The History of the Thirteen Colonies of North America 1497-1763Jeffery, Reginald W. (Reginald Welbury)
History
The History of the Thirteen Colonies of North America 1497-1763
Jeffery, Reginald W. (Reginald Welbury)
United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
The fate of the colony once more hung in the balance; starvation was
once again at the door. Very fortunately for the settlers, Lord Delawarr
arrived as Captain-General and Governor, with, what was most important,
supplies. The Company, however was becoming disheartened. The colony had
now been in existence for three years and the returns to the
shareholders were meagre indeed. Something had to be done and strong
measures seemed appropriate. In June 1611, Delawarr embarked for
England, but Sir Thomas Dale had already been dispatched with the title
of High Marshal of Virginia. He was armed with a military and civil code
of the greatest severity, for he was confronted with the arduous task of
governing a people made up of "the scourings of London." The military
code was from the first practically a dead letter; but the civil
enactments were so extremely harsh and so peculiar to modern ideas that
they deserve some attention. Daily worship according to the service of
the Church of England was enforced by a penalty of six months in the
galleys. To refrain from attending Sunday service meant death. If any
man "unworthily demean himself unto any preacher or minister of God's
word" he was to be openly whipped three times, and after each whipping
he was to confess his crime. But these laws were almost mild in
comparison with the vague and brutal enactment that "no man shall give
disgraceful words or commit any act to the disgrace of any person in
this colony, or any part thereof, upon pain of being tied head and feet
together upon the ground every night for the space of one month."[43]
These harsh laws continued, but did not affect the tide of emigration
from England. In August 1611, Sir Thomas Gates returned as Governor with
three hundred fresh settlers.[44] From this moment a much better class
of colonists began to come out, bringing with them their own servants,
and forming the nucleus of a sound colonial population. There were, of
course, other reasons for the improved state of affairs, not the least
important being the fact that Gates worked hard for the benefit of the
colony. An excellent change was carried out when the settlers deserted
unhealthy Jamestown for the more salubrious Henrico. Here a church, a
hospital, and good houses of brick were erected, and a palisade was
raised as a protection from the Indians. Industries, too, began to
thrive, for the records show that both silk and iron were manufactured,
while vines were cultivated with success by some Frenchmen introduced
by Lord Delawarr. Even in England the affairs of the Company had changed
for the better, as in 1612 a fresh charter had been obtained, by which
the Bermudas or Somers Islands were added to its dominions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account