"To make discoveries along the coast, and find a fishery between James river and Cape Cod :

"As to raising staple commodities, the chief officers ought to set examples, and to aim at the establishment of the colony:

"Chief officers that have tenants reprimanded for taking fees; but require that the clerks have fees set for passes, warrants, copies of orders, &c.:

"Governor and council to appoint proper times for administration of justice, and provide for the entertainment of the council during their session; to be together one whole month about state affairs, and law suits; to record plaints of consequence; to keep a register of the acts of quarter sessions, and send home copies:

"If a governor dies, the major part of council to choose one of themselves within fourteen days; but if voices be divided, the lieutenant governor shall have the place; and next the marshall; next the treasurer; and one of the two deputies next:

"Governor and chief officers not to let out their tenants as usual:

"The governor only to summon the council, and sign warrants, and execute or give authority to execute council orders, except in cases that do belong to the marshall, treasurer, deputies, &c.:

"The governor to have absolute authority to determine and punish all neglects, and contempts of authority, except the council, who are to be tried at the quarter sessions and censured. Governor to have but the casting voice in council or court, but in the assembly a negative voice:

"That care be taken that there be no engrossing commodity, or forestalling the market:

"All servants to fare alike in the colony, and their punishment for any offences is to serve the colony, in publick works:

"To see that the earl of Pembroke's thirty thousand ` acres be very good:

"And lastly, not to let ships stay long, and to freight them with walnut, and any less valuable commodity:

"The governor administered the following oath to the council:

"You shall swear to be a true and faithful servant "unto the king's majesty, as one of his council for Vir"ginia: You shall in all things to be moved, treated, "and debated in that council concerning Virginia or any "the territories of America, between the degrees of thirty "four and forty-five from the equinoctial line northward, "or the trades thereof, faithfully and truly declare your "mind and opinion, according to your heart and con"science; and shall keep secret all matters committed "and revealed to you concerning the same, and that shall "be treated secretly in that council, or this council of "Virginia, or the more part of them, publication shall "not be made thereof; And of all matters of great "importance, or difficulty, before you resolve thereupon, "you shall make his majesty's privy council acquainted "therewith, and follow their directions therein: You "shall to your uttermost bear faith and allegiance to the "king's majesty, his heirs, and lawful successors, and "shall assist and defend all jurisdictions, preheminences, "and authorities, granted unto his majesty and annext "unto the crown, against all foreign princes, persons, "prelates or potentates whatsoever, be it by act of par"liament or otherwise and generally, in all things, 'you shall do as a faithful and true servant and subject ought to do. So help you God and the holy contents "of this book.” *

It appears the foregoing instructions were drawn up by the council, and intended as the general principles for the government of the colony.

The recommendation "not to injure the natives and forget old quarrels now buried," goes far to prove that hopes were entertained that the Indians were disposed to be at peace. "To use means to convert the heathen," is another evidence of this amicable state of feeling to

*Hening's Statutes at Large, vol. i. p. 114-118.

wards the natives. But lo! this state of peace and tranquillity, in less than one year after, was changed into one of devastation, blood and mourning. On the 22d of March, 1622, the Indians committed the most bloody massacre on the colonists recorded in the annals of our country.*

In the following year, to wit, March, 1623, the colonial general assembly, by statute, directed "that the 22d March be yearly solemnized as holliday." This was done to commemorate the escape of the colony from entire extirpation. This bloody massacre produced, on the part of the whites, a most deadly and irreconcilable hatred towards the natives. Accordingly, we find that a long continued and unabating state of hostility was kept up, and in about one hundred years the Indians were driven from the country east of the Blue Ridge. At the same session, to wit, 1623, the legislature enacted several laws in relation to defending themselves against the savages. In the series are the following:

"That every dwelling house shall be pallizaded in for defence against the Indians:

"That no man go or send abroad without a sufficient partie well armed:

"That people go not to worke in the ground without their arms (and a centinell upon them :)

