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the power was vested in Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers, who were dispatched from England with five hundred planters. A violent hurricane separated the fleet on their way; and the ships without the officers only arrived at James Town. Presently every thing was reduced to a state of anarchy; Captain Smith, at once the shield and the sword of the colony, being disabled by an accidental explosion of gun-powder, the wretchedness which followed is beyond de-. scription; and the arrival of Gates and Somers, who had been cast away on one of the Bermuca islands, although it saved the wretched survivors at James Town from immediate death, was unable to preserve them until autumn.

19. Nothing remained but to seek immediate assistance; and with only sixteen days' provision, the colony set sail, in hopes of reaching the banks of Newfoundland, and getting relief. But before they had arrived at the mouth of the river they met Lord Delaware, who brought a large supply of sustenance, new settlers, and every thing requisite either for cultivation or defence. Under the skilful administration of this nobleman, the colony began, once more, to assume a promising appearanse. He was succeeded by Sir Thomas Dale, who concluded a treaty of friendship with the Powha-" tans, one of the most powerful and warlike tribes of Virginia.

20. Pocahontas, the amiable female who had preserved the life of Captain Smith, frequently visited the English settlements; and during this intercourse, she was betrayed on board a vessel, and there imprisoned. Her father, who loved her with the most ardent affection, was obliged to discontinue hostilities on such conditions as were dictated by his treacherous enemy. She was afterward solicited by Mr. Rolfe, a respectable planter, in marriage. Powhatan consented, and the marriage was celebrated with extraordinary pomp.

21. From this time, the most friendly intercourse subsisted between the colonies and the Indians. Rolfe and his wife went to England, where, by the introduction of Captain Smith, Pocahontas was received by the court with the respect due to her birth; she was instructed in the Christian religion, and publicly baptized. About returning to America, Pocahontas died at Gravesend; leaving one son, from whom are sprung some of the most respectable families of Virginia.

22. Hitherto no individual right of property in lands was established; all was holden and dealt out in common. But the governor, in 1616, divided a considerable extent of land into small lots, and granted one of these for ever to each individual; from which period the colony rapidly extended. The culture of tobacco, siace become the great staple of Vir

ginia, was introduced; but the eager demand for the article in England, caused for some time a scarcity of food in the colony.

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23. About this time, a Dutch ship from the coast of Guinea, having sailed up James River, sold to the planters a part of her negroes; which race has been augmented in Virginia by successive importations and by natural increase, till it forms more than one third part of the population.

24. In 1619, Sir George Yeardly, the governor, impelled by that popular spirit of freedom which has ever been the characteristic of Americans, called the first general assembly which was held in Virginia. At this time eleven corporations sent representatives to the convention, which was permitted to assume legislative power, the natural privilege of man. The supreme authority was lodged, partly in the governor, partly in a council of state appointed by the company, and in a general assembly, composed of representatives of the people.

25. A natural effect of the happy change was an increase of agriculture. The company extended the trade of the colony to Holland and other countries. This measure produce the first difference of sentiment between the colony and the parent state. Jealous at seeing a commodity, (tobacco,) for which the demand was daily increasing, conducted to foreign ports beyond its control, thereby causing a diminution of revenue, the latter endeavored to check this colonial enterprise, without considering that the restraint was a breach of the sacred principles of justice.

26. The suspicion of the monarch James was soon roused, and the charter, by decision of the king's beach, was declared forfeit, and the company dissolved. Charles I. adopted all his father's maxims in respect to Virginia, which, during a great part of his reign, knew no other law than the royal will. But the colonists resisting, Charles yielded to the popular voice: he recalled Harvey, the obnoxious governor, and appointed Sir William Berkeley, a man of great abilities, prudent, virtuous, and popular; whose influence was directed in finally restoring to the people much the same share in the government, as they had enjoyed previously to the revocation of the charter.

27. After the execution of the king, and the establishment of the commonwealth under Cromwell, through the influence of the governor, the colonists continued to adhere to their loyalty to the king. In 1651, the English commonwealth took vigorous measures to reduce the Virginians to obedience, A numerous squadron, with land forces, was dispatched for

this purpose. Berkeley resisted, but was unable to maintain an equal contest, and was soon defeated. The people were, however, allowed to retain the privileges of citizens; but Berkeley retired as a private citizen.

28. Cromwell's parliament framed acts prohibiting all intercourse between the colonies and foreign states, and allowing no trade but in English ships. On the death of Mathews, the last governor appointed by Cromwell, the Virginians burst out in new violence. They called Sir William Berkeley from his retirement, boldly erected the royal standard, and proclaimed Charles II., son of their late monarch, to be their lawful sovereign. Charles was however soon placed on the throne, and the Virginians were thus saved from the chastisement to which they were exposed by their previous declaration in his favor. But the new king and parliament rewarded their fidelity by increasing the restraints upon colonial commerce!

