^24 Discoveries Settlements Book! 
of Land, which for the prefent was divided into North On board of which they embarked an hundred and 
and South Virginia^ and were fo ftiled many Years after, ten Land-Men, with every thing requifite for fettling a 
It was to this Intent King James^ by his Letters Patents Colony^ The Command of this fmall Squadron was 
dated the lothof Apil 1606, reciting, that Sir Thomas given to Capt. Qhrijiopher Newport, an experienced Sea- 
Gates, and Sir George Summers, Knights, and Richard man, well acquainted with the JVeJi-India Navigation ; 
Hackluit,Q\txk, Prebendary' of JVeJiminJier, Edward Ma- but to prevent any Difputes in the Paffage, the Orders 
ria Wingfield, Ehomas Hanham, and Raleigh Gilbert, which regarded the Government of the Colony, and the 
Efquires, William Parker and George Popham, Gentle- Names ot the Council who were to be intrufted with the 
men, and divers others his loving. Subjeds, had petition- Adminiftration of it when fettled, were delivered to 
ed him for Leave to fend Colonies to Virginia, and fuch them in a Box fealed up, with Diredions not to be open- 
other Parts of America as either appertained to his Crown, ed till they were on Shore. 
or which were not adually poffelTed by any other Chri- They failed from London on the 20th of December, 
ftian Prince or People, and lying between thirty-four 1606 •, but, by feveral unlucky Accidents, were, for 
and l orty-fiveDegrees of northern Latitude, and within an feveral Weeks, detained on the Coaft di England. At 
hundred Miles of the Sca-Coaft ; And for the fpeedy laft they continued their Voyage, and, having taken in 
Accomplilhment^ of the faid Plantation, intended to di- frefh Water and other Neceffaries at the Canaries, pro- 
vide themfelves into two feveral Companies, the one ceeded to the Carihhee Ifiands, where they arrived on 
confifting of the Adventurers of the City of London, the 2 of February, and ftaid amongft them, but chiefly 
who v/ere defirous to fix themfelves between thirty-four on the Ifland of Nevis, about five Weeks. On the 3d 
and forty-one Degrees of North Latitude ; and the other of April they failed for Virginia, and arrived on the 26th 
confifting of the Adventurers of the Cities of Briftol of the fame Month at the Mouth of Qhefepedk-Bay. The 
and Exeter, and the Town of Plymouth, who were defi- firft Place on which they landed was the Southern Cape 
rous to fettle between thirty-eight and forty-five Degrees of that Bay, where they built a Fort, which they called 
on the Coaft of in His Majefty, in order Cape ?Lnd Fort-Henry, as they did the Northern 
to promote fo noble a Work, which might tend to the Charles, in honour of the two Princes : and the firft 
Glory of God, by propagating the Chriftian Religion 
among the Infidels and Savages, and bring them to Hu- 
manity and Civility, did gracioufly accept their Petition, 
and for himfelf, his Heirs and SuccefTors, did grant and 
agree, that the faid Sir Fhomas Gates, Sir George Sum- 
mers, Richard Hackluit, and Edward Maria Wingfield, 
Adventurers of the City of London, and all others that 
Ihould affociate with them, fhould be called the firft 
Colony, and might begin their firft Plantation at any 
Place upon the faid Coaft of Virginia, or America, where 
they fnoUld think fit, between 34 and 41 Degrees of La- 
titude; and fhould have all the Lands, Woods, Rivers, 
Ports, Fifhing, and Hereditaments whatfoever to the 
fame belonging and appertaining, from the firft Seat of 
their Plantation, for fifty Miles either Way along the 
Coaft, North and South, and an hundred Miles to the 
Weft ward, within Land, with all the Hands over againft 
the faid Coaft for the Space of an . hundred Miles at Sea ; 
with all the Lands, Ports, Rivers, Harbours, Fifhings, 
and Mines thereunto belonging or appertaining ; and Li- 
berty to plant, build and fortify therein ; and that no 
other Subjedts of this Crown fhould be permitted to fettle 
themfelves in the Lands to the weft ward of this Colony 
without their Leave. And his Majefty did grant to the 
aforefaid Fhomas Hanham, Raleigh Gilbert, William Par- 
ker, and George Popham, of the Cities of Brifiol and Exe- 
ter, and the Town of Plymouth, in the County of Devon, 
and all others that fhould affociate with them, that they 
fhould be called the fecond Colony, and might begin 
their firft Plantation upon the faid Coaft of Virginia, or 
America, where they ihould think fit between 3 8 and 45 
Degrees of I.atitude ; and enjoy all the Lands, Ports, Ri- 
vers, Fiftiings, and Hereditaments, thereto belonging, 
with the like Extent of Land and Sea, from the Seat of 
their Plantation, as was granted to the firft Colony. 
