stones being laid in his coffin, supposed to be done by Laurence.

Near this time arrived a small fleet with a regiment from England, Sr. John Berry, admirall, Col. Herbert Jefferies comander of the land forces and Collo. Morrison, who had one year been a former Govern'r there, all three joined in comission with or to Sr. William Barclay, soon after when a generall court, and also an assembly were held, where some of our former assembly (with so many others) were put to death, diverse whereof were persons of honest reputations and handsome estates, as that the Assembly petitioned the Govern'r to spill no more bloud, and Mr. Presly at his coming home told me, he believed the Govern'r would have hang'd half the country, if they had let him alone. The first was Mr. Bland whose friends in England had procured his pardon to be sent over with the ffleet, which he pleaded at his tryall, was in the Govern'rs pocket (tho' whither 'twas so, or how it came there, I know not, yet did not hear 'twas openly contradicted) but he was answered by Col. Morrison that he pleaded his pardon at swords point, which was look'd upon an odd sort of reply, and he was executed; (as was talked) by private instructions from England the Duke of York having sworn "by god, Bacon and Bland should dye."

The Govern'r went in the fleet to London (whether by comand from his Majesty or spontaneous I did not hear) leaving Col. Jefferyes in his place, and by next shipping came back a person who waited on his hono'r in his voyage, and until his death, from whom a report was whis per'd about, that the king did say "that old fool has hang'd more men in that naked country, then he had done for the murther of his ffather, whereof the Govern'r hearing dyed soon after without having seen his majesty; which shuts up this Tragedy.

APPENDIX.

To avoid incumbering the body of the foregoing little discourse, I have not therein mentioned the received opinion in Virginia, which very much attributed the promoting these perturbacons to Mr. Laurence and Mr. Bacon with his other adherents, were esteemed, as but wheels agitated by the weight of his former and present resentments, after their choler was raised up to a very high pitch, at having been (so long and often) trifled with on their humble sup plications to the Govern'r for his imediate taking in hand the most speedy meanes towards stopping the continued effusions of so much English bloud, from time to time by the Indians; which comon sentim'ts I have the more reason to believe were not altogether groundlesse, because myself have heard him (in his familiar discourse) insinuate as if his fancy gave him prospect of finding (at one time or other) some expedient not only to repair his great losse, but therewith to see those abuses rectified that the country was oppressed with through (as he said) the forwardness, avarice and french despotick methods of the Govern'r and likewise I know him to be a thinking man, and tho' nicely honest, affable, and without blemish, in his conversation and dealings, yet did he manifest abundance of uneasiness in the sense of his hard usages, which might prompt him to improve that Indian quarrel to the service of his animosities, and for this the more fair and frequent opportunities offered themselves to him by his dwelling at James town, where was the concourse from all parts to the Govern'r and besides that he had married a wealthy widow who kept a large house of public entertainm't unto which resorted those of the best quality and such others as businesse called to that town, and his parts with his even temper made his converse coveted by persons of all ranks; so that being subtile, and having these advantages he might with lesse difficulty discover mens inclinations, and instill his notions where he found those wou'd be imbib'd with greatest satisfaction.

As for Mr. Bacon fame did lay to his charge the having run out his patrimony in England, except what he brought to Virginia, and for that the most part to be exhausted, which together made him suspected of casting an eye to search for retrievment in the troubled waters of popular

discontents, wanting patience to wait the death of his oppulent cousin, old Col. Bacon, whose estate he expected to inherit.

But he was too young, too much a stranger there, and of a disposition too precipitate, to manage things to that length those were carried, had not thoughtful Mr. Laurence been at the bottom.

OLD LETTERS.

[We are indebted to the worthy Chairman of the Executive Committee of our Virginia Historical Society, Conway Robinson, Esq., for some copies of old and hitherto inedited letters which have been very politely communicated to him by the Hon. Charles Wykeham Martin, M. P. of Leeds Castle, Kent; as having some sort of connection or association with the History of our State; viz. a Letter from the Queen dowager of Charles 1st, Henietta Maria, to the first Lord Culpepper, the father of the second Lord Culpepper who was sometime Governor of our Colony of Virginia; and two letters from the said second Lord Culpepper to his sister; which we shall lay before our readers with great pleasure. At present we submit only the first of these documents, which, from the rather fanciful spelling and deficient punctuation of her Majesty, we apprehend they may find a little obscure; but we shall add a Translation for their benefit, which, reforming it in these particulars, we believe will be found tolerably clear and correct.]

