115 . 



lers patent, the king added to his former grants, all 

 islands in any part of tlie ocean betsveen the 30th and 

 41st degrees of latitude, and within 300 leagues of any 

 of tiie parts before granted to the treasurer and compa- 

 ny, not being possessed or inhabited by any other 

 Christian prince or state, nor within the limits of the 

 nortliern colony. 



Jn pursuance of the authorities given to the compa- 

 ny by these charters, and more especially of that part 

 in the charter of 1609, which authorised them to estab- 

 lish a form of government, they on the 24th of July 

 1621, by cliarter under their common seal, declared 

 that from thenceforward there should be two supreme 

 councils in Virginia, the one to be called the council 

 of state, to be placed and displaced by the treasurer, 

 council in England, and conipany^ from time to time, 

 whose office was to be that of assisting and advising 

 the governor; the other to be called the general assem- 

 bly to be convened by the governor once yearly or 

 oftener, which was to consist of the council of state, 

 and two burgesses out of every town, hundred or plant- 

 ation, to be re5j)ectively chosen by the inhabitants, la 

 this all matters v/ere to be decided by the greater part 

 of the votes present; reserving to the governor a nega- 

 tive voice ; and they were to have power to treat, con- 

 sult, and conclude all emergent occasions concerning 

 the public weal, and to make laws for the behoof and 

 government of the colony, imitating and following the 

 laws and policy of England as nearly as might be: 

 providing that these laws should have no force till rati- 

 fied in a general quarter court of the company in Eng- 

 land and returned under their common seal, and de- 

 claring that, after the government of the colony should 

 be well framed and settled, no orders of the council in 

 England should bind the colony unless ratified in the 

 said general assembly. The king and company quar- 

 relled, and by a mixture of law and force, the latter 

 were ousted of all their rights, without retribution, af- 

 ter having expended 100,000/. in establishing the colony, 

 without, the smallest aid from government. King 



