won their way, and he became first, employee, then manager, and finally the son-in-law of a respeiftable farmer in the neighborhood where he lived. In the end he purchased the estate of his former patron, and the place continued to be his home until the close of his life. Mr. Johnson was eminently a self-made man, and his education, the result of solitary study by night and a contin- uous application of his powers in the search for knowledge. In a debating society which he originated in a village near his home, he developed ability as a thinker and a speaker, but it was as the Captain of a Rifle Company (when the Atlantic sea-board was threatened in 18 14, and he with his command were ordered to Norfolk) that he first came into public notice. From this time on, Mr. Johnson's long and a(5live life was replete with gathering honors and usefulness. In 1 818 he was elecfted to the Virginia House of Delegates, and again in 1822, declining re-eledlion at the expiration of this last term. In 1823, he was sent to Congress, and in 1845, was elecfted to that body for the seventh time. At the close of the 29th Congress, in 1847, Mr. Johnson issued an address to his con.stituents, thanking them for their past con- 366 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. fidence, and expressing his wish to retire permanently from public life. But the people could not spare him yet, and he was returned to the House of Delegates, where he served in the session of 1847-48. In 1850 he was elelayed itself in a ])ersistent denial of the ccjual rights of the citizens of each State to settle with their jjnjjjcrty in the common territory acquired l)y tlie blood and treasure of all. It is shown in their openly avowed determination to circumscribe the institution of slavery within the territory of the States now recognizing it, the inevitable effect of which would be to fill the present slave-holding States with an ever increasing negro jjopulation, resulting in the banish- ment of our own non-slavc-holding jjopulation in the first instance, and the eventual surrender of our country to a barbarous race, or, what seems to be desired, an amalgamation with the African. And it has at last culminated in the election, by a secflional majority of the free States alone, to the first office in the Republic, of tlie author of the sentiment that there is an "irrepressible conflict" between free and slave labor, and that there must be universal freedom or universal slavery ; a sentiment which inculcates, as a necessity of our situation, warfare between the two sections of our country without cessation or intermission until the weaker is reduced to subjection. In view of this state of things, wc are not inclined to rebuke or censure the ]jeople of any of our sister States in the South, suffering from injury, goaded by insults, and threatened with such outrages and wrongs, for their bold determination to relieve themselves from such injustice and oppres- sion, by resorting to their ultimate and sovereign right to dissolve the compact which they had formed, and to provide new guards for their future security. JOHN LETCHER. 373 Nor have wc any doubt of the right of any State, there being no com- mon umpire between co-c(|ual sovereign States, to judge for itself, on its own responsibility, as to the mode and measure of redress. The States, each for itself, exercised this sovereign power when they dissolved their connection with the British Empire. They exercised the same power when nine of the States seceded from the Confederation and adopted the present Constitution, though two States at first rejected it. The Articles of Confederation stipulated that those Articles should be inviolably observed by every State, and that the I'nion should be perpetual, and that no alteration should be made unless agreed to by Congress and confirmed by every State. Notwithstanding this solemn compact, a portion of the States did, without the consent of the others, form a new compadl ; and there is nothing to show, or by which it can be shown, that this right has been, or can be, diminished so long as the vStates continue sovereign. The Confederation was assented to by the Legislature for each State ; the Constitution, by the people of each State for such State alone. One is as binding as the other, and no more so. The Constitution, it is true, established a government, and it operates directly on the individual ; the Confederation was a league ojicrating pri- marily on the vStates. But each was adopted by the State for itself; in the one case by the Legislature acting for the State ; in the other, "by the people, not as individuals composing one nation, but as composing the distinct and independent States to which they respectively belong." The foundation, therefore, on which it was established was yi'rt'r;'«/, and the vState, in the exercise of the same sovereign authority by which she ratified for herself, may, for herself, abrogate and annul. The operation of its ])owers, whilst the State remains in the Confed- erac}', is national; and consequently, a State remaining in the Confederacy and enjoying its benefits cannot, by any mode of procedure, withdraw its citizens from the obligation to obey the Constitution and the laws passed in pursuance thereof. But, when a State does secede, the Constitution and laws of the United States cease to operate therein. No power is conferred on Congress to enforce them. Such authority was denied to the Congress in the Conven- tion which framed the Constitution, because it would be an act of war of nation against nation — not the exercise of the legitimate power of a gov- ernment to enforce its laws on those subject to its jurisdiction. The assumption of such a power would be the assertion of a prerogative claimed by the British Government to legislate for the colonies in all cases •whatever ; it would constitute of itself a dangerous attack on the rights of the States, and should be promptly repelled. These principles, resulting from the nature of our system of Confed- erate States, cannot admit of question in Virginia. 374 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. Our people in convention, by their act of ratification, declared and made known that the powers granted under the Constitution being derived from the people of the United States, may be resumed by them whenever they shall be perverted to their injurj' and oppression. From what people were these powers derived ? Confessedly from the people of each vState, acting for themselves. By whom were they to be resumed or taken back ? By the people of the State who were then grant- ing them away. Who were to determine whether the powers granted had been perverted to their injurj' or oppression? Not the whole people of the United States, for there could be no oppression of the whole with their own consent ; and it could not have entered into the conception of the convention that the powers granted could not be resumed until the oppres- sor himself united in such resumption. They asserted the right to resume in order to guard the people of Vir- ginia, for whom alone the convention could act, against the oppression of an irresponsible and sedlional majority, the worst form of oppression with which an angry Providence has ever aflBidied humanity. Whilst, therefore, we regret that any State should, in a matter of com- mon grievance, have determined to adl for herself without consulting with her sister States equall}^ aggrieved, we are nevertheless constrained to say that the occasion justifies and loud!}' calls for adlion of some kind. The elcdtion of a President, by a se(5\ional majority, as the representa- tive of the principles referred to, clothed with the patronage and power incident to the office, including the authority to appoint all the postmas- ters and other officers charged with the execution of the laws of the United States, is itself a standing menace to the South — a diredl assault upon her institutions — an incentive to robbery and insurredlion, reqiiiring from our own immediate local government, in its sovereign character, prompt action to obtain additional guarantees for equality and security in the Union, or to take measures for protecflion and security without it. In view, therefore, of the present condition of our country, and the causes of it, we declare almost in the words of our fathers, contained in an address of the freeholders of Botetourt, in February, 1775, to the delegates from Virginia to the Continental Congress, "That we desire no change in our government whilst left to the free enjoyment of our equal privileges secured by the Constitution ; but, that should a wicked and tyrannical sec- tional majority^ under the sandtion of the forms of the Constitution, per- sist in adts of injustice and violence towards us, they only must be answer- able for the consequences. "That liberty is so strongly impressed upon our hearts that we cannot think of parting with it but with our lives; that our duty to God, our country, ourselves and our posterity forbids it; we stand, therefore, pre- pared for every contingency." Resolved, therefore, That in view of the fadts set out in the foregoing preamble, it is the opinion of this meeting that a convention of the peo- JOHN LETCHER. 