1622. nient for settlement, the whole company removed to it, and began a plantation.*

March 27.

in Virginia.

What had been dreaded merely at Plymouth, was Massacre experienced in all its horrors in her sister colony. By a preconcerted conspiracy, the Indians in the neighbourhood of Virginia, on the twenty seventh of March, fell on the English, three hundred and forty seven of whom, unresisting and defenceless, were cruelly massacred. The massacre was conducted with indiscriminate barbarity. No regard was shown to dignity; no gratitude, for benefits. Six of the council were slain, one of whom, Mr. George Thorpe, a very respectable and pious man, who had the principal management of the lands and affairs of the college, had been a distinguished friend and benefactor of the Indians." An exterminating war be tween the English and the Indians immediately succeeded this massacre. The people, concerned in the care and culture of the college lands, experiencing a great slaughter, those lands were now abandoned; and no public institution was again attempted for the benefit of the natives of Virginia, until benefactions were made by the Honourable Robert Boyle.3

To the horrors of massacre were soon superadded the miseries of famine. Of eighty plantations, which were advancing fast toward completion, eight only remained; and of the numerous people, who had

1 Morton, 44. Mather Magnal. i. 11. Prince, 120, 121. See A. D. 1624. 2 Smith Virg. 144-149, where are the names of the persons, who were massacred. Purchas, v. 1788-1790. Beverly, 61, 62. Keith, 138. Stith, 211. Nemattanow, a famous Indian warrior, believed by the natives to be invulnerable, was killed by the English in 1621; and Keith [137] says, it was in revenge of his death, that Opechancanough plotted this raassacre. Chalmers [58.] says, " it ought to be observed, that the emigrants, notwithstanding the humane instructions of their sovereign and the prudent orders of the company, had never been solicitous to cultivate the good will of the aborigines; and had neither asked permission when their country was occupied, nor had given a price for invaluable property, which was taken without authority."

3 Stith, 217, 295. Mr. Boyle's donation was annexed to the professorships of William and Mary college, as a sixth professorship, for the instruction of the Indians and their conversion to Christianity. Jefferson Virg. Query xv.

been transported to Virginia at a great expense, 1622. eighteen hundred only survived these disasters."

land.

Much as the colony lost of its inhabitants and pos- Supplies sessions by the recent calamities, its losses were considerably counterbalanced by supplies from the parent country. From May 1621 to May 1622, twenty ships transported thirteen hundred persons, and eighty cattle, from England to Virginia.* King James made the colonists a present of arms out of the tower, and lent them twenty barrels of powder; lord St. John, of Basing, gave them sixty coats of mail; the city of London, and many private persons, made them generous contributions. 3

Such had now become the extent of the settle Inferior ments, and the number of the inhabitants, in the courts ap Virginian colony, that it was found very inconveni- pointed, ent, to bring all causes to James Town. Inferior courts were therefore appointed in convenient places, to relieve the governor and council from the heavy burden of business, and to render justice less expensive, and more accessible, to the people. This is the origin of county courts in Virginia.

1 Purchas, v. 1792. Chalmers, i. 59. In the year 1620 there were a bout 2216 inhabitants in Virginia. [See p. 204 of this volume.] In 1621 governor Wyat brought over nearly 700, which addition makes 2916. Deduct from this number 347 for the loss in the massacre, and the remainder is 2519. If, as Purchas leads us to believe, there were but 1800 left after the massacre and famine, upwards of 700 are still unaccounted for. The natural deaths in the colony since 1620 may partly account for this deficienty; but some accessions to it have probably been omitted, which might counterbalance that loss. It is indeed expressly said [Purchas, v. 1785.], that " in the yeeres 1619, 1620, and 1621, there hath beene provided and sent for Virginia two and fortie saile of ships, three thousand five hundred and sevent tie men and women for plantation, with requisite provisions." I am inclined, therefore, to ascribe this extraordinary reduction in part to an emigration from the colony, seldom noticed by historians. It is affirmed, that several English families, to shun the massacre in Virginia, fled to the Carolinian coasts, and settled at a place, called Mallica, near the river May. It is also affirmed, that they converted the inhabitants of the neighbouring Apalaches. Atlas Geographus Americ. v. 688. Univ. Hist. xl. 420. Brit. Emp. iii. 210. This last history says, they were driven on the coasts of Carolina; which seems to imply, that they made their escape by water.

2 Purchas, v. 1783.

3 Smith Virg. 147. Stith, 233. Univ. Hist. xli. 529. Beverly, 60. Stith, 207. Brit. Emp, iii, 68,

1622.

Tobacco.

Wine.

Bermudas.

Fishery.

Restraint on the

trade to

land.

The tobacco, exported from Virginia to England, on an average for the last seven years, was one hun dred forty two thousand and eighty five pounds a year. Previous to the massacre, a successful experiment of wine had been made in that colony; and a specimen of it was now sent to England.

The English had now ten forts at Bermudas; three thousand people; and fifty pieces of ordnance.3 Thirty five ships sailed this year from the west of England, and two from London, to fish on the New England coasts; and made profitable voyages.*

The Plymouth company having complained to king James of the encroachments and injuries of inN. Eng terlopers on their American commerce and possessions, and applied to him for relief; the king issued a proclamation, commanding, that none should fre quent the coasts of New England, but the adventur ers and planters; or traffick with the Indians other. wise, than by the licence of the council of Plymouth, or according to the orders of the privy council. "This remarkable edict, far from proving beneficial to the company, really brought on its dissolution."s

State of Quebec.

