Part 32

A BREIFE DECLARATION of the Plantation of Virginia duringe the first Twelve Yeares, when Sir Thomas Smith was Governor of the Companie, & downe to this present tyme. By the Ancient Planters nowe remaining alive in Virginia.

Wheras in the beginninge of Sir Thomas Smith's twelve yeares government, it was published in printe throughout the Kingdome of Englande that a Plantation should be settled in Virginia for the glorie of God in the propogation of the Gospell of Christ, the conversion of the Savages, to the honour of his Majesty, by the enlargeinge of his territories and future enrichinge of his kingdome, for which respects many noble & well minded persons were induced to adventure great sums of money to the advancement of soe pious & noble a worke, who have from the very first been frustrate of their expectation, as wee conceive, by the misgovernment of Sir Thomas Smith, aiminge at nothinge more then a perticular gaine, to be raised out of the labours of such as both voluntarilie adventured themselves and were otherwise sent over at the common charge. This will cleerely appeare in the examination of the first expedition & severall supplies in the tyme of his government.

The first Plantation in Virginia consisted of one hundred persons, so slenderly provided for that before they had remained halfe a yeare in this new Collony they fell into extreame want, not havinge anything left to sustein them save a little ill conditioned Barley, which ground to meal & pottage made thereof, one smale ladle full was allowed each person for a meale, without bread or aught else whatsoever, so that had not God, by his great providence, moved the Indians, then our utter enemies, to bringe us reliefe, we had all utterlie by famine perished. How unable so small a companye of people, soe poorely sent over, were to make way for such as shoulde followe, may easily be judged.

The first supplie beinge two shippes, the John & Francis & Phenix, with one hundred & twenty persons, worse every way provided for then the former, arrived heere about eight or nine months after & found the Collony consistinge of no more then forty persons (of those) tenn only able men, the rest at point of death, all utterly destitute of howses, not one as yet built, so that they lodged in cabbins & holes within the grounde; victualls they had none, save some small reliefe from the Indians, as some yet living weare feelinge witnesses, neither were we for our future and better maintenance permitted to manure or till any grounde, a thing in a new Plantation principally to be regarded, but weare by the direction of Sir Thomas Smith, and his officers heere, wholly imployed in cuttinge downe of masts, cedar, blacke wallnutt, clapboarde, &c., and in digginge gould oare (as some thought) which beinge sent for England proved dirt. These works to make retorne of present proffit hindered others of more necessary consequence of Plantation.

After this first supplie there were some few poore howses built, & entrance made in cleeringe of grounde to the quantitye of foure acres for the wholl Collony, hunger & sickness not permitting any great matters to bee donne that yeare.

The second supplie was a ship called the Mary Margett, which arrived here nine months after, about the time of Michaellmas, in her sixty persons, most gentlemen, few or no tradesmen, except some Polanders to make Pitch, tarre, potashes, &c., to be retorned for present gaine, soe meanly likewise were these furnished forth for victualles, that in lesse then two monthes after their arrivall, want compelled us to imploye our time abroad in trading with the Indians for corne; whereby though for a time we partly relieved our necessities, yet in Maye followinge we weare forced (leavinge a small guarde of gentlemen & some others about the president at James Towne) to disperse the wholl Collony, some amongst the Salvadges but most to the Oyster Banks, where they lived uppon oysters for the space of nine weekes, with the allowance only of a pinte of Indian corne to each man for a week, & that allowance of corne continued to them but two weekes of the nine, which kinde of feeding caused all our skinns to peele off, from head to foote, as if we had beene flead. By this time arrived Captaine Samuell Argall in a small Barque, with him neither supplie of men nor victualls from the Company; but we understandinge that he had some small provisions of bread and wine, more then would serve his owne companie, required him and the master of the Barque to remaine ashoare whilst we might bring his sailes ashoare the better to assure us of his ship & such provisions as coulde be spared, whereunto he seemed willingly to condescend. Those provisions, at a small allowance of Biskett, cake, and a small measure of wine or beere to each person for a Daye some what relieved us for the space of a month, at the end of which time arrived the thirde supplie, called Sir Thomas Gates, his fleet, which consisted of seaven shippes & neere five hundred persons with whom a small proportion of victuall, for such a number, was landed; howses few or none to entertain them, so that being quartered in the open feilde they fell uppon that small quantitye of corne, not beinge above seaven acres, which we with great penury & sufferance had formerly planted, and in three days, at the most, wholly devoured it.