29. The number of inhabitants in Virginia in 1688, excceded sixty thousand; and its population in the previous twenty-eight years was doubled. In 1691, the college of William and Mary was founded. To aid in its erection and support the sovereigns whose name it bears, gave nearly two thousand pounds out of their private purse, and granted twenty thousand acres of land, and a duty on tobacco, for its further encourageren.

QUESTIONS.

When and by whom was America discovered?

By whom and when was the continent of North America discovered?

On what account did Virginia derive its name?

Who made the first attempt to colonize this part of the continent?

To whom did Sir Walter Raleigh afterwards assign his interest in the country?

From what did James River take its name?

On what account did Captain John Smith obtain his first release from the In. dians ?

Who effected his second release from them?

On what account was the cultivation of the soil neglected by the first colonists?

What is the history of Pocahontas subsequent to saving the life of Captain Smith?

Who first brought the African negroes into this part of the country? What part did the Virginians take in relation to the revolution of the mother tountry under Cromwell?

What was the population of Virginia in 1686 ?

SECTION II.

Settlement of Massachusetts.

1. THE partition of the great territory of Virginia into North and South colonies, has already been mentioned. Still more

feble were the operations of the Plymouth company, to whom was assigned the conduct of the northern division, although animated by the zeal of Sir John Popham, chief jus tice of England, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and other publis spirited gentlemen of the west.

2. In the year 1607, the same in which James Town was founded, a small settlement was commenced on the river Sagadahoc, now called the Kennebec; but this was soon abandoned. Some fishing vessels visited Cape Cod several times; among them, one commanded by Captain Smith, who returned with a high-wrought description of the coast and country, exhibiting a map of the bays, harbors, &c., on which he inscribed "New England; the Prince of Wales, delight ed with the representations of Smith, immediately confirmed the name.

3. To the operations of religion, rather than to the desire of pecuniary emolument, are the various settlements of New England indebted for their origin. The sacred rights of conscience and of private judgment were not then properly understood; nor was the charity and mutual forbearance taught Christians by their divine Master, practised, in any country. Every church employed the hand of power in supporting its own doctrines, and opposing the tenets of another.

4. fu reforming the rituals and exterior symbols of the church of England, Elizabeth, lest by too wide a departure from the Romish church, she might alarm the pop lace, had allowed many of the ancient ceremonies to remain unaltered. With several of these a large number of her subjects being dissatisfied, they wished to address their Creator according to their own opinions, but were subjected to very rigorous penalties.

5. Those who dissented from the established church obtained the general name of Puritans, a term applied to them because they wished for a purer form of discipline and wor ship. Among the most popular and strenuous declaimers against the established church, were the Brownists, a sect formed about 1581, by Robert Brown, who afterwards renounced his principles of separation, and took orders in the church against which he had so loudly declaimed. The Rev. John Robinson, the father of the first settlement of New England, is said to have been a follower of Brown, but afterwards renounced the principles of the Brownists, and became the founder of a new sect, denominated Independents.

6. Mr. Robinson affirmed that all Christian congregations were so many independent religious societies, that had a right to be governed by their own laws, independent of any foreign

jurisdiction. Being persecuted in England, he, with many others embracing his opinions, removed to Holland, where they formed churches upon their own principles. Remaining there some years, the society were desirous to remove to some other place: they turned their thoughts to America, and applied to James, who, though he refused to give them any positive assurance of toleration, scems to have intimated some promise of passive indulgence.

7. They readily procured a tract of land from the Plynouth company. One hundred and twenty persons sailed From Plymouth in 1620, their destination being Hudson's iver by some treachery of the Dutch, who then contemlated, and afterwards efferted a settlement at that place, hey were carried to the north, and landed on Cape Cod, the leventh of November of that year.

8. They chose for their residence a place called by the Inians Patuxet, to which they gave the name of New Plyaouth. Before spring, half their number were cut off by amine or disease. In a few days after they landed, Captain Standish was engaged in skirmishing with the Indians; and he many disasters which followed, together with the impla able hostility of the Indians, which always has subsisted, re perhaps more owing to the imprudence of the first setlers, than to the bad disposition of the natives.

9. This colony, like that of Virginia, at first held their goods and property in common; and their progress was rearded as well by this circumstance, as by the impulse of naginary inspiration, which regulated all their actions. At he end of ten years, these well meaning people, when they ecame incorporated with their more powerful neighbors of Massachusetts Bay, did not exceed three hundred.

10. In the year 1629, Mr. White, a non-conformist minister at Dorchester, having formed an association, purchased from The Flymouth company a tract extending in length from three miles north of Merrimac river, to three miles south of Charles river, and in breadth from the Atlantic to the Southern ocean; and obtained a charter from Charles, similar to that given to the two Virginian companies by James. Five ships were fitted out, on board of which were embarked upwards of three hundred souls, amongst whom were several eminent Jon-conforming ministers.

11. On their arrival, they found the remnant of a small. party that had left Englrad the preceding year, under the sonduct of Mr. Endicott, who had been appointed by his aompanions deputy governor. They were settled at a place alled by the Indians Naumkcag, to which he had given the

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