of wealth from their American possessions; and the defects in the government estabMay 23, 1609. lished by the first charter. To remedy these evils a new charter was obtained, in which many individuals and corporate bodies were included, of great wealth, power, and reputation.

By the new charter the power which had before been reserved by the king was now transferred to the company itself; which was to have the power of choosing the supreme council in England, and of legislating in all cases for the colony. The powers of the governor were enlarged from those of a mere president of the council, to supreme and absolute civil and military control; the instructions and regulations of the supreme council being his only guide or check. There can be no doubt but that this was the only practicable government which could be offered to a colony in the situation and composed of the materials which then existed in Virginia. The members of the council had only been so many petty tyrants,—the indolent and weak thwarting the exertions of the industrious and intelligent, and the cowardly and factious disputing the authority and impugning the motives of such as were brave and honorable. In truth, whenever any thing good had thus far been done, it was by the exercise of absolute authority by a mind superior to the rest; and whatever had gone wrong, might with truth be attributed almost as much to the opposing views of the various members of the council, as to the disposition of some to do wrong.

Lord De La Ware received the appointment of governor for life under the new charter, and an avarice which would listen to no possibility of defeat, and which already dreamed of a flourishing empire in America, surrounded him with stately officers, suited by their titles and nominal charges to the dignity of an opulent kingdom. The condition of the public mind favored colonization ; swarms of people desired to be transported; and the adventurers with cheerful alacrity contributed free-will offerings. The widely diffused enthusiasm soon enabled the company to dispatch a fleet of nine vessels, containing more than five hundred emigrants. Newport was made admiral, and was joint commissioner with Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers to administer the affairs of the colony until the arrival of the governor. But these three individuals, with a ceremonious punctilio characteristic of little minds, seeking that distinction from artificial positions in society which they cannot obtain by their own merit, could not agree in a contest for precedence, and hence were compelled, as a compromise, all to go in the same ship: thus exposing the colony to all the danger of anarchy rather than that one should appear by the ship he occupied to be a greater man than the other.

They accordingly embarked with their commission, their directions, and much of the provision, in the Sea Venture. When near the coast of Virginia they encountered a violent storm which destroyed one small vessel, and drove the Sea Venture so far to sea that she stranded on the rocks of the Bermudas. Seven ships arrived in safety.

When Smith heard of the arrival of this immense fleet, he at first supposed it belonged to Spain, and was sent to take possession of the colony; he accordingly made all things. ready, with his usual promptness and energy of character, to give them a warm reception, and little fear was entertained of the result. Smith had by this time by his good conduct brought the savages so completely into subjection, by their admiration for his qualities and fear of his power, that they had become subjects and servants, planting and working for him as he required; and now, when it was thought he was about to be attacked by the Spaniards, they lent him all the aid in their power.

The company in England had not attended to the wise advice of Smith in the selec

tion of their colonists, for it must be remarked that he had no friend at home, while his enemies were suffered there to make their own representations. In the new batch of officers Ratcliffe and Archer were sent back, who had been sent home in disgrace for their idle, dissolute, and mutinous conduct. They prejudiced the minds of the other officers so much against Smith, on the voyage, that they hated him mortally before they had seen him. The historian of the times regrets that the fleet was not composed of Spaniards instead of Englishmen, and thinks it would have been better for the colony. The newly-imported "unruly gallants, packed hither by their friends to escape ill destinies," taking sides with Ratcliffe, Archer, and their confederates against the president, whose commission they affected to consider as having been superseded by the new commission, conducted themselves very riotously, and refused to remain in subordination to any authority. Smith bore this for some time patiently, expecting every Inoment the arrival of the new commission, and wishing, when that event happened, to depart for England, and leave the scene of his great sufferings and glorious exertions; being willing to quit the service of a company, who could so unceremoniously dispense with his authority, for the purpose of putting individuals over him who had no claims upon them, and who knew nothing of the management of the colony. Fortunately the commissioners had been stranded, and did not arrive, and Smith could no longer suffer affairs to remain in confusion. After his resolution was taken, he quickly laid by the heels the most factious, who had been perpetually plotting his destruction, and engaging in all kinds of mischief, until he could have leisure to do them justice.

The number still remaining at large in Jamestown being too great for that position, and more than could be well supported or easily managed, he dispatched West with a hundred and twenty of the best men he could select, to form a settlement at the falls; and Martin, with nearly as many more, to Nansemond; providing them with a fair proportion of food and other necessary articles. Martin managed badly; his jealous fears induced him to attack the savages in his neighborhood, who had treated him well, and take possession of a large quantity of their corn and other property-while his cowardly caution or criminal tenderness permitted them to rally, and in their turn attack his men with impunity, to kill and wound several, and retake all they had lost. He sent to Jamestown for a reinforcement, which he did not employ when he received, but hastened thither himself, cowering under the protection of Sinith's prowess, and leaving his men to their fate.