These numbers, thus meanly provided, not being able to subsist and live together weare soone after devided into three parties and dispersed abroad for their better reliefe. The first under commande of Captaine Francis West to feat at the head of the River; a second under commande of Captaine John Smith, then President, at James Towne, & the other, with Capt. John Martin, in the River at Nansamun, which divisions gave occasions to the Indiens treacherously to cutt off divers of our men & boates, and forced the rest at the end of sixe weekes, havinge spent those small provisions they had with them, to retire to James Town & that in the depth of winter, when by reason of the colde, it was not possible for us to endure to wade in the water (as formerly) to gather oysters to satisfie our hungry stomacks, but constrained to digge in the grounde for unwholesome rootes whereof we were not able to get so many as would suffice us, in respect of the frost at that season & our poverty & weakness, so that famine compelled us wholly to devoure those Hogges, Dogges & horses that weare then in the Collony, together with rates, mice, snakes, or what vermin or carryon soever we could light on, as alsoe Toadstooles, Jewes eares, or what els we founde growing upon the grounde that would fill either mouth or belly; and weare driven through unsufferable hunger unnaturallie to eat those thinges which nature most abhorred, the flesh and excrements of man, as well of our owne nation as of an Indian, digged by some out of his grave after he had laien buried three daies & wholly devoured him; others, envyinge the better state of boddie of any whom hunger had not yet so much wasted as there owne, lay waight and threatened to kill and eat them; one amonge the rest slue his wife as she slept in his bosome, cutt her in peeces, powdered her & fedd uppon her till he had clean devoured all partes saveinge her heade, & was for soe barbarouse a fact and cruelty justly executed. Some adventuringe to seeke releife in the woods, dyed as they fought it, & weare eaten by others who found them dead. Many putt themselves into the Indians' handes, though our enemies, and were by them slaine. In this extremitye of famine continued the Collony till the twenteth of Maye, when unexpected, yet happely, arrived Sir Thomas Gates & Sir George Somers in two small Barques which they had built in the Sommer Islands after the wreake of the Sea adventure wherin they sett forth from Englande, with them one hundred persons barely provided of vittel for themselves. They founde the Collony consistinge then of but sixty persons most famished and at point of death, of whom many soone after died; the lamentable outcries of theirs soe moved the hartes of those worthies, not being in any sorte able long to releive their wantes they soone resolved to imbarque themselves & this poore remainder of the Collonye, in those two pinnaces & two other small Barques then in the River, to sett saile for Newfoundland where they might releive their wants & procure one safer passage for Englande. Every man, glad of this resolution, laboured his uttmost to further it, so that in three weekes we had fitted those barques and pinnaces (the best we could) & quitted James Towne, leaving the poore buildings in it to the spoile of the Indians, hopeinge never to retorne to re-possess them. When we had not sailed downe the River above twelve miles but we espied a boat which afterwards we understoode came from the right Honourable Lorde La Ware, who was then arived at Point Comfort with three good shipps, wherin he brought two hundred and fifty persons with some store of Provisions for them; but by reason he founde the Collony in so great want was forced to put both his owne people & the rest of the Collony to a very meane allowance, which was seven pounde of English meale for a man a weeke, & five pounds for every woman, without the addition of any victuall whatsoever, except, in the stead of meale, we took valuablie either pease or oatmeale. Uppon the arrival of that boat, Sir Thomas Gates understandinge from the Lord La Ware, that his Lordship was arrived with commission from the Company to be Gov^r & Capt. Gen^l of Virginia, & had brought men & provisions for the subsistinge & advancing of the Plantation, he the very next daye, to the great griefe of all his Company (only except Capt. John Martin), as winde and weather gave leave, retorned his whole company with charge to take possession againe of those poore ruinated habitations at James Towne which he had formerly abandoned; himselffe in a boate proceeded downeward to meete his Lordship who, making all speede up, arrived shortly after at James Towne. The time of the yeare being then most unseasonable, by intemperate heat, at the end of June his people suddenly fallinge generally into most pestilent diseases of Callentures and feavors, not lesse then one hundred & fifty of them died within few moneths after, & that chiefly for want of meanes to comfort them in their weak estates. The residue alsoe disabled by reason of sicknes could performe nothing that yeare to the advancement of the Collony, yet with the help of those people which had arrived with Sir Thomas Gates, together with some of the ancient Planters, who by use weare growen practique in a hard way of livinge, two small forts weare erected neare the rivers mouth at Kicoughtun, encompassed with small younge trees, haveinge for housing in the one, two formerlie built by the Indians & covered with bark by them, in the other a tent with some few thatcht cabbins which our people built at our comming thether. We founde divers other Indian Howses built by the natives which by reason we could make no use of we burnt, killinge to the number of twelve or fourteene Indians, & possessinge such corne as we founde growinge of their plantinge. We remained there untill harvest, when we reaped (besides what we spent) about the quantitie of one hundred and fiftie bushells of corne, which, by order from the Lord La Ware, was transported to James Towne.