375 pie should be called forlliAvith ; that the vState, in its sovereign characfler, should consult Avith the other Southern States, and agree upon such guar- antees as in their opinion will secure their equality, tranquility and rights within the Union, and in the event of a failure to obtain such guarantees, to adopt in concert with the other Southern States, or alone, such meas- ures as may seem most expedient to protect the rights and insure the safety of the people of Virginia. And in the event of a change in our relations to the other vStatcs being rendered necessary-, that the convention so elected should recommend to the people, for their adoption, such alterations in our vStatc constitution as may adapt it to the altered condition of the State and country. The following Ordinances of hvo Conventions, held upon the soil of Virginia, the one at Richmond, April and May, iS6i, and the other at Wheeling, June, 1861, will give also some idea of the disorder which was about to shake the pillars of the old Commonwealth to their foundations : AN ORDINANCE To repeal the ratification of the Constitution of the United vStates of America, by the State of Virginia, and to resume all the rights and powers granted under said Constitution. Adopted by the Convention of Virginia on April 17th, 1861. Richmond, Virginia. The people of Virginia, in their ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America, adopted by them in convention on the twenty- fifth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight, having declared that the powers granted under the said Con- stitution were derived from the people of the United States, and might be resumed whensoever the same should be perverted to their injury and oppression ; and the Federal Government having perverted said powers, not only to the injun,- of the people of Virginia, hvA. to the oppression of the Southern slaveholding States : Now, therefore, we the people of Virginia do declare and ordain, that the ordinance adopted by the people of this State in convention on the twenty-fifth day of June in the year of our L,ord one thousand seven hun- dred and eighty-eight, whereby the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified, and all acts of the General Assembly of this vState rat- ifying or adopting amendments to said Constitution, are hereby repealed and abrogated; that the union between the State of Virginia and the other States under the Constitution aforesaid is hereby dissolved, and that the State of Virginia is in the full possession and exercise of all the rights of sovereignty which belong and appertain to a free and independent State. And they do further declare, that said Constitution of the United States of America is no longer binding on any of the citizens of this State. h: 376 THE GOVERNORS OE VIRGINIA. This ordinance shall take effect and be an act of this day, when rati- fied by a majority of the votes of the people of this State, cast at a poll to be taken thereon on the fourth Thursday in May next, in pursuance of a schedule hereafter to be enacted. Done in convention, in the city of Richmond, on the seventeenth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty- one, and in the eighty-fifth year of the Commonwealth of Virginia. A DECLARATION Of the people of Virginia represented in Convention at the City of Wheel- ing, Thursday, June 13th, 1861. The true purpose of all government is to promote the welfare and pro- vide for the protection and security of the governed, and when any form or organization of government proves inadequate for, or subversive of this purpose, it is the right, it is the duty of the latter to alter or abolish it. The Bill of Rights of Virginia, framed in 1776, reaffirmed in 1830, and again in 185 1, expressly reserves this right to a majority of her people. The act of the General Assembly, calling the Convention which assembled at Richmond in February last, without the previously expressed consent of such majority, was therefore a usurpation ; and the Convention thus called has not only abused the powers nominally entrusted to it, but, with the connivance and active aid of the executive, has usurped and exercised other powers, to the manifest injviry of the people, which, if permitted, will inevitably subjedl them to a military despotism. The Convention, by its pretended ordinances, has required the people of Virginia to separate from and wage war against tlie government of the United States, and against the citizens of neighboring States, with whom they have heretofore maintained friendly social and business relations: It has attempted to subvert the union founded by Washington and his co-patriots in the purer days of the Republic, which has conferred unex- ampled prosperity upon every class of citizens, and upon every section of the country : It has attempted to transfer the allegiance of the people to an illegal confederacy of rebellious States, and required their submission to its pre- tended edicts and decrees : It has attempted to place the whole military force and military opera- tions of the Commonwealth under the control and direction of such Con- federacy, for offensive as well as defensive purposes : It has, in conjunction with the State Executive, instituted wherever their usurped power extends, a reign of terror, intended to suppress the free expression of the will of the people, making elections a mockerv' and a fraud : The same combination, even before the passage of the pretended Ordinance of Secession, instituted war by the seizure and appropriation of the property of the Federal Government, and by organizing and mobilizing JOHN LETCHER. 377 armies, with the avowed purpose of capturing or destroying the Capital of the Union : They have attempted to bring the allegiance of the people of the United States into direct conflict with their subordinate allegiance to the State, thereby making obedience to their pretended Ordinances, treason against the former. We, therefore, the delegates here assembled in Convention to devise such measures and take such action as the safety and welfare of the loyal citizens of Virginia may demand, having maturely considered the prem- ises, and viewing with great concern the deplorable condition to which this once happy Commonwealth must be reduced unless some regular, adequate remedy is speedily adopted, and appealing to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for the rectitude of our intentions, do hereby, in the name and on the behalf of the good people of Virginia, solemnly declare, that the preservation of their dearest rights and liberties, and their security in per- son and property, imperatively demand the re-organization of the govern- ment of the Commonwealth, and that all acts of said Convention and Executive, tending to separate this Commonwealth from the United States, or to levy and carry on war against them, are without authority and void ; and that the offices of all who adhere to the said Convention and Executive, whether legislative, executive, or judicial, are vacated. Governor I,etcher loved the Union deeply, and his voice was raised for moderation, conciliation, and for peace; but, when Virginia severed her bonds from the government she had so largely helped to establish, then her loyal Governor stood by her side. Bravely did he fulfill his duty. Every energy was devoted to the cause ; and for nearly three years he controlled the war policy of the State, and was a strong support to the Southern Confederacy. During the war his home was burned, but when hostilities had ceased, and the white dove of peace had settled on the land, Governor I^etcher, emancipated from prison, where he had for several months been confined by the Federal authorities, returned to lycxing- ton, and sought to build anew his shattered fortunes. In 1875 he was elecfted to the House of Delegates, and in 1876, whilst in attendance upon the Assembly, was suddenly stricken with paralysis. He passed peacefully away at Lex- ington, January 26th, 1884, closing a valuable life, crowned with the love and esteem of his fellow-citizens. A joint resolution of respedl to his memory was passed by the XXV 378 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. General Assembly, then in session, from which the following is an extradl, viz. : "Through a life-time covering the most eventful period in the history of Virginia, the great powers of his mind and the warm affections of his heart were devoted with constant faithfulness and energy to the service of his State and Country. As a representative of Virginia in the Congress of the United States, as her Governor in the most trying epoch of her history, he won the love and admiration of her people, and a place in that history, where his name will live as long as unswerving honesty in the administra- tion of public trust and great ability, wisdom and patriotism in the discharge of official duty, shall be honored among men." He left a widow and seven children to mourn his loss. A portrait of Governor L^etcher adorns the State I^ibrary at Richmond, Virginia. CVIII. WILLIAM SMITH. Governor. January i, 1864, to May 9, 1865. We now return to our review of William Smith's life, and find him, on January i, 1864, entering for the second time upon the administration of civil affairs as Chief Executive of Virginia. His experience of adlive life as a soldier up to this time had made him familiar with many needs of the military service of his country, and these his fertile genius now rose to meet. Finding that local defense was indispens- able at Richmond, the place being often menaced by the enemy, Governor Smith promptly organized two regiments of men exempt from duty by reason of disability, age or non- age, etc., attaching to each regiment a company of cavalry. When the city was threatened afterwards, he assumed the command of these troops, and on several occasions they ren- dered highly important service. Again Governor Smith realized fully, from personal observation, the great necessity of supplies for the Southern Army, and by his independent and sagacious plans in this behalf, he materially assisted the Confederate commissariat. His measures were eminently successful, and at the close of the war, the Confederacy was indebted to Virginia in the sum