Soon after the purchase, the present State of Louisiana was separated from the rest of the territory, under the name of the Territory of Orleans. In 1811, the Territory of Orleans was made a state, and admitted into the Union, under the name of LOUISIANA. In 1812, possession was taken of West Florida, by the United States, and the part west of Pearl River was incorporated with Louisiana. Indiana, till January 1801, formed a part of the North-Western Territory. At that period it was, together with what now constitutes the State of Illinois, erected into a territorial government, under the name of the INDIANA TERRITORY. In 1809, Illinois was separated from it. In 1816 INDIANA became an independent state, and was admitted into the Union. In Nov. 1811, a bloody battle was fought at Tippacanoe, 100 miles from Vincennes, between the troops of the United States and the Indians; the latter, of course, were the victors. Until within a few years this country was almost entirely in the hands of the Indians. The French, previous to 1756, had some small settlements at Vincennes, Cahokia, and Kaskaskias. But the people were few in number, detached from each other, and lived by hunting, and Indian traffic, rather than by agriculture. Since 1803, the United States have purchased, at various times, large tracts of land in this state, from the Indians, and but small portions of their former territories now remain in their possession. ILLINOIS was a part of the Indiana Territory, till 1809, when it was erected into a separate territorial government. In 1818, it was admitted into the Union on the same footing with the original states. In 1773, Gen. Putnam, Capt. Enos, and Mr. Lyman attempted a settlement on the Lousa Chitto, in the present state of Mississippi, which failed. In 1779, the British took possession of the Natchez country, which at this period was settling fast by emigrations from the northern states. In 1795, when this state, with Alabama, belonged to the State of Georgia, its legislature sold to four different companies about twenty-two million acres of its lands; which were afterwards purchased principally by gentlemen in the middle and eastern states. Serious disputes followed concerning these lands, which, after long controversy, have been adjusted between the purchasers and the United States. In 1800, the western part of Georgia, which now forms the states of Mississippi and Alabama, was erected into a territorial govern ment. By treaty, in Dec. 1801, at fort Adams, the Choctaw Indians relinquished to the United States all the land in Mississippi, between the old line of demarkation, established by the British, and the Mississippi River, bounded S. by the 31st degree of lat. and N. by the Yazoo River. "This marvellous accident in all the country wrought so strange opinion of us, that they could not tell whether to think us gods or men. And the rather that all the space of their sickness, there was no man of ours known to die, or much sick. They noted also we had no women, nor cared for any of theirs some therefore thought we were not born of women, and therefore not mortal, but that we were men of an old generation many years past, and risen again from immortality. Some would prophesy there were more of our generation yet to come, to kill theirs and take their places. Those that were to come after us they imagined to be in the air, yet invisible and without bodies; and that they by our intreaties, for love of us, did make the people die as they did, by shooting invisible bullets into them. "To confirm this, their physicians to excuse their ignorance in curing the disease, would make the simple people believe, that the strings of blood they sucked out of the sick bodies, were the strings wherein the invisible bullets were tied, and cast. Some thought we shot them ourselves, from the place where we dwelt, and killed the people that had offended us, as we listed, how far soever. And others said it was the special work of God for our sakes, as we had cause in some sort to think no less, whatever some do, or may imagine to the contrary; especially some Astrologers by the eclipse of the sun we saw that year before our voyage, and by a comet which began to appear but a few days before the sickness began but to exclude them from being the special causes of so special an accident, there are farther reasons than I think fit to present or allege. : "These their opinions I have set down, that you may see there is hope to embrace the truth, and honor, obey, fear and love us, by good dealing and government though some of our company towards the latter end, before we came away with Sir Francis Drake, shewed themselves too furious, in slaying some of the people in some towns, upon causes that on our part