"The Deliverance, of 70 tonn, and the Patience, of 30 tonn." Letter from the Lord Delaware, Governor of Virginia to the patentees in England.--Introduction to Strachey's Virginia Brittania, p. xxiii.

His Lordship intendinge to send up certain forces to march towardes the mountaines for the discoverie of gold or silver mines at the end of October, sent his Patents to Captaine Yardley and Captaine Holcroft, commanders of those two forts at Kicoughtan, wherin his Lordship gave order that they should be forthwith abandoned & the people with all speede to be brought to James Citie, there to prepare for his intended march.

At that time there arrived a small ship called the daintie, with twelve men & one woman, some little provision of victuall, two or three horses & some other slight necessaries for the Collony. Soon after we sett forward for our intended march, havinge for our leaders Captaine Edwarde Brewster & Captaine George Yeardley, being in number one hundred persons, furnished with all such necessary provisions, as the Collony at that time out of its poverty was able to provide. This designe was hindered by reason of the unfortunate losse of all our chieffe men skillfull in findeinge out mines, who weare treacherously slaine by the Salvadges (inviteinge them ashoare to eat victualls which they wanted) even when the meate was in theire mouthes, they careinge only to fill their bellies, foresaw not to prevent this danger which befell them.

This injury we revenged for the present (as we coulde) by killinge some Indians and burninge many houses, but by reason of this disaster we proceeded not farther on our journey then the head of the River, where we spent about three moneths doinge little but induringe much; his Lordship was there in person for the most part of that time, but his disease of body groweinge much upon him he resolved to retire to James Towne, givinge order that the fort which we had built there shoulde bee quitted and the troupe drawn downe, which accordingly was done. His Lordship then in regarde of his sickness was advised to putt to Sea in his ship, the Delaware, to seeke remedie in some other parts for the health of his bodye. At his going he left Captaine George Percie Deputie Governor, the people (remaining under his command) provided for three months at a short allowance of victuals. The calamities of these times would not any way permit workes of great importance to bee performed, sith that we did was as much as we coulde doe to live and defende our selves.

The Plantations helde at his Lordships departure were only James Towne and Pointe Comforte, where was a small Fort fenced with Pallisadoes, in it one slight howse, a store and some few thatcht cabbins, which shortly after by casualtie was burnt with fire; some few great ordinance were slenderlye mounted at James Towne and Pointe Comfort.

A fortnight after his Lordship's departure arrived a small ship called the Hercules, with some thirty people and some provisions for them. The tweife of May followeinge arrived Sir Thomas Dale with three ships and three hundred persons, his provisions for them of such qualitie (for the most part) as hogges refused to eat, some whereof were sent backe to England to testifie the same, and that the rest was not better was justified upon oath before the Hono^{ble} the Lorde Cheife Justice of the Common Pleas, at Guilde hall in London, by Sir Thos. Gates & two other gentlemen.

Sir Thomas Dale, takinge into consideration the precedent times not to have succeeded accordinge to the greedy desire of Sir Thomas Smith, presently imployed the general Colony about the lading of those three ships with such freight as the country then yealded, but a little before the ships were readie to depart, Sir Thomas Gates arrived with three ships and three carvills, with him three hundred persons meanly provided with victualls for such a number. In this fleet, to our remembrance, arrived sixtie cowes and some swine; it was his care to dispatch those shipps and carvills fraighted (as aforesaid) to the neglect of workes of greater importance. Sir Thomas Dale imediately uppon his arrival, to add to that extremitye of miserye under which the Collonye from her infancie groaned, made and published most cruell and tiranous lawes, exceeding the strictest rules of marishall discipline, which lawes were sent over by Sir Thomas Dale to Sir Thomas Smith by the hande of Mr. William Starchey, then Secretarie to the State, and were retorned in print, with approbation, for our future government, as in divers bookes yet extant more fully appeareth.

