Part 7 (1/2)

Now the glory Col. Nicholson got in that affair was this: after he had represented Virginia as republican and rebellious for not complying with his proposal, he said publicly that New York should not want the 900 pounds, though he paid it out of his own pocket, and soon after took a journey to that province.

When he arrived there, he blamed Virginia very much, but pretending earnest desires to serve New York, gave his own bills of exchange for 900 pounds to the aforesaid use, but prudently took a defeasance from the gentleman to whom they were given, specifying, ”that till her majesty should be graciously pleased to remit him the money out of the quit rents of Virginia, those bills should never be made use of.” This was an admirable piece of sham generosity, and worthy of the great pains he took to proclaim it. I myself have frequently heard him boast that he gave this money out of his own pocket, and only depended on the queen's bounty to repay him: though the money is not paid by him to this day.

-- 147. Neither was he contented to spread abroad this untruth there; but he also foisted it into a memorial of Col. Quarry's to the council of trade, in which are these words:

”As soon as Governor Nicholson found the a.s.sembly of Virginia would not see their own interest, nor comply with her majesty's orders, he went immediately to New York; and out of his great zeal to the queen's service, and the security of her province, he gave his own bills for 900 pounds to answer the quota of Virginia, wholly depending on her majesty's favor to reimburse him out of the revenues in that province.

”Certainly his excellency and Colonel Quarry, by whose joint wisdom and sincerity this memorial was composed, must believe that the council of trade have very imperfect intelligence how matters pa.s.s in that part of the world, or else they would not presume to impose such a banter upon them.”

But this is nothing, if compared with some other pa.s.sages of that unjust representation, wherein they took upon them to describe the people of ”Virginia to be both numerous and rich, of republican notions and principles such as ought to be corrected and lowered in time; and that then, or never, was the time to maintain the queen's prerogatives, and put a stop to those wrong, pernicious notions which were improving daily, not only in Virginia but in all her majesty's other governments.

A frown now from her majesty will do more than an army hereafter,” &c.

With those inhuman, false imputations, did those gentlemen afterwards introduce the necessity of a standing army.

-- 148. Thus did this gentleman continue to rule till August 1705, when Edward Nott, esq., arrived governor, and gave ease to the country by a mild rule. His commission was to be governor-general, but part of his salary was paid my Lord Orkney as chief. Governor Nott had the general commission given him, because it was suggested that that method, viz: the supreme t.i.tle, would give the greater awe, and the better put the country to rights.

-- 149. Governor Nott called an a.s.sembly the fall after his arrival, who pa.s.sed the general revisal of the laws, which had been too long in hand.

But that part of it which related to the church and clergy Mr.

Commissary could not be pleased in; wherefore that bill was dropt, and so it lies at this day.

-- 150. This a.s.sembly also pa.s.sed a new law for ports and towns, grounding it only upon encouragements, according to her majesty's letter to that purpose. But it seems this also could not please the Virginia merchants in England, for they complained against it to the crown, and so it was also suspended.

-- 151. This a.s.sembly also pa.s.sed the law making slaves a real estate, which made a great alteration in the nature of their estates, and becomes a very good security for orphans whose parents happened to die intestate.

-- 152. This a.s.sembly also voted a house to be built for the governor's residence, and laid duties to raise the money for it. But his excellency lived not to see much effected therein, being taken off by death in August 1706. In the first year of his government the college was burnt down to the ground.

-- 153. After this governor's death, their being no other nominated by her majesty to succeed him, the government fell into the hands of Edmund Jenings, Esq., the president, and the council, who held no a.s.sembly during his time, neither did anything of note happen here. Only we heard that Brigadier Robert Hunter received commission to be lieutenant-governor under George, Earl of Orkney, the chief, and set out for Virginia, but was taken prisoner into France.

-- 154. During Brigadier Hunter's confinement in France, a new commission issued to Colonel Alexander Spotswood to be lieutenant-governor, who arrived here in Anno 1710. He, to the extraordinary benefit of this country, still continues governor, having improved it beyond imagination. His conduct has produced wonders. But it would not become me to affront his modesty by publis.h.i.+ng those innumerable benefits of his administration to his face; therefore I shall leave them to adorn the brighter history of some abler penman.

BOOK II.

OF THE NATURAL PRODUCT AND CONVENIENCES OF VIRGINIA IN ITS UNIMPROVED STATE, BEFORE THE ENGLISH WENT THITHER.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE BOUNDS AND COAST OF VIRGINIA.

-- 1. Virginia, as you have heard before, was a name at first given to all the northern part of the continent of America; and when the original grant was made, both to the first and second colonies, that is, to those of Virginia and New England, they were both granted under the name of Virginia. And afterwards, when grants for other new colonies were made by particular names, those names for a long time served only to distinguish them as so many parts of Virginia; and until the plantations became more familiar to England, it was so continued. But in process of time, the name of Virginia was lost to all except to that tract of land lying along the bay of Chesapeake, and a little to the southward, in which are included Virginia and Maryland; both which, in common discourse, are still very often meant by the name of Virginia.

The least extent of bounds in any of the grants made to Virginia, since it was settled, and which we find upon record there, is two hundred miles north from Point Comfort, and two hundred miles south, winding upon the sea coast to the eastward, and including all the land west and northwest, from sea to sea, with the islands on both seas, within an hundred miles of the main. But these extents, both on the north and south, have been since abridged by the proprietary grants of Maryland on the north, and Carolina on the south.