756 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 12 



and ingratitude. From five hundred, their number 

 was soon reduced to sixty men, women, and children; 

 and this miserable remnant, could not reasonably cal- 

 culate on the security of a single hour, from the as- 

 saults of the savages, even though by some miracle 

 they should escape the agony of disease, and the tor- 

 ments of famine. 



"In this forlorn condition, they were found by Sir 

 T. Gates and Sir G. Somers, who, on the twenty- 

 fourth of May, arrived in two barks, built with such 

 materials, as "they could find in Bermudas, assisted by 

 the wreck of their own ship. It required them but 

 little observation, to be convinced of the inadequacy 

 of their means to remedy an evil so woeful and exten- 

 sive; and after a short consultation, it was unanimous- 

 ly determined to abandon the enterprise. The colon- 

 ists, with whatever was most valuable, being embark- 

 ed, the ships dropt down the river to Mulberry Island: 

 So near to entire extinction, was the germ of this 

 mighty nation." — Hist, of Va., p. 159, vol. 1. 



"The colonists were importunate to burn the town 

 and fortifications; but God, who did not intend that this 

 excellent country should be abandoned, put it into the 

 heartof Sir T. Gates to save it." — Stilh,p. 117. 



A boat met them before they reached the mouth of 

 the river, and announced that Lord de la War's fleet 

 was near at hand, bringing reinforcements, and every 

 needful supply. Under his command the wretched 

 fugitives returned to the deserted walls of James- 

 town. 



"But while the Virginia establishment was thus al- 

 most miraculously preserved by the arrival of Lord de 

 la War, a danger of no less magnitude awaited it in the 

 impatience of the company in London, and their inor- 

 dinate expectations of immediate profit. It appears, 

 that the genuine commercial spirit, which works by 

 bold enterprise and patient industry, was debauched at 

 this day, by the bewitching reports of Spanish disco- 

 very; and the value of distant possessions, was estimated 

 by the mines of rich metals they were supposed to con- 

 tain. Disappointed in their expectations of discover- 

 ing a Potosi in Virginia, the question was seriously dis- 

 cussed, whether the enterpris ■ should not be abandon- 

 ed. But the testimony of Sir T. Gates, solemnly given 

 in at one of the quarter courts, backed by the r< ; re- 

 sentations of Lord de la War, who published a trea- 

 tise on the occasion, removed the veil, which ignorance 

 and misrepresentation had drawn before the eyes of 

 the company, and it was determined once more, to 

 prosecute the enterprize with spirit and activity. 



"Sir T. Dale, with three ships abundantly supplied 

 with all necessaries, arrived the 10th of May. He 

 found the colony, as usual, indolent and improvident. 

 To those vices their mode of living had added a disposi- 

 tion to mutiny, which being general and habitual, it 

 was more difficult to repress." — Ilisi.of Fa. p. 16iJ, 165. 



These "representations" of Lord de la War, (made 

 no doubt in sincerity, and what he thought truth,) will 

 show that in thatday "western country" descriptions 

 were at least as highly colored as those which now are 

 drawing away the people of this land of milk ami ho- 

 ney. 



"The substance of these representations was, that 

 the country was rich in itself, but that time and indus- 

 try were necessary to make its wealth profitable to the 

 adventurers; that it yielded abundance of valuable 

 woods, as oak, walnut, ash, sassafras, mulberry trees 

 for silkworms, live-oak, cedar, and fir for shipping; 

 and that on the banks of the Potowmac, there were 

 trees large enough for masts, that produced a sprcics 

 of wild hemp, for cordage, pines which yielded tar, 

 and a vast quantity of iron ore; besides lead, antimony, 



and other minerals, and several kinds of colored earths; 

 that in the woods were found various balsams, with 

 other medical drugs, with an immense quantity of 

 myrtle berries for wax; that the forests and rivers har- 

 bored beavers, otters, foxes, and deer, whose skins 

 were valuable articles of commerce; that sturgeon 

 might be taken in the greatest plenty, in five noble ri- 

 vers; and that without the bay to the northward, was 

 an excellent fishing bank for cod of the best quality; 

 that the soil was favorable to the cultivation of vines, 

 sugar canes, oranges, lemons, almonds, and rice; that 

 the winters were so mild, that cattle could get their 

 food abroad, and the swine could be fattened on wild 

 fruits; that the Indian corn yielded a most luxuriant 

 harvest; and in a word, that it was "one of the goodliest 

 countries," promising as rich entrails as any kingdom 

 of the earth, to which the sun is so near a neighbor." — 

 Purchas. 



At the close of Sir Thomas Dale's administration, 

 the colony had so much stability, that the grants of 100 

 acres, which before had been made to every new set- 

 tler, were reduced to 50 acres — 



— "and this alteration had its rise in the opinion, that 

 the country being likely to flourish, and the difficulties 

 of making settlements consequently having become 

 proportionally less, it was no longer necessary or poli- 

 tic to hold out such strong inducements to emigration." 

 —Burk,p. 177. 



The following gives some idea of the money value 

 of lands at this time. Besides the general mode above 

 stated of granting lands to settlers, there were two 

 others. The first mode, probably, w : as the origin of the 

 "aristocracy" of Virginia. 



•'When any person had conferred a benefit, or done 

 service to the company or colony, they would bestow 

 such appropriation of land upon him. However, to 

 prevent excess in this particular, they are restrained 

 by his majesty's letters patent, not to exceed twenty 

 great shares, or two thousand acres in any one of these 

 grants. The other was called the adventure of the 

 purse. Every person, who paid twelve pounds ten 

 shillings into the company's treasury, having thereby 

 a title to an hundred acres of land, any where in Vir- 

 ginia, that had not been before granted to, or possessed 

 by others." — Hist, of Va., p. 178. 



The habits of the colonists had now become indus- 

 trious, and of course, there was no more scarcity. 



"Nay, whereas they had formerly been constrained 

 to buy fiom the Indians yearly, which exposed them 

 to much scorn and difficulty. The case was so much 

 altered under his management, that the Indians some- 

 times applied to the English, and would sell the very 

 skins from their shoulders for corn. And to some of 

 their petty kings. Sir Thomas lent four or five hundred 

 bushels; for re-payment whereof next year, he took a 

 mortgage of their whole countries." — Stith,p. 140. 



"The attention of [The London, or Proprietary] 

 Company was directed with equal care to almost eve- 

 ry subject of political economy; and as the country as 

 yet held out no prospects of sudden wealth in the work- 

 ing of mines, agriculture was naturally resorted to as 

 the means of trade and subsistence. Tobacco had in 

 some degree grown into notice by the whim of the co- 

 lonists, and the fashion of the times, unaided by the 

 patronage, and indeed, in defiance of the repeat* d in- 

 junctions of the company. But a strange taste for this 

 nauseous plant was rapidly gaining ground in Europe; 

 and the king, notwithstanding his unaffected antipathy 

 to it. tempted by the prospect of revenue, at length 

 permitted it to be entered in 1G1-1, as a regular article 

 of trade. The colonists had learned the art of planting 

 corn, together with the use of this valuable production, 