Mr. Strachey, sailed with Lord Delaware on the 1st of April, 1610, and arrived at the Capes on the 15th of May. He remained about two years. He left a well written manuscript account of his observations, with this title: "The Historie of travaile into Virginia Brittania, * * * gathered and discovered as well by those who went first hither, as collected by William Strachey, Gent., the first secretary of the Colony;" which, edited by R.A. Major, Esq., of the British Museum, was published by the Hakluyt society in 1849.

At Michaellmas then next followinge, Sir Thomas Dale removed himself with three hundred persons for the buildinge of Henrico Towne, where being landed he oppressed his whole companye with such extraordinarye labors by daye and watchinge by night, as maye seeme incredible to the eares of any who had not the experimentall triall thereof. Wante of houses at first landinge in the colde of winter, and pinchinge hunger continually bitinge, made those imposed labours moft insufferable, and the best fruits and effects therof to be noe better then the slaughter of his Majesty's free subjects by starveinge, hangeinge, burneinge, breakinge upon the wheele and shootinge to deathe, some (more than halfe famished) runninge to the Indians to gett reliefe beinge againe retorned were burnt to death. Some for stealinge to satisfie their hunger were hanged, and one chained to a tree till he starved to death; others attemptinge to run awaye in a barge and a shallop (all the Boates that were then in the Collonye) and therin to adventure their lives for their native countrye, beinge discovered and prevented, were shott to death, hanged and broken upon the wheele, besides continuall whippings, extraordinary punishments, workinge as slaves in irons for terme of yeares (and that for petty offences) weare dayly executed. Many famished in holes and other poore cabbins in the grounde, not respected because sicknes had disabled them for labour, nor was their sufficient for them that were more able to worke, our best allowance beinge but nine ounces of corrupt and putrified meale and haife a pinte of oatmeale or pease (of like ill condition) for each person a daye. Those provisions were sent over by one Winne, a Draper, and Caswell, a baker, by the appointment (as we conceave) of Sir Thomas Smith. Under this Tiranus Government the Collony continued in extreame slavery and miserye for the space of five yeares, in which time many, whose necessities enforced the breach of those lawes by the strictness and severitye therof, suffered death and other punishments. Divers gentlemen both there and at Henrico towne, and throughout the wholl Collonye (beinge great adventurers and no trendes or alliance to Sir Thomas Smith) weare feeling members of those generall calamities, as far forth as the meanest fellow sent over.

The buildings and fortifications of that Towne, or thereabouts, were noe way extraordinary, neither could want, accompanied with bloode and crueltie, effect better.

Fortification against a foreign enemy there was none, only two or three peeces of ordenance mounted, and against a domestic noe other but a pale inclosinge the Towne to the quantitye of foure acres, within which those buildings that weare erected, coulde not in any man's judgement, neither did stande above five yeares and that not without continuall reparations; true it is that there was a Bricke Church intended to be built, but not soe much as the foundation therof ever finished, but we contentinge our selves with a church of wood answerable to those houses. Many other workes of like nature weare by him donne at Henrico and the precincts therof, but so slightly as before his departure hence, he himself saw the ruine and desolation of most of them.

Sir Thomas Gates likewise in his time erected some buildinges in and about James Towne, which by continuall cost in repaireinge of them doe yet for the most part in some sort remaine.

A framed Bridge was alsoe then erected, which utterly decayed before the end of Sir Thomas Smith's government, that being the only bridge (any way soe to be called) that was ever in the country. At this time in all these labours, the miserye throughout the wholl Collony, in the scarcitye of foode was equall; which penurious and harde kinde of liveinge, enforced and emboldened some to petition to Sir Thomas Gates (then Governor) to grant them that favor that they might employ themselves in husbandry, that therby they and all others by plantinge of corne, might be better fed then those supplies of victual which were sent from Englande woulde afforde to doe, which request of theirs was denied unlesse they woulde paye the yearlye rent of three barrels of corne and one monthe's worke to the Collonye, although many of them had been imployed in the generall workes and services of the Collony from the beginninge of the Plantation, which harde condition of Tenantship was then accepted rather then they woulde continue in those generall services and employments noe waye better then slavery. Most part of the time that Sir Thomas Gates and Sir Thos. Dale governed we were at warre with the natives, so that by them divers times were many of our people slaine, whose blood Sir Thomas Dale neglected not to revenge, by divers and sundry executions, in killinge many, cuttinge downe and takinge away their corne, burninge their houses, spoiling their weares, &c.

