The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-11-06
| q r y Tsp TC II.
oaioapAf MOANING. NovEMB en- a. nS..
I
ADDRESS OF
EA PRESIDENT TYLER
Seh'ered before the Mechanics. Institute
ON Thursday Night, Nov. ath

am mere tonight, in compliance with Won,
Iepsa,eu'y afee0 request, that would deliver q
Lecture before you 10 aid of your praiseucrths
undertaking. You have kindly Iefs tha srbian,
10 my own selection, ard memory. the priviieg.
OF age, carries me back 10 the DAYS of nv Won't
when Ter the fret titno l walked Your street.
looked upon yonr beautiful eminencss and formed
some acquaintance with the men of that ds =.
who have long siace ''travsllea the road 10 dnstv
death, leaving their names nd high deserts dee n
~ impressed ou the mind Of Richmond. NJ,
sheme, 10 night, is Richmond and its Memories
oriei glance at the early history of the site on
which the city stands will neither be unins,rr,
tive or unprofitable, The frsi daring adventurer.
10 the settlement of Virginia, lost no time Ia ex
pioting the river, on whose shore that noble ban
bad cast their hopes and fears. They visited tbc
great WerowaDce, who, by his arm. aud polio,
had sub jectsd to his sway the numerous trjh.
who Inhabited the t.ds-water region, at bis chte
residence, now the hospitabie home Of Mr. Roh,
Mayo, below the falis-that residence, be.,i,o
sne name OF fo@hatan, attracts the attention G,
all who travel upand down the river and raw bs
regarded as constituting of The features aud nv
no means the least interesting one of the oi,y .
The falls OF the river we're for many years the M
hma Hhle OF the early adventurers. Formidabl.
tribes Of savages ranged over the countrv 81,
.his locality, and these falls whose evening echoa
constitute the nightly tattoo of the inbabitan..
luiiiug them to repose after each day OF toll am
whose morning resounciugs max. their reyeiIi,
summoning them to their daily labor, formed =
VI,
dare not pass. The first actual settlement in m,
neiRhborbood OF which We have we'll autbent;
Gated account. was that Of Nathaniel Bacon who's.
possessions were watered on the South by III,
stream universally known as "Bacon's Quarter
Brapch,' on which is now settled frugal and
Industrious population, which is embraced within
TIE expending limits of the city. AT that earl,
day, the coloni.'s were thrown into violent sgita
ton by reason Of the frequent inroads made upon
the settlements, aud murders committed by tbs
Among ia IF
We cruelty and shockipgly murdered. and the
embers, which the Governor, Sir Vim Berkeley
had tried to smother, broke ont into flame tba.
nothing ccuid resist Ia despite Of the Governors
extTacTdInary SUI iUeLtss and his procianat ns
deUouncing as traitors all W 10 should undertake E
to prosecute war against the indians 1ilhout his
cOnseut,the people hasiened to embOdy themse!v We.
into military corps, and unanimously elected Ma
thanei Bacon as their chief lead them az esiust
their border enemies. ] go no farther into tho
history Of those times than to saw that ultimate
Iy, tha, talented and indomitahle leader with his
patriotic band, encountered the combined t,rce
of the Indians almost within sight Of this city md
took OF them terrible retribution Their blood
ercrimsOued the waters OF the stream on the mar.
gin of which the battle WAS fought SO that fro +,
that day TO this that stream has borne the name
Of the "Blocdy Rub, and will for ages ye, to come
cots'f:ute a memorial Of the yctnrioug Ieadar
and his intrepid band. The way.farer, vapderirg
on the banks Of that stream. look. in vain for ,ha
evidences Of that bloody day. Nearly two captp-
rtes have passed away since then, aud instead oi
treading dead mems bones, the wild violet is
pressed beneath bis footsteps; the stream runs
impidiy beside him. and as it steals quietly its
way to uiogie with other waters dinples its
surface with smiles and glides IaughingIv on
Aud yet that bloody day efectualIy broke the
power OF the Indian, who, from that day to this
has been driven by resistIess current to the
place OF the setting sun, where be is destined to
sink beneath the horizon, 10 be remembered in
the tales Oftrsdition, which. as the world grows
older, viii be classed with fable, or only men
toned in poetry and song
Notwithstanding the signal defeat the rovers Of
the wilderness, coming from a di.tapce and
belonging to powerful tribes, often stole iu unon
the settlements and rendered them insecure To
guard against this, the Grand Assembly, as il was
called Ia those Gays, granted to Capt. William
Bird, in 1879. tract of land on both siJes Of the
river, including, on the North side. the greater
par! Of what now the city of Richmond, upon
conditions that he would seat on the granted land.