"That the inhabitants go not aboard ships or upon any other occasions, in such numbers as thereby to weaken and endanger the plantations:

"That the commander of every plantation take care that there be sufficient of powder and amunition within the plantation under his command and their pieces fixt and their arms compleate:

"That there be dew watch kept by night:

"That no commander of any plantation do either

*This year (1622), says Mr. Gordon in his history of the American_revolution, (vol. i. p 43,)" was remarkable for a massacre of the colonists by the Indians, which was executed with the utmost subtility, and without any regard to age, sex, or dignity. A well concerted attack on all the settlements destroyed in one hour, and almost at the same instant, 347.persons who were defenseless and incapable of making resistance.

Hening's Statutes at Large, vol. i. p. 123.

himselfe or suffer others to spend powder unnecessarily in drinking or entertainments, &c.:

"That at the beginning of July next the inhabitants of every corporation shall go upon their adjoining salvages, as we did the last year.

In the year 1629, the legislature again "ordered that every commander of the several plantations appointed by commission from the governor, shall have power and authoritie to levy a partie of men out of the inhabitants of that place soe many as may well be spared without too much weakening of the plantations, and to employ those men against the Indians," &c.t

"It was the opinion of the whole bodie of the assembly that we should go three several marches upon the Indians, at three several times of the year, viz: first in November, secondly in March, thirdly in July," &c.t

In 1631-32, "it is ordered that no person or persons shall dare to speake or parlie with any Indians, either in the woods or in any plantation, yf he can possibly avoyd it by any means," &c.;

The author considers the foregoing extracts sufficient to enable the reader to form some opinion of the spirit and character of the early settlers of our state, particularly as it relates to their sufferings and difficulties with the Indian tribes. It is not deemed expedient or necessary to go into a detailed history of the first settlement of our country, as there are several general histories of Virginia now to be obtained, written by authors, whose abilities and means of information the author could not expect to equal.

The author will close this brief sketch of the first settlement of Virginia, with a few general remarks in relation to the first introduction of slavery. It appears from our early historians, that negroes were first introduced into our state from "a Dutch ship in the year 1620." O woful day for our country! To use the language of Mr. Snowden, this was "an evil hour" for our

Hening's Statutes at Large, vol. i. p. 127, 128. + Idem, p. 140, + Idem, p. 141.

§ Idem, p, 167.

country-It truly brought "new sins and new deaths" to the new world. The present generation have abundant cause to deplore the unhallowed cupidity and want of all the finer feelings of our nature, manifested in this baleful and unrighteous traffick. It has entailed upon us a heavy calamity, which will perhaps require the wisdom of ages yet to come to remove. That it must and will be removed, there can be but little doubt. History furnishes no example of any part of the human race being kept in perpetual slavery. Whether the scheme of sending them to Africa will ultimately produce the desired effect, can only be tested by time: it is however most "devoutly" to be desired.

BACON'S REBELLION IN VIRGINIA IN 1675-76.

The document which follows relates to one of the most singular events which ever occurred in Virginia, and its interest is a sufficient inducement for its insertion in this work. It was published many years ago in the Richmond Evangelical Magazine, but is now out of print. The editor of that work, (the late reverend and highly esteemed Dr. Rice,) in introducing it into his pages, says: "It was taken verbatim from a copy in the library now belonging to congress, but formerly the property of Mr. Jefferson. Who the author is we cannot discover. He was certainly a man of much cleverness, and wrote well. But our readers will judge for themselves. The name of Bacon is very little known to our citizens in general: and this part of our history has been vailed in great obscurity. There are two remembrances of this extraordinary man in the neighbor hood of Richmond. A brook on the north west of the city, which bears the name of "Bacon-quarter branch," is said to have received its name from the fact, that on that brook Bacon had his quarter. Buck says that he owned a plantation on Shockoe creek, of which the stream just mentioned is a branch. One of the finest springs in Richmond, or its vicinity, is on the cast of the