All the colony of Quebec, at this period of Canadian annals, consisted of no more than fifty persons, men, women, and children. An establishment however had been formed at Trois Rivieres; and a brisk trade continued to be carried on at Tadoussac."

1 Stith, 246.

2 Ibid. 218. French vinedressers, brought over to Virginia in 1621, wrote to the English company, that the Virginian climate and soil surpass the province of Languedoc. Beverly, 191.

3 Josselyn Voy. 250. In the years 1619, 1620, 1621, there were sent to Bermudas 9 ships, employing 240 mariners, and carrying about 900 peo ple for settlement. Purchas, v. 1785.

4 Smith's N. Eng. tryals, in Purchas, v. 1840-1842. "Where in Newfoundland they shared sixe or seven pounds for a common man, in New England they shared fourteene pounds; besides six Dutch and French ships made wonderfull returnes in furres." Ibid.

5 Chalmers, i. 91. This Proclamation, dated 6 November, is in Hazard Colli. 151, 152; 2nd in Rymer's Fœdera, xvii. 416; and is entitled, “ A Proclamation, prohibiting interloping and diforderly trading to New Eng land in America."

6 Champlain Voy II partie, 49. Charlevoix Nouv. France, i 158 Uaik Hist, xxxix. 419.

1623.

Intelligence being received at Plymouth, that Ma- visit to sassoit was likely to die, and that a Dutch ship was Masassoit driven ashore near his house, the governor sent Edward Winslow and John Hambden with Hobomack, to visit and assist him, and to speak with the Dutch. They found Masassoit extremely ill; but, by some cordials, which Winslow administered, he revived. After their departure Hobomack informed them, that Masassoit had privately charged him to tell Mr. Winslow, that there was a plot of the Massachu- Indian cons setts against Weston's people at Wessagusset; that, lest the English of Plymouth should avenge their countrymen, they also were to be destroyed; and that the Indians of Paomet, Nauset, Mattachiest,* Succonet, the Isle of Capawick, Manomet,3 and Agawaywom, had joined with the Massachusetts in this conspiracy; and that he advised them to kill the conspirators, as the only means of security.

spiracy.

of Stan

The governor, on receiving this intelligence, which Expedition was confirmed by other evidences, ordered Standish dish, to sup-to take with him as many men, as he should judge press it. sufficient, and, if a plot should be discovered, to fall on the conspirators. Standish, with eight men, sailed to the Massachusetts, where the natives, suspecting his design, insulted and threatened him. Watching his opportunity, when four of them, Wit

i Mr. Hambden is said to have been a gentleman of London, who then wintered with the Plymouth colonists, and " desired much to see the country" [Winslow Relat.]; and is supposed by Dr. Belknap [Biog. ii. 229.] to be the same person, who afterward distinguished himself by his opposition to the arbitrary demands of Charles I.

2 This seems to be the country between Barnstable and Yarmouth harbours. Prince, 108. Belknap Biog. ii. 313.

3 This is the name of a creek or river, which runs through the town of Sandwich into the upper part of Buzzard's Bay, formerly called Manomet Bay. Between this and Scusset Creek is the place, which, for more than a century, has been thought of as proper to be cut through, to form a communication by a navigable canal, from Barnstable Bay to Buzzard's Bay. Prince, 126. Belknap Biog. ii. 314

Wessagus

1623. tuwamet, Pecksuot,' another Indian, and a youtĺ of eighteen, brother of Wittuwamet, and about as many of his own men, were in the same room, he gave a signal to his men; the door was instantly shut; and, snatching the knife of Pecksuot from his neck, he killed him with it, after a violent struggle; his party killed Wittuwamet, and the other Indian; and hung the youth. Proceeding to another place, Standish killed an Indian; and afterward had a skirmish with a party of Indians, which he put to flight. Weston's men also killed two Indians. Standish, with that generosity, which characterises true bravery, released the Indian women, without taking their beaver coats, or allowing the least incivility to be offered them. The English settlers now abandoned Wessagusset ; and their plantation was thus broken up, within a year after its commencement. Standish, having supplied them with corn, and conducted them safely out of Massachusetts Bay in a small ship of their own, returned to Plymouth, bringing the head of Wittuwamet, which he set up on the fort. This sudden and unexpected execution so terrified the other natives, who had intended to join the Massachusetts in the conspiracy, that they forsook their houses, and fled to swamps and desert places, where they contracted diseases, which proved mortal to many of them; among whom were Canacum, sachem of Manomet; Aspinet, sachem of Nauset; and Ianough, sachem of Mattachiest."

set aban

doned by the Eng

lish.

I A chief of the Massachusetts, said to be " a notable insulting Indian.” Prince, 128.

Ibid. 131. Wins sharp as a needle, The natives were

2 "A notable Pinese, i. e. Counsellor and Warrior." low says, Pecksuot had made the point of his knife as and ground the back also to an edge. Purchas, v. 1864. in the habit of wearing knives, suspended at the breast, in sheaths tied a'bout the neck. One of these Indian sheaths, a part of the spoils in the old wars with the French and Indians, is in my possession. It is seven inches long, and terminates in a point. It is made of leather, curiously wrought with some hard but pliant substance, of various colours, and trimmed at the upper edge with a fringe with little pendant rolls of brass or some other metal. It was probably manufactured by the French.

3 Purchas, v. 1860-1865. Coll. Hist. Soc. viii. 257-263. Mather