triitiiiN 111 tl>c fslahlisliiiifiit of the port town as a 

 cli'sici- to clivorsify the economy and control the col- 

 licliiii; of cintics. In the failure of the town, they 

 demonstrate also the failure of colonial i;o\ernment to 

 overcome the tyranny of tobacco and the lestrictive 

 policies of the mother country. They ro on to show- 

 in ureal detail the emergence in the Ulth century of 

 a familiar American theme the self-diiected rise of 

 an indixidual from obscure beginnings to high profes- 

 sional rank, social leadership, personal wealth, and 

 cultural influence. They demonstrate in Mercer's 

 career the inherent defects of the tobacco economy as 

 indebtedness mounted and economic strains stiffened. 

 In .Mercer's concern with the Ohio C'oiupany and 

 westward expansion they reflect a colony-wide trend 

 as population increased and the need grew for more 

 .uable land and areas in which to invest and escape 

 from economic limitations. They show that the war 

 with the French inevitably ensued, with its deiuands 

 on income and manpower, while following this came 

 the enforcement of trade laws and the iiumediate 

 irritants which led to rebellion. So Marllx)rough 

 uives a sharp reflection of \'irginia's history prior to 

 the Revolution. It was touched by most of what was 

 typical and significant in the period, yet in its own 

 details it was unique and individual. In this seeming 

 anomaly Marlborough is a true illustration of its age, 

 when men like .Mercer were strong individuals but at 



(he S.IIIM ;'ifying and cxprcuiiig llir iiiilicii in 



which li 



Mercer's risic to wraith and Iradrrship occiiirrtl at 

 a time wlirn 

 prosjx-rity, \v 



opport(mitie.H for invrstnirnt. Il rrniaincd for ili.-x 

 l>est able to take 

 self-training in ii 



ability to organize placed him ainung Ihrae. The 

 importance of hi 

 ship that he held 



court; the brick courthouse on the hili ovrrlo<'> 

 the upper reaches of I'ulomac C'l^ '■ 

 tcctural symlxil of this |H>sition. .'\<' 

 income was derived from legal practice, it w.i 

 plantation that was the principal 

 interests and his energies. Mercci 

 typical of his peers, whose intellectual and pi ■ 



leadership, on the one hand, anr) 



business enterprise, on the other, fn; 

 within the individual. The great piantaiion ii 

 with its sophisticated elegancies, its outward foii.i.n- 

 ities, and its rich resort for the intellect in the form of 

 a varied library, was the center and spirit of t 

 of which men like Mercer were leaders. \'. .. 

 death of the system came the death of the irreat h. 

 and the rise and fall of .Marllx)rough 



well as anything can. the life cycle ... \..,. ^ 



colonial plantation order. 



179 



