Discoveries 
and Settlements 
fweat ; and then opening the Bulk in a wet Day, the Ser- 
vants ftrip and fort them, the top-leaves being the beft 
and the bottom the worft Tobacco % the laft Work is 
to pack it in Hogfheads, or bundle it up, which is alfo 
done in a wet Seafon ; for in curing of Tobacco, wet 
Seafons afe as neceffary as dry to make the Leaf pliant. 
Yet Tobacco is very far from being the only Thing of 
Value which this Coilntry produces j on the contrary, 
they have Flax, Hemp, and Cotton ; and Silk they 
might have if they were not fo extremely addifted to their 
ftaple Commodity, as never to think of any thing 
elfe, if Tobacco can be brought to a tolerable Market. 
They have likewife Silk-grafs, of which they make very 
little Advantage, though, no doubt, under proper Ma- 
nagement, moft profitable Manufadures might be raifed 
from it, fmce its Threads are finer than thofe of Flax, and 
ftronger than Hemp. We may add to this, that all kind of 
naval Stores might be produced in Virginia with great Eafe^ 
and in vaft Plenty : Such as Plank-Timber, Mails, Yards, 
Pitch, Tar, Rofin, and Turpentine, befides Sails, Cord- 
age, and Iron. It is commonly faid, and there are fome 
who have lived in Virginia ready enough to affirm it, that 
there is hardly a Stone to be found in the Country ; but, 
however, this is far enough from being true ; for at the 
Water-fails there are Stones enough of different kinds fit 
for paving, and other Ufesj and towards the Hills there 
are Qiiarries of Slate, and of a kind of Freeftone ; there 
are likewife a Sort of fhining Pebbles, not at all inferior 
to ..Kerry-ftones and though generally fpeaking they are 
foft, yet I have heard that when long expofed to the 
Air, they become very hard, and if polifhed are extreme- 
ly beautiful. As to Mines, they have feveral of good 
Iron in almofl all Parts of the Country, more efpecially in 
the Northern Neck, which belongs to Lord Fairfax. 
There was once a Lead Mine difcovered, but loft in the 
firft Maffacre ; there has been likewife a Talk of Silver and 
Gold Mines ; but it is certain, that they have a great 
many Coals, Antimony, and other Things of Value, in 
the Bowels of that Country, which they would not fail 
to fearch out if Tobacco alone did not fupply them 
plentifully. 
Thus far we have defcribed the Country itfelf : Let us 
next enquire into its Condition as a Colony ; and in this 
Light we find it divided into twenty-five Counties, fome 
fay, twenty-nine •, of thefe the firft is James County., lying 
on both Sides James Rdver.^ which contains five Pariflies 
and the only Two Towns that are in Virginia. The firft is 
James F own., on the North fide of the River, and about 
forty Miles from the Mouth of it ; it is very far from be- 
ing confiderable, as it does not contain above fixty or 
eighty Houfes at rnoft, and of thefe, as we obferved be- 
fore, the greater Part are Taverns or public Houfes, for 
the Entertainment of feafaring People, the Gentlemen 
of Virginia making it their Choice to live on their Planta- 
tions, in order to fee how their Eftates are managed ; and 
in thefe Seats of .theirs they live fo handfomly, and fo 
hofpitably, that how much foever Strangers may difap- 
prove, their Method before they come into the Country, 
they are quickly reconciled to it afterwards. The fecond 
is tVilliamjburgh.^ to which the Seat of Government is 
now transferred, and yet it does not confift of above forty 
Houfes. The reft of the Counties are denominated as 
follows : Henrico County., Prince George^ Charles County, 
Surry, IJle of White, Nanfamond, Norfolk, Princefs Anne, 
York County, Warwick, Elizabeth, New Kent, King Wil- 
liam, King and Ffyeen, Gloucejier, Middlefex, EJfex, Rich- 
mond, Stafford, Weftmoreland, and Lancajier, Northum- 
berland, Acomack, and Northampton. 
The Number of People in thefe Counties, taken all 
together. Men, Women, Children, and Negroes, may a- 
mount to about half a Million; of thefe, one hundred and 
twenty thoufand are Freemen, or theirWives and Children, 
and above twenty thoufand are capable of bearing Arms. 