of $300,000, for supplies obtained through the agency of Governor Smith. Upon the evacuation of Richmond, April 3, 1865, Governor Smith determined to remove the seat of government to I^yncli- burg, Virginia. Three days after his arrival there *General Lee surrendered to General Grant. Again attempting to follow the fortunes of the Confederacy, he moved yet farther south, to Danville, Virginia. Here his hopes were shattered, * See Note C. 879 380 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. and he returned to his home, surrendered himself to the Fed- eral authorities and received his parole. After the war he resided in Warrenton, Virginia, and there, for a time, enjoyed the serene pleasures of a green old age. He passed from the arena of human life in this quiet home, having sur- vived his wife, who had been his companion since 1811 ; but he left several children to perpetuate the memory of the worthy deeds of their distinguished father. With the close of Governor Smith's second term, drew near, also, the end of the war between the States ; a war that did not cease until the battles had numbered 2,261, nor until, for four long years, the South had been drenched in blood. But, with the end came peace, and only such peace as could be bought at such a price ; the peace of calm after storm, of consent after confiidl ; the peace of forgetfulness and forgive- ness ; the peace which the fathers bought and which the sons had only for a season chased from the Ark of their Cove- nant — the hallowed American Union. CIX. FRANCIS H. PIERPOINT. Governor. May 9, 1865, to April 16, 1868. Francis H. Pierpoint, descended from early settlers of New York and Central Pennsylvania, who had migrated to Virginia, was born January 25th, 1814, in Monongalia County, Virginia. His father was a farmer and also con- ducfted a tannery, in both of which occupations he was assisted by his son, Francis. Young Pierpoint's educational advantages were at this time very limited, but in June, 1835, he entered Alleghany College, at Meadville, Pennsylvania, from whence he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in September, 1839. He now taught school until 1841, when he removed to Mississippi, still continuing a teacher. In 1842 he returned to Virginia, and having studiously applied himself, during his hours of leisure, to the acquisi- tion of the principles of law, he was now admitted a practi- tioner in his chosen profession. From 1848, for a period of eight years, he served as the local counsel of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, for the Counties of Marion and Taylor. In 1853 he engaged in mining and shipping coal by rail, and a little later, in the manufadture of fire bricks. He early took an adlive interest in politics, and became prominent in his se(5tion as an uncompromising opponent of slavery. When the Ordinance of Secession was passed, April 17, 1861, by the State Convention at Richmond, it was ratified by the people of Eastern Virginia, whilst the vote in Western Virginia was largely against it. In this anomalous attitude of affairs, Mr. Pierpoint conceived the idea of a " restored government," and at his suggestion a Convention rw viasse 3K1 382 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. was held at Wheeling. This led, finally, to the separation of West Virginia from the parent State, and the organization of an independent State government, upon which was en- grafted the intention of the people to maintain the rights of the Commonwealth in the Union. Francis H. Pierpoint was chosen ' ' Provisional Governor ' ' of this ' ' restored gov- ernment," by Convention, and he immediately organized twelve Regiments of Militia to serve in the United States Army. Subsequently a State Constitution was framed, which was ratified by the people of West Virginia, on May 3, 1862, and Governor Pierpoint was elecfted Governor, to fill the remaining portion of the term of Governor lyCtcher, as West Virginia, had declared that the fundlions of all offi- cers in the State of Virginia who adhered to the Southern Confederac}^ were suspended, and the offices vacated. West Virginia was admitted as a State into the Union on June 20, 1863, and Governor Pierpoint, who had been eledled iJ^ yf^ • in the month of May for the term of three, years commencing V January i, 1864, now removed the seat of government to Alexandria, Virginia. At his request a Convention was called to pass an Ordinance of general slave emancipation, and this, on February 22, 1864 was consummated in an Ordinance abolishing slavery in the State forever. On the 25th of May, 1865, Governor Pierpoint removed his seat of Government to Richmond, the capital of Virginia. Here he addressed himself to the tremendous difficulties of the situation, but he clearly had the good of the people at heart, and, by every effort and influence, he struggled, and not in vain, to mitigate the trials of those by whom he was surrounded. He continued in office beyond the period of his term, which expired January i, 1868, and held until April 16, 1868, when he was succeeded by General H. H. Wells, appointed Provisional Governor by General John M. Scho- field, commanding the Military Department of Virginia. Governor Pierpoint now retired to private life. As an interesting pi(5ture of political affairs in Virginia at this time, the following Resolutions of the General Assembly are here quoted : FRANCIS H. PIER POINT. 383 JOINT RESOLUTIONS Requesting the President of the United States to grant a general Amnesty to the Citizens of Virginia. Adopted December 15, 1S65. Whereas, the people of Virginia are invited by the President of the United States to unite, at this time, in giving thanks to Almighty God for the return of peace and the restoration of the ancient relations between the government of the United States and themselves — relations which it is desirable should be universal, and without exception of individuals ; and whereas, observation and experience have impressed the members of this General Assembly with the conviction that the more liberal exercise of executive clemency is the surest and speediest me^ns of overcoming estrangements and reawakening those sentiments of attachment and devo- tion in which a government, based on the consent of the governed, will always find its best support and strongest defence : and whereas, in the stricken and prostrate condition of this Commonwealth, it is of vital importance that all of her citizens (who, from experience in public affairs and from the influence they command, are capable of aiding in her resus- citation) should be relieved from such disabilities as impair their capacity for usefulness : Therefore, Be it resolved by the General Assembly, That the President be earn- estly reqiiested to grant a general pardon to all citizens of Virginia requir- ing executive clemency under existing laws of the United States. ' JOINT RESOIvUTlONS Approving the Policy of the President of the United States, in reference to the Reconstruction of the Union. Adopted February 6, 1866. 1. Resolved by the General Assembly of Virginia, That the people of this Commonwealth, and their representatives here assembled, cordially approve the policy pursued by Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, in the reorganization of the Union. We accept the result of the late contest, and do not desire to renew what has been so conclusively de- termined; nor do we mean to permit any one, subject to our control, to attempt its renewal, or to violate any of our obligations to the United States Government. We mean to co-operate in the wise, firm, and just policy adopted by the President, with all the energy and power we can devote to that object. 2. That the above declaration expresses the sentiments and purposes of all our people ; and we denounce the efforts of those who represent our views and intentions to be different, as cruel and criminal assaults on our character and our interests. It is one of the misfortunes of our present political condition, that we have among us persons whose interests are temporarily promoted by such false representations; but we rely on the intelligence and integrity of those who wield the powers of the United States Government, for our safeguard against such malign influences. 384 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. 3. That involuntary servitude, except for crime, is abolished, and ought not to be re-established ; and that the negro race among us should be treated with justice, humanity, and good faith; and every means that the wisdom of the Legislature can devise, should be used to make them useful and intelligent members of society. 4. That Virginia will not voluntarily consent to change the adjust- ment of political power fixed by the Constitution of the United States; and to constrain her to do so in her present prostrate and helpless condi- tion, with no voice in the councils of the nation, would be an unjustifiable breach of faith ; and that her earnest thanks are due to the President for the firm stand he has taken against amendments of the Constitution, forced through in the present condition of affairs. 