The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-11


sented in Europe as Rolfe's wife. At all
events, it appears to have struck him and
others that the 'Virginian Princess"
duce the British Court to advance
more money to the plantation, and she
was sent with the Governor, Sir Thomas Dale,
to England in the following year, where she
created no small sensation. 1t was the inte-
rest of the settlers to exalt her dignity, and
they did it so effectually that, although some
times described az 1.-The woman Pocahontas I"
the Privy Council held meeting to discuss
whether Rolfe ought not TO be tried for high
treason in marrying her, and Simon de Passe,
the artist wrote under her portrait, ''Matoaks
ais Rebecka Cher native and Christian names)
daughter to the mighty Prince Powhatan,
Emperour of Acknowledgement alsVirginia. /"
The picture represents thoroughly Indian
woman, with high cheek-bones gloomy
face, and lanky hair, some thirty years
Of age-she was only eighteen-who never
can have been beautiful according to
English ideas of beauty, dressed in a high
felt hat, such as is now worn in North Italy,
and broad white ruff. She appears to have
remained in England but few months, and
was returning homeward when she died at
Gravesend, on 21st May, 1916, and was
buried in the chancel of Gravesend Church,
as ''Rebecca Wrothe" wife of Thomas
Wroth, gent, Virginia lady borne" No
trace whatever of her conversation or her
character can be recovered, nor is there any
evidence that she was regarded in any other
light than converted Tasmanian or Maori
would now be, that is, as q subject of some
intellectual curiosity, but little admiration.
Her husband, John Rolfe, returned to Vir-
ginia, and was appointed Secretary to the
colony, and apparently made grand spring at
nNyh g fNrf f,a ,i,,fa na,N
pany in 1913 sharply rebuked him for re-
porting that the natives were reserving the
country for his own child, (which we do sup
pose to be device of your own to some
special advantage for yourself" They had a
habit OF speaking plainly in those days,
especially to servants Pocahontas had one
son by Rolfe, who returned to Virginia.
and seems to have been re-
cognized by the Indians as connection,
and it was through this son that the Indian
blood entered the Virginia planting families.
An esteemed and industrious mechanic, +"
named Randolph, settled on the James river,
and his son Richard married Miss Jane Boil
ling, great granddaughter Of Pocahontas, and
became the grandfather of John Randolph,
of Roanoke, the well-known Virginian, who,
it is said, considered this descent the proudest
among his endless claims to the reverence of
his countrymen. The whole story, we fear,
is essentially unromantic and commonplace;
but there is little harm done by telling it.
The human mind is so constituted that it can
actually read the story of Thermopyle, and
in defiance of figures given by the very histo-
rian whom it trusts, believe that the pass was
defended by three hundred men only; and so
it will read Mr.. Neill's collection of facts, and
believe, nevertheless, in Captain Smiths
rubbishy romance about the naked little
savage who 'played cart-wheels' In Lord
Delawarr's fort; and it may be, after all,
wiser to believe both in Thermopyl@ and
Pocahontas.