The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-09-07
The First Book Written i'm
.-.. America.
From the Printers cireular.l


It is pleasant to believe that the first
country was penned by Il poet, who, as a
lad, had listened with delight to Shak-
speare; and the tale is as probable as it
is pleasant.
George Sandys was just seventeen
years old, and intimate with the Earl of
Southampton, when thatnObleman, with
happy penetration, discovered that the
Young actor, who had dedicated to him
some sentimental and rather stilted
verses upon the very trite subject OF
Venus and AdOnis, was worth helping,
and, by judiciOus use of some of his
own golden trash, ," gave William Shak-
speare that share in the BlacEfriars'
theatre, which was the only opportunity
needed by his genius.
The familiarity between the family Of
DR.. Sandys, Archbishop of York, and
the Earl of Southampton, was uninter-
rupted; and share of it fell to the
youngest child, George, who, as q re-
markahle scholar and tasteful poet, was
winning his laurels early. The youth
thus fortunately introduced into the re-
public OF letters was, during the same
years, varying his sexperienceby a tender
Familiarity with the young, gentle, and
scholarly Prince Charles, who, as the
unhappy Charles T., was doomed to suffer
for the sins of his race.
Shakespeare crowded all that wondr0us
life with which the world has aught to
do, into few years, and retired in con-
tent to the quiet of StratfOrd at the very
time that Sandys, then thirty three years
old, set out for his travels in the East.
From this journey he brought back an
admirable volume OF description, which
ifyy1 Hoe
style and recognized accuracy, and the
dedication of which was received with
qualification, by his earnest friend,
Prince Charles.
The Earl of Southampton, and Sir
Edwin Sandys, the eldest brother OF
George, were meanwhile working to-
gether in the miserably mismanaged
Virginia Company; and the settlement
of Jamestown, suffering from fraud,
fire, and famine, had for q crOwning
evil become penal colony, when into
this wretehed muddle George Sandys
was sent as treasurer III 1G91, with the
endorsement from the Earl of S0uthamD.
ton, that he was of approved fidelity
sufficieney and integrity. The Company
had expended one hundred and fifty
thousand pounds beyond its receipts
from the colony, and was just h0Yerine
scholarly poet was despatched to retrieve
its treasury. He arrived just in time to
see one-tenth of the inhabitants slain
by the Indians in one night of massacre
and to do his duty well In pursuing the
sayages to their forest lairs.
Two years OF war, pestilenee, and
famine followed, iii which one half the
eolOnists died miserable deaths; and
through dreary nights !; and weary days
the poet passed his leisure in COMPLETING
u translation of Ovidis MetamorphOse
which he had previously commenced in
England.
In harmony with the fatal folly thai
seemed to have made Jamestown its
home, Sandys, D fine scholar, a traveller
and author, who had described Asif
with admirable fidelity, and delineateC
lG with accurate maps, sat him down oil
the James river. not to relate thu
mlsllaps OF the time, nor sketch thC
thrilling life OF q community made nj
of convicts and Indians, gold hunter;
and vagabontls, but to string the love,
of Olympus into pretty rhymes.
Sanllys carried his poem home to bG
published IN England, where he speedily
found his appropriate station iii persona
and familiar attendance llllOn his be
loved friend. King Charles, and thence
forward devoted himself to pleasan
duties and stadious leisure, leaving ii,
note of his existence III America, exeep
in the closing lines DE u pOeIa OF per
sonal thanksgiving, added to his lin,
translation of the Psalms
TO that New. found ont World, where sober Nigh
Takes from the Antipodes her silent flight;
10 those daTke seas, where hOFrid winter reiGns
And binds the stubborn Floods III Icie chains
Thou sss.,lst me from tI1e bloody NYassacras
OF faithlesse Indians from the suitrY breath
0ftainted Aire, which clnyed the iawcs of Death
The sllhioined is an advertisement il
Gould to John CandaII. CITY Marshal 8
LeavenwOrth, KS. From this time hence
forward and forever until Miss Ann;
SnnalaI haa1.aAlalss.