5. That a committee of eight be appointed, five on the part of this House and three on the part of the Senate, whose duty it shall be to pro- ceed to Washington City, and present the foregoing resolutions to the Pres- ident of the United States. This experience in the history of the "Old Dominion," may properly be termed "the transition period," when the ruin and chaos of unsuccessful War had not yet crystallized into the nobler forms of Peace. ex. HENRY H. WEIvLS. Provisional Gover^ior. April i6, 1868, to April 21, 1869. Henry H. Wells was born in Rochester, New York, September 17, 1823. He was educated at the Romeo Acad- eni}'- in Michigan, and adopting law as his profession he was admitted to the bar in Detroit. Here, he was a successful pradlitioner from 1846 to 1861, serving in the Michigan Leg- islature from 1854 to 1856. Upon the breaking out of the late civil war, Mr. Wells entered the volunteer service of the United States Army, and rose to the distincftion of Brigadier-General. Having re- signed from the army, he located in 1865 in Richmond, Virginia, and resumed the pradlice of law. Here he was ap- pointed, April 16, 1868, by General John M. Schofield, United States Army, commanding the First Military Distridl of Vir- ginia, Provisional Governor of Virginia. He held this station until April 21, 1869, when he resigned, and Gilbert C. Walker, Governor-elecft of the state, by popular vote, was appointed in his stead, by General E. R. S. Canby, United States Army, then commanding the First Military Distridt of Virginia. General Wells was soon after appointed United States Attor- ney for the Eastern Distridl of Virginia, which position he held until 1872, when he resigned and resumed the pradlice of law. In 1875 he removed to Washington City, and in September of that year was appointed and entered upon the duties of United States Attorney for the Distridl of Columbia. He held this post until 1879. The period when General Wells was Governor of Virginia was an exceptional era in the chequered history of the state ; 385 386 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. these were not days of order and administration under settled and regular provisions of law enadled by chosen law-makers, — but they were days of contest, struggle, and strife, of sus- picion and misunderstanding. Notwithstanding all these untoward circumstances, the people were not defrauded of their just rights or of their property with the knowledge or consent of Governor Wells, and especially, were not dis- turbed in any way by force or disorder. Their substance was not wasted by improvident expenditures, and many unrecorded kindnesses were extended to them by their mil- itary Governor. Only those who have lived through such an ordeal as Virginia then experienced, when ' ' Hope for a season bade the world farewell , ' ' can estimate the terrors of — what might have been. But a common, noble past is a strong constituent in Amer- ican brotherhood ; and in looking back we feel that the memory of the surrender at Yorktown lessened the sting of the surrender at Appomatox. The glorious sun of July 4th, which for so long had warmed the great national heart, and burned into it a love of unity and independence, now touched the tear-drops of a Fallen Cause, and turned these emblems of a weeping night into the prismatic spectrum of a better/ CXI. GILBERT C. WALKER. Provisional Governor. April 21, 1869, to January i, 1870. Governor, January i, 1870, to January i, 1874. GiivBERT CarlETon Walker was born in Binghamton, New York, August i, 1832. Enjoying early tuition at Bing- hamton Academy, he entered first, Williams College, Massa- chusetts, and subsequently Hamilton College, New York, graduating from the latter institution in July, 1854. Having adopted law as his profession, he was admitted to the bar in September, 1855, and commenced pradlice in Oswego, New York. He at once entered the arena of politics, serving in 1858 as a member of the State Democratic Convention. In 1859 he removed to Chicago, Illinois, continuing the pradlice of his profession and participating also in the political ques- tions of the day. In 1864 he moved to Virginia and located in Norfolk, where he soon became the president of a bank, ' ' The Exchange National," and held also, there, other positions of honor and trust. Subsequently he removed his residence to Richmond, Virginia, and in January, 1869, was ele moisture, rain and snowfall, beginning and ending of seasons, and all the periodical phenomena of vegetable and animal life, depending on "the weather." The winds are the great agents nature employs to equalize and dis- tribute temperature, moisture, etc. Virginia lies on the eastern side of the American continent and on the western shore of the Atlantic Ocean. It extends to and embraces many of the ranges of the Appalachian system of mountains, that run parallel to that ocean shore; therefore, it is subject not only to the general movement of winds, storms, etc., from west to east, peculiar to the region of the United States, but to modifications of that movement by tlie great mountain ranges. It is also subject to the great atmospheric movements from the Atlantic that, with a rotary motion, come up from the Tropics and move along the coast, extending their influence over the Tidewater and Middle regions of the State ; some- times across Piedmont to the foot of the Blue Ridge, but rarely ever over or be3'ond that range. The numberless lines of mountains from the Blue Ridge to the Cumberland, all the way across its extent from up in Penn. sylvania down into North Carolina unbroken, protect the State against the cold winds, and storms, and blizzards of the Northwest. This barrier is 436 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. absolutely effectual ; they never reach this land. The peculiar formation of the Appalachian chain running southwest into South Carolina and Georgia, with ranges bearing west into Tennessee and Alabama, protect us from the cyclones that form in the heated waters of the Gulf and rush northeast. The formation of the southern end of this range of mountains turns the southwest storms and tornadoes either up the Cumberland range northeast or across the Gtdf States to the Atlantic Ocean. It has also sur- face winds, usually from the Southwest, that follow the trend of the mount- ains and bring to them and their enclosed parallel valleys the warmth and moisture of the Gulf that clothes them all with an abundant vegetation. The same causes that produced the magnificent forests of the carbon- iferous era and furnished the materials for the vast deposits of coal in the sixty thousand square miles of the great Appalachian coal field that flanks Virginia on the west, still operate and clothe the surface of the same region with an abundant vegetation. The laws of the winds make one region fertile and another barren. America owes its distinction as the Forest Continent to the situation of its land masses in reference to the pre- vailing winds. Guyot, a standard authority, says: " North America has in the east- ern half a greater amount of rain than either of the other Northern conti- nents in similar latitudes." . . "The great sub-tropical basin of the Gulf of Mexico sends up into the air its wealth of vapors to replace those lost by the winds in crossing the high mountain chains. Hence, the east- ern portions — the great basins of the Mississippi, and the St. Lawrence, and the Appalachian region — which, without this source of moisture, would be doomed to drought and barrenness, are the most abundantly watered and the most productive portions of the continent." " In the eastern half of the United States the southwesterly winds which prevail in the summer spread over the interior and the Atlantic plains an abundant supply of vapors from the warm waters of the Gulf. Frequent, copious showers refresh the soil during the months of greatest heat, which show a maxi- mum of rain. Thiis the dry summers of the warm- temperate region dis- appear, and with them the periodical character of the rains so well marked elsewhere in this belt. ' ' These quotations show the advantages Virginia has, in this respect, over the warm-temperate regions of Europe and elsewhere. Forests. The forests of Virginia are large, and the timber varied, and the lumber trade important, and the following is a fair catalogue of the trees of Vir- ginia now growing wild in the different sections : The oaks: White oak, post oak, swamp white oak, chestnut oak, yellow oak, red oak, scarlet oak, black oak, black-jack oak, Spanish oak, pin oak, willow oak, bear oak, bastard live oak, scrub white oak, water oak, turkey oak. PHILIP W. McKINNEY. 437 The pines : The table mountain pine, white pine, pitch pine, Jersey scrub pine, yellow pine, loblolly pine, hemlock pine. Cypress, juniper, bay laurel, red cedar, white cedar (arbor vitee), umbrella tree, white wood (white poplar), yellow poplar, Lombardy pop- lar, pawpaw (custard apple), linden, fringe tree, catalpa, sassafras, slippery elm, red ehn, water elm, winged elm, sugar berry, horn beam, red mul- berry, white mulberry, moris multicualis, sycamore, black walntit, white walnut (butternut), shellbark hickory, white hickory, red (mochermes) hickory, pignut hickory, butternut hickory, chinquepin, chestnut, beech, water beech, ironwood, cherry birch, red birch, black alder, holly, sugar ma- ple, red maple, curled maple, bird-eye maple, box elder or ash-leaved maple, stag horn (sumac), poison elder (thunder tree), common locust, yellow (mountain) locust, honey locust, red bud (Judas tree), wild pkun (Prunus Americanus), wild cherry — red (P. Penna), wild cherry — black (P. Scro- tina), nine bark (Spirea Opulofolia), southern crab, scarlet fruited thorn, wild currant (June or Service berry), witch hazel, sweet gum, swamp dogwood, ailanthus (Paradise), black gum, black haw, laurel (ivy), rose bay (rhododendron), persimmon, white ash, black willow, weeping willow, white willow, golden willow, silky willow, aspen, dogwood, lash- horn, cucumber, Cottonwood, buckeye ash, swamp huckleberry, hazelnut, paulonia, silver maple, spicewood, yew, paper mulberry. Fr^owERS. The flowers which cover the untilled fields, and bloom and blush unseen in forest dells, form no small part of the beai^ty which makes this land of blue mountains and silvery streams "the fairest land the sun shines