The president set out for the falls, a few days after West had departed, and found that he had located himself in an exceedingly inconvenient station, subject to inundation, and surrounded by other intolerable inconveniences. He offered a fair proposition to Powhatan, for the purchase of his place called Powhatan, which he was willing to accept; but the disorderly spirits he had sent thither, who were dreaming that the country immediately above them was full of gold, to which they wished no one to have access but themselves, refused the place or to ratify the contract, despising alike his kindness and his authority. The president, with his five men, went boldly among them, and seized the ringleaders of the mutiny; but the whole number of a hundred and twenty gathering in upon him, forced him to retire, but not without seizing one of their boats, with which he took possession of the ship, in which their provision was lodged. Fortunately for Smith, he was sustained by the mariners, who had learned his character from his old soldiers and their own observations of his conduct, as well as by several of the officers, who had learned the error of their first prejudices, deserted his adversaries, and become his firm friends. The Indians came to Smith, whom they considered as their friend and protector, complaining bitterly of the maltreatment of the party at the falls, stating that they were worse than their old enemies the Monocans, from whom it was the duty of the

party to protect them; and seeing their turbulent disobedience, they offered their aid to chastise them. Smith remained nine days longer trying to heal these differences, and to convince them of the absurdity of their "gilded hopes of the South sea mines." But finding all in vain, he set out for Jamestown. Such visionary and disorderly persons were the first civilized inhabitants of the present polished, intelligent, and hospitable city of Richmond. No sooner was Smith's voyage commenced down the river, than the savages attacked those he left behind him, and slew many, and so frightened the rest, that they suffered the prisoners they held in custody to escape. The terrified wretches fled for safety to Smith, whose ship had grounded, and submitted, without stipulation, to his mercy. He seized six or seven of the ringleaders, and imprisoned them; the rest he placed in the savage fort Powhatan, which from the beauty of its position, the excellence of its houses and fortifications, and other advantages, was called Nonsuch. He also satisfied the savages. This fair prospect was again marred by the imbecility of West, who listened to the deceitful tales and whining entreaties of the prisoners, and released them, which again threw all things into disorder; the evil disposed being the more encouraged in their mutinous conduct now, by the possession of their provisions and stores, which had been returned to them at the time of their previous submission. They abandoned Non-such, and returned to their former inconvenient station at West's fort. Smith, finding it impossible to restore tranquillity, again set sail down the river.

In his progress an unfortunate accident occurred, which deprived the colony of his services, and was near depriving him of life. His powder-bag accidentally exploded while he was sleeping, and tore the flesh from his body and thighs in a horrible manner. The pain was so acute that he threw himself into the river to cool the burning sensation, and was near drowning before he could be recovered. He had yet to go nearly one hundred miles in this situation, before he could reach a surgeon, or have any soothing application applied to his wound.

When he returned to Jamestown, the time for the trial of Ratcliffe and Archer was approaching, and these worthies, fearing the result, hired an assassin to murder him in his bed, but the heart of the wretch failed him ere he could fire the fatal shot. Failing in this, their next hope was to save their lives, by possessing themselves of the government; but in this they were disappointed by Smith, who, having in vain urged all those he thought most worthy to accept the presidency, resigned it to Mr. Percy, who was about to sail for England, but was induced to stay under the present embarrassing circumstances, to prevent the supreme control of the colony from falling into the hands of the miscreants who aspired to it.

Smith, finding himself disabled by his wound, the pain of which almost deprived him of his reason, and seeing that there was not

sufficient surgical skill in the colony to restore him, determined to depart for England. He well knew that, in his disabled state, the colony was no place for him; for it had required his utmost exertion in health to suppress faction at home, keep the Indians in awe, and, by the most unceasing activity, supply the colony with provision. He departed under the most mortifying circumstances; "his.commission was suppressed, he knew not why-himself and soldiers to be rewarded, he knew not how-and a new commission granted, they knew not to whom." After his determination was known, the ships, which were to have departed the next day, were retained three weeks, while the mutinous captains were perfecting some colorable charges to send home against him. Never had the colony sustained such a loss. His conduct and his character will be best given in the language of those who knew him best. A writer, who was with him in his troubles, speaking of the attempt to usurp the government immediately before his departure, says:

