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FRONTISPIECE

      The successful planting of an English Colony at Jamestown in 1607 had the meaning that England had become the world power in the place of Spain.

      One hundred years previous, Spain became the head of the dominant religious influence and military power of Europe. She had the monopoly of America, and her treasury was filled with the gold and silver of Mexico and Peru. Her title to the whole of the new continent was based upon the great discovery of Columbus in 1492. The conscious rivalry of England with this colossal power did not begin till Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1558. Then it was the rising of a nation instinct with the enthusiasm, daring, and activity. For the negation of the exclusive right of Spain to the American continent, the almost forgotten voyage to North America of John Cabot in 1497, under the auspices of Henry VII., an English King, was revived by Richard Hakluyt. The next fifty years were replete with deeds of splendor and glory. First, Sir John Hawkins threw down the barriers which for so long had withheld English ships from the Western continent by sailing to the West Indies and selling negroes to the Spanish planters. Then Drake and Cavendish hurled themselves upon the Spanish settlements on the west coast of South America and plundered them of their gold and circumnavigated the globe. Next, in their eager desire to outdo even Columbus in search for the East Indies, Frobisher and Davis performed their glorious voyages to the Northwest and wrote their names upon the icy waters of Labrador and British America. The grand Armada was overthrown in 1588, and the maritime power of Spain was utterly crushed by another great naval victory won by the English eight years later in the harbor of Cadiz.

      Among the schemes to cut into the power of Spain was one contemplating the establishment of an English colony in North America. This noble design was conceived by Sir Humphrey Gilbert and promoted by his half brother Sir Walter Raleigh, and they are the glorious twin spirits that stand on the threshold of American history. Newfoundland and Roanoke are dedicated to their memories. Though the times were not yet ripe for success, their faith soared above all reserves. "We are as near Heaven by sea as by land," said the one as he yielded up his life in the stormy waters. "I shall yet live to see Virginia an English nation," said the other, as he went to confinement in the Tower of London, and eventually also to his death. In 1605, Spain, humbled and shorn of power, made peace with England; and now in the place of private enterprise like Gilbert's and Raleigh's, organized capital, under the influence of noble spirits, like Sir Thomas Smythe, Richard Hakluyt, Sir Edwin Sandys, Nichols Ferrar and the Earl of Southampton — worthy successors of Gilbert and Raleigh — undertook the solution of the problem. Raleigh, confined in the Tower, could not take an active part at this time, but his friends and relations were the chief actors and workers in the new colonization schemes.

      Two large associations were formed — one composed of lords, knights and merchants of the city of London, and the other of residents in the cities of Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth, — and they obtained from King James I., April 10, 1606, a joint charter which defined Virginia as the portion of North America lying between the 34th and 45th parallel of north latitude, practically the present United States. In this vast extent of territory the first Company, called the Virginia Company of London, was permitted to establish a settlement anywhere between 34 and 41 degrees; and the second, called the Plymouth Company, anywhere between 38 and 45 degrees. Th actual jurisdiction of each Company was represented by a rectangle extending fifty miles north of the settlement and fifty miles south, and east and west 100 miles from the coast seaward, and 100 miles from the coast inland. The Plymouth Company was singularly unfortunate in its attempts, but the efforts of the Virginia Company were crowned with success; and by two new charters, 1609 and 1612, its jurisdiction was extended over the entire limit of its original sphere of possible settlement, and from sea to sea.

      The subsequent history of Virginia affairs under the Company for nearly twenty years is one of stupendous selfsacrifice both in England and America. The men in England who had the supreme control gave freely of their money and time, and received no return except the satisfaction of having founded in America a fifth kingdom under the Crown. The men in Virginia incurred hardships without parallel in the world's history, and most of them went to the martyrdom of cruel death by climatic disease, starvation and Indian attack. It was but natural that, in those unprecedented conditions, those in England should try to shield themselves from the blame and throw upon the settlers the responsibility. But discriminating history has seen the light at last, and while the motives of the directors of the enterprise were always high and honorable, it is now recognized that in the government of the colony they made many and serious blunders. For fear of making the enterprise unpopular they refused to tell the English public the real truth as to the dangerous climate and the other natural conditions making for evil. Virginia, as a country, had to be "boomed," at all events. Thus the poor settlers, who, for the most part, consisted of the best materials in England — old sailors under Hawkins and Drake, or old soldiers of the Netherlands — were abused and shamelessly villified. The appalling mortality which overwhelmed them for a great number of years is itself a pathetic and passionate vindication. Never did any martyr suffer so patiently, so patriotically, as these devoted settlers did — a prey to Indian attack, martial law, and climatic diseases — influences which, as the records show, left but one settler alive at the end of a single year of residence, out of every five that came over.

