Washington sentinel., 1855-02-16

ago Virgiuian enamored Of his native land His
picture may he exiravagani; but who does not
admire the spirit ia which il is drawn.
IL is not my purpose ior attempt TO trace the his
tory OF Virginia from lis first painful beginnings,
through all the stages OF its growth, up 10 its pres
ent state and condition. II the proper limits Of
this address did moi forbid il, should be prevent
ed by my want of qualifications for the task. But
the history OF every people has moral which il
may be profitable 10 study, and not only teaches
the mode in which its national character has been
| moulded for good or i'll, but also the means by
which il may be strengthened and elevated. TO
| this extent the history of each people becomes a
matter OF general interest to ALL The title State
may have TO the respect of mankind must depend
upon facts and 10 preserve the historical evidences
upon which they rest, ought TO be a labor of love
| 10 It's sons. TO cast passing glance at each Of
these views of our history, perhaps, may not be in
| appropriate on the present occasion.
| To stimulate individual energy, and 10 extend
individual liberty, seems to have been the great
| object Of the Virginia colonsts. Social strength
was sought as the means for securing the oppor-
| tunlties for such system of culture, rather than
as the end to be attained by the development of In
dvidual freedom and energy Accordingly, the
largest liberty Of individual action was sought,
which in that day was deemed compatible with
social ORDER and the due protection OF persons and
/ property. knowledge Of this their great desire,
and Of the circumstances under which il was mod
ied and exercised, will afford the key to the colo
L W
ernment, (says Bancroft, quoting from Jefferson
i seemed 10 promise TO the general mass greater
degree OF happiness than the tyranny of the Euro
pean governments" The establishment of an
ordinance for common property, and the regula-
| tons of the home government threatened 10 dis
appoint the Virginia cooaists of their destiny; but
/ the instinct of national character, and circum.
stances favorable to its development, by which
they were surrounded, were too strong for artif.
| cial restraints. Says Bancroft, "They were
/ nulo In in ha uNNAo xxy.sh 4 -
herted culture and intelligence Of the seven
/ teenth century The AngloSaxon mind, in its
severest nationality, neither distracted by
fanaiicism nor wounded by persecution, nor
active instinct for personal freedom, secure pos
session, and legislative power, such as belonged
TO II before the reformation, and existed indepen-
dent Of the reformation, had made its dwelling
| place in the empire Of Powhatan.nt
| II was this spirit which enabled them not only
i 10 surmount the difficulties which so embarrassed
them at first, but in the end to convert them into
auxiares of their growth and progress. The In.
dian power which was so near annihilatng the
| colony in 1922, after il was placed under proner
restraints, often served as useful barrier 10 The
too rapid dispersion OF the white population in the
wilderness. Whenwe survey all the difficulties
encountered by the early settlers, il is surprising
/ that they survived the perils which surrounded
them. Sometimes Il was domestic dissenson
| that disturbed them, then Famine stared them in
the face, and TO crown the whole, on one day they
We're nearly all annihilaisd by general Indian
insurrecion and massacre, with all the cruel ac.
compartments OF savage warfare "sparing neither
/ age nor SEX but destroying man, woman, and
child, according TO their cruel way of leaving none
behind TO bear resentment.ot In 1909 thew were
reduced by famine OF uncommon horrors from
i i've hundred 10 ihrce-score men, when Sir Thomas
| Gates, Sir George Somers, and CAPTAIN Newnori
arrived with their two little cedar vessels, The
| !" Patience" and "Deiiverance,n built by them.
| selves in Bermuda, where they had been ship
wrecked, aud offered either 10 stay with them and
| divide their provision, or 10 take them away and
put 10 sea again. This, and the opportune ar.
/ rival Of Lord Delaware, saved the COLONY upon
| that occasion, but the starving timen as Il was
| called, was long remembered in their annals
| Still more startling was the massacre in March.
l622, when, according TO Beverly, "of Christians
there were murdered three hundred and forty
seven, most Of them falling by their own instru.
/ ments and working toos."l
| In grateful recollection Of the preservation of
the colony under so many difficulties more than
| one statute is to be found by which the cold
planters" were exempted from a portion of the
| public burdens, and the 22d Of March, the day Of
the massacre, was by law set apart as n holy day,
| 10 commemorate their providental deliverance
from utter destruction at that Time. Ofthe feel
| ings awakened by such events amongst handful
| OF settlers, environed they were by so MANY
pers, we can now form no adequate conception;
but the colonial statutes Of that PERIOD and little
Alter present some striking evidences of the con.
l. declared
| against the Indians certain periods of the wear
| were fixed upon by law for hunting the savages,
and falling upon their towns; persons were for
hidden TO work in the fields unless they were
armed, and nj least four ofihem together and they
were strictly cnJoned 10 carry arms TO churchT
The trade between the whites and the Indians
and the terms OF their intercourse TO certain ex.
tent, were regulated by law. The colonial gov.
eminent, Of course, exerted 10 the utmost their
feeble powers for the protection of the citizen, but
l. 10 n he ma dan -
vidunl energy and resources. And upon that
| idea, the whole policy OF the government was
based. With such means, and entirely by their
| own exertions, they were able TO work out
| their deliverance so far as 10 enable Sir vii.
liam Berkeley to say in his answer to the Lords
Commissioners OF Foreign plantations, in 1911,
"thc Indians, our neighbors, are absolutely sub.
Jecied, so there is no fear Of thcm.na OF course
this refers only TO the settled parts, us history
shows very different state Of things on the from.
| tiers then, and long afterwards Il was perhaps.
well for the Colony that IL forced 10 depend nm.
on itself for protection against the dangers which
assailed H. for IL was this necessity which led 10
| social organization and domestic policy. upon
which were founded the ultimate happiness and
| prosperity Of the State.
In 1919 the first colonial assembly that ever met
| in Virginia, was convened by Sir George Yeard-
leyb and in July, l62l, written constitution was
irst given by the London Company. The Iegisla.
tive power became thus vested in the Governor,
Council and Burgesses OF Assembly, elected by
the people, and Council, afier 1885, sitting apart
as an upper house in Legislative matters, and
also advising the Governor as 10 his executive
duties The acts Of this assembly, when assentcd
10 by the Governor, became laws, unless ncQa.
tived by the Crown. Tho Council, although an.
pointed by the Crown, or in case of yacancy by
the Governor held by tenure which was in fact
though not in theory, independent, and for the
most part, ike the burgcsscs, sided with the peo
pie, with whom they had common interests The
right OF representative government being once
granted, domestic organization and policy were
soon moulded so as 10 meet substantially the wants
oil the people. In 1923, monthly courts were es-
tablshed, and likewise manders OF plan,ntions
were instituted to be Of the quorum, and also 10
exercise military control over the plantation for
winch they were appointed. The general court
was composed OF the Governor and Council and
appeals lay TO the General Assembly Il The germs
OF the general andlocal governments OF the colony
were thus planted, and without going into a his.
tory OF the various grants and restrictions upon
the power OF the General Assembly, |, may be
said that the history OF its Legislation proves that