THE HUGUENOTS IN VIRGINIA 347 



they would hold, whether conjointly or severally, from his Majesty in 

 such fealty and homage as his Majesty shoiild find reasonable, without 

 allowing any other to dwell there unless by taking out i)apers of resi- 

 dence within said territory, wherein they would reserve rights of in- 

 ferior lordship ; and whether those of them Avho could live as nobles 

 would be permitted to style themselves such. 



VII. Whether they would be permitted in the said lauds to hunt 

 all game, whether furred or feathered, to fish in the sea and rivers, and 

 to cut heavy and small timber, as well for navigation as other pur- Free Trading 

 poses, according to their desire ; iu a word, whether they might make 

 use of everything above and below ground according to their will and 

 pleasure, saving the royal rights ; and trade in everything with such 

 persons as should be thereto privileged. 



Sir Dudley himself, who knew Jesse de Forest, the what Virginia 

 leader of the petitioners, favoured the project and re- 

 ferred the matter to the lords in council, who for their 

 part turned the petition over to the Virginia Company. 

 The answer of the directors was not unfavourable, but 

 they refused to give the would-be colonists a ship, " being 

 utterly exhausted and unable to aiford other help than 

 advice as to the cheapest mode of transporting them- 

 selves." The company also said in its reply, " that for 

 the prosperity and principally securing of the plantation 

 in his Maj's obedience, it is not expedient that the said 

 families should be set down in one gross and entire body, 

 but that they should rather be placed in convenient num- 

 bers in the iDrincipal cities . . . there being given 

 them such proportions of land and all other privileges 

 and benefits whatsoever in as ample a manner as to the 

 natural English." It is probable that the petitioners 

 came to the conclusion that advice was quite as cheap in 

 England as it was in Leyden, for they engaged in no 

 further parleying with the Virginia Company. But 

 what was Virginia's loss was New Amsterdam's gain, 

 for two years later the Dutch sent part of the band 

 to the mouth of the Hudson, as we have previously 

 related. 



