fort along the fea-coaft fouthward 200 miles, from the fame promontory 200 miles northward, and from the Atlantic weftward to the South-fea. The company was empowered to make ordinances for the colony, and for thofe on the feas going thither. There was granted to the treasurer and company and their affigns, a freedom from all fubfidies in Virginia for 21 years, and from all impofitions on importations and exportations to and from England, or any other of the king's dominions,

except only the five pounds in the hundred due for customs." Little was conceded to the emigrants by the charter; and much conferred on the corporation. The colonists were to be governed by the ordinances of a corporation refiding in England, in which they were not represented, and over the deliberations of which they had no control. The powers of the corporation were indeed controlable, as it was fubject to the fuperintendence of the courts of juftice within the realm, which could compel it to act agreeable as well to the grant, as to the laws of the ftate.

The adventurers, warmed with golden dreams of great riches, foon fitted out nine fhips, with 500 emigrants, and every neceffary for the establishment of a permanent colony, excepting fuitable encouragement to the fettlers. Lord Delaware was appointed captaingeneral for life. Only feven veffels arrived fafe.

When Mr. Smith, who had governed the colony, departed for England, he left behind him 500 perfons, of whom, what with bad management, diffenfions, attacks from the Indians, waste of provifions, which occafioned a famine, &c. there remained only fixty of all ages and fexes, at the expiration of fix months. When Sir

1610. Thomas Gates the lieutenant-governor arrived in May, and faw the calamitous fituation of affairs, he concluded on embarking, the colonists and failing for England; but before he could proceed to fea, Lord Delaware arrived with three ships, bringing abundant fupplies, and carried back with him to James-town the feeble remains of the colony. He foon re-established matters; but his health obliging him, he failed for England the beginning 1611. of the fubfequent year, leaving about 200 colonists,

poffeffed of health, plenty, and peace with their neighbours. After his departure they relapsed; but his fucceffor, Sir Thomas Dale, arriving in May with more emigrants, cattle, and provifion for a year, things were again reftored. This fame year the adventurers obtained a new charter, by which the two former were confirmed, and they had alfo granted to them all the iflands fituated in the ocean, within 300 leagues of any part of the Virginia coaft. The corporation was now confiderably new 'modelled, and, in order to promote the effectual fettlement of the plantation; license was given to open lotteries in any part of England. The lotteries alone, which were the first ever granted in England, brought 29,000 l. into the company's treafury. At length, being confidered as a national evil, they attracted the notice of parliament, were prefented by the commons as a grievance, and in March, 1620, fufpended by an order of council.

Sir Thomas Gates was difpatched with fix large fhips, carrying 300 colonists, 100 cattle, and useful fupplies. He arrived in Auguft: and parties were fent out from James-town to form diftant fettlements. He returned 1614. the beginning of 1614, and the administration devolved

once

once more on Sir Thomas Dale, to whom the Virginians owe the introduction of landed property. In 1615, fifty 1615. acres of land were granted to every emigrant and his heirs, and the fame quantity to every perfon imported by others. Dale failed for England in the beginning of 1616, giving up the truft to Sir George Yeardley, as 1616. deputy governor, and in this year the cultivation of tobacco was introduced. It was originally carried from Tobago to England. Mr. Argal, a new deputy, arrived in May, 1617. He published a variety of edicts, and 1617. was guilty of those wrongs and oppreffions, that the treasurer and council appointed Yeardley captain-general, and empowered him to examine into and redrefs griev

Sir George arrived April, 1619, bringing with 1619. him several instructions favorable to freedom, and foon declared his intention of calling a general affembly, which gave the greatest joy to men, who had been hitherto fubjected to the arbitrary orders of their prince, to the interested ordinances of an English corporation, or to the edicts of a haughty governor; and who enjoyed none of those liberties which Englishmen claim as their birth-right.

In June, Yeardley, purfuant to his inftructions from the company, iffued writs for the election of delegates, called burgeffes. The colony had been divided into feven hundreds or distinct fettlements, which feemed to enjoy fome of the privileges of boroughs; and from this circumstance the democratic branch of the affembly has been called to this day the houfe of burgeffes, though compofed almost entirely of the reprefentatives of counties. The affembly, formed of the governor and council of state, who were appointed by the treasurer and com

pany, and of the burgeffes chofen by the people, mét together in one apartment, and tranfacted affairs like the parliament of Scotland of old, which mode continued till after the restoration of Charles II. Thus convened, and thus compofed, the legislature" debated all matters thought expedient for the good of the whole." The laws were tranfmitted to England, for the approbation of the treasurer and company, without whose confirmation they were of no validity. The introduction of an affembly was attended with the happieft effects. The emigrants, for the first time, refolved to fettle themfelves, and to perpetuate the plantation. The affembly thanked the coinpany for their favor, and begged them "to reduce into a compendious form, with his majesty's approbation, the laws of England proper for Virginia, with fuitable additions;" giving as a reafon, " that it was not fit that his fubjects should be governed by any other rules, than fuch as received their influence from him." This year the treasurer and council received a letter "commanding them to fend a hundred diffolute perfons (convicts) to Virginia." They were accordingly transported; " and were at that period very acceptablę to the colonists," though the unlimited practice of emptying the English jails on the American continent has of late years been complained of as a nuisance. 1620. The fubfequent year muft, on account of the introduction of African flaves into the colonies, be ftigmatized as a much viler æra. The Hollanders were not then precluded by any law from trading with the colonies. A Dutch veffel carried to Virginia a cargo of negroes, and the Virginians, who had themselves just emerged from a state of flavery, became chargeable

with reducing their fellow-men to the condition of brutes.

In July, the treasurer and company carried into exe- 1621. cution a refolution formerly taken, for establishing a proper conftitution for the colony. The ordinance they paffed, declared, that there fhould be two fupreme councils in Virginia, the one to be called the council of ftate, to be appointed and displaced by the treasurer and company, and which was to advise the governor in governmental affairs; the other was to be denominated the general affembly, and to confift of the governor and council, and of two burgeffes, to be chofen, for the present, by the inhabitants of every town, hundred, and fettlement in the colony. The affembly was to determine by the majority of the voices then prefent, and to enact general laws for the colony, referving to the governor a negative voice. They were to imitate the laws and customs, and judicial proceedings used in England. "No acts were to be in force till confirmed by the general court in England: on the other hand, no order of the general court was to bind the colony, till affented to by the affembly." The company having offered territory to those who should either emigrate themselves, or engage to transport people to the colony, found this policy fo fuccessful, that upward of 3500 perfons emigrated to Virginia during this and the two preceding years. This year was remarkable for a maffacre of the colo- 1622. nifts by the Indians, which was executed with the utmost fubtilty, and without any regard to age, fex, or dignity. A well concerted attack on all the fettlements, destroyed, in one hour, and almost at the fame inftant, 347 perfons, who were defencelefs and incapable of making refiftance.