And it was provided, that the faid refpedlive Colonies 
Ihould not plant within the Space of one hundred Miles 
of each other ; that each Company fhould have a Coun- 
cil, confifting of thirteen Perfons, in whom the Govern- 
ment fhould be lodged, but limited by certain Articles 
under the Privy Seal *, they were impowered alfo to dig 
Mines in and beyond their refpedlive Limits to the Weft- 
ward, paying the Crown a Fifth of all Gold, and a Fifth 
of all Copper Ore they fhould get ; they were alfo im- 
powered to feize all Ships that fhould trade within their 
refpedtive Limits ; to coin Money, raife Forces for their 
Defence, fAc. 
3. The Patentees firft named were commonly ftiled the 
London Company, and thofe laft named the Weftern 
Company, who no fooner received this Authority from 
the Crown, than they began in earneft to provide for 
making effeftual Settlements within the Bounds prefcrib- 
ed by their refpedfive Grants. With this View the Lon- 
don Company fitted out three Veffels, one of an hundred 
Tons, another of forty, and a Pinnace of twenty. 
great River they fearched, the Indian Name of which 
was Powhatan, they called James-River, after the King’s 
own Name. 
Of this River they made a full Search, before they 
would come to any Refolution about a Settlement, and 
then, by unanimous Confent, they pitched upon a Penin- 
fula about fifty Miles up the River, which, befides the 
Goodnefs of the Soil, was efteemed moft capable to be 
made a Place both of Trade and Security^ two thirds of 
it invironed by the main River, which affords good An- 
chorage all along, and the other third by a final] River, 
capable of receiving final! Veffels of one hundred Tons 
Burden quite up till it comes within thirty Yards of the 
great River again, and where generally, in Spring-tides, 
it overflows into the main River; for which Reafon the 
Land they chofe to pitch their Town upon had obtained 
the Name of an Ifland. In this back River Ships and 
fmall Veflels may ride lafhed to one another, and moored 
afliore, fecure from all Wind and Weather. They gave 
the fame Name to the Town as to the River, viz. James- 
Town. The whole Ifland thus inclofed contained about 
two thoufand Acres of high Land, and many thoufand 
of very good Marfli, and is extraordinary good Pafture 
as any in that Country. By means of the narrow Paf- 
fage, this Place was of great Security to them from the 
Indian Enemy; and, to ftrengthen it the more, they 
built Caftles and a Fort there. This was the firft Plan- 
tation of the Englijh that fucceeded, and which has con- 
tinued to this Day. 
As to the Colony, the firft Bufinefs they entered upon, 
after they landed, was, to open their Orders, where they 
found the following Gentlemen appointed of the Council, 
viz. Bartholomew Gofnold, Edward Wingfield, Chrijiopher 
Newport, John Smith, John R at cliff e, John Martin, and 
George Kendall, of whom Wingfield was chofen Prefident ; 
but they thought fit to leave Capt. Smith out of the 
Council : For it feeems the reft of the Gentlemen were 
fo fet againft him, that they had confined him Prifoner 
ever fince they left England, which Purchas infinuates 
was occafioned by their Envy at his fuperior Talents, 
and becaufe the Company in England feemed to rely 
more upon his Skill and Experience than upon any of 
the reft ; and it appears, that the Planters themfelves were 
fo convinced of his Abilities afterwards, that they were 
obliged not only to admit him into their Council, hut irt 
a manner refign their Adminiftration into his Hands, 
after they had, by their perpetual Jars and weak Manage- 
ment, almoft ruined the Company’s Affairs. After 
about five or fix Weeks Stay before this their intended 
new Town, the Ships being difpatched, Capt. New- 
port departed with them for England about the Middle 
of June, leaving upwards of one hundred Men fettled 
in the Form of Government already mentioned; but, 
when the Ships were gone, the fame Feuds and Dilbr- 
ders broke out again with freih Violence. 