      Indeed, how can the body of the settlers be made responsible for the calamities that ensued when they lived under a form of government made for them by others, productive from the first of discord and faction; when they were not permitted to work for themselves, but for a present return of profit to the Company, had to give their time and labor to loading ships with sassafras, cedar, and other salable commodities; when they had no choice of the place of settlement, and which was selected in accordance with orders of the council in England; when they had no chance to till the fields, but were required to hunt for gold and silver mines and make tedious discoveries by land and water? Deprived of the opportunity to make their own living, they had to depend upon food sent from England, which, when it reached America, was often unfit for hogs to eat, and introduced all manner of disease. Above all, they had to deal with a climate which was singularly fatal to newcomers, and to fight off numerous bands of fierce and ferocious Indians who surrounded them on all sides.

      Thus, the conditions were in every respect the revers of those of the Plymouth settlement in 1620 on Cape Cod Bay; for there the Pilgrim Fathers had the control of their own government, the advantage of a dry and healthful situation, a sparkling stream of fresh water at their doors, open fields deserted by the Indians, whose nearest town was forty miles distant, a bay teeming with fish and a country abounding in animals whose skins brought a large profit in England. And yet, favored as they were, had they not been succored by Virginia ships, the settlers there might have all perished of famine.

      Nevertheless, the settlers in Virginia held grimly to their duty, and, the dying being constantly succeeded by fresh bands doomed also to early death, but as determined as themselves, prosperity at last succeeded to misfortune, and plenty and happiness to poverty and despair. When the civil wars in England broke out in 1642, the tone of society in Virginia was raised by the great influx of cavaliers and other persons of means who sought safety in Virginia. The clearing away of the woods improved the health conditions, and men came no longer over to make tobacco, but to make homes for themselves and their families. Virginia continued to grow and improve until, at the beginning of the American Revolution, she was the leading and most powerful of all the colonies.

      The priorities of Virginia may be briefly stated. As the first permanent British Colony, she may claim as her product not only the present Virginia and Southland, but all the other English colonies in America, and indeed all the colonies of the present widespreading British Empire. She was the eldest of all, and the inspiration of all. Because her governors kept the New England coast clear of the French, and two ships sailing from Jamestown succored the settlers at New Plymouth, when, in 1622, they were at the point of starvation, she can claim especially to be the mother of New England. She had the first English institutions — trial by jury, law courts, representative lawmaking body, and free school. She was the first to announce the principle of the indissolubility of taxation and representation. She led in all the events resulting in the American Revolution — that is to say — struck the first blow in the French and Indian war, out of which war sprung the idea of taxing America; rallied the other colonies against the Stamp Act; and under the Revenue Act solved the four different crises which arose — proposing as a remedy for the first the policy of non-importation; for the second a system of intercolonial committees; for the third a general congress; and for the fourth Independence!

      The life of State is seen best in the lives of the citizens. The aim of this book will be to give the biographies of all those who had any important connection with the founding of the colony down to the American Revolution. Thus the book will be divided into four parts under the following headings:

      I. The Founders; II. The Presidents and Governors; III. The Council of State; IV. The Burgesses and Other Prominent Citizens.

THE AUTHOR.

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      Henry VII., King of England, was the son of Edward Tudor, Earl of Richmond, by his marriage with Margaret Beaufort, only daughter of John Duke of Beaufort. The deaths of Henry VI. and of his son Prince Edward made Henry the head of the House of Lancaster. he remained in Brittainy during the whole of the reign of Edward IV. But Edward's death in 1483, and the murder of his two sons by the usurper Richard, removed almost every rival belonging to the house of York that could dispute his pretensions. He made war against Richard and defeated him at Bosworth in Leicestershire, and became King in his place. In his administration of the government he was politic and prudent. He encouraged men of letters and was a great patron of commerce. He came very nearly anticipating Ferdinand and Isabella in sending out Columbus; and under his encouragement the Cabots discovered North America in 1497. Henry VII. was the father of Henry VIII., and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth. He died at Richmond, April 2, 1509.

