2,2,8 
> 
7 'he Discoveries 
private Perfon^ aiid would have no Concern in public 
Affairs at all •, bitt he was frill refpefted by the Inhabit- 
ants for the great Things he had performed. He had 
purflied the War with the Indians till he had reduced 
them fo low as to be no longer troublefomei after having 
made their Emperor Prifoner •, he encouraged the make- 
ing of Pot-Afhes, Soap, Salt ; Planting of Flax, Hemp, 
and Cotton j and the Manufaclure of Silk, which he 
brought to great Perfeflion. After he retired from the 
Government there were three Perfons fent from England^ 
who ruled one after another feven Years ; the firil of 
them was Colonel Diggs^ who adted under the Parlia- 
mends Authority ; then Mr. Bennet was fent over by 
Oliver j and afterwards one Mr. Matthews^ who died Go- 
vernor ; and, upon this Accident, the People of Virginia 
defired Sir William Berkley to refume the Adminiftration 
of Affairs^ He had a Commiffion from King Charles IL 
then in exile % but he abfolutely refufed to adt, unlefs the 
People would acknowledge his Mafter, to which they 
very readily confented, which will appear the lefs fur- 
prizing, when it is conlidered, that Abundance of Gen- 
tlemen, who bad been ruined in the Support of the 
Royal Caufe, had retired into this Colony from England. 
In Confequence therefore, of this Refolution, King 
Charles II. was proclaimed in Virginia.^ before he was ac- 
knowledged in any of his three Kingdoms ‘ but it hap- 
pened Very luckily for Sir William that his Mafter v/as 
foon after reftored ; and as a Mark of his Affedlion for 
the Province, he wore at his Coronation a Robe of Silk, 
fent from Virginia. Soon after Sir William went over to 
compliment the King upon his return, and left Colonel 
Francis Morrifon^ his Deputy ; who behaved, in his Ab- 
fence, to the general Satisfaftion of the Plantation. He 
ordered the Lav/s to be revifed and colledled into a Body, 
to be laid before the Aflembly, at their next Seffion. Fie 
took the fame Care of the Church as he did of the State ; 
he regulated the Parifhes, fettled the Minifter’s Allow- 
ance, got a Revenue for the Support of the Government, 
and other Laws for the Encouragement of the Linnen 
and Woollen Manufaftures, the breeding of Silk-Worms, 
Tanning, and Salt-Works. 
Whiift the Deputy-Governor was fo bufy for the Ser- 
vice of the Colony, Sir William Berkley was in England.^ 
taking his Inftrudions from the King for his future Con- 
du6t. His Majefty ordered him to promote Hufbandry, 
Manufactures, Silk and Vineyards, that all Ships trading 
to Virginia ftiould go to James-Fown., and be entered at 
the Cuftom-Houfe there before they broke Bulk j which 
Orders were given, with an Intent, that by them the People 
might be ternpted to come thither, and dwell there for 
the Conveniency of Trade ; and had they been obeyed it 
might have increafed the Number of Buildings in that 
City, which is now much lefs than it was fourfcore Years 
ago j every body coveting to live at his Plantation, and 
fettle where he thinks he lhall have the beft Crops and 
Conveniency of Shipping. This is the Reafon that there 
are fo few Towns in Virginia., and thofe that are there fo 
very fmall. Sir William., being fully inftrubted by the 
King how to proceed on his return to his Government, 
fet fail from England to Virginia., where he arrived in the 
Year 1662, and immediately put the People upon im- 
proving their Plantations, and advancing Manufablures. 
Fie fummoned an Aflembly, and got an A6l pafled for 
building James-Fcwn ; each County was to build fo 
many Houfes, and fome aflually built their Quota ; 
which, notwithftanding the A6I, were converted into 
Taverns and Eating-Houfes, and the Town was very 
little the bigger for them. Sir William Berkley., at his re- 
turn, gave a Sanblion to the new Body of Laws, and took 
all the Care he could to carry them into Execution, 
which v/as ail that he coUld do, or that indeed could be 
expedled from him. And, as we are now come down in 
the Hiftory of this Colony as low as this Period will per- 
mit, we are next to give a fuccinfl Account of the Na- 
' ture and Condition of this Plantation, that it may appear 
how well it deferves the Pains that have been taken about 
it, and how amply it rewards this Nation for all the 
Care and Expence bellowed in planting of it, which will 
and Settlements Book I. 
alfo acquit us of all the Promifes made to the Reader upon 
this Subjeft. 