Copy of a Letter from Queen Henrietta Maria to Lord Cul

pepper.

"PARIS LE 23 APRILL, 1655.

My Lord Culpepper jay veu par plusieurs lettres que vous aves escrites a Milord Jermin que vous croyes esttre du service du Roy mon fils quil y ut vne melieure intelli

gence entre luy et moy quil ny a: cella me fait vous escrire settesy pour vous faire congnoistre qui je nay jamais manque de mon coste mais que jay,estte ases malheureuse pour que le Roy nage pas pris la confiance en moy que jay meritee de luy et comme sa mere et comme dune personne na (et a fait ases paroistre navoir) autres interest que les siens je vous diray donc que depuis plus de deux ans il ne ma jamais donne a congnoistre le fonds de ses affaires que ce qui ne pouvoit estre cache tant celle descofse que de hollande et celles dangletaire : ne congnoisant point encore que ce qui est public de tout ce qui sest passe en sette derniere afaire je sais que lon avoit persuade au Roy quil estoit dangereux pour le bien de son service que je me meslase de ses affaires a cause que ma religion choquoit langletaire et dun autre coste lon instruisoit tout seux qui en venoit de ne se pas fier a moy ainsy insensiblement et finement lon ma elloygnee de la confiance du Roy: mais pour achever de me confirmer dans sette assurance sur la mort du pape javois resolu denvoyer a rome pour mes affaires milord jermin layant escrit au Roy pour savoir sy il ne vouloit ordonner quelque chose pour son service il na pas voulu que je men meslase en ce lieu la non plus que aux autres mandant quil setoit engage par dautres chemins: je crois que sesy vous fait ases voir la derniere des mefiances estant a crojre que en ce lieu la je pourois estre ases capable de luy randre seruise et josse me vanter plus que personne; si je voulois vous mestre en destaill plusieurs autres particuliarites jorois de quoy faire vne lettre ases ample: mais ce que jay desja dit est ases fort pour nandire pas dauantage. et comme sest seullement pour vous satisfaire et vous faire voir quil nia nullement de ma faulte et que jay touyours este en toutes occations nonobstants tout ses mauvais traitements preste de le seruir quant i la desire de moy: aussy je vous puis assurer que je man suis

retiree voyant quil ne le voit pas agreable auec toute la tranquilite desprit et de satisfaction imaginable pour ce qui me touchoit a moy: me contentant de la confiance dout le feu Roy son pere ma juge digne dont vous estes un bon temoing et suis satisfaite den demeurer la sette lettre nestant que pour vous faire congnoistre la verite dout peutestre vous naves pas este informe et que je seeray bien ayse que vous sachies estant de mes amis comme vous estte afin que vous ne me croyes pas dans vne faulte que seroit trop grande davoir voule de bisarerie me retirer des afaires du Roy dans lestat ou ils sonts je ne diray donc davantage que vous assure toujours que je suis veritablement Vre bien bonne amie

MILORD CULPEPPER.

HENRIETTE MARIE R."

TRANSLATION.

PARIS, APRIL 23rd, 1655.

My Lord Culpepper,-I have seen by many letters which you have written to my Lord Jermin, that you think it would be for the service of the King, my son, that there should be a better understanding between him and myself than there has hitherto been. This causes me to write you this letter to inform you, that I have never been wanting on my part, but that I have been so unfortunate as that the King has never placed that confidence in me which I have merited from him, both as his mother, and as a person who has not, (and has made it sufficiently apparent that she has not,) any other interests than his own. I will tell you, then, that for more than two years past, he has never given me to know any thing of the true state of his affairs but what could not be concealed, both as relates to Scotland, to Holland, and to England. I do not know, of course, any thing but what is public of all that has passed in this last affair. I know that they had persuaded the King that it was dangerous for the good of his service, that I should