might have been borne with more mildness; notwithstanding they justly had deserved it. The best, nevertheless, in this, as in all actions besides, is to be endeavored and hoped; and of the worst that may happen, notice to be taken with consideration; and as much as may be, eschewed; the better to allure them hereafter to civility and Christianity. Thus you see, how "Nature herself delights herself in sundry Instruments; "That sundry things be done to deck the earth with Ornaments; "That divers ways and divers works, the world might better grace. To return from this digression:- In 1586, Sir Walter Raleigh sent Sir Richard Grenville to America, with seven ships. He arrived at Wococon harbour in June. Having stationed a colony of more than an hundred people at Roanoke, under the direction of Capt. Ralph Lane, and furnished them with two years provisions, he coasted north-easterly as far as Chesapeak Bay, and thence returned to England. The colony under Capt. Lane endured extreme hardships, and must have perished, had not Sir Francis Drake fortunately returned to Virginia, and carried them to England, after having made several conquests for the queen in the West Indies and other places. A fortnight after, Sir Richard Grenville arrived with new recruits; and although he did not find the colony which he had before left, and knew not but they had perished, he had the rashness to leave 50 men at the same place. The year following, (1587) Sir Walter sent another company to Virginia, under Governor White, with a charter, and twelve assistants. In July he arrived at Roanoke. Not one of the second company remained. They had been suddenly attacked by 300 Indians, who destroyed the greater part of them. The remainder fled to their boats, and were never after heard of. [Smith.] Gov. White, however, determined to risk a third colony, and accordingly left 115 people at the old settlement, and returned to England. This year, (Aug. 13) Manteo was baptized in Virginia, and called Lord of Dessamonpeack, in reward of his faithfulness. He was the first native Indian, who received that ordinance in that part of America. He, with Towaye, another Indian, had visited England, and returned home to Virginia with the colony. On the 18th of August, Mrs. Dare was delivered of a daughter, whom she called VIRGINIA, She was born at Roanoke, and was the first English child that was born in North America. In the year 1590, Governor White came over to Virginia with supplies and recruits for his colony; but, to his great grief, not a man was to be found. They had all miserably famished with hunger, or were massacred by the Indians. This was the last attempt to settle a colony in this unfortunate spot, or any other part of Virginia,* till 1602. In 1592 Juan de Fuca, a Greek, in the service of Spain, was sent by the viceroy of Mexico, to discover a N. W. passage, by exploring the western side of the American continent. He discovered a strait, on the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean, which bears his name, in the 48th deg. N. lat. and supposed it to be the long desired passage. (Purchas,-Belknap.) De la Roche, in 1598, obtained from Henry IV. of France, a commission to conquer Canada, and other countries not possessed by any Christian Prince. He sailed from France with a company of convicts from the prisons; landed 40 on the Isle of Sable. Seven years after, the survivors, being 12 in number, were taken off and carried home to France; Henry pardoned them, and gave them 50 crowns each, as a recompense for their sufferings. (Purchas.Forster.) In the spring of 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold, with 32 persons, made a voyage to North Virginia, and discovered, and gave names, to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Elizabeth's Islands, and to Dover Cliff. Elizabeth Island was the place which they fixed on *Virginia was the name of the whole country at this time. for their first settlement. But the courage of those who were to have remained, failing, they all went on board, and returned to England. All the attempts to settle this continent, which were made by the Dutch, French and English, from its discovery to the present time, a period of 110 years, proved ineffectual. The Spaniards only, of all the European nations, had been successful. There is no account of there having been one European family, at this time, on all the vast extent of coast from Florida to Greenland. Martin Pring and William Brown, in 1603, were sent by Sir Walter Raleigh, with two small vessels, to make discoveries in North Virginia. They came upon the coast, which was broken with a multitude of islands, in latitude 43 deg. 30 min. north, in the present state of Maine. They coasted southward to Cape Cod