As for the Indians, there are ftill many Nations of them *, 
but fome of them fo fmall, that they do not exceed four 
or five Families ; and it is thought, that amongft them 
ail, they could fcarce raife feven hundred, fome think, 
not five hundred fighting Men. As to the Government, 
it refembles that of England ; for the legifiative Autho- 
rity is lodged in the Governor, or Council and Affembly : 
The Governor reprefents the King ; gives his Affent M 
Laws, and has a negative Voice. As Governor, he is 
at the Head of the Civil Ad miniftration, and being by hk 
Commiffion a Lieutenant-General and Vice-Admiral, the 
Military and Naval Power are likewife in his Hands. In 
other Refpeds, the Government is very well regulated, 
and the Church alfo is well taken care of •, neither has 
any Plantation belonging to us been under better Manage- 
ment, or the People more happy than thofe of Virginia-, 
and this appears very plainly trom the Face of the Coun- 
try, though there are no great Towns in it, and but very 
few Villages ; for the Gentlemens Seats are very thick, 
all of them good convenient Floufes, many of them large 
and magnificent. The Roads are no where better, the 
Country being, for the moft part, level, and fcarce any 
• rugged or deep Ways ; fo that it is a common thing to 
travel forty or fifty Miles in an Afternoon, and fometimes 
an hundred in a Summer’s Day. They have likewife as 
great Conveniencies with refpecft to Water-carriage as any 
Country in the World •, and it is this that has chiefly 
hindered them from living in great Towns, which, 
though prejudicial to the Manufaftiires, has certainly 
proved very advantageous to their Plantations, which are 
larger , more frequent, and better fecured, than in almoft 
any other Colony ; and as it has flourilhed extremely hi- 
therto, fo at this time it is as thriving a Colony, and as 
likely to continue fo, as any that belong to this Nation. 
The laft Thing we propofe is, to give the Reader fome 
Idea of the Advantages that arife to the Nation from this 
particular Plantation, which I muft confefs is a very diffi- 
cult thing to do ; but, however, I fhall labour to give as 
much Satisfaiftion as I can, and if I fhould be fo fortunate 
as to meet with any farther Informations, Care fhall be 
taken that the Public fliall not lofe the Benefit of them, 
fmce they will come in properly enough in the latter Part 
of the VVork. In the firft Place it muft be obferved, that 
as the V alue of Labour differs in feveral Parts of this King- 
dom, fo the Labour of a Man in moft of the Plantations 
is not only as advantageous to his native Country as if he 
worked at home, but much more fo : I believe, upon a 
moderate Computation, we may reckon, that fuch a Per- 
fon contributes to the public Stock, by which I mean, 
the Income and Wealth of the Nation, four times 
as much ; So that we may with Reafon reckon, that the 
White People in Virginia, one with another, produce 
twelve Pounds to this Nation •, the Reafon of which 
will appear, when we confider the Nature of their Com- 
merce more particularly. But befides this, the Negroes 
are of great Advantage to this Kingdom, though of infi- 
nitely lefs than White People would be, if they were 
employed in the fame Work ; for every one of thefe poor 
Creatures confume yearly two Hilling-hoes, two Weeding- 
hoes, two Grubbing-hoes, befides Axes, Saws, Wimbles, 
Nails, and other Iron Tools and Materials. On the Whole, 
there can be no fort of Qiieftion, becaufe it appears a plain 
Matter of Fa6l, that thefe People neceffarily take off the 
Sum of one hundred and fifty thoufand Pounds, in the 
Commodities of this Country. How far it m.ight have 
been more expedient for the Infant-Colony to have inter- 
married with the Indians, and thereby fo increafed their 
Numbers as to have been in a Condition to manage their 
Affairs without Slaves at all, I will not take upon me to 
determine ; but this feems fo clear as to admit of no Dif- 
pute, that fuch a Settlement would have been by far more 
beneficial to the Mother-Country, and out of Compa- 
rifon more commodious and fecure for the Planters them- 
felves. But I mention this only incidently, and that it 
may pafs the Confideration of Perfons better verfed in 
thefe Things than I pretend to be ; and, from juft hinting 
how Things might be, return to the Detail of how they 
really are. 
I have before ftated (agreeable to what able Authors 
have afferted upon this Subjedl) fome general Principles 
of Computation, fuch as that every Head in this Plan- 
tation may be reckoned worth twelve Pounds a Year to 
this Nation, which muft feem prodigious, and indeed 
fo does every thing grounded on Calculation, to fuch as 
have not applied themfelves thereto ; and fo they always 