fifty able men, armed and constantly furnished
With sufficient ammunition and provisions; and A
number OF tythesbie persons, not exceeding go
in the whole, and made him the commsn Ter in
clief Of the settlement. He 10 supposed to have
built Belvidere as his place OF residence, and to
have had store and q mill. lower down in What
is now the city. He was a valuable acquisition to
Virginia. aud man Of great thrift aud enterprise
He manifested far-reaching ssgacitv in seiziup
upon the advantages which this location offered
He, doubtless, foresaw in the future what is now
II
on his domaius. That be was a man of Qrea,
thrift is not only proven by the large possessions
be left behind, but established ~ his correspons
dence, preserved in the LIST and I'd volumes of the
Virginia Historical Register. A posiscript to one
of his letters will sufficiently attest this. III,
writes to Thomas Grendon, by a regular coinci.
d. nee, per The IIct Idt ar" and in pGstscrjpi
Gays, Jack Warren aud Will Randolph, our wor
thy Burgessers. frequently drink your health
Pay be miHJfH cf my b00ts and shoes &c" He
largely u tobacco Fieh m
fni trade will the Indians, in akius and furs and
thereby preserved the peace better than by the ue
OF guns end gunpoWder. Such was the original
settler Of the city Of Richmond mar Cf bold and
hardy adventure. POSSESSED in the beginning oi
ample means, aud greatly enlargiLg them by
thrift and economy: often the reprosen tatve in the
House @! Enrgesses from the county of Henrico
and for sometime Treasu er as it is expressed upon
his tombstone iD the public burial ground at West
over Of taS Royal Province. He died at the age
Of 81, on the second of December, l7O4 leaving Il
his heir at law "the more celebrated Colonel Wm
Ey large and valuable possessions" who erected
aud adorned the beautiful seat called Westover
now In the possession OF my friend John SeldeD.
Esq The inscription on his monument which is
in The garden at Westover will best explain his
character and important public services 1t read,
as follows:
Hero lyeth the Honsrable William Bird Ffq
being b-rn TO one OF the ampleit fortuIes in III
coonry, hs was aeut earl to England fgr education
here under the direction and care OF Sir Rob South
wall and yer favored with his particular i1struc-
ti0n, be made happy proficiency in polite and
varied Lee ming By the means of the sano noble
friend he was introduced to the acquaintance oi
many of the II st pei sons OF that age fr knowledge
VII virtue birth or high stat on: and particular
contracted mnrt intimate ana hosolr FRIENDSHIP
vito the harmed and iiirsstious Charles Boy le
Of 0rrerg Ec called TO the Bar In the a idCl.
Ternple-stndied for some time Ia tho low countries
Wis ted ihe Court of France, aud vas cho-en Fellow
of toe Royal Society. Thus empensly 1T ed for the
service and ornament f his conntry, he wa. made
Receiver General ci HIS HaiessJ's = revenues her
vas thrice appointed pshlic agent to ths court and
Tcmbor at last became frcsiteIt Of the Con neil
Il ihi5 Colony. 10 all this was sdied n great eie
gsrce of taste AMI life-the wo-bred gentleman
pruCcnt fstt er Of family, With the cons tant enemy
OF al cxhorlt.ant power and hc.rty f.iend to the
died Aug. 9Th. TH--aged 70"
It is TO be hoped that the proprietors of the
plare will consider 1t eciemn duty to see that
that monument, 80 fnl Of The history of the past,
shall hepreseryed from decay.
The paternity ofcitios ie often lost in the mirth
OF The rast. Fable sometimes supplies the place
Of history, mud the she wolf has been made the
foster mother Of high imperial Rome. Richmond
has 10 o5scurity connected with its origin. II
presents fsir scroll and that is indellibly re-
corded on the page OF history.
With wise forecast of the future, Col Bird sa "
the advantages of his possessions here, and, in
1857, resolved 10 lay of HE land, on the north
side Of the river In suitable and convenient streets
aud loIs for the foundation OF large city. The
Indian power had been broken bv the sanguinary
aft Air of Bloody Run. sixty years before, aud the
white population had extended to the base OF the
Blue Ridge. Fredericksburg bad already been
laid off, at the foot Of the falls OF the Rappahan-
mock, and couried the trade Of all the country
watered by that river. more extensive country
calls Tor town at the falls of the james, and the
Tar seeing proprietor resolved to open this sp for
settlement. iiis advertisement Is TO be found
In the williamsburg Gazette Of that day. A town
oi some pretentions speedily arose. aud its Increase
in population soon placed it alopgside of older
towns, while its greater centraiity caused, at All
early day, the General Court. which was then q
court Of almost unlimited jurisdiction, to be
transferred to II from Williamsburg, and along
with IL came much Of the high forensic taleut
which, at that day and loig afterwards, gave
celebrity to the bar OF Virginia. fraction tells
I hat the great hotel, where the learned judges.
lawyers and jurists assembled, was wooden build
ing which still stands opposite the Union, which
for years pa't, has been appropriated to greatly
different purposes. 1t was at after day, when
the aspiring city bad clsmbered up the steep and.
l.fJa- nf ..foy.