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      Cabot, John, a Venetian navigator, and first discoverer of North America. He visited Arabia, and in 1491 was employed by some merchants in Bristol, England, in hunting for the mythical island of the seven cities and Brazil. In 1495, in one of these private voyages, he saw land. Encouraged accordingly, he petitioned Henry VII., King of England, to grant unto him and his three sons Lewis, Sebastian and Sanctius, a charter to discover and possess new lands. The letters patent passed the seals on March 5, 1496, and on May 2, 1497, John Cabot sailed from Bristol with a small ship and 18 persons. Having reached the continent of North America, somewhere about Cape Breton Island, he coasted down 300 miles. He was three months on the voyage, and on his return received much honor, and the people, we are told, "ran after him like mad," for enlistment in his voyages. To show where he landed he made a chart and globe with the place designated. The King gave him presents and a pension out of the customs of the port of Bristol. Aided by Henry, Cabot sailed on a second voyage in the beginning of summer, 1498,with five ships, but it is probable that he died on the voyage, as the expedition seems to have returned under the charge of his son, Sebastian Cabot, Columbus never saw any part of the territory of the United States, and as a nation we trace back to the discoveries of John Cabot.

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      Cabot, Sebastian, second son of John Cabot, was probably born in Bristol, about 1577, and probably sailed with his father in many of his voyages. His name appears in the petition to Henry to Henry VII. and in the charter granted by the King, March 5, 1496. He probably went with his father in his voyage to America, May 2, 1497, and the voyage of 1498 which sailed under the father was probably, on account of the latter's death, under the son's charge on its return. Later under the auspices of Thomas Pert, vice-admiral of England, he paid a visit to South America and the West India Islands. Not finding much encouragement in England, which was not yet a maritime nation, he entered the service of the King of Spain and was appointed "pilot major." In 1526 he sailed to Brazil and spent four years in exploring the country, but was imprisoned a year on his return, on the charge of mismanagement. He was, however, soon reinstated in his former position, and remained for many years examiner of pilots at Seville, during which time he made his famous "mappe monde," which was first engraved in 1544. He returned to England on the death of Henry VIII., and Edward VI. gave him a pension and made him grand pilot of England. Under his leadership a Company of Discoverers, of which he was made governor for life, was formed. They sent out in 1553 an expedition under Sir Hugh Willoughby and Richard Chancellor, which reached the White Sea and discovered Russia. This ancient company, which still exists, has a direct connection with the settlement of Virginia. Sir Thomas Smythe, treasurer of the Virginia Company of London, was a successor of Cabot as governor of this company in 16y07, and its ships were employed in taking emigrants to Virginia. Sebastian Cabot died about 1557.

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      Hawkins, William, son of John Hawkins, Esq. of Tavistock, Devonshire, and Joan, daughter of William Amidas, Esq., of Launceston, Cornwall. He made several voyages to the coast of Africa and carried slaves from thence to Brazil in 1530, and after. He married Joan, daughter of William Trelawney, Esq., of Cornwall. he was the father of Sir John Hawkins.

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      Elizabeth, Queen of England, daughter of Henry VIII. by Anne Boleyn, was born at Greenwich, September 7, 1533. She was educated by Grindall and Ascham, who made her a great scholar and an expert linguist. She succeeded to the throne on the death of her sister Mary, November 17, 1558. her reign lasted 45 years, and it is sufficient to say that she held with honor and glory the central figure of a period that has hardly a parallel in history for the outburst of activity along all lines — literary, political, maritime and military. She encouraged especially Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh in their plans of colonizing Virginia, and when Sir Richard Grenville returned with his accounts of the new found land she gave it the name of "Virginia" in memory of herself as the Virgin Queen. She died March 24, 1603.

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      Cecil, William, Lord Burleigh, the great minister of State to Queen Elizabeth. He was born at Bourne, Lincolnshire, September 13, 1520. His biography would be almost a history to the times in which he lived. He patronized Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh, and all the other English voyagers for discovery. he was a man of immense capacity for business, and held the full confidence of the Queen. He died May 4, 1598.