Bay; thence round the Cape into a commodious harbour in 41 deg. 25 min. N. lat. where they went ashore and remained seven weeks, during which time they loaded one of their vessels with sassafras, and returned to England. Capt. Smith states, that "as they ranged the coast, at a place which they named Whitson's Bay, they were kindly used by the natives, who came to them in troops of from 10 to 50." Bartholomew Gilbert, in a voyage to South Virginia, in search of the third colony that had been left there by Governor White, in 1587, having touched at several of the West India Islands, landed near Chesapeak Bay, where, in a skirmish with the Indians, he and four of his men were unfortunately slain. The rest, without any further search for the colony, returned to England. France, being at this time in a state of tranquillity, in consequence of the edict of Nantz in favour of the Protestants, passed by Henry IV. (April 1598) and of the peace with Philip, King of Spain and Portugal, was induced to pursue her discoveries in America. Accordingly the King signed a patent* in favour of De Mons, or Monts, (November 8, 1603) of all the country from 40th to 46th degree of north latitude, under the name of Acadia. The next year De Mons ranged the coast from St. Lawrence to Cape Sable, and round to Cape Cod, and began plantations at Port Royal, St. John's, and St. Croix in the Bay of Fundy. In May, 1605, George's Island and Pentecost Harbour were discovered by Capt. George Weymouth. In May he entered a large river, in latitude 43 deg. 20 min. (variation 11 deg. 15 min. west) supposed to be the Kennebec or Penobscot. Capt. Weymouth carried with him to England five of the natives, whom he delivered to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, then Governor of Plymouth. In 1606, (April 10th) James I. by patent,t divided Virginia into two colonies. The southern, included all lands between the 34th and 41st degrees of north latitude. This was styled the first colony, His. Coll. vol. i. page 45. Ibid. p. 50. under the name of South Virginia, and was granted to the London Company. The northern, called the second colony, and known by the general name of North Virginia, included all lands between the 38th and 45th degrees north latitude, and was granted to the Plymouth Company. The territory between the 38th and 41st degrees of N. latitude, by an unaccountable mistake, it will be perceived, was included in both patents. Each of these colonies had a council of thirteen men to govern them. To prevent disputes about territory, the colony which should last plant themselves, was prohibited from making their settlements within an hundred miles of the other. Both the London and Plymouth companies made settlements within the limits of their respective grants: with what success will now be mentioned. Mr. Piercy, brother to the Earl of Northumberland, in the service of the London Company, went over with a colony, to Virginia, and discovered Powhattan, now James River. In the mean time the Plymouth Company sent Capt. Henry Challone, in a vessel of fifty-five tons, to plant a colony in North Virginia; but in his voyage he was taken by a Spanish fleet, and carried to Spain. 1607. Champlain, by order of De Mons, sailed up the river Canada, (now St. Lawrence) and fortified Quebec, the name of a strait in the river, which was afterwards given to the city, built on its bank. The London Company, in the spring of this year, sent Capt. Christopher Newport, with three vessels to South Virginia. On the 26th of April he entered Chesapeak Bay, and landed, and soon after, May 13, gave to the most southern point, the name of Cape Henry, which it still retains. Having elected Mr. Edward Wingfield president for the year, they the next day, June 22, landed all their men, and began a settlement on James River, at a place which they called James-Town. This is the first town that was settled by the English in North America. The June following, Capt. Newport sailed for England, leaving with the president one hundred persons. Among them were Capt. Bartholomew Gosnold, Capt. John Smith, Capt. John Ratcliffe, and other respectable gentlemen. In August 22d died Capt. Bartholomew Gosnold, the first projector of this settlement, and one of the council. The following winter James-Town was burnt. During this time the Plymouth Company fitted out two ships under the command of Admiral Rawley Gilbert. They sailed for North Virginia on the 31st of May, with one hundred planters, and Capt. George Popham for their president. They arrived in August, and settled about nine or ten leagues to the southward of the mouth of the Sagadahock River, in Maine. A great part of the colony, however, disheartened by the severity of the winter, returned to England |