on." In springtime every stream is fringed with blooming flowers and white banners wave on every breeze. Wild roses, ferns, rhododendrons, forest pinks, and wood violets spring up everywhere, while daisies and yellow buttercups line every pathway. Of cultivated flowers, everything grows in the open air that can be raised in a temperate climate. Fruits. Every portion of the State is remarkabl)^ well adapted to the growth of fruits that belong to the warm-temperate and temperate climates. In Tidewater Virginia, apples, pears, peaches, quinces, plums, cher- ries, nectarines, grapes, figs, strawberries, raspberries, running and bush blackberries, gooseberries, currants and other fruits thrive and produce abundantly, the quality of the products being unsurpassed, as the awards of the American Pomological Society attest. The value of the small fruits alone, annually sent to market from Tidewater, is more than the sums for orchards and gardens. The trade in early strawberries is one of large proportions. Especial mention should be made of the wild Scuppernong 438 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. grapes, peculiar to the Tidewater country near the sea, which spread over the forests, and bear large crops of excellent fruit, from which a very palatable wine is made. The originals of the Catawba, Norton's Virginia, and other esteemed American grapes grow wild in the forests of Vir- ginia. All the fruits named above grow in every section of the State, except, perhaps, figs. Piedmont, the Blue Ridge, and the Valley are famous apple regions. Peaches flourish in all sections, but Middle and Tidewater may claim some precedence in adaptability. The Blue Ridge is entitled to the name of the "fruit belt," and its extensive area is yet to become the most noted wine and fruit-producing section of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. All the fruits of Virginia flourish there in a remarkable manner, and find special adaptations of soil, climate, and exposure. Cereai^s, Cotton, Tobacco. The flora of Virginia is rich and abundant. Cereals, grasses, and other plants that have been introduced have found favorable soil and cli- mate. Here grow and yield abundantly "plants good for food" and suited for needed manufactures. A comparison of the production of cereals with the products of other countries presents Virginia in a most favorable light, while nearness to market gives a most decided advantage. The climate and soil of Virginia favor the growth of nearly all the useful and profitable productions of the world. Wheat, corn, rye, buckwheat and Indian corn are raised in abundance. It is the native home of tobacco, and from it planters, manufacturers and the general government realize large siims of money. Cotton is grown in the southern section, and in all parts of the State cultivated grasses are successfully grown, and in some parts of the State the native grasses make the best grazing. Commodore Maury (good authority) says: " Everything which can be cultivated in France, Ger- many, or England, may be grown here equally as well, with other things besides, such as Indian corn, cotton, tobacco, peanuts, broom corn, and sweet potatoes, etc., which are not known as staples there. The climate and soil of Virginia are as favorable to the cultivation of the grape and the manufacture of wine, as they are in France and Germany. Tobacco is a staple product of Virginia. "The Virginia Leaf" is known the world over for its excellence — the result of manipulation as well as soil and climate. Piedmont and Middle Virginia lands are best for the growth of good tobacco ; those of Middle Virginia produce the finest tobacco and most valuable ; Tidewater is the region of Cuba and L,atakia varieties, while immense crops of coarse, heavy tobacco are raised in the upper Counties on the rich lands of the Blue Ridge, the Valley, and Appa- lachia. Virginia tobacco cannot be substituted either by new methods, new varieties, or adulteration ; it will always, in a series of years, maintain PHILIP W. McKINNEY. 439 its positiou of superiority in foreign markets. Whenever all restrictions and burdens are removed from tobacco, Virginia's brights, her sweet-fillers, and her rich shipping will assert their natural superiority and receive again the chief place in the market. Fisheries. The crab fisheries still continue a frviitful source of revenue to the people in a limited area of the Chesapeake. The earnings from this source, reckoned on the basis of men employed and capital invested, exceed slightly that derived from oysters, and the business seems to be growing larger and larger every year. Black bass, silver, white, and sun perch, southern, white, and horned chub, mullet, carp, pike, suckers, flat-back gar, mason, and whitesides, and eels can be found of good size in the rivers. Tidewater, independent of the great herring, shad, and menhaden fisheries (where 100,000 are caught at a haul), has a fine list of table fish caught and shipped to market the same day-^-sturgeon, rock, sheepshead, hogfish, trout, mullet, spots, bass, chub, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, croker, halibut, and others. The fish, like the friait of Virginia, has the advantage of an earlier opening than the North has for marketing. Oysters are found in all the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast, giving to Tidewater an exclusive territory, where this valuable shell-fish grows naturally, and where it can be propagated and reared in almost anv desired quantity. Major Hotchkiss, in his work on Virginia, says that it is estimated that more than 15,000,000 bushels are taken annually from the beds of Tidewater Virginia, valued at from $12,000,000 to $15,000,000. In 1869 over 5,000 small boats and 1,000 vessels, of over five tons burthen, were employed in taking oysters from the water, and 193 State and 309 other vessels, 18,876 tons aggregate burthen, were engaged in carrying them to market. For some 3'ears the supply has been growing less and the demand greater. Under the present system of depletion, the supply will soon be inadequate to the demand, and the prices will be higher. The person who has a well-stocked oyster shore can command ready sale, at good prices. There is no reason why the artificial propagation of oysters should not be conducted on a larger scale. In France there are oyster farms that pay an annual profit of $500 or $600 per acre. Virginia's Lynnhaven and Chesapeake stand at the head of the list for market, while others claim equal excellence. Just now there is much discussion about protecting the natural beds, and larger planting, if necessary, for increas- ing the revenue of the State. Many interesting details of the fruits, vegetable produc- tions, animals, poultry, birds, and much of importance con- 440 THE GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA. cerning the manufadluring and mining growth of the State could well be cited, but, enough has been revealed of her material resources in the above extracfts to foreshadow her wealth and power, and to confirm the glowing description of an earlier day, given by Ralegh to England's Queen when she first called the land — " Virginia." THE END. APPENDIX. NOTE A. Ou a bust in the Capitol at Rome is this inscription : "Christoforo Colombo, Nato MCCCCXIvII.— Morto MDVI." Christopher Columbus was the eldest sou of Domenico Colombo, a wool comber, and Susanna Fontanarossa Colombo, and was born in Genoa, Italy, 1442. He early evinced au inclination for the sea, and his education was mainly directed to fit him for maritime pursuits. Besides ordinary branches, he studied Latin and Drawing", and for a time devoted himself to Geometry, Geography, Astronomy and Navigation, at the Uni- versity of Pavia. When about fourteen years, old he began his nautical career, and spent many years at sea, but of his experiences at this period history is silent. About 1470 he went to L,isbon, and supported himself by making maps and charts. Here he married Dona Felipa, daughter of Bartolommeo Mofiis de Perestrello, an Italian Cavalier and distinguished Navigator, who had colonized and governed the Island of Porto Santo. On this island Columbus now resided, where his wife had inherited some property, and here his son Diego was born. At this time Columbus devoted his life to study, and the papers, charts and journals which had been left by his father-in-law, were his daily companions. He also was brought into constant contact with persons interested in maritime discov- ery, and upon the Island of Porto Santo, he determined upon sailing West, hoping to reach India by a new passage. We will pass over his l<1ng period of discipline in waiting, until we see him under the auspices of Spain setting sail from the roads of Saltez, near Palos, on Friday morning, August 3, 1492, in the Santa Maria, carrying with him also the Pinta and the Nuia. On Friday, October 12, 1492, the New World was discovered. Columbus made three voyages to the New World, and on the last went to Hispaniola to recruit his enfeebled health. His great distinction had excited the jealousy of many enemies, and his pathway ever since "The Discovery" had been strewn with thorns. Now, at Hispaniola, in his eflForts to re-organize the unsettled Colony which he had previously planted, he was actively misrepresented by envy and malice. A commissioner sent by Spain to inquire into the difficulties, put 4-11 443 APPENDIX. Columbus in chains and sent him to his sovereign a manacled, insulted invalid. "Are you taking me to death?''' inquired Columbus, when they led him from his cell to put him on the ship which was to carry him to Spain ; saying further : "If twelve years' hardship and fatigue; if continued dangers and frequent famine ; if the ocean