"But had that unhappy blast not happened, he would quickly have qualified the heat of those humors and factions, had the ships but once left them and us to our fortunes; and have made the provision from among the savages, as we neither feared Spaniard, savage, nor famine; nor would have left Virginia nor our lawful authority, but at as dear a price as we had bought it and paid for it. What shall I say but thus: we left him, that in all his proceedings, made justice his first guide, and experience his second, even hating baseness, sloth, pride, and indignity, more than any danger, -that never allowed more for himself, than his soldiers with him that upon no danger would send them where he would not lead them himself;-that would never see us want what he either had, or could by any means get us;-that would rather want than borrow, or starve than not pay ;-that loved action more than words, and hated falsehood and covetousness worse than death; whose adventures were our lives, and whose loss our deaths."

CHAPTER III.

PROGRESS OF THE COLONY-MASSACRE OF

1622-DISSOLUTION OF THE

LONDON COMPANY.

State of the colony at Smith's departure-its conduct and consequent sufferings.-Arrival of Gates of Lord De La Ware-his departure.-Arrival of Dale.-Martial Law. -Gotes Governor.-Grants of band to individuals.—New charter.—Marriage of Pocahontas.-Friendly relations with the Indians.—Cultivation of Tobacco.-Tenure of lands.-Tyranny of Argall.-Propriety of Reform in the government.-Yeardley Governor. First colonial assembly in 1619.—Introduction of women.— -Introduction of negroes by the Dutch in 1620.-Constitution brought over by Sir Francis Wyatt. -Relations with the Indians.-Massacre of the 22d of March, 1622-its consequences. Struggles between the king and the company.-Commissioners sent to Virginia.-Firmness of the Virginians.—Dissolution of the company.

WHEN Smith left the colony, it contained four hundred and ninety odd persons. The harvest was newly gathered, and there

OUTLINE HISTORY.

The savages were in

was provision for ten weeks in the stores. a good state of subjection, and readily yielded at a reasonable price whatever they could spare. All things were in such a condition that prudent management might have ensured the most brilliant success, but the wildest confusion and anarchy prevailed. The new president was so ill that he could not attend to business, and twenty others endeavored to hold the reins of government. When the savages found that Smith was gone, they speedily attacked and broke up the establishments at Powhatan and Nansemond, driving upon the in the remnant of the men their butcheries left, to subsist Ratcliffe with a vesrapidly wasting provisions of Jamestown. sel and thirty men attempting to trade with Powhatan, was by his carelessness cut off, and he himself with all his company perished except two, who were saved by the humanity of Pocahontas. West with a crew of thirty escaped in a ship to become pirates.* The miserable company, now left without control or authority, and composed with a few exceptions of "gentlemen, tradesmen, serving-men, libertines, and such-like, ten times more fit to spoil a commonwealth, than either begin one, or but help to maintain one," now gave free rein to all their evil dispositions. Each one sought only to gratify his passions or preserve his own life, without regard There was no union, no to the wants or sufferings of the rest. concert, no harmony. Vice stalked abroad in her naked deformity, and her handmaids, misery and famine, followed in her train. The savages attacked and slew the whites upon every occasion, and forming a systematic plan to starve the remainder, they would supply no further provisions; after they had bought every disposable article at the fort, even to most of their arms, at such a price The corn was speedily consumed; next as they chose to exact. followed the domestic animals, poultry, hogs, goats, sheep, and finally the horses; all were consumed, even to their skins. The only resource was in roots, acorns, berries, and such other unwholesome stuff as could be found; nay, so pinching was the hunger, that savages who had been slain and buried were disinterred to be consumed, and even some of the whites who had perished were used to preserve life by the rest. Of nearly five hundred that Smith left, in six months only sixty emaciated beings remained alive; and these were without the possibility of support for longer than ten days.

When Gates and Sumner were shipwrecked on the Bermuda rocks, their good management saved the life of every individual, and a large proportion of their provision and stores. On this island, although uninhabited, nature was so bountiful, and presented spontaneously such a rich variety of productions suitable to the sustenance of man, that three hundred and fifty men lived in ease and abundance for nearly ten months. The disagreeable idea of remaining thus upon an island, cut off from all intercourse with the rest of the world, stimulated them to the exertion necessary to build two barks, with such rude instruments as they possessed, from the wreck of their old ship and the cedars of the island. In these they embarked for Virginia, expecting to find, in the comforts

* Smith in book 4, p. 2, says, "sailed for England."-Bancroft, 156, says, on the authority of Stith, "became pirates."