by Sir Edwin Sandys. Smith retired under a general cloud for neglect of the colony and irregularities in his accounts. While Smith was in office he sent about 1,200 emigrants to Virginia, among whom were 90 young women who became the wives of the planters on the payment to the Company of 100 pounds of tobacco, equal to about $75. The introduction of the women into the colony was in every way a decided advantage and in the long run proved a blessing. But on the other hand the king did the colony the injustice to send 100 "jail-birds" who were sold to be servants for a term of years, which practice was long continued, though colonists earnestly protested against it. At the same time also (August, 1619),‡ a cargo of 20 negroes was brought to Jamestown by a Dutch vessel and the negroes were

the

175

purchased by the planters for slaves.* This was the establishment of the negro slave trade and at intervals thereafter others were brought and purchased in the same way and for the same purpose. Whatever we may think of the practice of slavery in our own day, we must remember that no one at that time supposed there was the slightest wrong in it. Captain Lok, many years before, had very ably expressed the general opinion prevalent among the people regarding slaves when he said that the negroes were "a people of beestly living, without God, law, religion, or commonwealth" and that he was a benefactor of that race when he took

them to a civilized Christian land, clothed them decently, and made their

souls fit for heaven.+

On June 18, 1620, Sandys was succeeded as treasurer of the Company by the Earl of Southampton, during the next two years more than

and

Cooke, Virginia, p. 120 et seq.

† Butler, British Convicts Shipped to American Colonies. See also Page, The Old Dominion, pp. 136-137; Cooke, p. 119; Howe, Historical Collections of Virginia, p. 41. The Company also at this time, because of the great profit derived from the sale of tobacco, realized that every laborer in the field increased the earnings of the Company, and therefore offered a bounty on all ablebodied men landed in the colony. This led to a large amount of kidnapping on the part of brutal English sea-captains. The victims, who were often drugged in order to get them on shipboard, could do nothing else than submit to their indenture when landed and serve their time.

This date is generally given as 1620 but Rolfe then at Jamestown says "To begin with, this year, 1619, about the last of August, came in a Dutch man-of-war that sold us twenty negars."- Cooke, Virginia, p. 123 note.

In addition to establishing new plantations on the James and York rivers, an estate of 10,000 acres near the falls of the James River was granted as

* Bancroft, vol. i., pp. 125–126.

See Froude, History of England, vol. viii., p. 439.

For the dispute proceedings the election of Southampton see Doyle, English Colonies, vol. i., pp. 164-166; Fiske, Old Virginia, vol. i., pp. 194– 203; Brown, English Politics in Early Virginia History, chap. vi. On the internal disputes in the Company regarding business matters, tobacco contracts, etc., see Brown, First Republic in America, pp. 244, 267-268, 280, 289, 301, 305307, 398.

an endowment for a college in which Indians as well as colonists might be educated.* "The cultivation of tobacco had given a sudden impulse to Virginia; the use of it was still quite limited and the English market was overstocked. The price began to fall and great anxiety was evinced by the enlightened treasurer for the introduction into the colony of other staples -flax, silk, wine and the preparation of lumber. New attempts were made at the manufacture of glass, pitch, tar and potashes, and some Italians and Dutch were sent out to instruct the colonists in these occupations." Yeardley set up the first † iron-works and the first wind-mill in America, and the colonists also began to experiment with beehives and vineyards, and renewed their efforts to raise silk worms and cotton, experiments in these having already been made. A shipyard was also started to build boats to transport the produce from the farms and tobacco plantations which extended up the banks

* Rev. Patrick Copeland, an East Indian missionary, raised £70 toward the endowment of this school, which was accordingly called the East India School and was to be established at Charles City. The Bishop of London raised £1,000; Gabriel Ferrar, a member of the Company gave £550; the elder Nicholas Ferrar left £300 in his will and many other contributions were made, but before the enterprise could be pushed vigorously the Virginia Company lost its charter and the project was not revived until 1692 when Dr. Blair established William and Mary College at Williamsburg. See Fiske, Old Virginia, vol. i., p. 233 et seq.

Hildreth, History of the United States, vol. i., p. 121.

of the James River for nearly 150 miles.*

Up to this time the colony had not proved a source of great profit to the Company, although it had been firmly established and promised great results in the future.† In 1621 Yeardley was superseded as governor by Sir Francis Wyatt, who was instructed to cultivate the good will of the natives and also to restrict the amount of tobacco which each planter might raise. He brought with him a confirmation of all liberties granted previously and definite assurances and provisions for the regular assemblage of the House of Burgesses.‡ These measures, however, were too late and a fearful visitation fell upon the colony. Powhatan was now dead and had been succeeded by Opechancanough, a wild and cunning chief. Opechancanough secretly matured a scheme for massacring the entire band of colonists. The latter had now begun to treat the Indians as enemies of little consequence, and had, therefore, allowed military exer

*These industries were started by settlers who had been sent out by the Company, they being selected because of their knowledge of the various trades. Osgood, American Colonies, vol. i., pp. 82-83. See also Eggleston, Beginners of a Nation, p. 76 et seq.

"The first culture of cotton in the United States deserves commemoration. This year (1621) the seeds were planted as an experiment; and their plentiful coming up was, at that day, a subject of interest in America and England.”— Bancroft's History of the United States, vol. i., p. 179 (1st ed.).

seq.

Osgood, American Colonies, vol. i., p. 95 et

don* and appointed two commissions, one of which was to sit in judgment upon its proceedings, while the other, consisting of John Harvey, Samuel Matthews. John Pary, Abram Piersey (John Jefferson was also appointed, but he did not act), was sent to Virginia to make inquiries concerning the condition and management of the colony, "in order," as Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, expressed it, "that we [the court party] might have some true grounds to work upon." From the court point of view, the first inquiry undoubtedly brought a large amount of mismanagement to light, whereupon the king by an order in council declared that he would assume the right to appoint officers for the colony and to direct its plans. He then ordered the directors to accede to this arrangement, on pain of forfeiting their charter should they refuse. The directors were stunned by the suddenness of this attack upon their authority and begged that time might be allowed them for consideration, but the king peremptorily answered that only three days would be allowed. The directors, therefore, determined to submit to force only, and upon their decided refusal the king issued a writ of quo warranto against the Company so that the validity of its charter

On the confiscation of evidence by the crown

see Brown, pp. 59-60.

Ibid, pp. 52-53, 66.
Ibid, p. 236 et seq.

might be tried in the court of King's Bench. The directors, however, decided to make a last appeal to Parliament which had now assembled, but they gained little sympathy from that body. The colonists, contrary to the threats and inducements of the king, refused to testify against their benefactors, refused to accede to the demands of the commissioners for the records, and implored the king not to listen to or accept as true the reports of mismanagement under Sandys and Southampton. They even sent an agent to England praying that no change be made in their acquired franchises and privileges, but he died on the way over. Nevertheless, when the commissioners returned from Virginia they submitted many real and fictitious evidences of mis

government and earnestly recommended that the king restore the mended that original constitution of 1606, and eliminate the democratic element. which was supposed to have occasioned so much dissension ard misrule. This afforded additional ground for a decision which, according to Robertson, " was perfectly consonant to the wishes of the monarch. The charter was forfeited, the Company was dissolved, and all the rights and privileges conferred on it returned to the king, from whom they flowed." Thus on June 24, 1624, after having expended nearly $700,000 in their en

* Cooke, Virginia, p. 131.