first opened, and five times passed and repassed to add a New World abounding iwith wealth to the Spanish monarchy ; and if an infirm and premature old age brought on by those services, deserve these chains as a reward, it is very fit I should wear them to Spain and keep them by me as memorials to the end of my life." "I always saw those irons in his room," says his son Ferdinand, " which he ordered to be buried with his body." Columbus is described as of good figure, of tall, commanding stature; of a long visage and majestic aspect. He was greatly skilled in Navigation, was a man of undaunted courage and fond of hazardous undertakings. A distinguished Spanish historian says that "if in ancient times he had per- formed such an enterprise as the discovery of a New World, not only would temples and statues have been erected in his honor, but some star would have been dedicated to him as there was to Hercules." Exhausted by age, fatigues and disappointments, Columbus died at Valladolid in the sixty-fifth year of his age, on Ascension Day, May 20th, 1506, saying with his last breath, " lyord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." His corpse was removed to Seville and buried in the Cathedral of that city with great funeral pomp, and by order of King Ferdinand, "whose jealousy his death had extinguished," he was honored with a mar- ble monument upon which was engraven the following : " A Castilla Y A Leon Nuevo Mondo Dio Colon." "To Castille and to Leon Columbus gave a New World." But, death did not end the voyages of the great Navigator. It is said that he had requested to have his remains taken to Santo Domingo, and accordingly in 1536, they were deposited in the Cathedral of that island ; thence they were conveyed with great ceremony in 1796 to the CathedAl of Havana, where they now repose. NOTE B. In the early part of the 15th century of our Lord, Venice was at the climax of her power. For long years she had been the centre of trade between Asia and Europe, and by conquest, by voluntary submission and by cession, the fairest portions of the Eastern Enipire were under her sway. Most of the carrying ti'ade of the world was in her hands. So with pride, no doubt, Cabot now unfurled the flag of this Republic, APPENDIX. 443 looking back to the wealth, population and greatness of his adopted home; and remembering in this forest-clad realm of Nature the magnificent palaces and noble works of Art which enriched the superb City of Venice, with prophetic arm he raised the Republican banner of St. Mark beside the royal standard of St. George. NOTE C. No book bearing " Virginia " upon its title-page should fail in tribute to two of her noble sons, whose names, though glittering on the roll of honor, do not find place among her Chief Executives — Robert E. Lee and " Stonewall Jackson " — tliose bright, resplendent forms, who, standing by their Mother State, her garments crimson with the blood of battle, have linked their fame imperishably with her history. ROBERT EDWARD LEE, BORN At "Stratford," Westmoreland County, Virginia, January 19, 1807, DIED At Lexington, Rockbridge County, Virginia, Odlober 12, 1870. \ ^ THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON, BORN At Clarksburg, Harrison County, Virginia, January 21, 1824, DIED Of wounds received at Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 10, 1863. Eloquence, rhetoric, poetry, sculpture, painting, tears — every avenue through which the mind and heart can give expression, has been exhausted in paying honor to these renowned men. Great in war were both — great in a soldier's death the one, and great in conquering fate, the other. Enshrined forever are they in the faithful hearts of the devoted people each loved and served " unto life's end." NOTE D. During Governor Walker's term the following Act was also passed, viz. : "An Act to provide for the Publication of the New Edition of the Code of Virginia. In force, March 25, 1873." 444 APPENDIX. This new edition of the Code of Virginia in 1873 was rendered neces- sary by causes which may be briefly enumerated here in the language of another. They refer to the situation in Virginia after the year i860 : " The entire change in the organic law since that period ; the revolu- tion through which the Commonwealth has passed; the dissolution of the connection with the government of the United States by the ordinance of the secession convention ; her independent existence prior to her union with the government of the Confederate States; her subsequent union with that government, and the adoption of its Constitution ; the continu- ation of the State Government at Richmond during the whole war; the successful establishment of the restored government for the State, at Wheeling ; the action of its legislative and executive authorities there ; the Ordinances and Acts of the convention at Wheeling ; the organization of the State of West Virginia within the established boundaries of this State ; the assent of the restored government to the formation of the new State, and its final reception into the Union by the Congress of the United States, recognizing the dismemberment of the State, and authorizing the representation of the new State in the Senate and House of Representa- tives ; the removal of the restored government from Wheeling to Alexan- dria ; the Acts of the I^egislature there ; the assembling of a convention, which adopted a new Constitution for the government of the State under these auspices ; the resumption of the powers and functions of the restored government at the close of hostilities in the City of Richmond, sustained and supported by the Federal troops ; the subsequent destruction of that government under the Reconstruction Acts of Congress, subjecting the State to military rule and authority as Military District No. i ; the permis- sion given by Congress to the State to form again a new Constitution, and the authority granted to elect members to a convention for that purpose ; the action of that convention by its ordinances and resolutions ; the sub- mission of that Constitution for approval to Congress ; the proclamation of the President of the United States extending to the people the right to ratify or reject the Constitution itself, or specified clauses in that Con- stitution ; the ratification of the Constitution by the people, and the rejec- tion of the two clauses submitted to them ; the approval of the Constitu- tion afterwards by Congress, upon condition of the adoption of the four- teenth and fifteenth amendments to the Federal Constitution, and of cer- tain other provisions ; the final reception of Senators and Representatives from this State in Congress, and the action of the General Assembly since, to adapt the laws of the State to the new Constitution, fundamentally changing the political and civil structure of the government." As special interest will alwaj'S attach to the " Reconstrudlion Period," reference is herewith made to Code of Virginia, 1873, Vol. i., where an historical synopsis of much valuable information connedted with that era may be found. INDEX. Abraham, Pi^ains of, 175 Acadie, 56 Act abolishing the "whipping post," 398 Act ceding to the United States the lands on Old Point Comfort, 332 Act extending thanks of General Assembly to Attorney-General, etc., 402 Act for the cession of ten miles square for the permanent seat of the gen- eral government, 285 Act for building a church in each parish, 115 Act imposing diity on tea, by Great Britain, 188, 201 "Act of ludcmquitie, made att the Surrender of the Countrey," 103 Act of non-intercourse with England and France, 253 Act, the Stamp, 176, 177; Address and Resolutions against, 177, 178, 179, 180, 185, 199, 201 Act to indemnify Thomas Nelson, etc., 260 Act to provide for the settlement of public debt, 405 Act to ratify the Joint Resolution of Congress, passed February 27, 1S69, proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 3S9 Act to ratify the Joint Resolution of Congress, passed June 16, 1866, pro- posing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, 388 Adt of the General Assembly of Virginia, accepting the County of Alexan- dria to be an integral portion of the Commonwealth, 361 Adams, John, 203, 249, 250; died, 255 Adams, Samuel, 203 Alien and Sedition Laws, 299 Alexandria, address to General Washington, by citizens of, 291 Alexandria Lodge, 282 ; Alexandria Washington Lodge, 282 Alexander VI., 84 America, 26, 184, 188 America, Central, culture of, 2 America, North, by Behring Strait, 2, 6, 12, 22 American Antiquarian Society, 29 Americas, Three, 2 Amherst, Sir Jeffrey, Governor, 181 Amidas, Philip, sailed from England, 12, 13 Andros, Sir Edmund, Governor, 130, 132; Charter Oak, 134 446 446 INDEX. Apollo room, 195 Argall, Samuel, 48, 55; Lieutenant-Governor, 56 Arnold, Benedidl, 244, 245 "Articles at the Surrender of the Countrie " to the Commonwealth of England, 100, 102 "Articles for the surrendring Virginia to the subjedlion of the Parlia- ment of the Common Wealth of England, agreed uppon," etc., 102, 103 Articles, Instrudlions and Orders for the Government of the Colonies, 24 Asia, 1,3; Western, potentates of, 2 B Bacon, Nathaniel, 107; President of the Council, 128, 129 Bacon's Rebellion, 117, 139 Bainbridge, Captain, 251 Baltimore, Lord, patent for Maryland, 91 Baltimore, City of, 293 Bancroft, 17, 40, 83, 169 ; extra6ls from, 194, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216 Barbour, James, Governor, 321 ; W. Wirt's tribute to James Waddell, 321 ; inscription on tomb, 325 Barbour, County of, 325 Barlow, Arthur, sailed from England, 12, 13 Barron, Commodore, 252 Bennet, Richard, Ading-Governor under Cromwell, 100 Berkeley, County of, 193 Berkeley, Norborne, Baron de Botetourt, Governor, 187 Berkeley, Sir William, Governor, 95, 98, 113, 114 ; protest against Naviga- tion A(5l by Colonists, sent to, 114, 117, 118, 119, 123 Bermuda Hundred, 51 Bernard, William, 107 Beverley, Robert, 160, 296 Bill of Rights, 226 Blair, James, 133 ; President of the Covmcil, 156 Blair, John, President of the Council, 173 Blair, John, 237, 282 Bland MS., 125 Bland, Richard, 188 Bloody Run, 118 Boston Harbor, 188; Town of, 194, 201 ; Port Bill, 195, 201, 202, 233 Botetourt, County of, 193, 24S Braddock, General, 170 Brandy wine, battle of, 287 Braxton, Carter, 188 Brooke, Robert, Governor, 295 ; Grand Master of Grand Lodge, 297 Brooke, County of, 297 INDEX. 