"Their weares in which they take their fish, which are certain enclosures made with reedes, and framed in the fashion of a laborinth or maze, sett a fathome deepe in the water, with divers chambers or bedds, out of which the entangled fish cannot returne or gett out, being once in."--Strachey, p. 68.

In this time alsoe the two fortes, fort Henry and fort Charles, at Kicoughton, were againe erected with such buildings as were formerly expressed, not fortified at all against a forreine enemye, and against the Indian that common order of a pale or pallisadoe.

The supplies sent out of Englande while Sir Thos. Gates and Sir Thos. Dale governed were these; a small barque called the John and Francis, which brought few men and less victual; the next a small ship called the Sarah, with the like number of men and victuall; the next ship called the Tresorer, wherin came Capt. Samuell Argoll, bringinge with him to the number of fiftie good men, which ship and men were wholly imployed in Trade and other services for relevinge of the Collonye; the next ship, called the Elizabeth, with about thirteene persons, for them little provision; the next the same Elizabeth came againe, with some small store of provisions only; in her Sir Thos. Gates went for Englande, leavinge the government with Sir Thomas Dale.

A little before the departure of Sir Thomas Gates many of the ancient planters (by the instigation of Sir Thomas Dale), uppon the promise of an absolute freedome after three yeares more to be expired (havinge most of them already served the Collonye six or seaven yeares in that generall slavery) were yet contented to worke in the buildinge of Charles Citty and Hundred, with very little allowance of clothinge and victuall, and that only for the first yeare, being promised one moneth in the yeare, and one daye in the weeke from Maye daye till harvest, to gett our maintenance out of the earth without any further helpe; which promise of Sir Thos. Dale was not performed, for out of that small time which was allowed for our maintenance we were abridged of nere halfe, soe that out of our daily taskes we were forced to redeeme time wherin to labour for our sustenance, therby miserably to purchase our freedome. Yet so fell it out that our State (by God's mercy) was afterwardes more happie then others who continued longer in the aforementioned slaverye; in which time we built such houses as before and in them lived with continual repairs, and buildinge new where the old failed, untill the massacre.

For matter of fortification in all this time, were only foure peeces of ordinance mounted for our defence against the natives. Soone after we weare seated at Charles Hundred, Sir Thomas Dales resolved of a journey to Pamonkey River, there to make with the Salvadges either a firme league of friendship or a present warre; they percieving his intent inclined rather for peace (more for feare then love) which was then concluded betwixt them. That donne we retorned to our habitations, where great want and scarcitye, oppressed us, that continuinge and increasinge, (our first harvest not yet being ripe) caused in many an intended mutinye, which beinge, by God's mercy, discovered, the prime actors were duly examined and convicted, wherof sixe beinge adjudged and condemned were executed.

After this, arrived for supply a small ship called the John and Francis, with about twenty persons and little or noe provisions for them. The next ship, called the Tresorer, arived heere with the number of twenty persons and as little provisions as the former, in which ship after many other designes were effected by Sir Thos. Dale, as makinge spoile of the Keschiacks and Wariscoyacks, impaling some necks of Lande, for defence against the Salvadges, and in fishing for our reliefe, &c., he departed from Virginia, and left the Government to Captain George Yardley, under whom the Collony lived in peace and best plentye that ever it had till that time, yet most part of the people for that yeare of his Government continued in the generall services followinge their labors as Sir Thos. Dale left them by order.

Kiskiack (now Chescake--pronounced Cheesecake) on Smith's map is located on the south side of the Pamunck (now York) river about the site of Yorktown.--See Campbell, p. 66. For Wariscoyack see footnote CC.

At Michaelmas followinge arrived a small ship called the Susan, her lading (beinge the first Magazin) consistinge of some necessarye provisions of clothinge, as our wants required, which goods were sould by Sir Thos. Smith's factor, as we suppose, for a sufficient proffit, exchanginge with us their commodities for our Tobacco.