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      Walsingham, Sir Francis, third and youngest son of William Walsingham, of Scadbury, parish of Chislehurst; principal Secretary of State of Queen Elizabeth in 1753, and "one of the pillars of her throne." He was a promoter of all the great expeditions during his time, and staunch friend of Gilbert's and Raleigh's plans to colonize America. He was born in 1536, died April 6, 1590, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

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      Hawkins, Sir John, a great navigator, son of William Hawkins, was born at Plymouth, England, about 1532, entered the naval service in 1551, and went on various voyages into Spain, Portugal and the Canaries; he invented the chain pump for ships, 1558-59, following in the track of his father he visited Guinea in 1562, and sailed to the West Indies with a cargo of 300 negroes, whom he sold to the Spaniards residing there. He returned to England with a rich cargo of ginger, hides and pearls. In 1564 Hawkins repeated the experiment with greater success, and on his way home stopped in Florida and relieved the struggling colony of Huguenots planted there by Admiral Coligny and barbarously destroyed by the Spaniards soon after Hawkins' departure. The Queen rewarded him with a crest, consisting of "a demi moor in his proper colors, his hands behind him bound with a cord." In 1567 Hawkins went on a third expedition from Africa to the West Indies, but was attacked by the Spanish fleet in the harbor of San Juan de Ulloa, and most of his ships and men were destroyed; two ships escaped, commanded respectively by Hawkins and Drake. Pretending to be a traitor, he was made a grandee of Spain and he received large sums of money from Philip II., and in 1562 equipped a fleet and sailed to the Azores to lie in wait for Philip's Mexican fleet; appointed treasurer of the navy in 1573; as rear-admiral he had a great part in preparing England to resist the Spaniards, and commanded the left wing of the English fleet in the great battle with the Armada in 1588. For his gallantry and efficiency at this time he was knighted by the Queen. In 1590 he had the command of a squadron, which, in conjunction with another under Sir Martin Frobisher, was sent to infest the coast of Spain. In 1595 he joined with Drake in an expedition against the Spanish West Indies, but the two commanders disagreed and he was unsuccessful in an attack on the Canaries; and at Porto Rico he fell sick and died and was buried in the sea. He sat twice in Parliament for Plymouth, and founded and endowed St. John's Hospital there for decayed mariners and shipwrights of the royal navy. He married Katherine, daughter of Benjamin Golson, and his son, Sir Richard Hawkins, an able and distinguished seaman, was member of the council for Virginia in 1607.

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      Frobisher, Sir Martin, son of Bernard Frobisher by his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Richard Yorke, a great seaman and discoverer, was born at Altofts, Normanton, Yorkshire, about 1535; made a voyage to Guinea and other places; served with Gilbert in Ireland; stimulated by reading Gilbert's "Discourse to Prove a Passage by the Northwest to Cathaia and the East Indies," he began his glorious voyages to the northwest coast of North America. Before Frobisher's departure on his first voyage Queen Elizabeth sent for him, commended him for his enterprise, and when he sailed July 1, 1576, she waved her hand to him from her palace window. he explored Frobisher's strait and took possession of the land called Meta Incognita in the Queen's name. The vain hope of a gold mine inspired two other voyages to the same region (1577-78). On his third voyage he discovered Hudson strait; vice-admiral in the Drake-Sidney voyage, 1585-86; served against the Armada and was knighted in 1588; commanded vessels against the Spanish commerce 1589-92; in 1594 he commanded the squadron sent to aid Henry IV. of France; wounded at the attack on Brest, November 7; died at Plymouth, and was interred in St. Giles Church, Cripple Gate, February, 1595.

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      Davis, John, a great navigator, born at Sandridge, England, near Dartmouth, not far from the Gilberts and the Raleighs, about 1555. He was early injured to a seafaring life and distinguished himself by three voyages which he undertook for the discovery of a northwest passage between 1585-87. He discovered the great strait which bears his name, and sailed along the coast of Greenland. In 1571 he went as second in command with Cavendish in his unfortunate journey to the South Sea. He afterwards made five voyages to the East Indies, and was killed in the last by some Japanese pirates in the straits of Malacca, December 27, 1605. He published various books on maritime subjects, and invented a quadrant which was invariably used for taking the sun's altitude at sea until it was superceded by Hadley's sextant.