447 Buckner, John, 125 Burr, Aaron, 250, 252, 308, 310, 311 Burt, Augustus Austen, S3 Burwell, Lewis, 129; President of the Council, 166; married Mary Willis, 167 Burwell, Nathaniel, 283 Cabell, William H., Governor, 310; Resolutions of Respect to the memory of, 311 ; County of Cabell, 312 Cabot and his sons, 5 Cabot, John, patent conferred, 5 ; Cabots, 7 Camm, President of William and Mary College, 191 Cameron, William Ewan, Governor, 397 Campbell, David, Governor, 346; military experiences, 347 Campbell, John, Earl of Loudoun, Governor, 172 Canada, 175 Cape Breton, 175 Carolina, 12; North, 18 Carr, Dabney, 194 Carter, Charles, 292 Carter, Robert, President of the Council, 152; called "King Carter," 152 Gary, Archibald, 188 Charles I., 98 Charles II., 98 ; Coronation Robe of Virginia Silk, 105, 123 Charles Cape, named, 28 Charles City County, 270 Charlotte County, 238 ; Court House, 238 Charlottesville, 245 Charter, First, 23 ; Second, 33 ; Third, 49 Charter Oak, 134 Chesapeake Bay, 18, 21, 28, 33, 47, 51, 91, 204, 225 Chesapeake, the frigate, 252 Chicheley, Sir Henry, Deputy-Governor, 121, 122, 124 Chew's House, 258 Chickahominy, 33 Christian, William, 207 Church Hill, 197, 205 Church, St. John's, 197, 205 Civil Rights Bill, protest against the passage of, 392 Claiborne, Richard, 102, 107 Clinton, George, 251 Clinton, Sir Henry, 289 448 INDEX. College, Princeton, 287 College, William and Mary, Charter granted, 129, 131, 133 ; burned, 137, 156, 157. 173. 186, 191, 199, 200, 240, 254, 257, 284, 300, 310, 313, 326^ 336, 338, 342, 344, 356 Columbus, Christopher, 3; discovered America, 4, 84, 143; (Note A), 441 Commissioner of Agriculture for Virginia (Thomas Whitehead), extracts from report of, 413 Committee of Safety, 211, 225 Continent, American, races and nations, i, 4 Continent, Western, bears witness, i Copley, Sir Ljonel, 130 Corbin, Henry, 139, 162 Corbin, Lettice, 162 Cornstalk, 196 Cornwallis, Lord, 190, 211, 245, 260, 290 Counties in Virginia, list of, 26S, 269 Cresap, Captain Michael, 196 Croatoan, 22 Cromwell, Oliver, 98, 104, 112 Culpeper, Thomas (Lord), Governor, 123, 124, 125 Curtis, Edmond, 102 D Dale, Sir Thomas, 47, 50; Acting-Governor, 51, 54 Dandridge, Nathaniel West, 223 Dare, Mrs., daughter in Roanoke, first English child born in the country, baptized " Virginia," 21 Decatur, Stephen, 251 Declaration of Rights, by people of Virginia, 216, 217 Delaware, 188 De la Warr, 45 ; Governor, 47, 56, 57 De Jarnette, 83 Digges, Edward, President of the Council, 105 Dinwiddle, Robert, Lieutenant-Governor, 168, 169, 170, 279 Douglas, George Hamilton, Governor, 135 Dresser, Rev. Mr., 276 Drysdale, Hugh, Lieutenant-Governor, 151 ; slave trade, 151 Dumfries, 287 Dunmore, County of, 193 ; Lord, 224, 225 Eastern Confederacy Pi^ot, 307 Egypt, some idea of Ancient World, i INDEX. 449 Elizabeth City, 93 Elizal)eth, Queen of England, sent out Martin Frobisher, 6, 7 ; named Virginia, 13, 15, 19 England, flag of, 5, 6; mfiriners of, 12; Church of, 18, 25, 84, 86, 187, 188 ; Treaty of Peace with, 249, 253 Ensenore, Indian King, 19 Europe, 3, 4, 14 Fauquier, Francis, Lieutenant-Governor, 175 Federalists, 249, 250, 253, 299 Fincastle, George, Lord, 193 ; County of, 193 Fleming, Colonel, 196 Fleming, William, 248 Flags of the American States, 233 Floyd, John Buchanan, Governor, 363 ; description of Washington Monu- ment, 363 ; Major-General in Confederate States Army, 364 Floyd, John, Governor, 340; "Southampton Insurrection," 340; County named after, 341 Fort Duquesne, 175 Fortress Monroe, 333 France, 4, 252, 253, 256, 308, 327 Franklin, Benjamin, 249 Frederick, County of, 193 Gates, Sir Thomas, 23, 44, 45 ; Deputy-Governor, 46, 51 ; Acting- Governor, 53 George II., died, 176 Georgia, 186 George, Mt., 143 General Assembly, First, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73. 74, 75. 76, 77. 78, 79. 80, 81, 82, 83 Gennanna, 142 Gennantown, battle of, 258, 287 Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, patent to, 6, 7, 15, 16 Giles, William B., Governor, 338 ; County named after, 339 Gilmer, Thomas Walker, Governor, 349 ; dissatisfaction with the Legisla- ture of Virginia, and resignation, 350 Gorges, Sir Fcrdinando. 23, 29, 34 Gosnold, Bartholomew, 28, 32 XXX u^ -'^ ^''^' ■ 450 INDEX. » Gooch, William, I^ieutenant-Govenior, 154 ; Boundary Line between Virginia and North Carolina, 154, 159 Great Bridge, battle of, 198, 225 Great Britain, 252, 327 Greene, Nathaniel, General, 291, 294 Gregory, John M., Governor, 356; Judge of Sixth Judicial Circuit of Vir- ginia, 357 Grenville, Sir Richard, 19 Griggsby, Mr., 271 Grymes, Philip, 257 Guiana, 17, 18 H HakIvUyt, Richard, 23, 30, 55 Hamilton, Alexander, 249, 308 Hampton Roads, 244, 252, 253 Hancock, John, 200 Hanover, Court House, 221 ; County of, 224, 225, 226, 261 Harrison, Benjamin, 207 ; Governor, 270, 271 ; Proclamation, etc., 271 Harrison, William Henry, 271 Harvey, Sir John, Governor, 91, 93 Henry, Cape, named, 28 Henry, County of, 224 Henry, Patrick, 176, 188, 194, 197, 199, 203 ; extract from speech, 205, 206, 207 ; 218 ; Governor, 220, 237 ; described by William Wirt, 239 ; Gen- eral Henry Lee's obituary on, 239 ; Governor, 273 ; will, 276, 299 Henry, William Wirt, 42, 277 Henrico City, 51 Hening, 27, 49, 85, 100, 105, 106, 107, 113, 114, 117, 118, 152, 161, 167, 207, 248 Holliday, Frederick W. M., Governor, 394; wounded at the Battle of Cedar Run, 395 ; published addresses, 395, 396 Holmes, Abiel, 39 Howard, Francis, Lord (Baron Effingham), Lieutenant-Governor, 127; effected Treaty of Peace with the Five Nations, 127 Howe, Sir William, 259, 296 Hunter, Robert, Lieutenant-Governor, 140 I Indians, 4, 19, 33, 196 Indies, West, 4, 12 Isles of Shoals, 34 INDEX. 451 J Jackson, Thomas Jonathan (Note C), 443 James City, 94, 11 1 ; Parish Church of, 116, 120 James I., King, 23; extract from instructions given for the Government of the Colonies, by, 24, 26, 29 ; issued a new commission for the Gov- ernment of Virginia, 86 ; died, 87 Jamieson, Major, 288 James, River, 29, 104, 204, 244 Jamestown, 29, 33, 44, 53, 57, 123 Jay, John, 203 Jefferson, Thomas, 39, 188; extract from, 196, 202, 207, 218; Governor, 240; extract from autobiography, 240; Jefferson's "Summary View of the Rights of British America," 241 ; "Jefferson's Embargo," 253 ; died, 255, 278 Jeffries, Sir Herbert, L,ieutenant-Governor, 120 Jenings, Edmund, President of the Council, 139 Johnson, Joseph, Governor, 365 ; elected to United States Congress seven times, 365 Junius, 188 K Kaskaskia Indians, 308 Kempe, Richard, President of the Council, 96 Kemper, James Lawson, Governor, 391 ; Brigadier-General in Confederate States Army, 392 ; wounded at Gettysburg, 392 ; promoted to rank of Major-General, 392 Kendall, George, 28 Kentucky, 193 Keppel, William Anne (Lord Albemarle), Governor, 155 Kicotan, 104 Lane, Rai,ph, Governor, 19 Lee, Arthur, 165 Lee, Fitzhugh, Governor, 399 ; military life, 399, 400, 401 Lee, Francis Lightfoot, 165 Lee, Henry, 162; obituary on Patrick Henry, 239; Governor, 287; Gold Medal, 289 Lee, Philip, 162 Lee, Philip Ludwcll, 164, 291 452 INDEX. Lee, Richard, 162 Lee, Richard Henry 164, 177, 185, 188, 194, 195, 202, 203, 207, 218, 219, 242 Lee, Robert Edward, 162, 293, 294 ; (Note C), 443 Lee, Thomas LudweU, 164, 27S Lee, Thomas, President of the Council, 162, 163, 164, 165 Lee, William, 165 Leopard, Ship, 252 Letcher, John, Governor, 369 ; copy of Resolutions of Hon. John J. Allen, 370 ; copy of Ordinance to Repeal the Ratification of the Constitution of the United States, by the State of Virginia, 375 ; copy of a Declara- tion of the People of Virginia, represented in Convention at Wheel- ing (June, 1861), 376; Resolutions of Respect to the memory of Governor Letcher, by the General Assembly, 378 Lewis, Andrew, 207 Lewis, General, 196 Lexington, battle of, 211, 287 Lindsay, Lieutenant, 288 Littlepage, James, 223 Logan, Cayuga Chief, 196 Lodge, Grand, of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Virginia, 297 London, 23 ; Company, 23 Long Island, 235 Louis XVI., 256 Louisa, County of, 223 Louisiana, 251, 308 LudweU, Philip, 164 LudweU, Thomas, 97 M Madison, James, 237, 282 Manteo, baptized, 21 Marshall, John, Chief Justice, 281, 282 Martin, John, 28 Maryland, 91, 136, 293 Mason, George, 202, 226, 237, 278, 282 Mason, Thomson, 203 Massachusetts, 185, 186, 194, 201, 211, 250 Matthews, Captain Samuel, President of the Council, 106; contest with the Assembly, 106, 107, 108, 109, no, in McClurg, James, 282 McDonaugh, 83 McDowell, James, Governor, 358 ; Representative in United States Con- gress, 359 McKinney, Philip W., Governor, 403 ; settlement of public debt, 405 INDEX. 