5. The Situation of Virginia is remarkably happy and 
convenient, having the River Potovjmac upon the North- 
eaft, the Atlantic Ocean on the Eaft, the Province of 
Carolina on the South, and the Apalachian Mountains on 
the Weft, which feparate it from Florida. It lies from 
36 to 39° North Latitude, and betv/een 74 and 80° of 
Weftern Longitude, it extends about 240 Miles in 
length from North to South, and may be in breadth 120 
Miles from Eaft to Weft. As to the Air of this Country 
it depends Very much on the Winds. The North and 
North-weft are either very fharp and piercing, or boif- 
terous and ftormy, the South- eaft and South being hazy 
and fultry. The Winter is dry and clear, which m.akes- 
it very pleafant. Snow fails in great Quantities, but it 
feldom lies above a Day or tv/o, and their Frofts though 
quick and fharp, yet feldom laft long. Their Spring is 
fomewhat earlier than ours j in April they have frequent 
Rains; May and June are very pleafant Months, the 
Heat being greatly tempered by cooling Breezes ; July 
and Auguft are fultry hot, the Air growing in a Manner 
ftagnant, which produces dreadful Thunderings and 
Lightning ; in September the Weather breaks, and there 
fall prodigious Showers of Rain, at which Seafon it is 
that the Inhabitants are moll fickly. It ought, however, to 
be obferved, that in this, and indeed in all our ColonieSj 
the Climate grows daily better, and thefe Thunder Sea- 
fons lefs violent, which the Inhabitants Very juftly afcribe 
to the clearing the Country, and cutting down the 
Woods, which gives the Air a free Paflage, and is at- 
tended with many other Convenienc-ies. 
As to the Soil it is generally low towards the Sea 
Coafts, and for one hundred Miles up into the Country 
there is hardly a Hill or Stone to be met with, except 
that here and there fome Rocks of Iron Ore appear above 
the Ground, and fome Banks of a kind of petrified 
Oyfter-fliells, that are of a prodigious Thicknefs ; the 
whole Country before it was planted was either Foreft or 
Morafs, which in the Weji Indies they call Swamps. The 
Bay of Chefepeak runs diredtly up the Country, almofl: 
due North, for three hundred Miles ; at the Entrance it 
is efteemed about twenty-one Miles broad, or fomething 
more ; and it continues navigable as long as it wafties 
the Coaft of Virginia, and much farther ; into the Weft- 
fide of this Bay fall four great Rivers, which rife in the 
Apalachian Mountains, all of them running from the North- 
weft to the South-eaft : The moft Southerly of thefe is 
James-River, the Indian Name whereof was Powhatan., 
being generally about two Miles over, and navigable, 
at leaft, fourfcore Miles. Tork-River, whofe Indian 
Name was Pamaimkee, is a little to the Northward of 
James-River, and in fome Places they approach one ano- 
ther fo near, that they are not five Miles afunder. To 
the Northward of Tork-River is the River Raphanack, 
which in fome Places is not ten Miles diftant from Tork-^ 
River, and either of them as broad or broader than James^ 
River. North of Raphanack is the great River of Patow- 
mack, which in fowie Places is not above feven Miles 
diftant from Raphdnack-River, and in other Places up- 
wards of fifty. This River of Patowmack is navigable 
above two hundred Miles, being nine Miles broad in 
fome Places, but generally about feven. The Mouth of 
the F.-iver Patowmack, and that of James-River, are about 
one hundred Miles afunder ; but the Heads of all the four 
Rivers rife in the fame Hills, pretty near each other. 
There are great Plenty of Springs in all Parts of the 
Country, but the Water is fomewhat harlher than in 
England. 
As to Animals, there were neither Horfes, Cows, Sheep, 
or Swine, before the coming of the Englijh, but they have 
now plenty of them all ; and their Horfes are very fervice- 
able, and travel at a great Rate. They have likewife 
Elks, but not common, Red-Deer in great Plenty ; Hares, 
Squirrels of feveral Kinds, Mufk-Rats, Rackoons, wild 
Cats, Beavers, Wolves, Foxes, and feveral Sorts of Dogs. 
As for Reptiles, they have Lizards, feveral kinds of Snakes, 
particularly the Rattle-Snake, of which an Account v/ill 
