The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-03-26
from the Model American Courer]
The Marriage of Pocahontas.
BY w. II. CARPENTER.

with interest upon low, level peninsula, which,
Jutting far out into the stream, commands long
reach of the river, above and below. This was the
first permanent settlement made by the cavalier
adventures in Virgna and was the scene OF hard
ships and losses of sickness and starvation, of suf
feriDg and DEATH unparalleled in the annals of any
of the American Colonies. The city which was
here founded was called Jamestown. 1t was once
palsadoed, with incredible labor, and forts built,
and houses raised and it had its presidents and its
captains, and its men-of-war and its motley array
of Adventures, who, melted by the good fortune Of
the Spaniards in Mexico and Peru, imagined they
had discovered new Ell Dorado, where mines of
gold and silver were to be the prizes of the new
corners. How these hopes were blasted, the battles
they fought, the extremtes they endured, and how
often the town was abandoned, again recovered
and rebuilt, are matters which history has made
familiar TO all. The colony did at length prosper
Adventures, with more moderate DESIRES focked in
Industry and fertile soil brought plenty in their
train; and Jamestown became at length settle
ment of note and consequence.
Save the ruins of church, green with parasite
cal piants the growth of past centuries, no farther
vesiige now remains. In that venerable edifice, or
in one perhaps more humbly wrought for the same
holy service, a rite was performed which changed
the doubtful future of the cOlonists into certain
and prosperous. That rite, which set holy seal
upon the evils Of the past, was the marriage of Po
cahontas. The current of that adverse fate which
the heroic Smith had endeavored in vain TO stem
was by this simple act changed into happier chan
mel, for Powha,an loved his daughter, and buried
his enmty at the foot of the altar which witnessed
the union of two loving hearts.
The blessed Princess PocaEontas-the guardian
angel of weaking Virginia, the preserver of its
greatest Captain, the watchful and tender friend
The brave, highspirted girl, and the passionately
devoted wife-what heart beats not more warmly
at the recital of her manifold kindnesses! Well
might men call her angel, who was more than
woman. brave, gentle, ingenious nature "a
child of the forest, filled with great and good in
sincts, and imbued with a love for her adopted
friends that neither the malignty of her kinsmen,
nor threats, tribulations, nor dangers, could
even move from its watchfu steadfastness. And for
these high qualities hath the Princess Pocahontas
a shrine in every grateful heart. Truly, her de-
scenGans have good reason to be roud of her blood
in their veins for those shining acts which would
have graced civilized Queen, ray out with double
lusre, when recorded as native to the heart of a
wild woodland 'Princess.-IIonor and glory, then,
to the blessed Princess Pocahontas and may her
name be beautiful 10 the memory for ever and ever
And honor and Immortality TO the Lady Rebecca
Rolfe, the welded and Chrisianzed Princess Po-
cahontas who heard the saving words of grace and
an eternal hereafter, and, hearing, believed and,
with the trusting confidence of her cbildike nature,
knelt down, and was baptized accordingly.* Who
then shall say men had not reason to be joyous,
when the Princess Pocahontas bestowed her hand,
and with it all her heart, upon Master John Role
JAMESTOWN.
1t was a gala day in Jamestown the first day of
April, sixteen hundred and thirteen April in old
Virginia. The sweetest month of all the twelve
mild gente-passionate- neutrality-suspicious., and
health-nspiring the Princess Pocahontas herself
1t was a gala day in Jamestown. The laborer
among the plantations forsook his plough. The
woodman in the pine forest and the cypress swamp
threw down his axe. The pale deliver after pre-
cious metals laid aside his matteck with sigh of
4 l. r,SI th.b IIarh
adZe and trowel. Even ancient Master Pinchback,
the achemist, who had come hitherward allured
by the hopes of the Philosophers stone, Iaked out
the embers of his furnace, reverently removed his
retort, and drawing bettermost black silk cap
over his scanty gray hairs, and thrustlng his long
bony arms into a thin gaberdne of dark stuff took
up his staff and walked forth to make one among
the crowd. And such crowd as thronged the
town that day! Not great indeed in numbers but
so various in condition, habit, talents, and educa
ton, that it was an epitome of ancient London
itself. Here, in seedy but neat apparel, moved
with slow steps, their melancholy faces somewhat
frightened by the occasion, goodly number of
dscayed gentlemen, who had sought refuge from
the ills of the Old World, allured by the specious
hope of being bettered in the New. A little farther
on rolled out from between the checkered door
posts of the Tavern, Guest House, noisy set of
starveling galants, with their hats awry-their
once gay habilimens of silk and taffety, sadly
soiled and furnished. Their mouths were filled
with strange oaths, and their faces flushed with
their accustomed potations. lntermixed with these
some the associates of one, and some OF the
oher-were to be seen poor younger sons OF younger
brothers, for the most part an idle, dIssoue race,
hurried off to the new Colony TO avoid worse fate
at home or to relieve their kindred from the re-
sponsibility of their maintenance. A few, indeed,
iabored diligently in their new vacations, who
would have been ashamed in their own country to
have been seen working at all. Say roiserers,
fhor he nghI apH& prtrn nrnp
of when had adventured to spy out the riches of
the land, and others, to mend their broken health,
or in search of new sensations Ostlers and tap
sters, gamblers and debtors, from the purlieus of
Alsatia-these, too, formed part of the throng.
While contrasting with the white faces, and CIV
ilized garb of the Coloniss, were the dark 1.-THE,
manly forms Of their savage neighbors-a consid-
cradle number of whom formed the wild following
of the Princess Pocahontas. The men were tall
and muscular, and glided hither and thither with
look of superb Indifference; seeming to see
nothing, vet observant of all things that We're
worthy of comment, or 10 be remembered hereafter.
The women, straight graceful creatures, with great
black wondering eyes, shining through pensile
masses of long dark hair. For their dress-even
fastidious gallants avowed that the light thin deer
skin robe, and buskins of the same, when decora-
ted with scoops of shells, porcupine's quilts of va
rious coors, frnged with gay feathers and musical
with hawks bells and other tiny tinkling orna-
Inents-were dainty coverings and devices, cores
ponding well with the easy unrestrained motions,
and fantastic nurture of The wearer. But II these
formed the staple of the crowd, there We're yet
others of worthier sort to be met with on that
eyentfu day. Cavaliers, gentlemen of means,
talent, and education who, inspired BY the success
of the Spaniard, sought to distinguish themselves
honorabiy; and with less brutal and murderons
hands to add another star to the already bright
galaxy of the English crown. Soldiers, stout
hearted men, some of whom had been the compan-
ions of the redoubtable John Smith in his foreign
wars were captves with him among the Turks;
shared in his successes and glories in Tartary and
daringly explored with him, for the first time, the
green isles and low lying shores of the beautiful
Chesapeake Bearded and swarthy men were
they; habted in jack -plate and morton of shining
STEEL ample trowsers ooped at the knee, and close
fitting hose below Well skilled in their profession,
they could handle with equal facility the pike, and
the snaphaunce, or maHteuvre the light artillery,
called demi-culverin. saker, and falconet
A few planters also. were to be seen among the
better class men Of industry and energy, who had
built themselves block houses for defence and set
tied down to the improvement of their lands in
right good earnest. But of these there were not
many for as yet most of the colonists, when they
labored at all, did so for the benefit of the common