453 Meade, Bishop William, 41, 96, 116, 121, 128, 157 ; extract from, 283 Meredith, Captain Samuel, 224 Mexico, monuments of, 3 Missouri, admitted as State into the Union, 332 Montgomery, County of, 193 Montcalm, General, 175 Monticello, 241, 245, 249, 253 Monroe, James, Governor, 300 ; Aide-de-Camp to Lord Stirling, 300 ; studied law under Thomas Jefferson, 300; married, 301 ; "Gabriel's Insurrection," 302 ; account of Daniel Morgan, 303 ; elected President of the United States, 304 ; died, 305 ; 315 ; report of Committee on Foreign Relations, 315 ; Monroe County, 317 Morgan, Daniel, 303 Morocco, Emperor of, 251 Moultrie, William, Colonel, 233 Mount Vernon, 187, 250, 291 Moryson, Francis, Lieutenant-Governor, 115; Act passed for building a church in each parish, during term of, 115 Murray, John (Earl of Dunmore), Governor, 193 N Napoi^EON, Emperor, 252 Narragansett Bay, 194 Nelson, 188 Nelson, William, President of the Council, 190, 257 Nelson, Thomas, Jr., Governor, 256 Newcome, Dr., 257 New England, 35, 132, 195 ; people of, 208, 307 Newfoundland, 5, 7 New Jersey, 287, 293, 307 Newport, Christopher, sailed from the Thames, 28, 32 New York, 133, 185 ; city of, 200, 251 ; 287, 307 Nicholson, Sir Francis, 130; Lieutenant-Governor, 136; moved seat of Government to Williamsburg, 136 Nicholas, Wilson Cary, Governor, 326 - Nicholas, Robert Carter, 188, 207, 280, 326 Norfolk, 198, 225 North, Lord, conciliatory proposition of, 242 Nott, Edward, Lieutenant-Governor, 137 o Ohio River, 196 454 INDEX. Page, John, Governor, 306 ; County of Page, 309 Paine, Thomas, 235 Palestine, conquest of, 2 Parson's Cause, 221 Patton, John Mercer, Governor, 352; assisted in a Revision of the Code of Virginia, 353 Paulus's Hook, 289, 293 Pemisapan, slain, 19 Pendleton, Edmund, 207 ; President of Conventions, 209 ; described by William Wirt, 210, 278 Pennsylvania, 186, 188, 287 Penobscot River, 23 Percy, George, 30; Captain, President of the Council, 44; Deputy-Gov- ernor, 50 Perry, Henry, 107 Pettus, Thomas, 107 Philadelphia, 200, 203, 208, 237, 258, 280, 288 Pitt, William (Lord Chatham), 182 ; extract from speech, 183, 184 ; 204 Pierpoint, Francis H., Governor, 381 ; moved seat of government to Alex- andria, Virginia, 382 ; removed seat of government to Richmond, Virginia, 382 Pittsylvania, County of, 224 Pleasants, James, Jr., Governor, 334; long periods for which he held public offices, 334 Plymouth, 21 ; Plymouth Company, 23, 34 Pocahontas, 42, 43, 54, 57 Point Pleasant, 196, 248 Porteus, Dr., 257 Port Royal, 56 Portsmouth, 244 Potomac, 48 ; River, 204 Pott, Doctor John, 90 Powell, Captain Nathaniel, President of the Council, 59 Powhatan, 30, 57 ; River, 29 Powle Brooke, 59 Preble, Commodore, 251 Preston, James P., Governor, 328; wounded at Chrystler's Field, 328; County of Preston named, 329 Prince William County, 287 Purdie's Paper, extract from, 225, 226 Q QUEJBEC, 175 INDEX. 455 R Ralegh, Sir Walter, 6, 7 ; patent from Elizabeth to, 8, 13, 14 ; chiet Governor of Virginia, 15; executed, 17; Bancroft's tribute to, 17, 19; introduced the use of tobacco in England, 20, 21, 25 Randolph, Beverley, Governor, 284 Randolph, Edmund, 237 ; Governor, 279, 282 Randolph, Peyton, 188, 195 ; President of Conventions, 199 Randolph, Peyton, Acting Governor, 320; author of "Report of Cases argued and determined in Court of Appeals of Virginia," 320 Randolph, Thomas Jefferson, 327 Randolph, Thomas Mann, Governor, 330; decision of Supreme Court concerning Dartmotith College, 331 ; extract from Daniel Webster's speech (1820), 331 ; extract from inaugural address of President James Monroe, 332 Ratcliffc, John, 28, 29; President of the Council, 30, 32 Reade, George, 107 Resolutions approving the polic}- of the President of the United States in reference to the Reconstruction of the Union, 383 Resolutions for a cession of the lands on the north-west side of Ohio to the United States by Virginia, 246, 247, 248 Resolutions requesting the President of the United States to grant a gen- eral Amnesty to the citizens of Virginia, 382 Rhode Island, 194, 195 •Richmond, 197, 200, 205, 207, 210, 211, 237, 245, 281 Richmond Randolph Lodge, 282 Roanoke, Island of, 13, 19, 21, 28 Robertson, Wyndham, Governor, 344 ; author of Anti-Coercion Resolu- tion, 345 Robins, Obedience, 107 RoV)inson, John, President of the Council, 160 Rochelle, 35 Rolfe, John, 43, 54 Rolfe, Thomas, 43 "Rose well," 306 Rutherfoord, John, Governor, 354 ; first captain of Richmond Fayette Artillery, 355 Scotland, 190 Seals of Virginia, 234, 235 Seminary, Theological, of Virginia, 116 Shenandoah, County of, 193 456 INDEX. Smith, Courtland H., 401 Smith, Francis Lee, 162 Smithfield, 328 Smith, John Augustine, 344 Smith, John, Captain, 28 ; President of the Council, 31 ; entered the serv- ice of Hungary, 31 ; sold as a slave, 32 ; returned to England, 32 ; sailed for Virginia, 32 ; rescued by Pocahontas, 33 ; saved the Colony three times from abandonment, 33 ; returned to England, 34 ; died, 36 ; buried in St. Sepulcher's Church, 44 ; tributes to, 36, 37, 38, 39^ 40, 41, 42 Smith, John, of Gloucester County, Virginia, bequeaths the estates of Old and New Purton, to Mary Willis, 167 Smith, John, of Middlesex County, Virginia, 258 Smith, Captain Larkin, 296 Smith, Major John, Speaker, 106, 107, 108, 109, no Smith, Captain Matthew, 258 Smith, Thomas, assign of Ralegh, 13; President of London Company, 23; Sir, 51 Smith, George William, Governor, 318; burned in Theatre, Richmond, Virginia, 319 Smith, William, Governor, 360; Retrocession of Alexandria County to the Commonwealth of Virginia during this term, 361 ; Colonel of 49th Regiment of Virginia Infantry, 361 ; Wounded at Sharpsburg, Mary- land, 362 ; Promoted to rank of Major-General, 362 ; Governor, 379 Slavery, first introduced into Virginia, 85, 151; Fairfax resolves against, 202 ; Manumission of slaves, 241 ; Ordinance of General Slave Eman- cipation in Virginia, 382 Somers, Sir George, 23, 46 Southampton Insurrection, 340 South Carolina, 136; Regiment of, 233 Spain, having sent Columbus, 4, 84, 308 Spencer, Nicholas, President of the Council, 126 Springfield, battle of, 287 Spotswood, Alexander, Lieutenant-Governor, 137, 141, 142; Expedition across the " Great Mountains," 143; " Knights of the Golden Horse- shoe," 144; Journal of Mr. Fontaine, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148; "The Ohio Company," 149; Rebuilt William and Mary College, 148, 154 159; Spotswood Mt. , 143 St. Croix, 56 Stony Point, 289 Stratford, 163 Tarleton, 245 Tavern, Old Ralegh, 194, 195, 201 INDEX. 4r)7 Tavern, Spread Eagle, 288 Taylor, Bennett, 283 Tazewell, Littleton Waller, Governor, 342; author of "Review of the Negotiations between the United States and Great Britain," etc., 343 Temple Farm, 150 Tel El-Amarna, recent discoveries, 2 Texas, annexed to the United States, 337 Three Turks' Heads, 34 Ticonderoga, 175 Tippecanoe, 271 Tripoli, 251 Turner, Nat, 341 Tyler, John, Governor, 313 ; married, 313 ; Judge of Court of Appeals, 313 ; Judge of the District Court of the United States for Virginia, 314 ; County of Tyler, 314 Tyler, John, Governor, 336 ; Vice-President, 337 ; President of the United States, 337 ; presided over the Peace Conference of February, 1861 , 337 u University of Virginia, 254 Venice, Republic of, 5 ; (Note B), 442 Vermont, 184 Virginia, daughter of Lord Dunmore, 197 Virginia Historical Society, 140 Virginia, named by Elizabeth, 13, 18, 19, 21 ; first English child born in the country, baptized, 21 ; 25, 32, 98, 100, 112, 190, 195 ; Constitution of, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231 ; seals of, 233, 234, 243 ; cession of lands northwest of Ohio to the United States, by, 246, 247, 248; 257 ; " Virginia plan," 280, 293, 316, 413; principal rivers and branches, 414; Tide-water Virginia, 416; the Middle Country, 417 ; Piedmont Virginia, 417 ; the Great Valley of Virginia, 159, 418 ; the Blue Ridge Section, 420; Appalachian Virginia, 420; mineral resources, 421; Iron, 423 ; Coal, 424 ; Zinc, 425 ; Lead, 426 ; Manganese, 426 ; Tin, 426 ; Copper, 427 ; Salt, 427 ; Asbestos, 428 ; Soapstone, 428 ; Black Lead, 429 ; Mica, 429 ; Gold, 429 ; Pyrites, 430 ; Barytes, 430 ; Lime- stone, 430; Plaster, 431 ; Marl, 432; Building Stone and Slate, 433 ; Kaolin, 434 ; Fire-Clays, 434 ; Mineral Springs, 434 ; Climate, 435 ; Forests, 436; Flowers, 437; Cereals, Cotton, Tobacco, 438; Fisheries, 439 458 INDEX. W Wai,ker, John, 107 Walker, Gilbert C, Provisional Governor, 387; Governor, 387; Repre- sentative in United States Congress, 388; (Note D), causes which rendered necessary a new edition of the Code of Virginia during this term, 444 Warrosquoyeake, 100 Washington, George, 16S, 169, 187, 188, 201, 202, 203, 204, 208, 211, 219, 235. 237, 238, 250, 279, 280, 281, 282, 295, 298, 299 Washington, County of, 193 Washington, Fort, 235 Wayne, Fort, 308 Weedon, General, 288 Wells, Henry H., Provisional Governor, 385 West, Captain Francis, President of the Council, 89 West, Captain John, President of the Council, 92 West Virginia, admitted as a state into the Union, 382 Weyanoak, 104 Weymouth, Captain George, sailed from England, 23 Wheeler, John H., 40 Whiskey Insurrection, 292, 307 White, John, Governor, 21 Whitehall, 98, iii Whittaker, Rev. Alexander, 51 Whitehead, Thomas (Commissioner of Agriculture for Virginia), extracts from, 413 Williamsburg Gazette, extract from, 232 Williamsburg, 136, 137, 156, 187, 189, 194, 195, 200, 202, 224, 225, 226, 235 Willis, Francis, 107 Willis, Mary, 167 Wingfield, Edward Maria, 23 ; President of the Coiincil, 28, 30, 32 Winchester, Town of, established, 298 Wirt, William, 42, 210; extracts from, 221, 222, 237, 273 Wise, Henry Alexander, Governor, 367 ; Harper's Ferry movement, 368 ; Brigadier-General in the Confederate States Army, 368 ; County named after, 368 Wocoken, Island of, 12, 13 Wolfe, General, 175 Wood, James, Governor, 298; County of, 299 Woodford, Colonel William, 225 Wren, Sir Christopher, 137 Wyatt, Sir Francis, Governor, 86, 94 Wythe, George, 237, 278, 282 INDEX. 459 Y Yates, Rev. Mr., 257, 260, 261 Ycardlcy, Captain George, Ivicutenant-Governor, 55, 57; Governor, 60, SS York, 190, 192 ; River, 204, 224, 306 Yorktown, 190, 211, 256 Zank, Isaac, 207 -'■i-- >'?-• o5 V '^■ ,-^ .0 o ,0 A^'